Dave Grohl spoke about Ilan Rubin’s newfound freedom with Foo Fighters after 17 years with Nine Inch Nails. Grohl explained in an interview with Studio Brussuel how the drummer adapted to a looser style behind the kit.
Ilan Rubin joined Foo Fighters in July 2025, taking over for Josh Freese. His first show was on September 14, 2025, at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.
So [Ilan] was with Nine Inch Nails for 17 years or something [before he joined the Foo Fighters]. And with Nine Inch Nails, their music, it requires this very sort of pattern-specific grooves and rhythms, and the drumming, it has to be very linked up, and click track and everything like that. And it just has to be mechanical,” said Grohl.
The switch brought big changes for Rubin. Nine Inch Nails demanded precision, with each beat locked to a click track, each pattern matching studio recordings. Foo Fighters is a different beast.
So when he joined our band, it was the first time that he hadn’t played live with a click track in 17 years. And so he starts playing with us, and he still had this mindset that it has to be sort of patterned and sound like the record.'” Grohl said.
Ilan Rubin first performed with Nine Inch Nails from 2008 to 2009, then came back in 2013. He entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with them in 2020. The drummer has also worked with Angels & Airwaves, collaborated with Danny Elfman, and put out solo records as The New Regime.
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