Foo Fighters announce Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts for September

Foo Fighters have announced two tribute concerts honoring Taylor Hawkins later this year.

Taking place September 3 at London's Wembley Stadium and September 27 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, the shows will celebrate the life of the band's late drummer, and see a variety of artists perform, in addition to Foo Fighters themselves. The lineups for each show will be announced shortly.

Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee will assume their usual posts, though it's unclear at this stage who will shoulder drum duties.

“As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor's monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to million of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over,” a press release reads.

“Millions mourned his untimely passing on March 25, with passionate and sincere tributes coming from fans as well as musicians Taylor idolized. 

“The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will unite several of those artists, the Hawkins family and of course his Foo Fighters brothers in celebration of Taylor's memory and his legacy as a global rock icon – his bandmates and his inspirations playing the songs that he fell in love with, and the ones he brought to life.”

Tickets are not yet available, but fans can subscribe to Foo Fighters' mailing list to receive information on timings, sale dates and more.

The shows will mark the first time Foo Fighters have returned to the stage following Hawkins' death in March. The band canceled all of their upcoming tour dates shortly after the news broke, saying they needed time to “grieve, heal, pull our loved ones close, and appreciate all the music and memories we've made together”.

Hawkins passed away at the age of 50 in Bogotá, Colombia, before the band played their scheduled performance at Festival Estéreo Picnic.

Toxicology reports published shortly thereafter showed traces of 10 different substances in the drummer's body at the time of his death, including opioids, marijuana and anti-depressants.

Since his passing, artists from across the music spectrum have paid tribute, including a collective of 1,000 musicians who played My Hero at a recent show in Paris; Pearl Jam, who threw in a cover of Cold Day in the Sun during their recent set at LA's Kia Forum; and Paul McCartney, who called him a “true rock and roll hero” in a social media post.