When the inevitable moments of sadness do come, they hit hard. As Foos start their own set to round out the night, Dave breaks into tears as he sings an almost a capella Times Like These. But then, as the song rolls into an electrifying All My Life, the grief turns into joy. Hammering out the riff with hard, vital urgency, it’s one of countless moments tonight where the power of music to navigate such an emotionally complex thing as loss becomes magic. When they’re joined by Taylor’s 16-year-old son Shane on drums for My Hero, it’s almost overwhelming.
“Now, we’ve got the little guy,” said Dave, by way of introduction. “Let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone hit the drums as hard as this person. But beyond that, he’s a member of our family and he needs to be here tonight with all of us and I think it makes sense that he’s going to come up and play with us tonight.”
Elsewhere, they’re joined by Travis Barker for Monkey Wrench and The Pretender. Josh Freese adds his thump to All My Life. Rufus Taylor picks up the sticks for These Days and a cathartic Best Of You. Among these legends, 12-year-old Nandi Bushell shines even more brightly than usual as she hops onstage to storm through Learn To Fly.