Comedian Dave Chappelle, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, and Eagles co-founder Don Henley surprised a crowd full of music industry professionals at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles at the Pollstar Awards, hosted by Anjelah Johnson-Reyes. Dave Grohl told fans why Foo Fighters haven’t broken up, despite rumors after Taylor Hawkins died last year.
Dave Grohl speaks at the show
Grohl caught the attention when he took the microphone on stage to boast about John Silva, who won the Personal Manager of the Year award, and commended the event for honoring live entertainment.
“I have to say there’s nothing like rooting for your local venue and getting f***ed up with your lighting crew afterward,” said Grohl, who went on to share the story of how he and Silva, his manager, met in 1990.
“We realized that he was one of us, an avid record collector, a musicologist, and we knew that this person based all of his love of music and his business on integrity, which was something that was very important to us,” Grohl added. “And over the years we’ve had some incredible triumphs and some devastating crises, but the one thing that has kept us together over the years is love. … I truly believe that [Silva and I] are like family.”
Silva, who suffered a loss in his music family with the death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, delivered an emotional speech accepting his award and dedicating it to friends, artists and families he has lost over his 40-year career.
“Losing an artist and a friend is not something I’d wish upon anyone,” he said.
