The Foo Fighters are known as one of music’s most prolific, talented and charismatic bands. The sudden loss of Taylor Hawkins this weekend in Bogota, Colombia is not just a loss for his Foo Fighters band of brothers, but for music as a whole. The Foos may be all about good old fashioned rock-n-roll, but respect for all of their fans has always been at the forefront of their mission as performers. Whether it was Hawkins portraying an especially fetching flight attendant in the landmark video for “Learn To Fly” or lead singer Dave Grohl tossing on some drag of his own, the Foo Fighters never had any problem seeing the world through the LGBTQ prism. While they were always up for getting a laugh, they also are quick to be on the front lines with the LGBTQ community as tireless allies, especially when it is a mutual enemy of equality like The Westboro Baptist Church.
The Westboro Baptist Church was picketing outside of the Azura Amphitheater in August 2021 when the Foo Fighters showed up pre-show on a flatbed truck. Dressed as their disco-fied “Dees Gees” alter-egos, frontman Dave Grohl addressed the picketer directly saying “Ladies and gentlemen, I got something to say. Because you know what? I love you! I do. The way I look at it, I love everybody. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Can’t you just love everybody? ‘Cause I think it’s about love. That’s what I think. I think we’re all about love. And you shouldn’t be hatin’! You know what y’all should be doin’? You should be dancing!”
Dave Grohl & The Foo Fighters trolled the Westboro Baptist Church outside their concert in Kansas tonight. PLAYING DISCO. pic.twitter.com/Ci2yh1M7QR
— Talkie (@talkie86) August 6, 2021
The August 2021 disco-protest of sorts was definitely not the first time The Foo Fighters had to fight back against the hate that the Westboro Baptist Church spews. In August 2011, the church called for a picket of a Kansas City, MO show by the Foos. The band responded by donning full “good old boy” regalia, and cheekily performed a song titled “Keep It Clean” from a flatbed. They spoke openly about accepting people of all kinds in our country, cheekily and pointedly including “men loving men and women loving women-we all like to watch that”. Continuous acts of allyship by Hawkins and his fellow Foos speak not just to them as a band, but for them as friends to the LGBTQ community.
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