Foo Fighters have performed their first concert with new drummer IIan Rubin.
The Everlong band treated 900 lucky fans to a surprise show at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California, on Saturday (13.09.25), their first since 2024.
Former Nine Inch Nails sticksman Rubin has swapped groups with Foos’ Josh Freese.
Rubin was officially sworn in at the concert by frontman Dave Grohl, who told the crowd: “Everybody else has said it, I finally get the opportunity to say, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome, the most badass mother******, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the Foo Fighters. It’s official.”
The band played a 25-song set and dusted off Exhausted and Have It All, which haven’t been performed live since 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Freese – who served as Nine Inch Nails’ stickman between 2005 and 2008, before being replaced by Rubin – previously confirmed he had returned to the Trent Reznor-fronted group.
He posted on social media “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.”
Freese stepped into the role for Foos after the 2022 death of their longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins.
Meanwhile, Grohl and co have recently teased fans about their return to the studio.
The Learn to Fly group – whose last studio album was 2023’s But Here We Are, their first without Hawkins – took to social media to call on their fans to “assemble”, and directed supporters to sign up for their newsletter for “info you won’t want to miss”.
They posted: “Foo Fighters Assemble!!!
“Make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter for info you won’t want to miss… just sayin’…”
The Monkey Wrench hitmakers followed that up with a picture of Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel and guitarist Pat Smear jamming in their recording studio, Studio 606, at some point this year.
Foos wrote: “Studio 606 / 2025.”