Foo Fighters Announce New Drummer After Taylor Hawkins' Death
Foo Fighters have enlisted the help of a new drummer, just over one year after the death of Taylor Hawkins. Hawkins died in March 2022 at his hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, while on tour with the band. He was 50.The announcement came during a livestreamed event on Sunday, in which the band revealed that Josh Freese, session drummer and longtime friend of Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl, was joining the band for their upcoming tour. Titled, «Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts,» the livestream saw the band, which till now was comprised of Grohl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett and Rami Jaffee, playfully announce their new drummer by teasing fans with a gameshow like reveal.In succession, three top-notch drummers knocked on the door of the band's rehearsal room -- Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee, and Tool's Danny Carey — saying things like, «There’s a white Mercedes blocking my car,» or «Hey I got the PF Changs!» and «I groomed your poodles for you,» while the band members responded by saying things like, «We’ll be right there!»It's then a voice is heard shouting, «Um… EXCUSE ME?!» When the band looks to see who it is, Freese is seen sat behind a drumkit that had been strategically placed off-camera.«Can we play a song or something?!» he asks before the band starts playing songs from their new album, .Freese is a natural choice for the group, as he's a friend of both Grohl and Hawkins and is a veteran session drummer who has performed with a stacked set of bands, including, Guns N' Roses, A Perfect Circle, Puddle of Mudd, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Paramore, the Replacements, Sting and the Vandals.