Foo Fighters honing in on replacement for late drummer Taylor Hawkins

Foo Fighters are honing in on a replacement for late drummer Taylor Hawkins, as they prepare to head back on tour one year after his death.

The band, which is fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, plans to launch a tour across the United States and Canada starting in the summer, sources told The Sun.

They also shared that the band has narrowed the search for Hawkins’ replacement down to two well-regarded drummers: Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron and Against Me!’s Atom Willard.

The massively successful alternative rock band has reportedly been auditioning a number of drummers ahead of its headlining spot on June 18 at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, as well as subsequent tour dates.

Hawkins died on March 25, 2022, in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia, just hours before he was scheduled to perform with Foo Fighters.

On the road again: Foo Fighters are honing in on a replacement for late drummer Taylor Hawkins, as they prepare to head back on tour one year after his death; Grohl and Hawkins seen on February 26, 2022

Gone too soon: Hawkins died on March 25, 2022, in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia, just hours before he was to perform with Foo Fighters. He had multiple substances in his system and had an enlarged heart, but no cause of death was announced; seen in 2014

After taking time to grieve Hawkins and to remember him with tribute concerts, Foo Fighters are ready to solidify a new lineup for the upcoming tour and festivals.

‘The Foos have been working with a number of musicians close to Taylor and the band over the past few months,’ one source told The Sun. ‘Matt and Atom are front runners to drum at the gigs, the first of which is in May.’

The band appears ready to switch on and off with the drummers.

‘Primarily it will be Matt but Atom will be on rotation with him. They have both been rehearsing at Studio 606, the Foos’ studio,’ the source added.

Cameron doesn’t have any tour dates currently scheduled with his band Pearl Jam, but there is no indication at the moment that he plans to leave the grunge rock behemoth, and Willard also appears to still be a full-time member of Against Me!.

‘Matt was a great friend of Taylor’s and is very close with the Foos’ frontman Dave Grohl,’ the source continued, indicating that the Pearl Jam drummer would fit right in to the rock band.

‘The final arrangements are being put in place but it’s looking very likely that Matt will be playing those gigs across the US in summer.’

Although no cause of death was officially released for Hawkins, an early urine toxicology report indicated that he had 10 substances in his system that could have contributed to his death, including benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants and THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana.

Hawkins, who had previously survived a heroin overdose years earlier, also had an enlarged heart, according to a preliminary autopsy. The condition may have also contributed to his death. 

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Close to a decision: The band has narrowed the search for Hawkins’ replacement down to two well-regarded drummers: Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron (pictured in 2021) and Against Me!’s Atom Willard

Mix and match: The band appears ready to switch on and off with the drummers. ‘Primarily it will be Matt but Atom will be on rotation with him. They have both been rehearsing at Studio 606, the Foos’ studio,’ the source added

Moving forward: Back in December, Grohl and the rest of Foo Fighters shared a statement on social media in which they vowed to continue performing following Hawkins’ death 

Hawkins noted the larger-than-usual size of his heart while speaking to Rolling Stone in June 2021, though he said at the time that his doctor had compared it to an athlete’s heart, suggesting it was not an issue of concern.

Back in December, Grohl and the rest of Foo Fighters shared a statement on social media in which they vowed to continue performing following Hawkins’ death. 

‘Without Taylor,’ the band wrote, ‘we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward.’

Concluding their statement, the rockstars wrote: ‘We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again – and we will soon – he’ll be there in spirit with all of us every night.’