Watch 100 drummers play Foo Fighters' double-drum classic, My Hero in tribute to Taylor Hawkins
The event was organised by Belgian band, Black Box Revelation to mark a year since the Foo Fighters drummer passed away
It’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed since Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins’ life was tragically cut short while on tour in Bogotá, Colombia, but today (25 March) marks the one-year anniversary of the beloved drum hero’s death.
To pay tribute to the fallen rocker, Belgian band Black Box Revelation organised a mob of 100 drummers, and took over Belgium’s Sportpaleis stadium in Antwerp - the venue which was the scene of Hawkins’ final Belgian performance in 2018 - for a cover of Foo Fighters’ My Hero.
It begins with Black Box Revelation drummer, Dries Van Dijck beating out the song’s intro, before the thunderous crowd of 100 additional drummers - all dressed in black t-shirts sporting a silhouette of a Hawk - join in.
The song, which featured as a single from Foo Fighters’ 1997 second album, The Colour and the Shape, famously features a double-drum intro. As was well documented in Foo Fighters’ own documentary, Back and Forth, Dave Grohl took over drum duties from original drummer, William Goldsmith during the album’s tracking process, recording My Hero’s drum intro on two separate kits.
Hawkins wasn’t in the band at this point, however since his passing, My Hero has become an anthem closely associated to him, due in no small part to his son Shane’s energetic and emotional performance of the song with Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts.
A statement from Black Box Revelation says, “Taylor Hawkins was the best drummer of our times. Honouring him with this tribute was an experience we will never forget.”
Foo Fighters are scheduled to play at a number of festivals this summer, and are yet to announce who will be behind the kit. For a full list of tour dates, click here.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
I'm a freelance member of the MusicRadar team, specialising in drum news, interviews and reviews. I formerly edited Rhythm and Total Guitar here in the UK and have been playing drums for more than 25 years (my arms are very tired). When I'm not working on the site, I can be found on my electronic kit at home, or gigging and depping in function bands and the odd original project.
“Who wants to tell him?”: Busking drummer unknowingly performs Chili Peppers song in front of Chad Smith
“Kurt was sitting in the bathtub with a Walkman on, listening to the song, and when the tape ended, he kissed me and said, 'Oh, finally, now I don't have to be the only songwriter in the band!'”: Dave Grohl's evolution as a songwriter