Culture
21 Jun 21

Foo Fighters and Dave Chappelle cover Radiohead's 'Creep' at Packed Madison Square Garden Show

Foo Fighters at RDS, Dublin. Wednesday 21st of August 2019. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

Dave Chapelle has sung the Radiohead hit multiple times in the past, including with Ed Sheeran, Bradley Cooper, John Mayer and Lenny Kravitz. But this was a very special occasion indeed, marking a milestone in the return of live music in the US...

US comedian Dave Chappelle joined Foo Fighters on stage at their landmark Madison Square Garden gig last night, which marked the first full-capacity event at the world-famous venue since the start of the pandemic.

One of the evening’s biggest highlights saw Chappelle cover Radiohead’s 'Creep'. The Grammy award-winning comic was already in New York for the premiere of his new documentary, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join Foo Fighters for a surprise performance at one of the world's most respected arenas.

Dave Chappelle is currently singing Radiohead's Creep at the Foo Fighters show at Madison Square Garden and while the pandemic might not be completely over, it certainly got a lot more weird.
pic.twitter.com/Qc4T4oDvW5

— The Wokest Numbersmuncher (@NumbersMuncher) June 21, 2021

All attendees were required to provide proof of vaccination, leading to anti-lockdown protesters gathering outside the venue. But inside, everything went according to plan. While some staff wore masks, most of the audience didn't – nor were they required to, in effect confirming that the State has turned a corner. The show is being hailed as a milestone in the return of live music in the US – one which will hopefully have global reverberations. The hope is that Europe and Ireland can follow suit.

Foo Fighters opened with the symbolic 'Times Like These', a song from 2002, which has been turned into a type of Covid anthem.

“Did you miss it?” frontman Dave Grohl asked fans early in the show, talking about live music, and there was a resounding “Yeah!” from the audience. “Me too,” Grohl said. The band played for a full 2 hours and 45 minutes in all, including a three-song encore.

Dave Chappelle hosted the Saturday Night Live episode where Foo Fighters were the musical guests. The band’s most recent album, Medicine at Midnight, was released in February, but the outfit announced a new disco album last week under the moniker The Dee Gees - Hail Satin. Their latest musical adventure is set for release on the second Record Store Day drop on July 17. They’ll hit the road for a US tour, in celebration of their 26th anniversary soon after.

Read our February 2021 interview with cover stars Foo Fighters on Medicine at Midnight here.

Check out the fan footage of the rock band and Dave Chappelle's 'Creep' cover below: