Watch Foo Fighters play surprise first gig with their new drummer

Foo Fighters played their first gig with their new drummer, after a year away. See the footage below.

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The band returned for their first show since 2024 last night (September 14), with a small gig at the 900-capacity Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.

They announced the gig only one day before they took to the stage, telling fans on social media that tickets were only available in-person at the venue’s box office from 8am the day of the show.

It marked their first gig since drummer Josh Freese announced that he had departed the Foos after they “decided to go in a different direction with their drummer”. Freese stepped in as a touring drummer back in 2023, following the death of Taylor Hawkins.

The group then reportedly enlisted Ilan Rubin – essentially swapping with Nine Inch Nails for their ex-touring drummer Freese.

Now, Dave Grohl has officially confirmed Rubin’s place in the band, telling the crowd: “Everybody else has said it, I finally get the opportunity to say, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome, the most badass motherfucker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the Foo Fighters. It’s official.”

After the show, the Foos also updated their Facebook profile picture with an image of them with Rubin. Check out footage from the gig, and the full setlist, below.

Clip from Foo’s Instagram stories, announcing Ilan as their new drummer
byu/AddisonDeWitt333 inFoofighters

Foo Fighters’ setlist was:

‘All My Life’
‘Rope’
‘Have It All’
‘Times Like These’
‘Wattershed’
‘Stacked Actors’
‘La Dee Da’
‘These Days’
‘The Pretender’
‘Walk’
‘My Hero’
‘Learn to Fly’
‘Rescued’
‘Aurora’
‘This Is a Cal’
‘No Son of Mine’
‘Shame Shame’
‘White Limo’
‘Winnebago’
(Late! cover) 
‘Best of You’
‘Alone + Easy Target’

‘Low’
‘Monkey Wrench’
‘Exhausted’
‘Everlong’

It comes after the band seemingly began the rollout of their next era earlier this month, by posting a shot of the six-piece band’s legs and feet standing together in a circle.

“Foo Fighters Assemble!!!” they captioned the snap. They then hinted at an imminent announcement, writing: “Make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter for info you won’t want to miss… just sayin’…” Sign up here.

The band’s 11th and latest album, ‘But Here We Are’, was released in 2023. It marked their first material since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins the previous year, and saw them enlist Josh Freese as a touring sticksman.

This July, Dave Grohl and co. marked their 30th anniversary by sharing a new single called ‘Today’s Song’.

Their gig last night marks their first this year, ahead of more shows scheduled in Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Mexico next month and into November – suggesting new material could emerge soon.

They reportedly cancelled some European dates for 2025 last December, following the news that Grohl had “recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of [his] marriage”.

Freese recently addressed his sacking from Foo Fighters, explaining: “Looking back, it was probably more an issue with their management.” However, the drummer said the Foos’ material “wasn’t music that I really resonated with”.

Upon sharing ‘Today’s Song’, Grohl thanked every former member of the band for their contributions throughout the years. He praised “the thunderous wizardry of Josh Freese”, and said Hawkins was “still in everything we do, everywhere we go, forever”.