{"id":36996,"date":"2025-07-31T13:58:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/36996\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T13:58:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:58:06","slug":"foo-fighters-and-nine-inch-nails-swap-drummers-switching-josh-freese-for-ilan-rubin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/36996\/","title":{"rendered":"Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails Swap Drummers, Switching Josh Freese for Ilan Rubin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two months after parting ways<\/a> with Josh Freese<\/a>, Foo Fighters<\/a> have unveiled Ilan Rubin as their new drummer, The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> has confirmed. Rubin is jumping ship after a 16-year stint with Nine Inch Nails<\/a>, for whom the prospect of an imminent, drummerless tour<\/a> ran into a convenient solution: They hired Josh Freese. It is unclear whether Rubin is permanently aboard with Foo Fighters or just a touring member.<\/p>\n

Though Foo Fighters are yet to acknowledge formally their hire, Nine Inch Nails posted an Instagram story picturing Freese\u2014who was also their drummer between 2005 and 2008\u2014with the caption, \u201cLet\u2019s fucking go.\u201d They kick off a North American tour at Oakland Arena on August 6; Foo Fighters\u2019 next dates are a tour of Asia in October.<\/p>\n

Rubin had been touring with Nine Inch Nails since 2009, a tenure that encompassed the band\u2019s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction<\/a> in 2020, in which he was included. He has also drummed for Paramore, Angels & Airwaves, and Danny Elfman, among others. According to a Hollywood Reporter source, Rubin had committed to Nine Inch Nails through the year but told Trent Reznor last week that he had \u201caccepted a job with another band.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foo Fighters brought in<\/a> Freese in 2023 as the successor to their late, longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins<\/a>. After two years together, Freese announced in May that the band had let him go, offering no reason beyond a decision \u201cto go in a different direction with their drummer.\u201d He added, \u201cI\u2019ve never been let go from a band, so while I\u2019m not angry\u2014just a bit shocked and disappointed. But as most of you know I\u2019ve always worked freelance and bounced between bands so, I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foo Fighters released their first track since his departure, \u201cToday\u2019s Song<\/a>,\u201d this month, which came with a note thanking Freese for his time with the band and saying that, without his \u201cthunderous wizardry,\u201d the band\u2019s \u201cstory would be incomplete.\u201d Their latest album, But Here We Are<\/a>, came out in 2023; its predecessor, Medicine at Midnight<\/a>, won the Best Rock Album<\/a> Grammy one month after Hawkins\u2019 death.<\/p>\n

Of the drummer news, Freese wrote<\/a> on Instagram:<\/p>\n

Leaving Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 was one of the hardest decisions I\u2019ve ever had to make. My wife and I were expecting our third child, and I knew I needed to step away from life on the road to be home with my family.<\/p>\n

NIN was a band that left me walking off stage every single night thinking, \u201cThat was incredible. We absolutely crushed it.\u201d And it wasn\u2019t just a feeling, it was a certainty. That level of intensity, pride, and satisfaction after each show is something I\u2019ve rarely experienced anywhere else.<\/p>\n

Now, being back on tour with Trent and the crew\u2014helping them do what they do best night after night\u2014is something I\u2019m incredibly excited about. To be part of that energy again feels amazing.<\/p>\n

If you get a chance to catch one of these shows over the next six weeks, I promise, they\u2019re going to be absolutely unforgettable.<\/p>\n

Hope to see you out there.<\/p>\n