Foo Fighters & Nine Inch Nails Trade Drummers

Perhaps the biggest blockbuster deal made before today’s Major League Baseball trade deadline will end up involving the drummers of two rock ‘n’ roll bands. While not an official MLB transaction, former Foo Fighters drummer Josh Freese has joined Nine Inch Nails, replacing drummer Ilan Rubin, who is now part of Foo Fighters’ lineup.

The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the Rubin-for-Freese swap, which was later bolstered by social media posts shared by Freese and Nine Inch Nails. Freese was let go from Foo Fighters in May, after joining the Dave Grohl-founded band after the untimely death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. Freese’s first show with Foo Fighters was held in May 2023.

Before his stint with Foo Fighters, the heavily credited Freese served as NIN touring drummer between 2005 and 2008. Freese appeared on the Trent Reznor-led band’s 2007 album, Year Zero and 2008’s The Slip.

NIN posted an Instagram story captioned “Let’s Fucking Go” with a picture of Freese. The group’s new drummer responded with a message addressing his return to NIN, writing:

“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 else.

“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 six weeks, I promise, they’re going to be absolutely unforgettable.

“Hope to see you out there.”

—Josh

Ilan Rubin joined Nine Inch Nails after Freese’s departure and accumulated the longest tenure as a drummer in the band’s live lineup. He was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of NIN in 2020.

Foo Fighters and Rubin are slated to perform several concerts in Asia in October, beginning on October 2 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The band’s limited touring schedule also includes a show in Mexico City in November.

Nine Inch Nails launch the North American leg of their Peel It Back World Tour in August. Freese will rejoin Reznor at the tour opener in Oakland on August 6.