Arts & Culture
Union Memorial Surgeon Takes Stage With Foo Fighters
Lew Schon, aka Dave Grohl's doctor, performs "Seven Nation Army" cover at Fenway Park
By Gabriella Souza. Posted on July 22, 2015, 12:28 pm
Around Johns Hopkins University and Union Memorial Hospital, Dr. Lew Schon has long been known as a rock star of orthopedic surgery.
But this past weekend, at Boston’s Fenway Park, the Hopkins associate professor and director of the foot and ankle division at Union Memorial morphed into a different type of rock star when he sang a cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.”
And the band that backed him? None other than legendary rockers the Foo Fighters.
“I don’t quite understand it,” says Schon, understandably still in shock. “I guess it’s gone a bit viral, [like] a viral infection.”
It all happened when Schon took a trip to Boston to examine Dave Grohl’s foot, after the frontman broke his leg during a performance in Sweden a few weeks back. A friend and fellow orthopedic surgeon operated on Grohl in Great Britain, and asked Schon to follow up with the rock icon.
Schon, a keyboard player and vocalist in “The Stimulators,” a band made up of Union Memorial’s orthopedic staff, and Grohl hit it off.
“He’s a really cool, energetic, and warm guy,” Schon says.
Grohl asked Schon if he’d like to perform with the Foo Fighters.
“At first, I said, ‘No.’ I didn’t think it would be appropriate,” Schon says. But Grohl pressed him, and he gave in.
Even when he showed up last Sunday to rehearse, Schon didn’t think it would happen. But the band members were amply impressed when they watched him belt out the song, complete with a few signature dance moves.
“I think they were surprised that this dude in the bow tie could put it down, this kind of nerdy doctor guy,” says Schon, who wore his signature bow tie for the performance.
Schon was a total crowd pleaser and Grohl was impressed, telling Foo fans, “Holy sh—, that’s actually my doctor. What a badass.”
A video of the performance is making the entertainment news rounds, including the likes of MTV and Rolling Stone. As for Schon, he’s back at work, juggling calls from media outlets in between seeing patients.
“I’m still the same guy I was—that’s the reality,” he says. “But then there’s this other reality. Wow, how did this happen?”
Gabriella Souza is the arts and culture editor for Baltimore magazine, where she covers arts, entertainment, music, and culture.
Read more from Gabriella Follow @GSouza_16
You May Also Like
-
Arts & Culture
Tom Hall To Step Down as Baltimore Choral Arts Society's Music Director
The 2017 season, his 35th, will be his last with the 130-member chorus.
-
Sponsored Content
How to Choose the Best Online Writing Workshop for You
Even published writers can profit from editors and readers who help them refine their work.
-
Arts & Culture
Review: The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s extraordinary tale of revenge and survival.
-
Arts & Culture
Art After Hours Opens BMA's Doors to Nighttime Crowd
Event aims to attract younger people who work during the museum's open hours
-
Arts & Culture
Music Reviews: January 2016
The latest from Boister and Among Wolves.
-
Arts & Culture
Book Reviews: January 2016
The latest from Wil Haygood, Lia Purpura, and Dr. Daniel Muñoz.