Photo credit: Raphael Pour-Hashemi / CC from 2.0
The Foo Fighters will officially nominate their new drummer to replace Taylor Hawkins during a live-streaming event this weekend titled “Preparing Music for Concerts.”
As many fans had predicted, the Foo Fighters introduced their new drummer during a live broadcast on Sunday: “Prepare music for concerts.” And as many fans were anticipating, the band’s new drummer is session musician Josh Freese, who played with the Foo Fighters at their Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in London and Los Angeles last year.
The band embarks on a major tour — their first without Taylor Hawkins, the group’s drummer, who tragically died in Colombia last year — kicking off May 24 in New Hampshire. Foo Fighters announced their intention to continue as a band late last year, but they’ve gone to great lengths to keep the identity of their new drummer a secret.
The group continued to build on the anticipation as they began their live stream, titled “Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts,” which saw members of the band goofing around in their rehearsal room. First, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith knocks on the group’s door, followed by Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee and Tool’s Danny Carey – each with a line like “Hey, I got the PF Changs!” and the group responded with things like, “We’re almost there!”
Finally, a voice yells, “SORRY?!” The band members turn to Josh Freese, who up to this point has been behind a drum set and not in front of the camera. Freese shouts, “Can we play a song or something?!” before the band begins the songs for their forthcoming album, But here we arefalls on June 2nd.
Between songs we are treated to Freese and the other band members discussing the music Freese’s story collaborate with other bands. While the band made the pre-recorded stream look like a typical behind-the-scenes band rehearsal, it’s obvious the group had as much fun with it as fans have come to expect from the Dave Grohl-fronted band.
A longtime friend of the band, Freese is a seasoned session artist having worked with Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Puddle of Mudd, Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, The Replacements, Weezer, Sting and the Vandals – and countless others across pop, rock and country.
The Foo Fighters tour kicks off May 24th at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, NH.