I am saddened to hear of the passing of Taylor Hawkins at the age of 50. I was asleep and got a text message from my friend Mike. I woke up at midnight and checked my phone and saw the message, “Taylor Hawkins!!! Wtf”
Mike and I saw the Foo Fighters a few years ago at Wrigley Field. The weather was perfect and we got to enter the field where my favorite baseball player used to make a paycheck. Right field was Andre Dawson’s spot. Mike and I took up residence at about shortstop to watch the show.
I remember quite a bit about that night. The opener was The Breeders. Their sound was not great. “Cannonball” was their highlight, but even that fell flat.
When the Foo Fighters took the stage, they did not let up.
There was a point when Taylor comes out from behind the kit and Dave took his place. Taylor had shorts that had the Eddie Van Halen signature red/white/black pattern on them. He sang a song and then…something I will never forget. Dave hit the signature drum beats that would go into “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” At that moment, you didn’t know. Will they or won’t they?
Taylor also paid homage to Freddie Mercury by singing “Under Pressure.”
I can’t imagine how difficult it had to be for Taylor to step into a band that included another prolific drummer in Dave Grohl. But, with Taylor’s skillset he was able to let Dave worry less about drumming and become the front man he needed to be for the Foo Fighters.
Taylor leaves behind a family. Not just a wife & kids, but his band family and all of his fans. I will miss his contribution to rock n’ roll.
SATURDAY MORNING HANGOVER #1:
I’m paying tribute to Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. You can see a young Taylor by the window producing a big sound.
SATURDAY MORNING HANGOVER #2:
This song not only features Taylor’s big drum sound, but reminds us to take advantage of the time we have.
