Starting a new gig is always a bit nerve-wracking. But imagine walking into the office in front of 900 people who are freaking out to see how the “new guy” is going to do his job. That was the situation drummer Ilan Rubin faced on Saturday night (Sept. 13) when he made his live debut as the new Foo Fighters timekeeper at a way-underplay, all-ages gig at the 900-capacity Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Rubin, who, until recently, was the live drummer for Nine Inch Nails, joined the band for their first live show of 2025, taking over for studio and live veteran Josh Freese, who kept the seat warm for two years following the death of beloved Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022; in an unusual bit of rock portal transfer action, Freese is now keeping time in NIN. While Rubin didn’t say much in advance of the show, he took to Instagram on Monday (Sept. 15) to rave about his new gig.

“Last night with @foofighters could not have been a better time,” Rubin wrote in the post that featured some pics from the sweaty, tight-quarters concert that was way more intimate than the arenas and stadiums the Foos are used to. “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.”

In addition to live shots, the carousel also featured a snap of the band’s new lineup, with Rubin pictured hanging out backstage with singer/guitarist Dave Grohl, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel and keyboard player Rami Jaffee.

“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,” Rubin added.

During the show, Grohl introduced the band’s drummer to the crowd by saying, “Everybody else has said it, I finally get the opportunity to say, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome, the most badass motherf–ker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the Foo Fighters. It’s official.” The Foos also officially invited Rubin into the fold in an Instagram carousel featuring pics from their first show together with the caption, “THAT WAS FUN!!! Welcome @ilanrubin.”

The band played another club show on Monday night at the Observatory in Santa Ana, Calif. The Foos released their 11th studio album, But Here We Are album in 2023, a year after Hawkins’ shock death, and in July they celebrated their 30th anniversary with the new single, “Today’s Song.”

The band that’s been off the road since September 2024 is set to return to the stage with upcoming shows in Indonesia (Oct. 2), Singapore (Oct. 4), Japan (Oct. 7, 8, 10) and Mexico City (Nov. 14).

Riley Green, fresh off receiving four CMA Award nominations last week, is already looking ahead to 2026 with his Cowboy As It Gets tour.

The 20-date outing, produced by Live Nation, will kick off April 16 at Southaven, Mississippi’s Landers Center and conclude at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Fork, North Dakota, on Aug. 22. It will include his first time headlining Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Before the Boot Barn-sponsored tour starts, Green expects to have new music out. “We’re going to go into the studio this fall and probably release new music between now and then and then try to have the whole album out around the time the tour starts,” he tells Billboard, calling from London where he was playing three sold-out shows at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.

Green likes releasing new music around the launch of a tour because it’s “so great to be able to play the songs on the road and see what songs raise their hands” as potential singles, he says. “That’s what happened with ‘Worst Way.’ [Fans] will let you know if it’s one they like. They’ll sing it louder than the others.”

The singer’s current Damn Country Music tour resumes Stateside on Sept. 26 and lasts until Dec. 13, stopping with two dates at Resorts World in Las Vegas.

Just as the current tour takes its name from a song, the 2026 outing gets its name from a tune off the recently released deluxe version of Don’t Mind If I Do. “I love the sentiment of that song, and it’s kind of a little bit of an anthemic theme to people that grew up similar to me,” he says. “We didn’t have a lot of real cowboying going on where I was at. It was just people that I thought were tough or worked with their hands. Those qualities kind of was what made someone a cowboy to me when I was a kid. That was before I wrote the song about my dad, so that’s a pretty good sentiment for a tour name.”

As he’s become an arena headliner, it’s meant returning to many venues he first played as a support act, but this time as the main draw. “It’s really awesome,” he says. “I think [moving to arenas] probably means more to me than a lot of steps in my career just because arenas are the perfect-size venue. I’ve been fortunate to be able to go on tour with a lot of great artists. I did stadiums with Luke Combs, and that was a really great opportunity. But there’s something about a stadium — it’s so big and there’s so many people that seem like they’re miles away from you. I love that an arena can kind of somewhat still feel like an intimate setting. There’s no bad ticket in an arena so that’s a lot of fun for me.”

The tour will have six artists rotating as opening acts, with three appearing on each date: Justin Moore, Drake White, Mackenzie Carpenter, Hannah McFarland, Adam Hood and Zach John King.

Green picks his openers for a variety of reasons, but lately he’s been saving a primary support spot for an act that influenced him in some way, such as Tracy Lawrence or Jamey Johnson, who will open for him on the last leg of the Damn Country Music tour.

Moore fits that slot on the 2026 tour. “I was a huge Justin Moore fan as a kid. I’ve still got a picture of me at meet and greet where he opened for Eric Church when I was about 23,” Green says. “And it’s just so cool to be able to go out on the road with him and hear him play all of his hits and maybe even introduce him to some of my fans.”

The artist presale for tickets for the Cowboy As It Gets tour  start today (Sept. 16), with general tickets going on sale on Friday (Sept. 19) through RileyGreenMusic.com/tour.

Cowboy As It Gets Tour Dates:

April 16 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$
April 17 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3
April 18 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$
May 7 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~•
May 8 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~•
June 18 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~•
June 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC#~•
June 20 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~•
June 25 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$*
June 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$*
July 16 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~•
July 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~•
Aug. 6 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/•
Aug. 7 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/•
Aug. 8 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/•
Aug. 13 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/•
Aug. 14 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/•
Aug. 15 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/•
Aug. 21 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*
Aug. 22 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*

#Justin Moore
~Drake White
$Mackenzie Carpenter
•Hannah McFarland
*Adam Hood
/Zach John King

Bang Si-hyuk, the creative force behind BTS and chairman of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, appeared before the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the Korean National Police Agency on Monday (Sept. 15), marking a major development in his first-ever investigation by authorities.

Bang is suspected of deceiving investors in 2019 by claiming he had no plans to hold an IPO for HYBE, before allegedly inducing them to sell their shares in the company to a private equity fund associated with him. After HYBE went public, the fund reportedly cashed out. Under a pre-arranged shareholders’ agreement, Bang received 30% of the profits — around 190 billion KRW (approximately $13.7 million) — in what police describe as unjust gains. Bang’s representatives have flatly denied the allegations, insisting that no false information was given to early investors and that the profit-sharing terms were proposed by the investors themselves.

The current fraudulent trading allegations began in 2024, with police receiving intelligence on the case late last year before launching an investigation. In late July, police raided HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, and chairman Bang returned to South Korea on Aug. 11, where he has remained since.

Speaking briefly with reporters outside the agency on Monday, Bang apologized for “causing concern” about the matter, adding, “I will fully cooperate with the investigation today.”

Before his return to the U.S., Bang sent an internal company email stating: “I am fully aware that I cannot allow my personal issues to continue burdening the company and the industry. I will continue to cooperate sincerely with the ongoing investigation and provide a thorough account once again. I hope that this process will clarify the facts, and I will humbly await the authorities’ judgment.”

On the day Chairman Bang was summoned by police, HYBE’s stock closed at 286,500 KRW (approx. $206), down 5,500 KRW from the previous day, showing little significant fluctuation. It still boasts the highest stock price among K-pop entertainment companies, surpassing SM Entertainment’s stock price (141,600 KRW) by more than twofold. HYBE reached its all-time high of 421,500 KRW (approx. $300) on November 16, 2021.

Founded as Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind BTS, HYBE now operates under a multi-label system. Its roster includes leading groups such as SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN, as well as NewJeans, which is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over its exclusive contract.

Meanwhile, many Korean media outlets and members of the public focused on Chairman Bang’s noticeably slimmer appearance as he stood before the photo line, showing keen interest in his first police questioning.

Musical Christmas has come exceptionally early, with Coachella dropping its 2026 lineup on a seemingly unremarkable Monday night (Sept. 15) in September.

This surprisingly early Coachella talent announcement includes its regular roster of pop superstar headliners, with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G taking top billing among dozens of other genre spanning acts.

And as always, there’s a long list of electronic artists playing the festival. Names in the biggest font include Anyma, whose mention is floating at the bottom in a position that in previous years has been reserved for artists including Travis Scott, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia. Boys Noize, who’s been opening for Nine Inch Nails on their current Peel It Back tour, will play alongside the industrial lords as Nine Inch Noize. Major Lazer will play Coachella for the first time in years and Kaskade, Disclosure and Solomun will also get big looks, with their names on the lineup’s upper levels.

Dance acts typically play across most of Coachella’s myriad stages, composing the entire daily lineups for the club-focused Yuma tent, getting marquee spots in Sahara and often also playing on the Outdoor Stage, the Mojave and Gobi tents and occasionally the mainstage as well.

Additionally, the Quasar stage that debuted at Coachella in 2024 and hosts extended b2b sets typically announces its lineups (which in the past two years have been different for each weekend of the festival) much closer to the event in April, as does the the Do Lab stage, an electronic music nexus that’s been a Coachella staple since the festival’s earliest years.

Coachella returns to Indio, Calif., over two weekends April 10-12 and 17-19, 2026. These are all the electronic artists currently on the lineup.

Friday April 10 & 12

Saturday April 11 & 18

Sunday April 12 & 19

A final Soundgarden album is coming, but we’re not likely to hear anything from it this year, and certainly not before the Seattle band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on Nov. 8.

“There’s not a set release date or anything as of yet,” drummer Matt Cameron, who will become a two-time inductee after getting in with Pearl Jam during 2017. “There were a couple schools of thought, like, ‘Hey, let’s put out a single.’ I think eventually we decided we want to make sure the whole thing is completed before we start releasing singles. I’m excited for people to hear it.”

Cameron, who announced his departure from Pearl Jam on July 7, is understandably excited about his Rock Hall distinction. “It’s a huge honor,” he acknowledges. “I haven’t really wrapped my head around it, and it’s not lost upon me that it’s pretty real to get in there two times. I’m feeling great about everything.” He has happy memories about the 2017 ceremony, including David Letterman’s induction speech for Pearl Jam as well as watching Yes perform and meeting original drummer Bill Bruford, one of his heroes. “Overall it was a pretty amazing time,” Cameron recalls. “It wasn’t really too stressful for me other than to make sure the performance was dialed in, because it was a big TV event. But other than that, it was a great evening.”

Getting into the Rock Hall with Soundgarden, however, will mean something different to Cameron, who joined the group in 1986 and was part of all of its recordings.

“They’re both huge honors, of course,” he says. “For me, personally, I helped build Soundgarden from the ground up, and I helped create the sound, I think, a little bit more than I did with Pearl Jam, which was definitely more of an established thing that I came into. So in that sense (Soundgarden’s induction) is a little more meaningful for me as an artist and musician and songwriter to go in with a band that I helped (to) establish itself.”

And while Soundgarden hails from a decidedly alternative scene that hasn’t always given credence to established institutions such as the Rock Hall, Cameron says that “there was never really a reluctance to acknowledged this honor. I think we’re always happy to be recognized by any established entity in the music industry…It felt like even from the early days, fellow musicians noticed what we were doing, and the music industry definitely took notice, so…it was nice to be recognized by the Grammys and whoever else.”

Soundgarden’s induction follows two previous nominations, in 2020 and 2023. The group finished sixth in the fan vote with 233,205.

Cameron is sending the Yamaha drum kit that he used to record the first three Soundgarden albums, as well as his first Keplinger snare drum. Soundgarden is planning to perform at the ceremony in Los Angeles — which will be aired live via Disney+ — but has not yet announced how the late Chris Cornell’s vocals will handled. “I think that’s above my pay grade,” says Cameron, who last December performed at a benefit concert for Seattle Children’s Hospital — billed as Nudedragons — at which guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Ben Shepherd were joined by Seattle vocalist Shaina Shepherd (no relation). He did, however, reveal that original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, with whom he recently performed in Seattle, will be involved in the ceremony, while an inductor is still being determined.

“It’s just been really exciting to gather up all these people we worked with over the years that helped us create the band, create our legacy, and it’s going to be a really great night,” the drummer predicts.

In the meantime, Cameron, Thayil and Shepherd are working to finish the eight remaining songs they started working on with Cornell before he committed suicide after a performance in Detroit during May of 2017. “We’re definitely over halfway done with it,” Cameron says. “Kim is in the process of finishing his guitar parts; he wants to make sure they get exactly the way he wants them.”

Soundgarden — whose most recently release, 2012’s King Animal, was its first new album in 16 years — began working on the material back in 2015; finishing them was delayed until legal issues between the band and Cornell’s widow Vicky Cornell could be settled.

“Emotionally it’s been extreme highs and extreme lows,” Cameron says of working on the material. “Hearing (Cornell’s) voice on these powerful hard rock songs is the most empowering thing in the world for me. Then I listen to his voice soloed up when I’m working on stuff, or if Kim or Ben is working on something, and it all comes back to the fact that he’s not with us and he left us in a way that has so many questions. It’s been gut-wrenching but at the same time very empowering.”

The Soundgarden album is just one of the endeavors Cameron’s been up to since, and before, announcing his departure from Pearl Jam — which he says was amicable. “I definitely gave them a lot of notice,” he notes. “I’ve spoken with Jeff (Ament) and Stone (Gossard) a little bit…It’s been fine. Hopefully we’ll get back together at some point and have a beer or something.”

He maintains, as he did in his original announcement, that “I’m at a point in my life where I want to redirect my time and energy in a way that is a little bit based on what I want to pursue as an artist at this point.” That includes a new band, Is This Real?, in which he’s serving as frontman and guitarist; it began as a Wipers tribute but is “also recording original music I’ve been writing over the years,” with an album of mostly original material I’ve been writing over the years” expected in the near future.

He and Thayil, meanwhile, continue to work in the all-star 3rd Secret (with Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Void’s Jon “Bubba” Dupree and others), with hopes of possibly taking that band on the road.

“I was having some issues with (Pearl Jam’s) three-hour shows and constant touring and stuff,” Cameron adds. “That’s definitely an art form unto itself, to be able to do those types of shows…I’m at a point now where I want to do a face-melting 70-minute set, and that’s kind of what I’m focusing on right now.”