On Monday night, the Foo Fighters frontman, 54, joined Hawkins’ 17-year-old son Shane for a special set with Hawkins’ former side-project Chevy Metal at Simi Valley’s Rock & Roll Pizza at Harley's Valley Bowl.
Fans captured footage of the show, which featured a setlist of classic rock covers. Both Grohl and Shane Hawkins, who is the son of Taylor Hawkins and his wife Alison, were seen rocking out as they honored the drummer’s legacy.
The “My Hero” singer, Hawkins and Chevy Metal were also joined by a lineup of famous rockers. Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins came on stage for David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream," Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down” and more, while Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers joined them for a rendition of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” David Lee Roth drummer Gregg Bissonette also made an appearance.
The superband also tore through heavy rock songs from The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Spinal Tap and Van Halen.
Grohl has continued to honor Hawkins with various tributes ever since he died at age 50 while on tour with Foo Fighters in Colombia in March 2022.
The “Best of You” singer has previously invited Shane Hawkins on stage to join the band at the drum kit. He first appeared playing “My Hero” with the Grammy winners during the special tribute show thrown at London's Wembley Stadium in September 2022, and later assisted them on “I’ll Stick Around” at Boston Calling music festival in May 2023.
During their set at Boston Calling, which marked their second show of tour since Hawkins’ death, Grohl spoke out about the band’s loss.
“I’m gonna do it for Taylor’s family, and I’m gonna do it for Taylor, because we used to sing it together,” he said. “So our band is truly like a family. Because we’ve been together for so long, we truly love each other. So tonight, all of our families are here because we have to do this together.”
He also shared, “It’s different now. To see you and sing these songs to you, a lot of them mean something new now.”
Foo Fighters is currently on tour, playing a handful of festivals in North America and abroad.
Josh Freese, who is known for his work as a session drummer, was announced as the group’s new addition in May and has been performing with them live since.
