The Foo Fighters have a new drummer, and the way they revealed who it is was quite funny.
With an absence left by their drummer Taylor Hawkins' tragic death in 2022, the band revealed the news on Sunday at the beginning of a livestream event. Josh Freese, an accomplished rock veteran known for his work with bands like Devo, Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Paramore, the Replacements, Sting, and the Vandals, will join the Foo Fighters on tour this summer (and maybe longer).
The livestream first teased viewers with humorous cameos from three legendary rock drummers—Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tommy Lee from Motley Crue, and Danny Carey of Tool. But, ultimately, the camera pans to Freese, who is already seated at the drum kit, Taylor's kit, waiting to play, "Um…excuse me! Can we play a song or something?"
Then, together, they played a track from But Here We Are, their new album dropping June 2.
But not only is Freese a deeply experienced and wide-ranging musician who knows the band and its music, his presence solves many of the challenges that anyone stepping into Hawkins' role might face: He is renowned as one of the top session drummers in the business so he's well-known to musicians, and the fact that he's less familiar to the public is actually a plus, so there wouldn't be any associations from previous bands (even though he's played with dozens). As his long resume shows, he can play in virtually any style — and at 50, he's of the same generation as most of the other bandmembers. It is also unclear whether he is now a permanent member of the band or acting in a sort of long-term freelance role; contacted by Variety on Sunday, a rep for the band declined comment.
