Foo Fighters Debut Ilan Rubin As New Drummer At Surprise Show In San Luis Obispo

Foo Fighters took the stage at San Luis Obispo, California’s Fremont Theater, marking the band’s first show in a year. Along with the surprise performance, the show marked the stage debut of the band’s newest drummer, Ilan Rubin.

The show was teased on Instagram before being formally announced, with the Saturday night show marking their first public performance since last summer. Prior to joining Foo Fighters, Rubin performed with Nine Inch Nails, Paramore, Danny Elfman and more. Rubin began playing drums at just eight years old, joining the band F.o.N. at age nine. The group went on to open for Woodstock ’99 on the Emerging Artist Stage, with an 11-year-old Rubin gaining entry into the “Guinness Book of World Records” as the youngest musician to play on a Woodstock stage. By age 32, Rubin, then a member of Nine Inch Nails, became the youngest musician to ever be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, making him the first inductee to be born in the 1980s and the first to be born after the establishment of the hall itself.

Rubin joined Nine Inch Nails in November 2008, replacing Josh Freese, and remained with the band until 2025, when it was announced he’d be joining Foo Fighters. Meanwhile, Freese became a member of Foo Fighters in 2023 following the passing of Taylor Hawkins, and announced his departure from the band in May 2025. Freese has now rejoined Nine Inch Nails on their “Peel It Back Tour.”

“Last night with Foo Fighters could not have been a better time,” Rubin wrote in a post on social media following the performance. After keeping my head down for a couple wild months and throwing myself into the material, that first show was such an incredible release of energy. I’ve been taken aback by all the positivity and support, and I just wanted to say thanks! Excited for all the volume and sweat that lies ahead.”

Foo Fighters are booked by WME’s Don Muller in North America and Russel Warby in Europe and the United Kingdom, and by CAA’s Marlene Tsuchii in Australia, Asia, Mexico, New Zealand and South America. They’re managed by SAM’s John Silva and Michael Meisel. With 395 headline reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice dating back since 1999, the band has sold 6.9 million tickets, grossing $530.4 million.

Their last headline date submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice took place on Aug. 13, 2024, w at Toyota Pavilion at Concord in Concord, California, with 12,305 tickets sold, grossing $1.7 million. Just days before that, the band sold out two nights at Los Angeles’ BMO Stadium on Aug. 9 and 11, with a total of 42,614 tickets, grossing $6.5 million.

At the performance, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl teased the band has a few more tricks up their sleeves in the coming months. On Sept. 16, the band will perform at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California, before heading to Asia in October.