Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl breaks down mid-song at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl broke down mid-song at the tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins staged in London over the weekend.

Famed drummer Hawkins died at the age of 50 in Bogotá, Colombia back in March, with a preliminary investigation finding that he had 10 substances in his system at the time of his passing.

To celebrate their longtime bandmate’s life and legacy, the Foo Fighters played a star-studded gig at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, with Grohl opening the concert by acknowledging his “dear friend, bandmate, and brother”.

“No one else could make you smile or laugh or dance or sing like he could,” he continued, adding to the audience: “Sing and dance and laugh and cry and scream, and make some noise so he can hear us.”

Though Grohl managed to keep his emotions in check for the majority of the show, while performing Times Like These, the musician paused and appeared to choke back tears when he came to the lyric, “It’s times like these you learn to love again.”

Liam Gallagher opened the concert, while other rock stars to appear included Paul McCartney, Queen, and AC/DC.

In addition, a series of drummers took over Hawkins’s seat for the gig, including Nandi Bushell, 12, who once challenged Grohl to a drum battle, Blink-182’s Travis Barker, and Roger Taylor’s son Rufus.

And in a particularly poignant moment, Hawkins’ 16-year-old son, Shane, played the drums during My Hero.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone hit the drums as hard as this person… He’s a member of our family, and he needs to be here tonight with all of us,” Grohl said of the teenager.

To conclude the night, the Foo Fighters played their hit 1997 song Everlong.

“This one’s for Taylor,” added Grohl. “Let’s hear it big and loud for Taylor f**king Hawkins right now.”

Proceeds from the concert will go to the charities Music Support and MusiCares.

A second tribute gig is set to take place at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California later this month.