Wolf Van Halen recently outlined the experience of performing on both of the Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins tribute shows last year. He admitted that it was “more difficult, emotionally” to play Van Halen classics under those circumstances.

Foo Fighters celebrated Taylor Hawkins’ memory and music at a special gig in London on Saturday, September 3. Hawkins, the band’s drummer since 1997, died in Bogotá, Colombia on March 25. He was 50 years old. Foo Fighters performed for a couple of hours at Wembley Stadium for a special tribute show for the late band drummer Taylor Hawkins. ‘The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts’ also took place at LA’s Kia Forum on September 27.

The Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts held in London and Los Angeles respectively featured an impressive roster of guest musicians, friends, and heroes of both the Foos and their late drummer, including Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, Rush’s Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Queen, Liam Gallagher, and Sir Paul McCartney, to name but a very few.

Wolfgang Van Halen talks about playing at Taylor Hawkins Tribute show

Speaking to Pablo of the Minnesota radio station 93X in a new interview, Wolf looked back on what playing those shows felt like:

“I’ll never forget it. At the same time, it went by so fast, I can’t even remember it. It was just all energy… It was really, really crazy. It was one of the most special things I’ve ever had the opportunity to do.”

Asked whether he found performing under such circumstances more or less difficult, Wolf said:

“More difficult, just emotionally. I don’t think people realize how much I don’t listen to Van Halen anymore. It’s a tough thing; it’s a tough subject. But it felt like the right thing to do in the moment.

“Taylor would have been really, really stoked. From the one time I met him — he came to a Van Halen show in 2012. He was just the coolest, most friendly guy. He left such a huge impression on me.”