Red Hot Chili Peppers pay special tribute to Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins at Jazz Fest

Late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins received a special tribute from The Red Hot Chili Peppers at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday. Foo Fighters, who were originally picked to headline the event, cancelled their upcoming tour dates post the demise of Hawkins, and were replaced by Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

The band used a drum kit with “Taylor” written on it, with Chilli Peppers'  drummer Chad Smith making a speech dedicating their performance to Hawkins. According to reports on nola.com, Hawkins' widow Alison, and other members of the Foo Fighters looked on at their 17-song set from the wings. 

Taylor Hawkins receives special tribute from Red Hot Chili Peppers

As per the video posted on social media, Chad Smith told the crowd, "We just found out about this two weeks ago, because Foo Fighters were supposed to play here tonight,” he said and continued, "We love Foo Fighters, and we love our brother Taylor Hawkins. This means a lot to us to be able to play for them.”

Before getting the crowd to chant  “we love Taylor", Chad mentioned, "The guys in the band are here, they’re supporting. Taylor’s wife Alison and his whole family are here, we love them, we love Taylor.” Take a look. 

Smith had earlier spoken to Billboard about the band's planned tribute for Hawkins. He mentioned, "We’re taking Alison, his wife, with us and it’s going to be a celebration," and added, "That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want it to be anything other than, ‘Let’s celebrate music, let’s celebrate our friends, let’s celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it to be nothing but a positive experience."

For the uninitiated, Hawkins passed away on March 25 at the age of 50. While the cause of his death hasn't officially been determined, medical professionals in Colombia mentioned there were multiple drugs in his system at the time of his death. Announcing his demise, the band wrote, "The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with us forever.”

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @CHILLIPEPPERS/ AP)