The Foo Fighters have introduced Josh Freese as their new drummer - a little over a year after Taylor Hawkins' tragic death.
Hawkins passed away suddenly on March 25 last year, with the band announcing in a statement that its longtime drummer had died at the age of 50. The band was in the middle of a tour in South America and was set to perform at Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá, Colombia, at the time of Hawkins' death.
Soon after his death, Rolling Stone reported that Hawkins passed away in a Bogota hotel, with the municipal government in Bogotá releasing a statement confirming that the city's emergency services had been made aware of a man suffering "chest pain".
The city's health department later revealed that Hawkins did not respond to resuscitation attempts and was declared dead at the scene.
Then, just nine days after his passing, the Foo Fighters took home Grammys in each of the three categories they were nominated in, winning Best Rock Album for Medicine at Midnight, Best Rock Song for 'Waiting on a War', and Best Rock Performance for 'Making a Fire'.
The band then canceled their remaining tour dates.
The awards ceremony organizers also paid tribute to Hawkins with a video package featuring photographs and footage from throughout his career. Additionally, when Billie Eilish took to the stage to perform her track 'Happier Than Ever', she did so while wearing a t-shirt with the beloved drummer's picture on it.
Now, the Foo Fighters have announced that they're adding a new member to their band in the form of Josh Freese - a 50-year-old session drummer who has worked with the Vandals, Devo, Guns N' Roses, Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, and even Sting from The Police.
The band revealed the news on Sunday (May 21) in a funny livestream called Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts, which they promised would include "a few surprises."
The livestream was recorded in their studio and opened with the band teasing the identity of their new drummer by enlisting the help of a few celebrities who popped in for some cameos.
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith entered the room, before joking that he needed to leave as someone was apparently blocking his way in the car park. Tommy Lee from Mötley Crüe popped in with a food delivery, and then Tool's Danny Carey came in with some poodles. A voice then interrupted the stream, before the camera cut to an exasperated Freese, who had been waiting behind a drum kit off-camera the whole time.
He shouted: "Excuse me! Could we just, like … play a song?"
The Foo Fighters are now set to resume their tour, which will begin on Wednesday this week (May 24) in New Hampshire, and is set to conclude at the Formula 1 Grand Prix Event in Abu Dhabi on November 26.
News of Freese's new role in the band was met with praise from fans, who were ecstatic that someone with such renowned talent would be helping the band continue their legacy.
"I'm struggling to think of a band Freese hasn't drummed for yet… [...] He's a good choice," one person wrote.
"I haven't enjoyed new [Foo Fighters] music for a long time, but the possibility that Freese and [Dave Grohl] will get into a drum battle the same way Grohl and Hawkins used to is enough to get me out to see their nearest show," someone else added.
We cannot wait to see these guys all perform together for the first time!
