how good is he As good as Taylor Hawkins? Or even better? Foo Fighters fans argue about that. Josh Freese, 50, has replaced Taylor Hawkins, who passed away in March 2022, and is currently touring Europe with the band, where his class can be seen. Freese, who previously worked as a drummer for Weezer, Guns N’ Roses and the Nine Inch Nails, among others, does not only cause enthusiasm among the fans. Many are currently complaining about how he compares to Hawkins after a first batch of live performances on the social news forum Reddit. Many others, however, find Freese to be just the thing.
Cons Josh Freese: “Freese plays like a machine but the rest of the band struggles to keep up”
in one Thread titled “Does Freese”which launched on May 31 on the band’s official Reddit page, one user wrote, “He [Freese] is clearly a great drummer. But after watching some recent live performances with Josh Freese, I’ve come to the conclusion that he really rushes the beat compared to Taylor.” According to the user, Taylor was an “in the pocket” drummer. Freese plays like a machine, “but you can hear the rest of the band is struggling to keep up. Everlong was so incredibly quick. That only makes Taylor’s loss even more obvious. He was FF’s perfect drummer. This is only my opinion.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIWsFCB7XxU
Some fans support this view and also criticize Freese’s technique. One wrote: “[Er] rushes. Definitely hectic. There was one track during the live stream that was super fast. After that Pat said [Smear]: ‘That was the pace of Shane Hawkins!’
Pro Josh Freese: “One of the best drummers in the world”
Some “Redditors” have a different opinion. Specifically, one fan cheered: “I’m actually thrilled that they’re faster. Monkey Wrench almost sounds like a hardcore song now. I really hope they let Josh play the way he’s played.”
Another user explained: “It’s literally Josh Freese’s job to play to meet the needs of his employers. That’s how he’s made the career he’s had for the past 25 years and that’s why he’s widely considered one of the best drummers in the world.”
The user continues, “If Dave has any issues with what he’s doing, I guarantee it will be discussed, discussed after this run, or already addressed in rehearsals which, I’d bet.” , lasted longer than any of us knows. I highly doubt Dave would ask him to stick to every specific fill and nuance that Taylor has ever recorded or performed live. He definitely wants the music to reflect the people who play it. So it makes sense to think that they worked together to get to a point where he plays with respect for the music’s heritage, but also has the freedom to be himself as a musician. Is it strange to hear as a fan that things are being done differently than they have been done for the past 25 years? Yes, of course.”
“The only constant is change – changing a member will ALWAYS bring a new nuance”
But, as the “Reddit” user continues: “The only constant is change, and changing a member will ALWAYS bring a new nuance. That’s just the way it is. But JF is hands down the best drummer for this band and we should have faith that after all these years these guys might know what they’re doing instead of grappling with averages and timestamps.”
Foo Fighters: Many concerts and a new album
In addition to the aforementioned global live stream, the new Foo Fighters line-up has played a handful of concerts so far. The first was at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in New Hampshire on May 24, 2023, and their most recent appearances have been at Rock an Ring and Rock im Park.
The Foos also released their new studio album But Here We Are on June 2nd. Since it was recorded before Freese officially came on board, frontman Dave Grohl plays all drums (earning his first drum credit on a Foo Fighters album since 2005’s “In Your Honor”).