Current:Home > ContactFoo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up' -MarketEdge
Foo Fighters, Chuck D, Fat Joe rally for healthcare transparency in D.C.: 'Wake everybody up'
View
Date:2025-04-19 09:40:16
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! (96)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- David Malpass is stepping down as president of the World Bank
- Tina Turner's Son Ike Jr. Arrested on Charges of Crack Cocaine Possession
- Mark Zuckerberg Accepts Elon Musk’s Challenge to a Cage Fight
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Fossil Fuel Companies Took Billions in U.S. Coronavirus Relief Funds but Still Cut Nearly 60,000 Jobs
- For the First Time, Nations Band Together in a Move Toward Ending Plastics Pollution
- Missed the northern lights last night? Here are pictures of the spectacular aurora borealis showings
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- You'll Unconditionally Love Katy Perry's Latest Hair Transformation
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Indigenous Leaders and Human Rights Groups in Brazil Want Bolsonaro Prosecuted for Crimes Against Humanity
- Biden Could Reduce the Nation’s Production of Oil and Gas, but Probably Not as Much as Many Hope
- Arizona GOP Rep. Eli Crane says he misspoke when he referred to colored people on House floor
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- 24 Bikinis for Big Boobs That Are Actually Supportive and Stylish for Cup Sizes From D Through M
- Avalanche of evidence: How a Chevy, a strand of hair and a pizza box led police to the Gilgo Beach suspect
- Looking to Reduce Emissions, Apparel Makers Turn to Their Factories in the Developing World
Recommendation
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
20,000 roses, inflation and night terrors: the life of a florist on Valentine's Day
In a Bold Move, California’s Governor Issues Ban on Gasoline-Powered Cars as of 2035
The IRS now says most state relief checks last year are not subject to federal taxes
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
What to know about the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio
Louis Tomlinson Devastated After Concertgoers Are Hospitalized Amid Hailstorm
Conservative Justices Express Some Support for Limiting Biden’s Ability to Curtail Greenhouse Gas Emissions