Taylor Hawkins died unexpectedly more than a year ago, and the band recently gave their first complete concert without the drummer at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion. During the performance in remembrance of Hawkins, Dave Grohl couldn’t hold back his tears. The Foos took the stage in New Hampshire after introducing their new touring drummer Josh Freese during the ‘Preparing Music For Concerts’ live webcast. Before the band began performing ‘Cold Day in the Sun,’ Dave Grohl gave an impassioned statement to the audience.
Dave Grohl, with tears streaming down his cheeks, said: “I have to confess that this is something I never expected to have to do. I’m going to give it a shot. This song was written by Taylor. We used to sing it as a group. So I’m going to do it tonight for him.” Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl switched positions on ‘Cold Day in the Sun,’ released in 2005, with Grohl behind the drumkit and Hawkins handling lead vocals. In an interview with The Globe And Mail in 2005, the drummer remarked of his collaboration with Grohl on the song: “It’s difficult to play a demo for Dave because he’s like my older brother — I can tell when he thinks something stinks.” ‘Hmm, yeah, that’s nice,’ he adds, before adding, ‘I really appreciate how impacted your vocals are.’ Anyway, Dave liked it, and it brightened up the acoustic record.”
Dave Grohl’s impassioned speech and the Foos’ performance of ‘Cold Day in the Sun’ may be seen below.