Foo Fighters have tapped longtime Nine Inch Nails stickman Ilan Rubin as their new drummer. In a strange twist, former Foos drummer Josh Freese is returning to Nine Inch Nails.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed via sources that Rubin is exiting NIN to join Foo Fighters. However, it is unclear if he will be the Foos’ permanent drummer or touring drummer.
Rubin played with NIN from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2013 until now. He’s the youngest living musician to have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, having been included in NIN’s 2020 induction at age 32 at the time. In addition to NIN, Rubin is a current member of Tom DeLonge’s band Angels & Airwaves, and has played with Danny Elfman. He also recorded solo albums under the name The New Regime.
Freese, meanwhile, was let go from Foo Fighters earlier this year, two years after filling the void left by late drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away in 2022. He previously served as NIN’s drummer from 2005 to 2008 (ironically replaced by Rubin), appearing on the albums Year Zero and The Slip, and has been a member or performed with such acts as The Vandals, A Perfect Circle. The Offspring, and Weezer, among other acts.
NIN celebrated Freese’s return with an Instagram Story post, showing a photo of the drummer with the caption, “Let’s Fucking Go, @joshfreese” (see screengrab below).
The drummer switch comes just a week before NIN kick off a North American tour (tickets available here).
Freese confirmed the news on WEdnesday night (July 30th), writing the following on his Instagram account:
“Leaving Nine Inch Nails at the end of 2008 was one of the hardest decisions I’ve 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.
NIN was a band that left me walking off stage every single night thinking, “That was incredible. We absolutely crushed it.” And it wasn’t just a feeling, it was a certainty. That level of intensity, pride, and satisfaction after each show is something I’ve rarely experienced anywhere
Now, being back on tour with Trent and the crew—helping them do what they do best night after night—is something I’m incredibly excited about. To be part of that energy again feels amazing.
If you get a chance to catch one of these shows over the next sic weeks, I promise, they’re going to be absolutely unforgettable.
Hope to see you out there.”
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters returned with the new single “Today’s Song” at the beginning of this month, and will play some overseas shows beginning in October.
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