Josh Freese has been criticized for the speed of his drumming. A fan posted a video clip from a recent show. Dave Grohl said: “We would not be here tonight if it weren’t for Josh.”
Josh might not be exactly like the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins but we wouldn’t have the Foos touring right now without him.
One of the fans on Reddit said
“He’s clearly a great drummer. But after watching some of the recent live performances with Josh Freese I’ve concluded that compared to Taylor he really rushes the beat. Taylor was a very “in the pocket” drummer so to speak. Freese plays like a machine but you can hear the rest of the band struggling to keep up with him. ‘Everlong’ was so so fast. It just makes the loss of Taylor hit home even more. He was the perfect drummer from FF. This is just my opinion and of course ymmv.”
Second fan said: “Rushing. Definitely rushing. There was one track during the live stream that was super fast. Afterwards, Pat said “That was Shane Hawkins tempo!”
Third one said:
“I’m actually stoked they are faster. Monkey wrench almost sounds like a hardcore song now. I really hope they let Josh play the way he’s been playing.”
However, another backed Freese and wrote:
“Omg can we stop. The amount of drum geniuses coming out of the woodwork because there is a new drummer. Freese has drummed for like 400 albums to quote Dave, many of em favorites we had no idea he was part of. Taylor looked up to him as much as vice versa. Freese is doing incredible things behind the kit for the Foos. Let’s not micro analyze the styles and different interpretations of the groove. 3 of the best drummers in history are part of the Foos.”
A fan chimed in:
“Give them time to adjust and correct. These are his first few live shows. There’s going to be a learning curve even for the most experienced person.”
Josh Freese was recently introduced as Foo Fighters drummer after months of speculation. He recently took to his Instagram account and posted a picture from the concert.
“Surreal, bittersweet, optimistic.
Repost @foofighters
Welcome to the Foo Fam @joshfreese.
Photo by @scarletpage”
Foo Fighters have played their first full live show since the death of Taylor Hawkins yesterday, May 24, with a gig at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion At Meadowbrook in Gilford, New Hampshire.
As reported by Blabbermouth, this also marked the Foos’ first performance with their new touring drummer, Josh Freese, who was introduced earlier this week.
Dave Grohl and co. delivered a 21-song set that included 4 songs from their upcoming album “But Here We Are”, due for release on June 2. Besides the singles “Rescued” and “Under You“, the band also played “Nothing at All” and the record’s title track.
Foo Fighters also performed Friday May 26 at the Boston Calling festival at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Boston, Massachusetts. There will also be a few other festival stops, including Bonnaroo in June, Festival D’Ete De Quebec in July, Outside Lands in August, the Ohana, also in August, and Chicago’s Riot Fest in September.
The band revealed Freese as part of its new touring lineup on Sunday (May 21) during a pre-tour livestream called “Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts”. Freese was unveiled as the drummer during the livestream after comedic cameos by Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tommy Lee of Motley Crue and Danny Carey of Tool.
