After over a year, Foo Fighters have returned to the stage - and have finally officially announced their new drummer is Ilan Rubin.
The band announced on Saturday (Sept 13) that they’d be playing a last-minute, intimate gig at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo. By that night, the 900-capacity venue was packed with fans who’d lined up around the block, as you could only get tickets in person.
The Foos delivered their first show in over a year, which also marked the official announcement of their new drummer, Ilan Rubin.
Rumours had been swirling for a while that Rubin, formerly the touring drummer for Nine Inch Nails, would be stepping in as Foo Fighters’ new drummer. Speculation really picked up about a month ago, when their ex-drummer Josh Freese announced he was joining Nine Inch Nails.
In a true wife-swap situation, it is now confirmed that Josh Freese and Ilan Rubin have essentially swapped bands.
According to NME, at some point during the set, Grohl stopped to make the news of their new drummer clear. He said:
“Everybody else has said it, I finally get the opportunity to say, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome, the most badass motherfucker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the Foo Fighters. It’s official.”
The announcement got caught on fan video (cheers, Reddit), and the band even updated their socials with a fresh lineup photo to seal the deal.
The Foo’s played a 25-song-set, which was surprisingly light on new material - just one track from But Here We Are (Rescued). The rest of the set included a whole lotta their hits, opening with All My Life and closing their set with Everlong.
Rubin has been Nine Inch Nails’ touring drummer since 2009 and became the youngest-ever Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee at 32 years old when the band was honoured in 2020. He’s also known for his work with Angels & Airwaves, Paramore, and Danny Elfman.
So there you have it. After a year off, Foo Fighters are back onstage.
