Foo Fighters announce new drummer: Josh Freese (50) takes over from late Taylor Hawkins

It was an important weekend for rock fans. In a live stream, the band Foo Fighters announced yesterday who would take over the place of their deceased drummer Taylor Hawkins. After a few deceptions, it was finally announced that 50-year-old Josh Freese will be behind the drums from now on. Freese is a well-known name in the rock scene.

On March 25, 2022, Taylor Hawkins, who had been the drummer for Foo Fighters since 1997, passed away. Hawkins died in Bogota, Colombia just hours before the group was scheduled to perform at Festival Estereo Picnic. At the end of last year, two major tribute concerts followed in London and Los Angeles, but this year Foo Fighters decided to continue with a new drummer. Who that successor will be, was announced this weekend.

New drummer

It had been expected for some time that Foo Fighters would appoint a new drummer after Hawkins’ death. The question that played the most with every fan of the band was who it would be. That finally came to an answer during a live stream this weekend.

During that live stream, Foo Fighters performed several songs, but also invited different drummers. This left the fans on the edge of their seats and even misled them several times. For example, drummers Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Tommy Lee visited the studio. But that turned out not to be to play drums with the band.

Josh Freese

That honor belongs to Josh Freese. The 50-year-old American is a well-known drummer in the music world who has already earned his stripes with Guns N’ Roses, Weezer, Paramore … The appointment of Freese is no big surprise since he also played with the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert during the band could be seen.

Freese will therefore also play the role of drummer in the near future. He does this during the planned Foo Fighters tour, among other things. That tour will begin in the United States at the end of this month and will continue through October. It is not yet known if and when the band will come to Belgium.

Listen to the first gig with Freese as drummer here: