The Police drummer Stewart Copeland was among the many artists to perform at Foo Fighters' two tribute concerts to late drummer Taylor Hawkins, which took place September in London and Los Angeles. For Copeland, the shows proved, among other things, that Foo frontman Dave Grohl is the "hardest-working man in show business."
"[Grohl] made all those calls, called everyone of us and said, 'Hey, how about it?'" Copeland tells ABC Audio. "Then, he had to figure out, 'Well, let's see, where am I gonna put Alanis Morissette or Chrissie Hynde or Stewart?'"
"He had to assemble and figure out all the material," Copeland continues of Grohl. "Then, he and [guitarist] Chris [Shiflett] and [bassist] Nate [Mendel] and the rest of them had to actually learn all that material and play it for six hours while fronting the show."
Copeland recalls the London concert particularly fondly, noting how "unique" the lineup was.
"It was singers playing with different bands, bands playing with different singers," Copeland says. "You never would see these artists in those combinations."
"The show was one of the most powerful events I've ever seen or been involved with, by far," he declares. "No, the most."
Like everyone who was in the crowd and watching along with the livestream, Copeland lost it when Hawkins' teenage son, Shane,joined Foo Fighters to play drums on "My Hero."
"At the end, oh my god!" Copeland exclaims. "That little kid gets up there, all 15-years-old of him, and slams on the drums like that, not a dry eye in the stadium."
He adds, "I was sobbing like a fool, of course."
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
