After the tragic loss of drummer Taylor Hawkins at the end of 2022, the Foo Fighters have been slowly creeping back into fans' lives with festival and headlining tour announcements, and now -- finally -- news of their new man behind the kit.
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Filling the shoes of late drummer Taylor Hawkins on the Foo Fighters' upcoming dates will be Josh Freese -- known the world over as either a member, session drummer, or touring musician for bands such as The Vandals, Suicidal Tendencies, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Devo, Guns N' Roses, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, The Offspring, Social Distortion, Good Charlotte, Queens of the Stone Age, Daughtry, Weezer, Paramore, Danny Elfman, The Replacements, and tons of others. Freese marks the third drummer, including frontman Dave Grohl, to perform for the Foos. Before Hawkins joined, Sunny Day Real Estate drummer William Goldsmith had recorded tracks (later overdubbed) for the band’s 1997 album, The Colour and the Shape.
After waiting out a parade of teases at the beginning of the Foos' Veeps live stream event on Sunday, which saw Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee, and Tool's Danny Carey pop by, Freese forced Dave Grohl and company to play a few songs, crushing through a short but crippling set showing off Josh's awesome abilities. Touted by the band as "an afternoon playing tunes with the guys," the live stream featured first-time live plays of new singles from the upcoming album But Here We Are, previously unreleased music, and a few fan faves, all showing how Josh and the band instantly connect.
Freese grew up in a musical family, first picking up the drumsticks at 8 years old. His father, Stan, worked as a music director at the Walt Disney Company, his mother was a trained classical pianist, and his multi-instrumentalist brother, Jason Freese, is also embedded in the scene, performing live and in studio with artists such as Green Day, Dr. Dre, Pitbull, and more.
Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts setlist:
1. All My Life
2. Rescued (Live Debut)
3. No Son of Mine
4. Under You (Live Debut)
5. The Sky is a Neighborhood
6. Nothing at All (Live Debut- previously unreleased)
7. Monkey Wrench
8. Aurora
If you missed it, don't worry. Fans can access the live stream by claiming their free ticket HERE and tuning in at Veeps.com, the free Veeps app on iOS or Android, or on their TV via the Veeps app on Apple TV or Roku -- available on demand until 12PM PT on May 24.
Related
Aside from their ever-growing list of headlining dates, the Foo Fighters are also set to perform at a number of this year's festivals, including Boston Calling festival May 26-28, the Harley-Davidson Homecoming festival July 13-16 in Milwaukee, WI, New Jersey's Sea.Hear.Now. festival September 16-17, and Chicago's Riot Fest, September 15-17.
Listen to more of your favorite music on Audacy's Emo Kids, Alt Now, Rockternative, Drivin' Alt, New Wave Mix Tape, 90s and Chill, Alterna 00s, IndustriALT, Greatest Guitarists, Greatest Drummers, and ALT Roots stations -- plus check out our talent-hosted Kevan Kenney's Music Discovery, and Megan Holiday's My So Called '90s Playlist.
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