Friendly fire from Foos
The Foo Fighters are coming to New Zealand in 2024 to play three shows. These will indeed be the rock events of the year as enamoured fans have been waiting since 2018 for the 15-time Grammy winners to return.
The news gets even better as we announce that thanks to the good folks at Frontier Touring, we are offering you the chance to win a double pass to see the Foos live at GO Media Stadium in Auckland.
As anyone who has ever been to a Foo Fighters show knows, it’s not only about the music. It’s about everything that goes with it.
Their 2018 show at Mt Smart Stadium being played in torrential rain, drummer Taylor Hawkins, sporting board shorts and an ABBA singlet, just over halfway through the set, taking over the microphone and belting out an awesome version of Queen’s Under Pressure.
Dave Grohl recalling in later interviews that the crowd at their November 26, 2005 show was genuinely one of the loudest he had ever heard.
However, it was as much about what happened at the second show the following day that created a very special memory for someone who was at that show.
A young lad, in his mid-teens had travelled from the Waikato, where he was a student and also a drummer in a local band, to see the Foos in concert. He stayed in Auckland the night and the next day went to the iconic Real Groovy Records store.
Whilst thumbing through the LP record bins, he noticed someone come and stand at the bin next to him and begin thumbing through its contents. He looked across and sees none other than Taylor Hawkins.
Hawkins engaged in a short chat and agrees to sign an autograph.
“Would you mind waiting here while I go to the counter and ask for a pen and paper?” our lad enquires.
“C’mon,” says Hawkins, “let’s go up together.”
He then signs a personal message, and they each bid each other farewell.
And what became of that young lad? He went on to complete a music degree and is now a music teacher — teaching among other things, yes, you guessed it, other young folks to play the drums. Hawkins’ legacy will live on through countless generations because of his kindness and inspiration to others. Remembering with much reverence and respect the very talented and exceptional human being, Taylor Hawkins, RIP.
Fun fact about Dave Grohl: In November 2011 Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey from British rock legends The Who, supported by Robert Plant and Dave Grohl, held a benefit concert in Los Angeles to kick start Teen Cancer America. Dave, too, has a heart of gold.
So why not give the one you love the ultimate rock gift for Christmas — a ticket to one of the upcoming Foo Fighters concerts.
Who knows what experiences will be had, what memories will be made?
There’s only one way to find out. You know what to do!