Red Hot Chili Peppers' headlining performance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest this weekend will be a "celebration" of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins.
"We're going to play our hearts out," drummer Chad Smith tells Billboard.
The Peppers joined the Jazz Fest lineup in place of Foo Fighters, who canceled all of their upcoming tour dates following Hawkins' unexpected death on March 25.
"We're taking Alison, [Hawkins'] wife, with us and it's going to be a celebration," Smith says. "That's what she wants. She doesn't want it to be anything other than, 'Let's celebrate music, let's celebrate our friends, let's celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it be nothing but a positive experience.'"
Smith adds, "So we're going to do all that and she's going to be part of that and I’m very honored that we can do that with her."
As previously reported, Nine Inch Nails will be replacing Foo Fighters at the Boston Calling and Welcome to Rockville festivals, while Arcade Fire will be stepping in for them at Osheaga. Arcade Fire's Win Butler has said that his band will be dedicating their set to Hawkins.