No one can deny that 2022 was a bittersweet and challenging year for the Foo Fighters. Coming off of the COVID years with their 2021 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with a new album and a fun, campy horror movie, 2022 looked to be their year. They had a full tour lined up with headlining slots at major festivals like Glastonbury, but their tour ground to a halt in March with the unexpected death of drummer, Taylor Hawkins, just a short time before they were to take the stage at a festival in Bogota, Columbia. Hawkins was just 50 years old, and he left behind his wife, Alison, and three children–Shane, Annabelle, and Everleigh. The loss of Hawkins was coupled with the loss of Dave Grohl’s beloved mother, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, in August.
After cancelling all of their scheduled shows to take time to be with their families and to mourn the loss of their longtime bandmate, the band, along with the Hawkins family, put on a pair of tribute concerts in Taylor’s memory. The two September shows were held at Wembley Stadium in London, England on September 3rd and at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California on September 27th. The London show livestreamed via MTV’s YouTube channel for over six hours of tributes from a who’s who of rock & roll old and new featuring Sir Paul McCartney and members of Queen alongside Grohl’s and Hawkins’s children Violet and Shane. Both shows raised money for charities selected by the Hawkins family–Music Support and Musicares. The year was capped off by the Foo Fighters making a New Year’s Eve announcement via their social media about their impending return to the music scene:
To honor the band’s commitment to healing power of music, and to celebrate Dave Grohl’s birthday month, I am picking a four-pack of songs representing the band’s past year. I look forward to hearing more from the Foo Fighters as they hit the festival circuit again this summer, with shows currently lined up at Boston Calling Music Festival, Sonic Temple Arts and Music Festival, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival, and Sao Paulo’s The Town. Here’s a look back so we can look forward together.
Oh Yes Jules Did 