Johnny Marr pays tribute to Foo Fighters and Taylor Hawkins with Smiths classic
He played 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' at the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in Cardiff
Johnny Marr paid tribute to Foo Fighters following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins with a classic Smiths track at a gig this weekend – see footage below.
The former Smiths guitarist was playing at Cardiff’s Great Hall venue on Sunday (April 3) as part of the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival.
Ahead of playing the iconic ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’, Marr told the crowd: “This is a song that we’d like to dedicate to our friend Dave Grohl.
“Lots of love going out to you guys and all the Foos family. We miss you Taylor, we won’t ever forget you. God bless you. This is from all of us.”
Watch footage below.
Hawkins died on Friday, March 25 at the age of 50 in a hotel room in Colombia, where Foo Fighters were set to play a gig that night as part of a South American tour. Confirming his death in a statement, Foo Fighters said they were “devastated by the tragic and untimely loss” of their bandmate.
Since his death, a host of artists have dedicated performances to Hawkins in recent days. At a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, March 26, Liam Gallagher dedicated ‘Live Forever’ to Hawkins. Also last Saturday, Coldplay played ‘Everglow’ for him at their show in Monterrey, Mexico, whilst Elton John, playing in Des Moines, Iowa on his farewell tour, dedicated ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me’ to Hawkins.
Royal Blood’s Ben Thatcher also performed a drum solo for Hawkins, while Paul McCartney honoured Hawkins as “a true Rock & Roll hero” and the Grammys aired a brief montage to celebrate the drummer during this year’s ceremony on Sunday night (April 3). The video blended interviews and backstage home movies with live footage, ending in an audience singalong of the group’s hit ‘My Hero’.