The Los Angeles tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins took place at the city’s Kia Forum last night (September 27), and the six-hour all-star show featured a raft of highlights, including a partial Soundgarden reunion.
Soundgarden members Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron were joined by Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Pat Smear, and The Pretty Reckless vocalist Taylor Momsen for a pair of covers.
With Grohl, Smear and Thayil on guitars, the all-star lineup tackled two singles from 1994’s classic Superunknown album: The Day I Tried to Live and Black Hole Sun. Both performances have been captured in snippets of fan footage.
Thayil turned to his go-to guitars on the tracks – an EEBBBB-tuned Gibson Firebird and Guild SG in drop D – while Pat Smear opted for a Les Paul, and Dave Grohl was on – what else? – his Gibson Trini Lopez.
The performance is somewhat bittersweet given Taylor Hawkins tackled The Day I Tried to Live at a tribute concert to late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell in 2019.
Momsen has sung with Thayil and Cameron on several occasions, first at the Cornell tribute and subsequently on The Pretty Reckless’s most recent album. More recently, Thayil guested with the band on a live rendition of Soundgarden’s Loud Love.
Thayil, Novoselic and Cameron, meanwhile, currently perform together in Seattle supergroup 3rd Secret.
Other highlights from Tuesday night’s set included reunions from the likes of Them Crooked Vultures, the James Gang and the surviving members of Rush, plus performances from Def Leppard, Nancy Wilson, Queen, Joan Jett, Elliot Easton, Alanis Morissette, Alain Johannes, Pink, Kesha and many more.
Wolfgang Van Halen, who wowed the world with dead-on renditions of Hot For Teacher and On Fire at the London leg, this time tackled Van Halen classic Panama.
