Justin Hawkins explains why he took Brian Johnson's mic at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
After a keyboard warrior slammed him on Twitter
Last updated 5th Sep 2022
The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins has explained why he bounded on stage and took Brian Johnson’s mic during his performance of AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert on Saturday (3rd September).
Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters aside, Justin Hawkins was one of the busiest performers of the evening at London’s Wembley Stadium joining musical forces with The Coattail Riders, Wolfgang Van Halen and Queen.
Hawkins also made an impromptu appearance on stage during Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich and Foo Fighters’ performance of ‘Back in Black’ when he took the mic from Johnson and sang the song’s second verse.
Yesterday, a keyboard warrior chastised Hawkins on Twitter saying he should have got ‘his ass kicked backstage for his little stunt during Back In Black.’
Rather than hit back at the troll with insults, Hawkins calmly explained that Brian Johnson personally asked him to come on stage at the very last minute.
“10 seconds before the AC/DC section Brian told me to get up for the second verse of BIB,” Hawkins revealed. “I didn’t want to do it, never sung that before but DG (Dave Grohl) said 'if Brian tells you to do something, you f---ing do it.'"
When Wolfgang Van Halen replied to Hawkins writing “you killed it”, Hawkins responded: “Haha I wouldn’t say that ;) To be honest, I feel like BJ (Brian Johnson) just wanted to drag me up for a laugh and to give his voice a few seconds to recover in time for the rest of the track.
“I thought he did an AMAZING job and I’m always happy to help out when needed.”
This afternoon (5th September), Justin Hawkins issued a more detailed statement about the performance.
Hawkins wrote: “10 minutes before the AC/DC segment of the tribute, Brian Johnson asked me to come up and sing the second verse of ‘Back in Black’.
“I initially refused, I’ve never sung it before and I didn’t want it to seem like I was gatecrashing. However, Brian really was insistent and Dave Grohl told me that ‘if Brian tells you to do something, you f---ing do it.”
He added: “I had Rufus (Taylor) pull up the lyrics on his phone and I gave it a go, but in all honesty I think Brian just wanted to create a memorable spontaneous moment and have a laugh so he could really push on and smash the rest of his set.
“The stage manager scrambled to prepare a microphone for me, but I didn’t know which one I was supposed to take and I ended up having to steal Brian’s, which looked a bit awkward.
“Brian Johnson is an absolute legend and Dave was right, I couldn’t turn it down.”
You can see Brian Johnson waving Justin Hawkins onstage at around the 1 minute 26 seconds mark in this video:
Wolfgang Van Halen’s blistering performance of the Van Halen classics ‘On Fire’ and ‘Hot For Teacher’ with Justin Hawkins and Dave Grohl was widely praised by VH fans across the globe.
Foo Fighters’ headline set saw a number of drummers perform with the band – Josh Freese, blink-182’s Travis Barker, drumming prodigy Nandi Bushell, The Darkness’ Rufus Taylor, and Omar Hakim.
For the penultimate song, the Foos were joined by Taylor Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane for a powerful rendition of ‘My Hero.’
The band were also joined by surprise guest Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde for covers of The Beatles ‘Oh Darlin’ and ‘Helter Skelter’, and the set concluded with Dave Grohl playing a solo version of ‘Everlong.’
Other performers throughout the evening included Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor, The Darkness’ Rufus Taylor, Rush’s Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Violet Grohl, Liam Gallagher, Stewart Copeland and many more.
60 incredible photos of the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert:
Dave Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The hardest working man on the night, Dave Grohl.
Liam Gallagher at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Accompanied by Foo Fighters, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher opened the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert with 'Rock N' Roll Star' and 'Live Forever.'
Pat Smear at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Nile Rodgers at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Music legend Nile Rodgers performed David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' with Omar Hakim, Chris Chaney and Josh Homme. Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes' performed vocals on 'Modern Love.'
Nile Rodgers at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Taylor Hawkins was a huge fan of David Bowie's music. Much of the evening was geared towards Hawkins' favourite artists and songs.
Gaz Coombes at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes performs with Nile Rodgers, Omar Hakim and Chris Chaney.
Chevy Metal at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Chevy Metal opened their performance with a cover of 'Psycho Killer' by The Talking Heads.
Chevy Metal at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Kesha at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Pop singer Kesha joined Chevy Metal for a cover of 'Children of the Revolution' by T.Rex.
Kesha at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Justin Hawkins at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The Darkness' Justin Hawkins joined forces with The Coattail Riders for his first performance of the evening.
Justin Hawkins at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Justin Hawkins sang 'Range Rover Bitch' and 'It's Over' with The Coattail Riders.
Wolfgang Van Halen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Alongside Justin Hawkins on vocals, Dave Grohl on bass and Josh Freese on drums, Wolfgang Halen performed covers of Van Halen's 'On Fire' and 'Hot For Teacher.'
Wolfgang Van Halen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Wolfgang Van Halen with Dave Grohl.
Wolfgang Van Halen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Wolfgang Van Halen with Justin Hawkins
Wolfgang Van Halen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Wolfgang Van Halen shreds with Justin Hawkins looking on.
Violet Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Honouring one of Taylor Hawkins' favourite artists, Dave Grohl's teenage daughter Violet covered Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' and 'Last Goodbye.'
Violet Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Supergrass at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Another of Taylor Hawkins' favourite bands, Supergrass performed 'Richard III', 'Alright' and 'Caught By The Fuzz'.
Supergrass at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Supergrass at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Supergrass at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Them Crooked Vultures at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Them Crooked Vultures – Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl - reunited after a decade away.
John Paul Jones at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Them Crooked Vultures performed 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road', 'Gunman' and 'Long Slow Goodbye'
Them Crooked Vultures at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The Pretenders at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The Pretenders performed 'Precious', 'Tattooed Love Boys' and 'Brass In Pocket' with Dave Grohl.
Joe Walsh at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Joe Walsh and his reunited James Gang band mates performed 'Walk Away', 'The Bomber' and 'Funk #49', the latter featuring Dave Grohl.
Josh Homme and Dave Grohl at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Them Crooked Vultures band mates Josh Homme and Dave Grohl backstage.
Violet Grohl and Mark Ronson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Together with Chris Chaney and Jason Falkner, Violet Grohl and Mark Ronson covered 'Valerie' by The Zutons.
Violet Grohl and Mark Ronson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Together with Foo Fighters and Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Brian Johnson performed AC/DC's 'Back in Black' and 'Let There Be Rock.' Justin Hawkins also appeared on stage briefly.
Lars Ulrich at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich joined forces with Foo Fighters and Brian Johnson.
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson with Dave Grohl
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson with Justin Hawkins
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson with Chris Shiflett
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson with Dave Grohl
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Brian Johnson with Nate Mendel
Brian Johnson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Stewart Copeland at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Joined by Foo Fighters and Supergrass' Gaz Coombes, The Police's Stewart Copeland performed 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Next To You.'
Rush at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
With Dave Grohl and Omar Hakim filling in for the late-great Neil Peart, Rush's Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson arrived on stage to a hero's welcome.
Rush's Alex Lifeson at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Rush performed '2112: Overture', 'Working Man' and 'YYZ'
Rush at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Rush at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Rush at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Queen's Roger Taylor at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
With Luke Spiller, Roger Taylor, Justin Hawkins and Sam Ryder on vocal duties, Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor performed 'We Will Rock You', 'I'm In Love With My Car', 'Under Pressure' and 'Somebody To Love'
Queen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Dave Grohl performing with Queen's Roger Taylor and Brian May, plus Rufus Taylor on drums.
Sam Ryder and Brian May at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Eurovision runner up Sam Ryder belts out 'Somebody To Love' with Queen.
Brian May at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The Queen set ended with Brian May performing 'Love Of My Life' acoustically.
Queen at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
The crowd during Queen
The crowd during Queen
Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Dave Grohl breaks down in tears during set opener 'Times Like These'
Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
An emotional Dave Grohl during 'Times Like These'
Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Chris Shiflett and Dave Grohl
Nandi Bushell at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
12-year-old Nandi Bushell played drums on 'Learn to Fly' with Foo Fighters. The band were also joined by Josh Freese, Travis Barker, Rufus Taylor and Omar Hakim throughout the set. Taylor Hawkins' son Shane poignantly performed 'My Hero' in honour of his late dad.
Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Paul McCartney at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Foo Fighters were joined by surprise guest Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde for versions of The Beatles' 'Oh Darlin' and 'Helter Skelter'.
Paul McCartney at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Paul McCartney at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl and Pat Smear
Foo Fighters at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Foo Fighters take the final bow after Dave Grohl's performance of 'Everlong'