The Foo Fighters announced that Josh Freese would be their new drummer during the band Preparing music for concerts live stream event on Sunday. The news follows the sudden and unexpected death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.
Leading up to Freese’s introduction to the intimate show, presented in black and white, three other well-known drummers playfully entered the room, teasing that they might be the one to follow in Hawkins’ footsteps.
Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, and Tool’s Danny Carey joked things like, “Hey, I’ve got the PF Changs,” “There’s a white Mercedes blocking my car,” and “I’ve got your poodles for looked after you,” before a voice yelled off-camera, “Um…excuse me?! Can we play a song or two or something?
When the camera intercepted Freese behind the drum kit, the band kicked off the live stream with songs from their new album But here we are which comes out on June 2. Freese previously worked with acts such as Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Paramore and Nine Inch Nails.
The group last performed together as a band at a pair of tribute concerts that took place in London and Inglewood, California, in honor of Hawkins’s memory. The concerts also featured performances by Freese, Travis Barker, Kesha, Mark Ronson, John Paul Jones and Liam Gallagher, as well as special appearances by Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.
The Foo Fighters will return to tour in New Hampshire on May 24, after announcing that they on as a band after Hawkins’ death in March 2022, citing “the most difficult and tragic year our band has ever known”.
“Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life,” the group wrote in part in a statement shared on social media. “Without Taylor we would never have become the band we were – and without Taylor we know we will be a different band in the future.”
