Current:Home > FinanceFoo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up'-LoTradeCoin
Foo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up'
View Date:2024-12-23 20:07:14
WASHINGTON – It isn’t typical to see the Foo Fighters perform in a venue smaller than a stadium, festival ground or even arena.
But the combination of a cause and Dave Grohl’s relative hometown enticed the band to play for about 3,000 people at The Anthem in D.C. Tuesday night.
The Power to the Patients nonprofit advocates for transparency in healthcare costs, and along with the Foo Fighters, frequent supporters Chuck D, Fat Joe and Valerie June attended the private event to help boost visibility.
“People are afraid to go to the hospital because they don’t know what the cost is going to be," said Fat Joe (aka Joe Cartagena). "We know what we’re paying for our rent, what we’re paying for our mortgage, but you need help for your health and you come out of (the hospital) with a bigger headache. We’re trying to be a voice for the voiceless and wake everybody up.”
Fat Joe said a bi-partisan bill crafted by Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is “moving in the right direction.” Several U.S. Representatives attended the event, including Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
“This is a legacy bill. This is why they send you to Washington,” he said.
Chuck D, meanwhile, thinks that while it’s helpful for people to see “artists of a certain age” like himself, Fat Joe and hip-hop stars Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes and Method Man – who participated in a public service video for Power to the Patients – he’s hopeful that younger artists will help educate their fans as well.
“The 18-year-olds find they’re now 35 and they might have to deal with hospitals for their parents and then here comes the hammer, like wow, who is going to pay for this? Where do we go?” he said before the concert. “Maybe the Travis Scotts and 21 Savages and Nicki Minajs can say something.”
Onstage, the Foo Fighters blasted through a characteristically kinetic set that kicked off with the firepower of “All My Life.” Grohl, who grew up in nearby Springfield, Virginia, played to the club audience with the same vigor as a 70,000-capacity stadium, whipping his mane while grinding out thunderous power chords on guitar.
With the robust backing of guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel, keyboardist Rami Jaffee and drummer Josh Freese, Grohl tempered the bite of “Learn to Fly” with its mellifluous chorus and navigated the emotional seesaw that is “Rescued,” barely taking a breath between songs.
“It’s one thing for me to come home and play a show for locals. It’s another for us to come back for a real reason,” he said in acknowledgement of the show’s purpose.
The thoughtful “Times Like These” was presented with Grohl supported only by Jaffee’s organ as he deliberately delivered the chorus (“It’s times like these you learn to live again … It’s times like these you give and give again”), while “Nothing At All,” from the band’s recent Grammy-nominated album “But Here We Are,” was augmented by the guitar melody of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
A highlight of the show came with Grohl’s dedication of “My Hero” to Chuck D, whom he called someone “who has been a hero to me musical and otherwise … that man shows up when something is going on that needs fixing. He always does the right thing.”
In typical Foo Fighters fashion, the song was tweaked into a gentle ballad that ascended into a headbanging rush before tapering downward again.
Chuck D tweeted from his perch in the audience, “Crazy when one of the greatest rock stars of all time … Dave Grohl and 1 (of the) greatest bands of all time calls you a HERO.”
A fitting exchange of mutual admiration for the spirit of the night.
More:Judas Priest's 'heavy metal Gandalf' Rob Halford says 'fire builds more as you get older'
veryGood! (54962)
Related
- What that 'Disclaimer' twist says about the misogyny in all of us
- Ex-Florida recruit Jaden Rashada sues coach Billy Napier, prominent booster over NIL deal
- Riley Keough Slams Fraudulent Attempt to Sell Elvis Presley's Graceland Property in Lawsuit
- Israel’s block of AP transmission shows how ambiguity in law could restrict war coverage
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- Isabella Strahan Details Loss of Appetite Amid 3rd Round of Chemotherapy
- A man charged with helping the Hong Kong intelligence service in the UK has been found dead
- Zhang Zhan, imprisoned for ‘provoking trouble’ while reporting on COVID in China, is released
- At age 44, Rich Hill's baseball odyssey continues - now with Team USA
- 2024 cicada map: Latest emergence info and where to spot Brood XIX and XIII around the US
Ranking
- Is Kyle Richards Finally Ready to File for Divorce From Mauricio Umansky? She Says...
- As Trump Media reported net loss of more than $320 million, share prices fell 13%
- Aaron Rodgers: I would have had to retire to be RFK Jr.'s VP but 'I wanted to keep playing'
- Ex-Washington state police officer acquitted in Black man’s death files claims alleging defamation
- Rōki Sasaki is coming to MLB: Dodgers the favorite to sign Japanese ace for cheap?
- Man suffers significant injuries in grizzly bear attack while hunting with father in Canada
- Head of FEMA tours deadly storm damage in Houston area as more residents get power back
- Hawaii officials stress preparedness despite below-normal central Pacific hurricane season outlook
Recommendation
-
After years of unrest, Commanders have reinvented their culture and shattered expectations
-
The Real Story Behind Why Kim Kardashian Got Booed at Tom Brady's Roast
-
How to download directions on Google Maps, Apple Maps to navigate easily offline
-
Detroit could be without Black representation in Congress again with top candidate off the ballot
-
Disney Store's Black Friday Sale Just Started: Save an Extra 20% When You Shop Early
-
18-year-old sues Panera Bread, claims Charged Lemonade caused him to cardiac arrest
-
Nestle to launch food products that cater to Wegovy and Ozempic users
-
Sites with radioactive material more vulnerable as climate change increases wildfire, flood risks