Dave Grohl Brings the White House to Its Feet With Electrifying “Band on the Run” Tribute as Paul McCartney and President Obama Look On
Some performances honor a legend.
Others become part of that legend.
That was exactly what happened inside the White House’s East Room on June 2, 2010, when Dave Grohl delivered a blistering performance of Paul McCartney & Wings’ classic “Band on the Run” during the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize celebration honoring Sir Paul McCartney. With President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and McCartney himself watching from the front row, Grohl transformed a tribute into one of the night’s most unforgettable moments.
A Rock Anthem Inside the White House
The evening celebrated McCartney becoming the third recipient of the prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, America’s highest honor for popular music. Rather than centering the event entirely around speeches, the White House assembled an extraordinary lineup of artists to reinterpret McCartney’s legendary catalog.
Among them, few performances generated as much excitement as Dave Grohl’s.
Best known as the frontman of Foo Fighters and former drummer of Nirvana, Grohl attacked “Band on the Run” with the same explosive energy that has defined his career while remaining faithful to one of McCartney’s greatest compositions. Backed by McCartney’s touring band, Grohl’s gritty vocals and powerful guitar work brought fresh life to the 1974 classic without losing its original spirit.
Paul McCartney Couldn’t Hide His Smile
Throughout the performance, cameras repeatedly captured Paul McCartney watching with obvious delight.
Rather than simply applauding another artist covering one of his songs, McCartney appeared genuinely entertained as Grohl poured every ounce of energy into the performance.
President Obama also watched with a broad smile, nodding along as the East Room echoed with one of rock music’s most enduring anthems.
The contrast itself made the moment remarkable: a room normally reserved for state dinners and diplomatic ceremonies suddenly felt like a live rock concert.
“Band on the Run” Finds a New Audience
Originally released by Paul McCartney & Wings in 1974, “Band on the Run” became one of McCartney’s signature post-Beatles songs, topping the U.S. charts and remaining a staple of classic rock radio for decades.
Grohl’s White House performance reminded audiences why the song continues to resonate generations later.
Its soaring structure, shifting musical sections, and message of freedom fit naturally inside a celebration honoring one of popular music’s greatest songwriters.
A Night Filled With Music History
The Gershwin Prize concert featured performances from an extraordinary lineup that included Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Jack White, Faith Hill, Emmylou Harris, Herbie Hancock, Lang Lang, Corinne Bailey Rae, and several others before McCartney himself closed the evening.
Yet Grohl’s performance remains one of the clips fans continue to revisit years later.
The video has accumulated hundreds of thousands of views online, with viewers praising the Foo Fighters frontman’s ability to channel McCartney’s songwriting while adding his own unmistakable rock intensity. Many commenters have also noted Obama’s visible enjoyment, calling it one of the rare moments when the White House felt less like the center of American politics and more like the center of American music.
More than a decade later, the performance still stands as a reminder that great songs can cross generations—and that when artists like Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney share the same room, history has a way of making itself heard.