Watch Red Hot Chili Peppers Pay Tribute To Taylor Hawkins
via davegrohlmeme / Youtube
The Red Hot Chili Peppers has paid tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins at the end of their set at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on May 1.
The band closed the show with a performance of their classic hit “By the Way.” Drummer Chad Smith has his drum kit with Taylor’s name on it. After the song ended, Smith grabbed the mic and remembered his departed friend.
The Foo Fighters have cancelled all their shows following Hawkins’ passing. Smith said to the crowd, noting that the Foo Fighters was the original band to headline the festival instead of them:
“We just found out about this [gig] two weeks ago, because Foo Fighters were supposed to play here tonight.
“We love the Foo Fighters, and we love our brother Taylor Hawkins. So this means a lot to us to be able to play for them.”
Smith also said Hawkins’ wife, Alison, was present for the performance and noting that “the guys in the band are here.” But it’s unknown which members of the Foo Fighters is in attendance at the show. Then Smith stated:
“We love them. We love Taylor.”
Then he encouraged the crowd to say all together:
“We love Taylor!”
In a previous talk with Billboard, Smith revealed that he and the Red Hot Chili Peppers had been communicating with Alison and planned to make their set a “celebration” of Hawkins. He explained:
“That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want it to be anything other than, ‘Let’s celebrate music, let’s celebrate our friends, let’s celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it be nothing but a positive experience.’ So we’re going to do all that and she’s going to be part of that and I’m very honored that we can do that with her. … We’re going to play our hearts out.”
Aside from the RCHP, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, who, like the Chili Peppers, had replaced Foo Fighters in the lineup at the Beale Street Festival, also honored the late drummer and performed a rendition of “My Hero.”
Watch the performances of these two acts below.
