I shared these stories on-air the day after Taylor Hawkins died, but I wanted to share them with you here, too.
Harborlights, Boston, 2003
My first time seeing Foo Fighters was at Harborl, er, Fleet Pavilion in Boston on July 5, 2003. As you know, there are few better live music experiences in Boston than seeing a band on the Harbor in the summertime, and the Foo did not disappoint.
A bit of context: I’m an OG Foo fan. I drove home during a family beach vacation to buy their debut album the day it came out. When Dave Grohl enlisted Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith as his touring band, I was stoked, as I’m a huge Sunny Day Real Estate fan, too. And because of that, when Goldsmith was fired from the band during the sessions for The Colour and the Shape, I was bummed.
Five years later, seeing the band live for the first time, Taylor Hawkins made me forget all about William Goldsmith.
I couldn’t believe what an amazing drummer he was. And as many have said in the wake of his passing, if you’re so good behind the kit that you can back Dave Grohl and make people forget Dave Grohl is a drummer, too? That’s a singular talent right there.
The standout moment from that night as I remember it was “Stacked Actors:” the band turned it into a jam, which I usually hate, but it gave Taylor room to shine. And did he ever.
DCU Center, Backstage, 2005
Foo Fighters headlined the DCU Center in Worcester for the In Your Honor Tour on October 15, 2005. The band’s label, RCA Records, made Dave and Taylor available for interviews before the show and invited the Boston and Worcester rock stations to meet with the pair backstage pre-show. Lucky for me, I was tapped to cover the show.
I was hosting middays at WBCN at the time, and every weekday at noon I would put together a theme lunch with listener requests. So I had the idea that I would build a Foo-themed lunch by having Dave and Taylor each choose their favorite song from each of the five Foo Fighters albums that had been released to that point: Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, One by One, and In Your Honor.
I pitched the pair on the idea and they loved it. So we all sat down and I recorded them talking about their favorite songs and why they were their favorite songs and I prodded them along with questions and bad jokes and we all had a grand time.
It was Taylor who had the grandest time of all. He was genuinely enthusiastic about the idea and passionate about his picks. He even backed me up when I gave Dave shit about always underselling the debut album. It’s my favorite and it’s Dave’s least favorite and Taylor took my side and for that I’m forever grateful.
Now, to find that old audio…
Middle East, Downstairs, 2006
Taylor wasn’t just the Foo’s stickman, of course. Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders were his “other” musical outlet and I had the pleasure of seeing them live in Cambridge in April of 2006.
Back then, WBCN still hosted the Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble, an annual battle of the bands. It always ended with a final night of rock where the three top-finishing local bands played for the Rumble Crown. We’d always book a national act to headline the night while the judges chose the winner, and in 2006, it was Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders.
The set was great, because you got to see Taylor front his band from the kit, which is always a treat. But the real treat was Hardy’s interview before the show, which we’ve shared below.
Taylor was something else. He’ll be missed, and missed dearly.