Derek Day, lead singer of the rising rock band Classless Act, was one of the many artists who paid tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins at last September's all-star concert in Los Angeles. Speaking with ABC Audio, Day recalls the "incredible" experience of performing during that show.
"I can just say that it was really, like, life-changing, and kind of altered my state of being in a way," Day says of the concert.
Day joined Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee alongside Foo Fighters to play the Crüe tunes "Live Wire" and "Home Sweet Home." While Classless Act opened for Mötley's Stadium Tour last summer, performing during the Hawkins tribute was a whole different beast.
"There's a moment of, 'You have to bring it,' because you're playing with your idols," Day explains.
"When you're officially, I guess — how do you call that? — a cohort or a co-worker, once you officially become that, even for two songs, it's like the most nerve-wracking thing ever."
He laughs, "So you really don't want your voice to crack or anything."
Day was actually a last-minute addition to the lineup, taking the place of another singer who'd been sidelined by COVID-19.
"Right before they were about to finish rehearsal, they called me, like, 'We need you to do this,'" Day recalls. "They just called me in and I just did it once with them, and they're, like, 'Alright, you got it.' I don't think I really impressed them, to be honest."
Day ending up rehearsing with them just one more time before the show.
"That night was just incredible, I'll remember every detail of it," Day says. "They say, 'Don't meet your heroes,' but — whoever said that doesn't know the definition of a hero, I think."