Acclaimed and prolific session drummer Josh Freese appears to be The Offspring‘s new drummer.
Freese, who’s played with bands including Guns N’ Roses, Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, manned the kit for the “Self Esteem” rockers during their show in Los Angeles Sunday. The drummer posted video from the performance on his Instagram.
The LA date marked not only The Offspring’s first full in-person show since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was also the band’s first concert to follow the departure of drummer Pete Parada.
Parada, who’d played in The Offspring since 2007, announced last week that “it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour” because he’s unable to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to his history with the neurological condition Guillain–Barré syndrome.
It’s unclear whether Freese is a permanent replacement or just a one-off fill-in. It does appear the arrangement was relatively last-minute: according to another Instagram post from Freese, Offspring frontman — and licensed pilot — Dexter Holland flew him to and back from Denver Saturday where he was playing another gig so that he could make Sunday’s concert.
By the way, Freese has played drums on the past four Offspring records, including this year’s Let the Bad Times Roll.
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