Carapetis, who hails from Australia, is a session player and hired gun whose resume includes work with Jimmy Barnes, Nikka Costa, Amel Larrieux (Groove Theory) and Lenny Kravitz. He played his first show with NIN in the Chicago area on Friday (10/7). According to a message posted by frontman Trent Reznor at the band's official website, the drummer had a miniscule amount of time to prepare.

"We played the set with Alex for the first time at midnight the night before [the Chicago concert]," Reznor wrote. "Not exactly how I like to do things, but the only other alternative was to cancel more shows and I am NOT going to do that. I can't begin to tell you what a difficult job it is to replace your drummer in this band, and these guys have truly risen to the high-pressure situation that it is. Onward."

Reznor and company were left scrambling after NIN drummer Jerome Dillon, following the band's Sept. 28 performance in Sacramento, was hospitalized for the second time on the band's current tour due to a recurrent heart problem. His first trip to the hospital occurred during the band's Sept. 16 tour-opener in San Diego, which had to be cut short so that he could receive medical attention.

The band pushed its Sept. 30 show in Oakland back until Nov. 19, marking the only date postponed due to Dillon's condition.

Dillon clarified his status in a recent posting at his own website.

"A couple of years back, I was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder and began to take medication to regulate it," he wrote. "It turns out, that medication has high levels of adrenaline in it. When I get onstage with NIN, my heart rate goes up and obviously natural adrenaline is also released. In San Diego, I was severely fatigued and my heart went into what is called 'atrial fibrillation.' This is when the top and bottom chambers of the heart are not working in unison. This is scary s--- ... dig? I was released from a San Diego hospital and given assurance that it was most likely due to fatigue and exhaustion. Then it happened again in Sacramento ... buzzkill ... (although this time I was able to finish the show.)

"Atrial fibrillation instantaneously transforms you into a religious person ... but it's not life threatening."

Dillon subsequently began taking medication for the condition, and was able to rejoin the group for an Oct. 1 show in Los Angeles, after which he and the band decided he would rest for the remainder of the group's current tour leg in order to "adjust to [the] medication."

Before Carapetis was singled out, drummer Josh Freese of A Perfect Circle filled in for NIN's Oct. 4 stop in the Salt Lake City area and Oct. 5 show in Denver.

In a Sunday (10/9) posting at NIN's website, Reznor wrote that "Alex is doing great and fitting in well."

NIN's tour continues in St. Paul, MN, Tuesday (10/11), and is scheduled to run through mid-November.