Hawkins died in March 2022 while on tour with the band.
The 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, But Here We Are.
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. He also played with an array of different musicians on more than 300 recordings, from pop to rock to country.
His appointment as the group's new drummer comes just one month after the rock band announced the forthcoming release of their new album, and their first new music since Hawkins' death.
But Here We Are will be out on June 2 while a new single, "Rescued," is available now.
"A brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year, But Here We Are is a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship and family," a press release announcing the news states. "Courageous, damaged and unflinchingly authentic, But Here We Are opens with newly released lead single 'Rescued,' the first of 10 songs that run the emotional gamut from rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between."
The band also announced a new run of headlining shows this summer, as well as multiple upcoming festival appearances, the first of which is set to kick off May 24 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH.
At the end of 2022, the rock band took to Twitter to share how they planned to move forward after "the most difficult and tragic year."
"Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life," they wrote in part. "... 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. We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you and we know that when we see you again -- and we will soon -- he'll be there in spirit with all of us every night."
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