Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ A six-hour tribute concert for late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on Saturday included several emotional moments, as lead singer Dave Grohl broke down in tears and Hawkins’s teenage son sat in on drums. The concert, held at London’s Wembley Stadium, was streamed live. “For those of you who knew him personally, you know that no one else could make you smile or laugh or dance or sing like he could,” Grohl said. “And for those of you that admired him from afar, I’m sure you’ve all felt the same thing.” Hawkins, 50, died March 25 in Bogota, Colombia, hours before the band was set to perform there as part of its South American tour. Oliver Shane Hawkins, the late drummer’s 16-year-old son, took his father’s seat to drum for a rendition of “My Hero.” Grohl’s 16-year-old daughter, Violet, covered Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” and “Grace” to honor Hawkins, who she said introduced Buckley’s album to her. Legends including Queen’s Roger Taylor and Brian May; AC/DC singer Brian Johnson and Chic musician Nile Rodgers paid their respects to the drummer. Comedians Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock also made special appearances.
■ Maren Morris raised $ 100,000 for trans gender rights organizations using a moniker Fox News host Tucker Carlson called her amid a feud with a fellow country star’s wife. Morris first responded to Brittany Aldean, the wife of Jason Aldean, for her Instagram reel, which she captioned, “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life.” Morris responded by saying, “Sucks when Karens try to hide their homophobia/transphobia behind their ‘protectiveness of the children.” After backlash, Aldean went on Carlson’s show Thursday to defend her message. “Children should not be allowed to make these life-changing decisions at such a young age,” she told Carlson. Carlson, siding with Aldean, dubbed Morris a “Lunatic Country Music Person,” complete with an on-screen chyron. On Friday, she rolled out T-shirts with the moniker and phone number for Trans Lifeline that offers “direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis.” By Saturday, Morris raised $100,000, with proceeds split between Trans Lifeline and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program.