Foo Fighters announce their first Australian tour since 2018 and death of drummer Taylor Hawkins  

The Foo Fighters have announced their first Aussie and New Zealand tour since 2018 and the tragic death of the band’s beloved drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

The rockers will travel Down Under in November and December 2023, before heading to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington in January 2024.

The band kicks off at Aussie Stadium in Perth on November 29, before traveling to Adelaide to play on December 2, Melbourne on December 4, Sydney on December 9 and Brisbane on December 12.

It comes after the release of the band’s album But Here We Are, which features frontman Dave Grohl singing about his grief over the loss of his best friend Hawkins.

Hawkins died suddenly in his hotel room at the age of 50 last year, just hours before Foo Fighters were scheduled to perform at a festival in Colombia.

Tickets for all shows go on sale on Thursday, June 15, while American Express presale begins on Friday, June 9.

It comes after the band took the time to remember their late drummer during their show at the Boston Calling Music Festival last week,

Not only did they honor him with a performance of Cold Day In The Sun, a song Hawkins sang before his tragic death in March 2022, but they also raised his 17-year-old son, Shane, to play drums on a Foo Fighters classic.

After the introduction, the crowd went wild, especially when the big monitors showed the teen behind the drums getting ready to rock out.

In an unscripted moment, frontman Dave Grohl walked over to Shane, they shared a few words, then he smiled broadly and started laughing, and made his way to the microphone in the center of the stage.

With his guitar strapped over his shoulder, ready to bust out into the next song on the setlist, the 54-year-old Grohl confessed: “He just told me, hey, say something, I need to fix the bow [drum].’

After the band and audience laughed out loud, the Times Like These star went on to show off his flair for comedy, to buy time, by dropping some of the clichéd lines band frontmen have used over the years.

“So anyway… ahhh yes. Hello Boston,” the former Nirvana drummer said with a joking tone in his voice that was picked up by the crowd.

‘How is it going there?’ he asked Shane, adding, “Earlier I was in my dressing room and I heard this crowd go absolutely nuts for someone. And I thought, “Who the hell is playing?”

After some more chatter about missing The National’s performance earlier at the festival, Grohl strummed his guitar a few times and turned to the teen, “How are you, Shane?”

It comes after the release of the band’s album But Here We Are, which features frontman Dave Grohl singing about his grief over the loss of his best friend Hawkins, far right. The band is pictured in June 2021

Still lightly strumming on a chord, while the other four members of the band patiently stood on stage during the intermission, the singer and guitarist again addressed his guest musician.

“Oh my god there’s a curfew Shane,” he said in a joking tone and manner. ‘What are we doing?’

When he got the signal from the Shane that he’s ready to play, Grohl started drafting the title of the next song, “This is an old song from our first record and if we play it…” but the bandleader was cut off. ends in mid-sentence with Shane’s rousing snare lick in the band’s song I’ll Stick Around.

Taylor Hawkins was survived by his wife Alison Hawkins and their three children – Shane and sisters Annabelle and Everleigh – following his death at the age of 50 in March 2022.

The drummer and percussionist passed out unconscious in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia just hours before their scheduled concert, and died shortly afterwards.

RIP: Taylor Hawkins was 50 when he died in his hotel room in Bogotá, Colombia just hours before their scheduled concert

New drummer: Foo Fighters just announced Josh Freese as Taylor Hawkins’ replacement on drums in a funny video that came out on May 21

A cause of death was not disclosed, but a preliminary toxicology report claimed he died with 10 substances in his system, including marijuana, benzodiazepines and opioids, according to Us weekly.

Following his death, Foo Fighters canceled their tour and took a hiatus before returning to the stage last September for a star-studded tribute to the late drummer. In one of the more moving and emotional moments, Shane got to play My Hero with his father’s friends and bandmates.

Foo Fighters just announced Josh Freese as Taylor Hawkins’ replacement on drums in a funny video that came out on May 21.

And just days later, the band embarked on their tour leading up to the release of their 11th studio album, But Here We Are, on June 2.