Current:Home > ContactFoo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up' -消息
Foo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up'
View
Date:2025-04-18 01:28:50
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! (394)
Related
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Joe Manganiello Praises This Actress for Aging Backwards
- Noah Cyrus Frees the Nipple During Paris Fashion Week Outing With Fiancé Pinkus
- Kitchen Must-Haves for 2024: Kitchen Gadgets, Smart Appliances, and More You Need Now
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Ohio foundation begins process to distribute millions in opioid settlement money
- Trillions of gallons leak from aging drinking water systems, further stressing shrinking US cities
- Chris Mortensen, NFL reporter for ESPN, dies at age 72
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- First over-the-counter birth control pill in US begins shipping to stores
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 'American Idol' contestant tearfully sings in Albanian after judges FaceTime his mom
- 2024 NFL mock draft: Six QBs land in top 16 picks of post-combine shake-up
- Curfews, checkpoints, mounted patrols: Miami, Florida cities brace for spring break 2024
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Rare Deal Alert- Get 2 Benefit Fan Fest Mascaras for the Price of 1 and Double Your Lash Game
- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says federal government not notified about suspect in Georgia nursing student's death
- Idina Menzel wishes 'Adele Dazeem' a happy birthday 10 years after John Travolta gaffe
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Lisa Vanderpump Is Joining Season 2 of Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars
Richard Lewis remembered in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' tribute, appears in scene with Larry David
Train crews working on cleanup and track repair after collision and derailment in Pennsylvania
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Hurricane season forecast is already looking grim: Here's why hot oceans, La Niña matter
Chris Evans argues superhero movies deserve more credit: 'They're not easy to make'
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says federal government not notified about suspect in Georgia nursing student's death