After surprising fans by letting go of drummer Josh Freese, Foo Fighters brought in Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails for the gig. In a twist, NIN reunited with Freese, who previously played with Trent Reznor and company between 2005 and 2008.
Speaking with Consequence about the drummer swap, Reznor shares, “The reality of that scenario was it was a surprise to me that Ilan was joining the Foo Fighters.”
“Ilan is a great musician and had been a solid guy during his tenure in the band,” Reznor says. “But it presented a problem in terms of we knew there was another leg of the tour that we’re going to start in February [2026].”
As Reznor explains it, he was presented with two options: find a replacement for Rubin after the European leg of NIN’s Peel It Back tour ended in mid-July, or wait until after the subsequent U.S. leg wrapped in September. Because the second option meant they’d have to “find someone over the holiday break” ahead of the 2026 leg launching in February, Renzor went with option one.
“As soon as I heard the news, I thought I could call Josh and he could play the show tonight, ’cause there’s no doubt about his ability,” Reznor says. “ And that’s essentially in a shorthand what went down. He was available and willing, and it just made sense on a number of levels.”
“Being completely honest, we’re adults and we’re professional, but we’re also people with emotional feelings and a sense of camaraderie and intent and purpose,” Reznor continues. “I thought it would feel better to play that last wave of tours with someone that wants to be there, and that’s what went down.”
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