Guns N' Roses Dedicate Tour To Taylor Hawkins: 'It’s Just A Simple Gesture'

On Friday (July 15), Guns N' Roses played the last date of their European tour, and over the weekend Axl Rose shared a statement on Twitter dedicating the run of shows to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“It’s just a simple gesture n’ it’s awkward dealing with the gravity of something like this but in an effort to pay r [sic] respects, we’d like to dedicate this tour to our friend Taylor Hawkins,” he wrote. “Taylor was a really great guy and it was always great to see him! He was a great n’ always welcome part of touring these last few years! This is such a horrible thing and our hearts go out to his family, friends, band mates and everyone who loves him.”

Elsewhere in the message, Rose thanked Carrie Underwood and spoke out against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. See his tweet below.

Hawkins died unexpectedly in March while the Foos were on tour in South America.

In 2019, he revealed that he had the opportunity to joins Roses when the original members left but turned it down after seeking advice from Queen drummer Roger Taylor.

“He said, ‘I see you and Dave [Grohl] onstage and there’s something you can’t buy there. There’s something between you guys that might not be there with Axl Rose.’ And he was right,’” Hawkins explained. “For all our trials and tribulations, Dave is like a brother. When we walk out on stage, every time we nod and look at each other and go, ‘Alright, here we go.’ We’re getting in the ring together.”

The Foos are planning two tribute concerts for Hawkins in September. See the star-studded lineup here.