A massive line-up for a concert honouring the late Taylor Hawkins has been announced by Foo Fighters this morning.
The band confirmed that the all-star gig this September will include headline performances from Liam Gallagher, Brian May, Mark Ronson and Supergrass, to name a few.
The Foo Fighters themselves will also be performing on what’s set to be an emotional night.
Chris Chaney, Stewart Copeland, Omar Hakim, Joshua Homme, Chrissie Hynde, Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Wolfgang Van Halen, Chevy Metal and Dave Chappelle complete the line-up currently.
Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. Credit: Unsplash
The gig was announced last week as a way to celebrate the life of the band’s ‘dear friend, badass bandmate and beloved brother’.
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Taylor Hawkins, drummer for the Foo Fighters for 25 years, tragically died at the age of 50 in March this year, leaving music fans across the globe devastated.
Shortly afterwards, Foo Fighters announced that they were cancelling all upcoming tour dates, including their Emirates Old Trafford gig in Manchester.
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Today’s line-up announcement has also included news that the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will benefit charities in the UK, chosen by the Hawkins family.
London! Please welcome the first wave of special guests to join The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts! More to be announced soon.
A touching statement from Alison Hawkins said that the outpouring of love for her late husband has been ‘an invaluable comfort for my family and me during this time of unimaginable grief’.
A statement from Foo Fighters last week said: “As one of the most respected and beloved figures in modern music, Taylor’s monolithic talent and magnetic personality endeared him to millions of fans, peers, friends and fellow musical legends the world over.
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“Millions mourned his untimely passing on March 25, with passionate and sincere tributes coming from fans as well as musicians Taylor idolized.
“The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts will unite several of those artists, the Hawkins family and of course his Foo Fighters brothers in celebration of Taylor’s memory and his legacy as a global rock icon.”
The UK concert will take place on 3 September at Wembley Stadium, followed by a USA gig at The Kia Forum in LA on 27 September.
You can sign up to hear about timings, ticketing links and on-sale dates here.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
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Pink at University of Bolton Stadium — stage times, setlist and more
Danny Jones
Pop legend Pink is in Manchester as we speak ahead of her massive gigs at the University of Bolton Stadium this week, set to play not one but two shows at the Wanderers’ home ground.
Having been around since 1995 if you can believe that, the legendary Noughties singer recently released her ninth studio album, Trustfall, back in February and is now set to embark on a huge world tour entitled ‘Summer Carnival‘.
The UK leg, her first since 2019, consists of six big shows across Britain, but Manchester has the honour of not only hosting Pink for the first time in 10 years but being the one to kick off her world tour, which already consists of over 70 dates, nine different countries and runs all the way into 2024.
It might surprise a few to see that Pink’s playing at a football stadium in Bolton to get things started, but she’s played there multiple times before and while she might not have heard about the recent name change, it’s somewhere she’s more than familiar with. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
It’ll be no surprise to hear that tickets to see one of the biggest pop artists of the past 20+ years aren’t exactly abundant but, fear not, if you’re a big Pink fan there are still some available for both nights.
The bad news is, given they’re in such high demand and the gigs are literally around the corner, they’ll cost you a fair few quid, to say the least.
The cheapest seats remaining on Wednesday, 7 June will set you back £135 per person; as for the following Thursday, 8 June, not only are there still some seats available at the same price but there are even a handful of Gold Standing Tickets in The Circle that will cost you £162.
Even the VIP packages for these gigs are all sold out as there are literally hundreds of people set to raise their glass to the pop sensation’s return.
Credit: Pink (via Instagram)
Pink support acts at Bolton Stadium
As if seeing Pink wasn’t enough, the Pennsylvania songstress will be accompanied by three different support across her double-header at the UniBol Stadium.
For those of you who do manage to get a ticket, she will be joined by fellow American singer-songwriter Gayle, rising DJ and producer KidCutUp who played her last tour, as well as fellow pop hit-makers, The Script.
Talk about a warm-up act — seeing The Script is a pricey ticket on its own, let alone a trio of exciting artists and then Pink!
Their appearances on Pink’s impending tour are also among the first the Irish group will play following the passing of their guitarist and co-founder Mark Sheehan back in April, having got back on stage in Blackpool earlier this week. It’ll no doubt be just as emotional an occasion for them on Wednesday.
Now, as for what Pink will be playing on her opening night in Bolton, we don’t really have any other gigs this year to go off, however, you can bet you’ll be hearing plenty of the new album as well as plenty of the classics from down the years.
We’re not going to lie, this setlist is adjusted from her last big show at Austin City Limits back in October 2022 and based on the stuff she’s played most this year according to Setlist.fm, so there’s a fair bit of guesswork here but here’s an idea of what you might get to hear:
TRUSTFALL
Get The Party Started
What About Us
When I Get There
F**kin’ Perfect
Just Give Me a Reason
Never Gonna Not Dance Again
Please Don’t Leave Me
Who Knew
Just Like a Pill
Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson)
Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover)
Try
Turbulence
Funhouse
Raise Your Glass
So What (encore)
So long as we hear ‘Get The Party Started’ we’ll be happy, to be honest — top-tier banger.
As for set times, the University of Bolton Stadium’s doors are set to open at 4.30pm, with the first of the warm-ups, KidCutUp, beginning an hour later — one of three occasions he’ll be keeping the crowd entertained over the course of the evening.
Then at 6.45pm Gayle will play a roughly half-an-hour set before KidCutUp returns for the interval. As for the big support, The Script will be taking to the stage for an hour from 7:30-8:30pm.
Making a final appearance for 20 minutes as the main event, KidCutUp will once again get the crowd ready and raring to go before Pink arrives at around 8:50pm, will the show set to end no later than 11pm.
With such an early start time and so much music to enjoy on Wednesday and Thursday, it’s going to be a brilliant couple of nights in Bolton.
As for how you’re going to get to Pink’s Bolton gigs, one of the best parts about Greater Manchester is our brilliant public transport networks mean you can always get around.
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With a shuttle bus running from Bolton Interchange, Chorley Railway Station and Wigan Robin Park to the stadium on both nights between 2-8pm, Big Green Coaches available from various locations, as well as Horwich Parkway as your nearest train station, there are several options for travelling to the gig.
As for if you’re driving in, there are plenty of places to drop gig-goers around the stadium and if you’re looking for parking, there are around 1800 spaces available at the stadium per night.
Parking spots, including 120 blue badge disability spaces, will be first-come-first-serve and bookable via the Evology app for £25. You can find out more information about pricing and how to book, as well as plenty of other travel information down below.
We can't wait for @Pink to kick off her tour here this week! 🎤
How will you be travelling to the University of Bolton Stadium?
Pink was one of the first big musical artists to ever play at Bolton Wanderer’s home stadium and helped usher the likes of The Killers, Little Mix, Coldplay, Elton John and more to join her.
With that in mind, it’s only fitting that she’s returned to the venue that she’s remained so fond of, declaring, “Manchester, I am so in love with you” after arriving in Manchester at the start of this week.
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Writing in a statement on the University Bolton Stadium Hotel website, Pink said: “It’s been a long three years and I’ve missed live music so so much… So it’s finally time! I am so excited to get back to the UK and Europe to sing, cry, sweat and make new memories with my friends. It’s going to be magical!”
The mum of two even took her daughter Willow out in Trafford Park to celebrate her 12th birthday. Even hearing her name next to random Manc boroughs still sounds a bit surreal but we’re absolutely here for it — roll on Wednesday night!
Fans baffled as Arctic Monkeys spotted boozing in a Manchester Wetherspoons
Daisy Jackson
We all know by now that Arctic Monkeys were in Manchester over the weekend, with two sold-out shows at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground.
But what many people weren’t expecting is for the rockstars to pop up in a pretty well-known pub in the city centre.
And they didn’t pick some cool trendy craft beer bar – nope, these lads went for the cheapest option possible.
Two members of Arctic Monkeys were spotted nursing pints outside The Moon Under Water, of all places, between performing to 50,000-strong crowds.
Fans stopped to take pictures with bassist Nick O’Malley and guitarist Jamie Cook, as well as touring band member Tom Rowley, at the Wetherspoons pub on Deansgate.
People have all been pretty bemused by their choice of watering hole, unsurprisingly.
One person wrote: “You’re not telling me Arctic Monkeys are having a booze in the Moon Under The Water on Deansgate hahahaha.”
Another said: “Imagine bumping into some of the monkeys in a Wetherspoons hahaha.”
Someone else pointed out: “Biggest band in the country and they’re drinking carling in spoons.”
It’s also drawn comparisons to the iconic ‘Four lads in jeans’ meme.
It’s the second weird celebrity sighting this week, after Pink was spotted swinging her way around Total Ninja in Trafford Park at her daughter’s 12 birthday party.
Pink is about to perform two huge shows at the University of Bolton stadium in Greater Manchester.
Arctic Monkeys were pictured over a sunny weekend in Manchester, where they’d performed two gigs in Trafford.
The Sheffield band’s triumphant return will peak later this week when they perform in their hometown at Hillsborough Park.