Foo Fighters reveal Josh Freese as new drummer

Freese will join as the band’s touring drummer

Foo Fighters have revealed that Josh Freese will be touring as their new drummer. The band revealed the news during their global livestream, Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts, on Sunday (May 21st).

Ahead of revealing Freese as their new drummer, the band teased other potential replacements in a funny skit featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Tool’s Danny Carey, and Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee.

Freese replaces Taylor Hawkins, following his unexpected passing in March 2022. Hawkins was found dead in his Bogota, Colombia hotel room on March 25th while the group was on tour in South America after a drug overdose. The band canceled the remainder of its 2022 tour dates, but reunited in September 2022 to host two all-star Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts.

The Foo Fighters have announced tour dates for 2023, including multiple headlining festival performances at Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival, Austin City Limits Festival, Louder Than Life, and opening a new club in Washington, DC, among others.

The band will release it’s 11th studio album, But Here We Are, June 2nd on Roswell Records/RCA Records. The album includes the album’s lead single  “Rescued” and “Under You.” Produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, the album is the first chapter of the band’s new life. Sonically channelling the naiveté of Foo Fighters’ 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth, But Here We Are is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com