For their first festival of 2023, the rockers returned with Taylor Hawkins on everyone's mind.
“We’ve been in this band so long, we really are a family,” Dave Grohl said during Foo Fighters’ headlining show at Boston Calling. “And our families are with us tonight, because we need to do this together.”
Before performing a solo version of the song "Cold Day in the Sun," which he previously performed with the late Taylor Hawkins, Grohl gave a brief speech. He performed on stage for the first time in five years on Wednesday earlier in the week during the Foo Fighters' warm-up concert in Gilford, New Hampshire. On Friday, May 26, Grohl remarked, "I tried to do it the other night, and I'm going to try to do it again." "And I'm going to do it for Taylor's family and for Taylor," the speaker said.
The emotional sensation was just as strong this time even though he managed to finish it without choking. The fact that Grohl then ushered out Hawkins' son Shane, "one of my favorite drummers in the world," added to its power. Even though Shane's performances at his father's memorial concerts had shown off his prowess, there was something particularly uplifting about Shane's attendance at Boston Calling.
For the song "I'll Stick Around," which he sang during the Los Angeles Hawkins memorial, he joined the group. Josh Freese, the new drummer for the Foo Fighters, spent some time adjusting his drum set before slamming into the song and even skipping over Grohl's introduction ("Oh my god, there is a curfew Shane!" he joked while whining about missing The National and hearing "the audience going absolutely fucking bonkers" for Niall Horan). The kid Hawkins destroyed the drums like a seasoned veteran, head-banging and feigning to be swallowing the sounds.
If another Hawkins joined the Foo Fighters permanently in a few years, it wouldn't be unexpected. The reason his performance was so encouraging was that he wasn't just performing in honor of his father; rather, he was playing like he was establishing a reputation for himself. When your parents are as well-known and adored as Taylor Hawkins, it might be difficult to escape their shadow, but Shane has shown he can succeed on his own.
He wasn't the only young member of his family to attend the Foo Fighters' significant festival "comeback" performance; Violet Grohl, Dave's soft-spoken daughter, was also present. She made her stage debut before the "Cold Day in the Sun" performance, singing "Shame Shame" in the same voice as her father, and then sitting on the drum riser to play "Rope." The younger Grohl didn't try to match her father's enthusiasm, but her vocal range almost outdid his, making her one of music's most dynamic and compelling front-people.
Of course, Freese was another notable new addition to the Foos family. The journeyman drummer, who was sporting a shirt that said, "Fingers crossed for the new guy," didn't try to "replace" or "fill in" for Hawkins. That would seem he was making an effort to replicate the contributions the late musician made to the group. Instead, Freese appeared to be making a statement by vigorously slamming the set.
To be clear, this does not imply that Freese improved or diminished the sound of the Foo Fighters in comparison to their performance with Hawkins. That assertion is absurd, and it is absurd to even consider it. Simply put, Freese is a different drummer than Hawkins was, and the band's current lineup reflects that difference.
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