Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese announced on social media this morning that he’s been abruptly ‘let go’ from the band.
Taking to Instagram, Freese wrote, “The Foo Fighters called me Monday night to let me know they’ve decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer.’ No reason was given,” he wrote, alongside a sad face emoticon.
“Regardless, I enjoyed the past two years with them, both on and off stage, and I support whatever they feel is best for the band,” the drummer continued.
“In my 40 years of drumming professionally, I’ve never been let go from a band, so while I’m not angry - just a bit shocked and disappointed.”
“But as most of you know I’ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I’m fine. Stay tuned for my ‘top 10 possible reasons Josh got booted from the Foo Fighters list’” he wrote, before signing the post off, “Josh.”
Freese was announced as Foo Fighters’ drummer about a year after the tragic and sudden passing of Taylor Hawkins, and was met with great reactions across the board from fans.
Editor’s note: When I saw the band live for their 2024 New Zealand shows, I wrote in my concert review that “Josh Freese's drumming gave me full body chills” and I wasn’t lying. He’s undeniably a fantastic drummer and had electric energy onstage with the Foos.
Freese has also been Devo’s drummer since 1996, and has performed alongside the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails, The Vandals, Sting and way more spanning over his decades-long-career.
A bunch of artists and fans in the comments are confused about the decision by the band.
Wolf Van Halen is the top comment, where he simply dropped the classic GIF of reporter Drew Scanlon raising his eyebrows in a ‘what’d you just say?’ kinda way.
William Goldsmith - a former Foo Fighters drummer who left the band after Grohl re-recorded much of his drum work on The Colour and the Shape - also commented on the post.
“Say what? Why for playing everything not only perfectly but going above and beyond what most are remotely capable of? I apologize but respectfully this makes absolutely no sense to me,” Goldsmith wrote.
While a fan commented, “Omg this is not what I expected to read today. Josh us Foo fans loved you in the band. We will miss you...”
At the time of writing this, Foo Fighters haven’t officially commented on Freese’s departure, and haven’t announced who their new drummer will be.
Personally, the only reason I can think of for this move is that maybe Shane Hawkins, Taylor's son, could be joining the band? If that were the case, honestly, I wouldn't be mad. Either way, I'm still gutted for Freese.
Foo Fighters recently announced that they’d be headlining the Singapore F1 Grand Prix concert series in October this year, so whatever’s going on behind the scenes, there’s still Foo Fighters plans in motion.
