Dave Grohl’s heartwarming moment at Foo Fighter’s Melbourne concert

The Foo Fighters hit the stage in Melbourne last night, where one heartwarming moment left frontman Dave Grohl completely speechless.

Foo Fighters have returned to Australia to perform their first shows here since the sudden death of bandmate Taylor Hawkins last year.

But in a goosebumps-inducing moment during their opening concert at Melbourne’s AAMI Park stadium, Hawkins might just have been present after all.

Frontman Dave Grohl paid tribute to the late drummer at iconic US band’s show Monday night, telling the packed crowd every time he sees birds in the sky, he thinks of Hawkins, who died aged 50 in Colombia during the band’s tour of South America in March 2022.

“Every time I see a bird fly by, I think of that guy,” Grohl said, before turning to his bandmates to say he’d spotted birds while performing earlier in the night.

“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.”

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

Then, right as Foo Fighters were about to kick off their hit song Aurora – one of Hawkins’ favourite songs – a flock of birds circled above the stadium, a serendipitous moment that was not lost on Grohl following his statement.

In a video posted to Instagram, Grohl could be seen admiring the night sky as the song’s opening chords rang across the stadium.

Foo Fighters hit the stage in Melbourne Monday night, where Grohl was seen smiling amid a truly heartwarming moment.

Birds circled the stadium as the band launched into Hawkins’ favourite song, Aurora.

Fans who attended the show took to the comment section of the post, saying the moment was “magical”.

“It was an absolute amazing night. so surreal,” one wrote.

“The birds gave everyone chills, such a special moment,” another said.

“If this ain’t the most beautiful sh*t in the world,” a third added, while a fourth chimed in, “I’m not crying, you are.”

The late Taylor Hawkins pictured with bandmate Dave Grohl. Picture: Kevin Kane/WireImage

Josh Freese was on drums for the show after joining the Foo Fighters in May as their new drummer, alongside bass guitarist Nate Mendel, fellow guitarists Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear and Rami Jaffee on the keyboard.

Foo Fighters last performed in Australia just weeks before Hawkins’ death, hosting a one-off concert in Geelong in March last year. It turned out to be Hawkins’ final Aussie show.

The band are set to hit the stage in Melbourne again on Wednesday night, before performing at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on December 9, and finally, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium December 12.