Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins discussed drumming for Rush in a new ‘Times Like These’ retrospective video. Alternative Nation transcribed Foo Fighters’ comments on the iconic moment. Billy Corgan recently reacted to new Foo Fighters album backlash.
Taylor Hawkins: We were on tour for Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace, and I got to play ‘YYZ’ with Geddy and Alex, and they got to do the twice as fast version.
Dave Grohl: Had they ever done it with another drummer?
Taylor: No, they had never played, except for John Rutsey, their original drummer, they had never played with another drummer. I am the only other guy. So I can thank Nick Raskulinecz and Neil [Peart] for being so cool to let me jam with his boys, that was fucking awesome. And you know who else was on stage with us? Rami Jaffee.
Rami Jaffee: I got to do it. I played the Geddy key part.
Taylor: That was fuckin’ awesome. That is a highlight.
Hawkins’ performance with Rush took place in March 2008 in Toronto. A fan commented on YouTube, “I remember Dave Grohl saying something like ‘When I heard the crowd respond to Alex and Geddy coming on stage, I understood what real musicians can do to an audience.'”
Another fan added, “That’s the fastest theyve played it since it Moving Pictures came out, ha in a interview, Geddy said his fingers were cramping the whole time. Always thought that was awesome for him to say.”