After months of speculation, Foo Fighters have finally revealed who’s in the drummer’s seat. It’s not Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron; it isn’t Dave Grohl, it’s none other than legendary session drummer Josh Freese.
Josh Freese has a hugely impressive resume, having played his longest stints with The Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), with numerous appearances in Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Sting, A Perfect Circle, Paramore, and more. Last year, he joined Foo Fighters on stage for their London and Los Angeles tribute concerts held for Taylor Hawkins, who tragically passed away in March last year.
During a live stream this morning (22 May) via Veeps (which is currently on demand and available to watch for three days), Freese also confirmed that Grohl played the drums on the band’s new album, But Here We Are, confirming a BMI report that suggested that very same news. It’s the first album drumming credit for Dave Grohl since 2005’s In Your Honor.
The Foos shared a hilarious video during the live stream that featured Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Tool’s Danny Carey, and Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee, all insisting that they wanted the honour of playing in the band.
Then, the camera panned and revealed that Freese had been playing the entire time. “Excuse me, guys — could we just, like, I dunno, play a song or two … something?,” Freese asked his bandmates, and the band promptly ripped into All My Life. They also performed Monkey Wrench, The Sky Is A Neighbourhood, Aurora, No Son Of Mine, and briefly segued into the Huey Lewis number, Workin’ For A Living.
Foo Fighters also held true to their promise of debuting new material during the live stream, ripping into the already-released Rescued and Under You for the first time in a live setting, and the live debut of Nothing At All. Their new album, But Here We Are, will be released on Friday, 2 June. You can pre-order it here.
On New Year’s Eve, Foo Fighters announced that they would continue but are “going to be a different band going forward”.
Their full statement read:
“As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us. Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life. And for the past 27 years, our fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has helped us all get through the darkest of times together. A place to share our joy and our pain, our hopes and fears, and to join in a chorus of life together through music. Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward. We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.”