John Hoffman ‘excited & pumped’ to touring with Primus

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A too good to be true social media post led to a Shreveport native landing a spot on tour with a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated, iconic indie rock band.

In December 2025, John Hoffman, a well-known drummer in the local music scene, traveled to California for an opportunity of a lifetime. The drummer for indie rock band Primus abruptly announced that he no longer had the passion to play, prompting the group’s national search for a replacement. Hoffman said Primus’ calls for drummers to submit audition tapes via social media were a little hard to believe, but that didn’t stop him from shooting his shot.

“I wasn’t sure if it was completely authentic or, you know, that kind of thing. It seemed like a band like Primus would have somebody lined up already, and and, so my thought process was very much excitement, but a bit of controlled excitement because I didn’t, you know, I didn’t want to allow myself to get too excited about something that, you know, there were there were a lot of questions I had, you know, to be answered.” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said the situation became a little more real each time he learned he had advanced to a new phase. But even as he was driving back home to Shreveport from the in-person audition, he was still trying to curb his enthusiasm, as any person firmly set in reality would

“There was a part of me in my mind that kind of, was telling myself, hey, you gave it your best shot. This was a great opportunity, you know, that kind of thing. And hold your head up. Don’t be sad. That kind of thing. I just felt like that was kind of the end of the road.”

While driving through West Texas on his return trip to Shreveport from an audition in Los Angeles, Hoffman received a call he never expected to receive. He was one of two finalists. After thousands of video submissions, competing against notable drummers whom he looked up to, he was one of the last two drummers standing.

“At the next available rest area, I had to pull over, cry a little bit, and gather my thoughts. Tell myself that this is very, very close to happening. I could see the goal line at that point. And, just, just an overwhelming feeling to know that I had made it that far and that I was so close to getting this thing done.”

And he did get it done. Hoffman was chosen as the group’s new drummer, joining the band on tour in April as the opening act for A Perfect Circle during the Sessanta 2.0 Tour. Hoffman said those performances helped him overcome his nerves and excitement.

“So, I’m actually pretty excited and, and pumped up to go do this one. And this is our, first headlining tour with me on drums, which means it will be playing much longer sets and being able to pull out some of the deeper cuts of the Primus catalog. So I’m extremely excited.”

He thanked everyone in Shreveport for all of their support throughout this milestone moment in his life and said that he fully expects the hometown crowd to show up and show out.

“I think people have been waiting for this since the day I got announced as the drummer for this band. And, I’m so glad that Primus was able to add a Shreveport date to this tour. And I feel like that show is going to be absolutely off the chain. I think that people are really going to show up and, and represent the city.”

Primus will make two stops in Louisiana first on July 28 in New Orleans, then at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium on July 29 with John Hoffman on drums and special guest MonoNeon.