Drum circle pays tribute to Foo Fighters drummer and Laguna local Taylor Hawkins
The cloudy skies above did not suggest it was a day to go to the beach, but for those wishing to remember and celebrate the life of Taylor Hawkins, there was no other place to be.
Community members and music fans alike descended upon the sand at Aliso Beach Thursday evening, gathering around a fire pit and filling the air with the sound of various percussion instruments.
Hawkins, who grew up in Laguna Beach and rose to stardom as the drummer of the Foo Fighters, died at the age of 50 on March 25 while the band was on tour in South America. The Laguna Beach High School alumnus was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Foo Fighters in 2021.
“To see the community support and that he really had such an impact on so many people in Laguna and all over the world is amazing,” said Chris Davison, who considered Hawkins a family friend. “My brother knew Taylor when they were age 10. … They both decided early on that they wanted to make it big in music, so Taylor was on drums, my brother was playing guitar. They stayed in close contact since then.”
Davison’s brother, Jon, is the lead singer for Yes.
Even after gaining fame through music, Hawkins was known to be seen around town and put on local shows. He played at a Music in the Park event at Bluebird Park.
Attendees brought drums, tambourines, maracas and even a guitar, and the crashing waves provided their own acoustics.
Sonia Daigle and Matthew DeFore made the drive down from Hermosa Beach to take part in the tribute, a trip that must have seemed short to them after they followed the Foo Fighters internationally.
Daigle, who said she had even seen the band in Iceland, saw Hawkins as a man of the people, one who was interested in forming genuine connections.
“Taylor was always amazing, smiling,” she said. “He was always walking downtown, [riding a] bicycle, and so we would just bump into each other. I don’t know why. He’s the only guy of the band that we always bumped into because he’s so much outside, trying to take care of himself. … Every time you say hi to him, he’s going to stop because he wants to make fans happy. Such a great guy.”
Once the beating of the drums began, it continued without a break in the action, like a concertgoer’s dream set.
The event was organized by Laguna Beach-based radio station KX FM, and attendees signed message boards that morning show host Ed Steinfeld said were going to be given to Hawkins’ family.
“There was no other choice but to put this on today,” Steinfeld said of the drum circle. “When we heard the news on Friday night, there was disbelief the entire weekend. I started my Monday morning show at 7 with a tribute, a couple songs, and then some words, and then the listeners just started pouring phone calls in, texts. It was the necessary thing to do. It was a way the community wanted to remember him.”
Steinfeld added that he started the show with the hit single “Everlong” before diving into cuts from several other Foo Fighters albums.
Tucked into a corner around a fire, there was a calm among the crowd, which served as a kumbaya moment for those in mourning.
“This is our best expression,” Rayen Ben Taleb of Aliso Viejo said. “Taylor Hawkins, we lost a very, very good drummer. I was a fan of him since I was a kid. It’s a big loss for us. Laguna loves him. His family loves him. He’s going to stay alive in our music, in our hearts, with his music. God bless him, and thanks for everyone for coming here.”
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