Danny Clinch
As expected, the Foo Fighters revealed their new drummer during their a.d Live event SUNDAY: And as expected, it’s veteran session man and longtime friend Josh Freese.
The band is kicking off a massive tour — their first without drummer Taylor Hawkins, who tragically passed away in Columbia last year — in New Hampshire on May 24.
While the band announced their intention to continue late last year, they have gone to great lengths not to reveal the identity of their new drummer. They played into this during the first moments of the live broadcast, which they called “Foo Fighters: preparing music for concerts,which involved all the members joking around with each other in the rehearsal room, with their guitars on.
In a row, three A-listers knocked on the door—Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Tommy Lee of the Motley Crue, and Danny Curry of Tool—saying things like, “There’s a white Mercedes blocking my car” or, “Hey, I’ve got on PF Changs!” or “I got my poodles back for you” while the band members said, “We’ll be there!” or something like that.
Finally, a voice is heard exclaiming: “Um… Excuse me?!” The band members turn and look at Freese, who was sitting behind a drum machine but had been away from the camera up until that point. He says, “Can we play a song or something?!” The band then released songs from their new album, “But Here We Are,” which will be released on June 2. at length about a band he played with in Disneyland when he was 12 which was apparently called Polo – “Open Lacoste for you!” One member of the pranks band.
Freese, one of the best, most talented, and most experienced rock drummers working today, shows why he’s got the chops to fill the shoes of both Hawkins and Grohl (and is himself one of the greatest drummers in rock history, even though he’s the lead singer of Fooss. and rhythm guitarist). ), and play with just the right amount of stability, power, and flash. If it was a test broadcast live to fans, it’s safe to say it went by with flying colors.
It’s not hard to see why Freese is such a great drummer for the Foo Fighters. He’s a longtime friend of Grohl and Hawkins, and is a seasoned pro who has performed with Guns N’ Roses, A Perfect Circle, Puddle of Mudd, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Paramore, The Replacements, Sting and the Vandals – and that’s just the music business. rockers with whom he worked. Over the years, he’s played with a mind-boggling array of different musicians on more than 300 records, from pop to rock to country: his versatility is evidenced by the fact that at last year’s Coachella festival he performed with both Danny Elfman, who is both New wave pioneers Oingo Boingo and favorite movie composer Tim Burton, and hyper-pop wizards 100 Gecs—two very different artists demanding widely varying styles, both delivered.
But Freese is not only a deeply experienced, wide-ranging musician who knows the band and their music, his presence solves many challenges anyone stepping into the role of Hawkins would face: He is renowned as one of the best session drummers. The work is so well known to musicians, and the fact that it’s less familiar to the public is actually a plus, so there won’t be any engagements from past bands (although he’s played with dozens). As his long resume shows, he can play in almost any style – and at 50, he’s from the same generation as most of the other band members. It’s also unclear if he’s now a permanent member of the band or working in some sort of long-term independent role. (Head here for more information on potential Foo Fighters drummer candidates).
“Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts” is a Live Nations Veeps’ streaming event packed with rock ‘n’ roll (including premieres of songs from “But Here We Are”), exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, and a few surprises – captured All in the spacious but homey space of the band’s 606 studios.” Streaming exclusively at https://foofighters.veeps.com/, with on-demand repeat viewing enabled through May 24th.
“Shows like this don’t happen every day. Taking this moment to bring together fans from all over the world, and giving people a chance to share in the experience no matter where they are, is a gift. Having a place to make these moments is a gift,” said Joel Madden, CEO and Founder of Veeps. Within reach is why we built Veeps and we are honored to be trusted to bring this amazing show to Foo Fighters and all of their fans.
The Foo Fighters next tour will take place May 24th at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Guilford, New Hampshire.
