Taylor Hawkins: who has the best odds of replacing the Foo Fighters’ legendary drummer?
It’s official: the Foo Fighters are back. Although it always seemed likely that the legendary American hard rock band would continue on after the death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins last year, it took an announcement on New Year’s Eve to confirm that the band was still an active concern.
While it’s a welcome notion that we get to hear songs like ‘Monkey Wrench’ and ‘The Pretender’ again, there’s a question that remains unanswered: who is going to step in to replace Hawkins? Obviously, there needs to be somebody behind the drums when the Foos return to the stage, but who can fill those iconic shoes?
Hawkins wasn’t just a drummer. He was the essential counterpoint to Dave Grohl’s enormous energy and stage presence. The banter between Grohl and Hawkins will never be replaced, and neither will the chemistry between their playing styles. He was also a singer and an occasional co-frontman when the band busted into some of their legendary covers. Foo Fighters will be a completely new band with another person behind the kit, but who would be the best fit?
Luckily, we’ve gotten some early indicators thanks to the tribute shows held in Hawkins’ honour. Some of those players have a real chance of stepping in for Hawkins behind the drums, while others are definite long shots. We won’t take into account every single drummer who played those shows, but we will highlight a few favourites, wild cards, and crazy possibilities that could happen as Foo Fighters officially plan their return to the stage.
Who could replace Taylor Hawkins in Foo Fighters?
10. Dave Grohl (Odds: 5,000/1)
What are the chances that maybe, just maybe, Grohl decides to forgo his role as third guitarist and instead takes up the drum stool once again? Slim-to-none, but it’s a fun thought experiment, isn’t it?
Grohl is obviously a massively talented drummer. He knows the catalogue, he’s an in-house replacement and every other obvious plus. But he’s also the frontman, something that won’t change as long as the Foo Fighters are still going. The chances that Grohl might take at least a song or two back at the kit, though? Those are pretty good, and I would place my money on that scenario playing out over just about any of these.
9. Chad Smith/Jon Theodore/Danny Carey/Travis Barker/Roger Taylor/Lars Ulrich (Odds: 1,000/1)
These are all legendary drummers who picked up the sticks in Hawkins’ honour at the tribute shows. Do any of them have any actual chance of replacing Hawkins? Absolutely not. They all have current, full-time, active, legendary bands to play drums for.
If I had to rank them, I’d put Theodore as the most likely. Queens of the Stone Age can probably survive getting another drummer, but Grohl probably isn’t eager to pilfer his friend Josh Homme’s band. Smith, Carey, Barker, and Taylor are all tied, but Ulrich is coming in last only because I believe he’s the only one who couldn’t play ‘Everlong’.
8. Nandi Bushell (Odds: 500/1)
If the Foo Fighters were hiring a new drummer by public vote, there’s a good chance that Nandi Bushell would get the job. She certainly knows the band’s music and has some experience playing with them. Why not kickstart the eternal regeneration of the Foos by hiring from a much younger generation?
The flip side of that is obvious: the Foo Fighters are not going to hire a 12-year-old to be their new permanent drummer, no matter how skilled she is. Besides, Bushell has a good gig on her own. This is a weird case all around, even if it would break the internet if it actually happened.
7. Stewart Copeland (Odds: 100/1)
Just imagine it: Stewart Copeland, Taylor Hawkins’ biggest drum hero, stepping in to take his place as Hawkins geeks out somewhere beyond the clouds. It’s almost too good to be true, and that’s because the reality is that it is too good to be true.
Copeland doesn’t specifically have a full-time permanent gig, but he’s busy enough. He also didn’t play any Foo songs at the tribute shows, so his mastery of the band’s setlists is dubious at best. It’s a fun thought, but it doesn’t seem all that likely that Copeland would even want to be behind the kit for a full Foo Fighters show.
6. Omar Hakim (Odds: 50/1)
Omar Hakim has some major upside as the new Foo Fighters drummer. He’s a hired gun by trade, he knows how to play rock, and he’s always available as a sit-in to learn anything from Rush to David Bowie. He played solidly at the tribute concerts, so why is he so low on this list?
The truth is that Hakim is a solid generation older than most of the bad (minus Pat Smear) and that his style isn’t exactly the hard-hitting aggression that Foo Fighters requires. He’s got all the mental ability for sure, but it seems like Grohl and company would probably want a basher, not a methodical mathematician, behind the kit.
5. Brad Wilk (Odds: 30/1)
One of the best surprises during the Los Angeles version of the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts was seeing Rage Against the Machine stickman Brad Wilk get behind the drums. Sharing a similar ferociousness as Hawkins, Wilk seemed completely at ease with the Foos catalogue.
Unlike some of the other drummers with full-time jobs, Wilk just had to witness Rage cancel their reunion tour due to Zack de la Rocha’s Achilles injury. That means that he’s seemingly in need of a gig, even though he’s probably not going to be a long-term solution.
4. Oliver Shane Hawkins (Odds: 20/1)
The most heartwarming part of both tribute shows was when Hawkins’ 17-year-old son Shane stepped behind the kit to fill his father’s massive shoes. But the warm and fuzzies faded immediately when Shane bashed out the opening hits to ‘My Hero’. One thing was clear: powerful drumming runs in the Hawkins bloodline.
It seems like a perfect fix: Hawkins is in-house and a literal member of the Foo Fighters family. But is a professional band going to really hire a 17-year-old to see them through huge concerts night after night? Hawkins certainly has the ability and the goodwill from the band, but he probably doesn’t have the experience yet to step in for his dad.
3. Matt Cameron (Odds: 10/1)
OK, let’s get the obvious stumbling block out of the way first: Matt Cameron already has a full-time gig drumming with Pearl Jam. Taking a hiatus from one of the most popular bands in the world to join another one of the most popular bands in the world is a sideways move at best.
But Cameron’s biggest setback is also his biggest asset: he’s done this before, learning the entirety of Pearl Jam’s catalogue in a little less than two weeks when he first joined the band. He’s got the stick skills and the backing vocals, plus Pearl Jam didn’t have much trouble temporarily replacing Cameron when he went down with covid last year. All I’m saying is that crazier things have happened, and Cameron sounded damn good at the tribute shows.
2. Rufus ‘Tiger’ Taylor (Odds: 5/1)
Coming in a close second to Freese is Hawkins’ long-time friend, Rufus ‘Tiger’ Taylor. During his touring stint with his father’s band Queen, Taylor has proven that he has the chops, stamina, backing vocals, and attack necessary to carry the Foo Fighters through their three-plus-hour gigs.
Leaving the touring juggernaut of Queen would be a tall ask, especially considering how he’d have to tell his dad that he’s leaving. But I’m sure that Papa Taylor would give his blessing. At the tribute shows, if you squinted, Taylor seemed like a dead ringer for Hawkins, both visually and sonically.
1. Josh Freese (Odds: 3/1)
If I were a betting man (which, quite a lot of times, I am), then my money would officially be on session great/hired gun extraordinaire Josh Freese to replace Hawkins. Freese checks nearly every box, from being in the right age bracket to having a long history of punk rock on his resume. Even better, Freese’s whole gig is stepping into already-established bands.
There are a few minor knocks, namely that Freese is a busy man. He still technically has full-time gigs with Devo and The Vandals to account for, plus his recent stand-in gigs with The Offspring, 100 gecs, and Danny Elfman. Still, those would probably all take a backseat to the Foo Fighters. Freese should be considered the favourite in the field.
