Foo Fighters tribute to Taylor Hawkins, Michael Gudinski at Melbourne gig

US band Foo Fighters showed they were back from dark times in Melbourne, remembering drummer Taylor Hawkins and Michael Gudinski with cathartic rock-outs on bulletproof anthems.

Dave Grohl performs with the Foo Fighters at AAMI Park. Picture: David Geraghty

It’s times like these when rock and roll is the ultimate healer.

US band Foo Fighters is still emerging from the shadows of a massive loss: drummer Taylor Hawkins died suddenly while on tour in March last year.

A few weeks before his death, Hawkins played what turned out to be his last-ever Australian show, a one-off concert in Geelong to launch Victoria’s music initiative, Always Live.

At that gig, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl paid tribute to the music boss, and the band’s long time promoter, Michael Gudinski.

Dave Grohl. Picture: David Geraghty

Dave Grohl performs with the Foo Fighters at AAMI Park. Picture: David Geraghty

“We would not be the band that we are today, here in Australia, if it wasn’t for the late, great Michael Gudinski,” Grohl said then.

With that backstory, the Foo Fighters’ return to Melbourne, for the first shows without Hawkins, was always bound to be emotional.

Indeed, at AAMI Park on Monday night, Grohl said birds flying over the stadium made him think of the beloved drummer.

“Let’s hear it for Taylor right now,” Grohl said, as the packed rectangle erupted in cheers and applause.

“Every time I see a bird fly by, I think of that guy.”

Grohl, turning to his bandmates, asked: “Earlier, (during) one of the songs did you see the birds flying around? Did you see that? In the lights up there.

“Either way. I think about him every day. We all do,” Grohl said.

Christy and Anthony Borrelli before the Foo Fighters concert at AAMI Park. Picture: David Geraghty

Jason Coleman with his children Michael, 10, Zoe, 12 and Eliza, 14, before the Foo Fighters concert at AAMI Park. Picture: David Geraghty

He dedicated Aurora, Hawkins’ favourite Foo Fighters song, to the late drummer.

“I just kinda died for you,” the song says. “You just kinda stared at me, we will always have the chance, we can do this one more time.”

It was the perfect tribute from a band that has regrouped, and has more to say.

New drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, Guns N Roses, Devo), is a force, and stole the show with explosive solos on Times Like These and Monkey Wrench.

“We’ve been a band for 28 years and we’ve got to pack that into one show. How are we gonna do that?” Grohl asked at the start of the show.

Luckily for us, Foo Fighters had all the answers, and then some.

Foo Fighters play a second show at AAMI Park on Wednesday.