Miley Cyrus was destined to honor the late great Taylor Hawkins at the drummer’s tribute concert. In fact, Hawkins knew she would kill it with one particular song. That’s just what the pop star did.
On September 27, 2022, more than 50 artists performed over the course of six hours to honor the great Taylor Hawkins. The late Foo Fighters drummer was remembered by mega pop stars, former bandmates, and rock legends. One of those stars was Hawkins’ former neighbor, Miley Cyrus. What’s more, Cyrus’ song choice was a request from Hawkins himself.
‘A Personal Request From The Legend Himself’
The day after the tribute concert, Cyrus posted on Instagram how meaningful it was to perform at the show. She also shared the special meaning behind her song choice, “Photograph” by Def Leppard.
“A personal request from the legend himself. #TaylorHawkins my friend, my idol…. My neighbor,” wrote the singer. “Growing up on a farm I never could see the light of another house nearby, but living by Taylor for the years that I did out in LA were some of the most fun times of my life. I miss Taylor so much like everybody else. It was such an honor to celebrate him last night and perform w @defleppard ?So lucky to have known him not just as a superstar but to have spent time watching him just be a dad and a husband! Last night was the most special way to remember the MOST special person! @foofighters forever”
In the Instagram post, the singer first shares the undated audio recording that Hawkins left for Cyrus. Hawkins apparently called Cyrus when he discovered she was moving out of his neighborhood. “What up Miley It’s Taylor. I heard you’re moving. Waaah! I’m listening to ‘Photograph’ by Def Leppard. You could kill that one.”
RELATED: Miley Cyrus Calls Her Marriage To Liam Hemsworth ‘A F*cking Disaster’
Kill it she did. Dressed in a short black dress, dark sunglasses, and ’80s rock-inspired blond hair, Cyrus nailed the performance of “Photograph.” Plus, it didn’t hurt that she sang alongside Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, and Weezer’s Pat Wilson. Still, there’s no doubt that Hawkins was right when he said she’d do the song proud. You can watch part of the performance in the second video Cyrus shared in the Instagram post above.
Cyrus then followed up that post with more pictures of her performance. This time, tagging the Foo Fighters and Def Leppard, she simply wrote, “In memory of Taylor Hawkins.”