#Foo Fighters Announces New Drummer in ‘Preparing Music for Concerts’ Livestream

The Foo Fighters announced Josh Freese would be their new drummer during the band’s Preparing Music for Concerts livestream event on Sunday. The news follows the sudden and unexpected death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

Leading up to the introduction of Freese during the intimate show, presented in black and white, three other well-known drummers playfully entered the room, teasing that maybe they would be the one to follow in Hawkins’ footsteps.

Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith and Tool’s Danny Carey quipped things like, “Hey, I got the P.F. Changs,” “There’s a white Mercedes blocking my car” and “I groomed your poodles for you,” before a voice off-camera shouted “Um… excuse me?! Can we play a song or two or something?”

When the camera cut to Freese behind the drumkit, the band kicked off the livestream with songs from their new album But Here We Are, which drops June 2. Freese previously worked with acts like Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Paramore and Nine Inch Nails.

The group last performed together as a band during a pair of tribute concerts that took place in London and Inglewood, California, to honor Hawkins’ memory. The concerts also featured performances from 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 are set to resume touring on May 24 in New Hampshire, after announcing that they would continue on as a band following Hawkins’ death in March 2022, citing it as “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 never would have become the band that we were — and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward.”