Foo Fighters introduce new drummer Josh Freese, perform latest songs on free live stream

Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Updated ·4 min read
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Foo Fighters unveiled new drummer Josh Freese during a free live streaming show on Sunday.

Freese, 50, is a session drummer who has spent time in bands such Guns N' Roses and Nine Inch Nails, and also joined the touring bands for Sting, Paramore and The Replacements. "A longtime friend" of Foo Fighters founder and frontman Dave Grohl and the rest of the band, according to Spin, Freese was among the drummers who joined the group and other musicians last year for two tribute concerts for drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died March 25, 2022.

During Sunday's event, entitled "Preparing Music for Concerts" on streaming service Veeps, viewers heard performances of several songs from the band's upcoming album "But Here We Are." In addition to Foo Fighters' song "Under You," which hit streaming services Wednesday, the band played first single "Rescued" and new song "Nothing at All."

Foo Fighters unveiled new drummer Josh Freese during a free live streaming show on Sunday. The band played new songs from upcoming album "But Here We Are," ahead of a tour starting May 24. From left: Rami Jaffee, Chris Shiflett, Freese, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and Dave Grohl.
Foo Fighters unveiled new drummer Josh Freese during a free live streaming show on Sunday. The band played new songs from upcoming album "But Here We Are," ahead of a tour starting May 24. From left: Rami Jaffee, Chris Shiflett, Freese, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and Dave Grohl.

Other songs performed from the event at the band’s Studio 606 included "Monkey Wrench" "All My Life," "No Son of Mine," and "The Sky is a Neighborhood."

The band hits the stage May 24 at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire, about 100 miles north of Boston, Foo Fighters' first tour since Hawkins' death.

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How did Foo Fighters introduce their new drummer, Josh Freese?

The event started on a humorous note with several drummers including Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue and Danny Carey of Tool knocking on the door for various reasons – Tommy Lee showed up with carryout from P.F. Chang's – as red herrings for the drummer reveal.

Then a voice is heard, “Excuse me, guys, could we just, like, I don't know, play a song or two … something?” and the camera goes to Freese at the drums with a name tag reading "Josh."

"Yeah, man. Sure, Josh," Grohl says, and the band members take their places to play “All My Life.”

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Where can I watch the Foo Fighters live stream show?

Foo Fighters unveiled new drummer Josh Freese, shown here with guitarist Pat Smear, during a free live streaming show Sunday on Veeps. Freese, 50, is a session drummer who has spent time in bands such Guns N' Roses and Nine Inch Nails, and also joined the touring bands for Sting, Paramore and the Replacements.
Foo Fighters unveiled new drummer Josh Freese, shown here with guitarist Pat Smear, during a free live streaming show Sunday on Veeps. Freese, 50, is a session drummer who has spent time in bands such Guns N' Roses and Nine Inch Nails, and also joined the touring bands for Sting, Paramore and the Replacements.

If you missed Sunday's live broadcast, you can watch it on demand through May 24 on the Veeps site or app.

Go to Veeps.com and create a free account. (A login is needed to watch the show.) Want to watch on Roku or Apple TV? Download the Veeps app. You can also watch on Veeps.com on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Amazon Fire TV users can watch via its built-in browser.

“We are extremely honored and excited to be a part of this event with the Foo Fighters," said Joel Madden, who co-founded Veeps with his brother and Good Charlotte bandmate Benji Madden, in a statement. "Veeps was built on the idea that every show could one day be accessible to all fans around the world and that the experience should be the highest quality. Being such big Foo Fighter fans ourselves, this event is a big milestone for our platform, and we are excited for all Foo Fighters fans to experience the show on Veeps."

When is the Foo Fighters' new album coming out?

The album "But Here We Are," out June 2, represents "a brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything Foo Fighters endured over the last year," the band said in a news release announcing the album.

Lyrics from the song "Under You" obviously reference Grohl and the band's attempts at dealing with Hawkins' death: "Someone said I’ll never see your face again/ Part of me just can’t believe it’s true/ Pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes/ This is how I’ll always picture you."

"But Here We Are" is the 11th album for the band, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021.

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Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Foo Fighters introduce Josh Freese as new drummer after Taylor Hawkins