Watch Foo Fighters play acoustic version of ‘Learn To Fly’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
Foo Fighters appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night (October 15) to perform an acoustic version of ‘Learn To Fly’.
It comes ahead of this weekend’s (October 16-18) #SOSFest which will see the band take to the stage together for the first time since the beginning of quarantine at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
Put on in support of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the three-day virtual festival will see 35 artists performing from 25 venues across the US, with proceeds going to music venues that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Offering a sneak peek at their set on Kimmel, Dave Grohl and co. delivered an acoustic rendition of fan favourite ‘Learn To Fly’, broadcasting remotely from the Troubadour. You can see the performance below.
Besides Foo Fighters, #SOSFest will also see performances from Miley Cyrus, Phoebe Bridgers, Demi Lovato, The Roots, Brittany Howard, Rise Against, Portugal. The Man, FINNEAS, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Lumineers. The event will be hosted by Reggie Watts.
The livestream will see viewers being encouraged to donate to the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund – which represents some 2,800 venues from all over the US.
Earlier this month, the NIVA urged the White House and US Congress to come to an understanding and act in order to prevent a “mass collapse” of the live music industry.
The beleaguered sector in the US is among the many industries now facing further financial turmoil following the breakdown in talks this week between Donald Trump‘s administration and the Democrats over a COVID-19 relief bill.
NIVA, who represent over 2000 independent venues across the US, issued a statement on October 6, saying that they “have been sounding the alarm since April that if our members don’t get emergency assistance, they will go under forever — and it’s happening”.
It added: “The Save Our Stages Act has already passed the House and has strong bipartisan support with more than 160 Congresspeople cosponsoring because they know independent venues can be part of our country’s economic renewal once it’s safe to welcome people back — if our venues can survive this pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Killer Mike is lobbying to get a bill passed to help save music industry workers in the US who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“The pandemic and its mishandlement by the lawmakers in Washington have put an enormous strain on the hard working people that make this industry go round,” the Run The Jewels rapper said in a statement. “A Stimulus bill must be passed immediately to ensure that hard working Americans are able to feed themselves and their families as we ride this tragic pandemic out. #SaveOurStages”