Foo Fighters announce first New Zealand tour dates with new drummer Josh Freese

Foo Fighters will be hitting Aotearoa in 2024.
Foo Fighters will be hitting Aotearoa in 2024. Photo credit: Getty Images

Foo Fighters are to play three concerts in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in January 2024, marking their first dates with new drummer Josh Freese.

The band will play Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday, January 20, before heading to Christchurch on Wednesday, January 24.

The New Zealand leg of the Australasian tour will end in Wellington at the Sky Stadium on Saturday, January 27.

Tickets go on sale for the shows from Thursday, June 15.

It will mark Foo Fighters' first headline tour of both countries since 2018.

In March 2022, the band cancelled all of their upcoming concert dates following the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

The 'Everlong' rockers had been scheduled to play in New Zealand in December 2022 at Auckland's Western Springs and Wellington's Sky stadium.

Hawkins died in Colombia in March aged 50 while on tour with the band.

"It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins," the band said in a statement at the time.

"We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned. Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together."

In May 2023, the band announced Josh Freese as their new drummer after months of speculation over who would succeed the late Hawkins.

He was introduced as part of the rock group during the Foo Fighter Preparing Music for Concerts livestream event.

After Freese's live debut during the gig, a representative for the Foo Fighters also confirmed the news by simply writing on Twitter, "Welcome to @foofighters Josh Freese."

Neither the drummer nor frontman Dave Grohl have officially commented on the appointment.