Enlarge image
Nandi Bushell outside Buckingham Palace at the Queen's Jubilee Concert
Photo: Cover Images / IMAGO
Most young drummers can only dream of such an opportunity: On September 3, twelve-year-old Nandi Bushell will be on stage at London's Wembley Stadium - or rather, sitting.
The Foo Fighters invited her to play drums for her at a concert honoring their drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
Hawkins died unexpectedly in Bogotá in March.
The band then canceled the rest of their world tour dates.
Nandi Bushell has long been known to fans of the Foo Fighters.
At the age of ten, the girl had challenged Dave Grohl, the band's founder and lead singer, to a drum battle via Twitter.
Grohl, who began his career as a drummer for the band Nirvana, accepted the challenge, asking Bushell to play the song "Dead End Friends" from his former band, Them Crooked Vultures.
When the young drummer released a video in which she did just that very convincingly, Grohl declared her the winner and even recorded a song for her.
The back-and-forth between the two eventually culminated at a Foo Fighters concert in Los Angeles, with Bushell taking on the role of the band's drummer towards the end of the show.
At the »Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert« planned for September in London, the twelve-year-old will not only have to share the stage with the Foo Fighters, but also with a number of established pop and rock stars.
According to an announcement on Instagram, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde, Queen guitarist Brian May and a host of other stars will be performing with the band.
Another show is scheduled for three weeks later in Los Angeles.
The guest list includes Miley Cyrus, P!nk and Geddy Lee, among others.
"Mr.
Grohl, it will be my honor to take the stage with you to honor my hero, the legendary Taylor Hawkins," Nandi Bushell says in a video on YouTube.
She wanted to play there with drumsticks that Hawkins had given her.
However, the young Briton cannot complain about a lack of big appearances at the moment.
Just a few weeks ago, she made a big appearance in front of Buckingham Palace at a concert to celebrate the Queen's throne jubilee.
Proceeds from the London and Los Angeles concerts will benefit charities chosen by Taylor Hawkins' family.
However, it is no longer possible to get tickets.
Even the "Diamond Hospitality Package" tickets, which cost more than 800 euros, including a Google bag and a champagne reception, were no longer available on Sunday morning.