Back in June Barack Obama honored Sir Paul McCartney with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (the first non-American to win). The man’s got lots of awards, but this one came with a bonus: a tribute concert featuring Jack White, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris, and the Jonas Brothers (for the Obama girls). The whole thing airs on PBS July 28th, but PBS.org has released two videos. Jack White lends his delta-blues yelp to “Mother Nature’s Son,” leading to the potentially confusing headline: White Covers White at White House. Always fond of the mashup, he mixes in a little “That Would Be Something” while he’s at it. Joined by Paul’s band, Grohl screams his way through a by-the-books “Band on the Run,” which is pretty darn fun.
“Paul, you’re definitely my hero,” Grohl quipped. “Mr. President…you’re my other hero.” The Foo Fighters have covered “Band” before, but this is Jack’s first attack at “Mother Nature’s Son.” Hopefully it isn’t the last. Check out both videos (and MP3s) below, then tell us whose cover is better in the comments.
Keep an eye on PBS.org for more videos.
This one definitely goes to White. While the Foo’s have an epic recording of Band On The Run out there, this one sounds a bit rushed and uncertain. White’s cover is assured and offers a different feeling from the original. Can’t wait for the whole show!
I also like how Jack works in a line from “That Would Be Something”.