Dave Grohl Helps Pink ‘Get the Party Started’ With Hanukkah Cover
Dave Grohl has released a cover of Pink's "Get the Party Started" -- featuring the pop star herself -- as part of his ongoing Hanukkah Sessions series.
“My name’s Alicia. I’m a Jew,” Pink reportedly declared to the crowd in attendance at the Largo in Los Angeles on Dec. 5. The singer then powered through her 2001 hit, with Grohl on drums, Greg Kurstin on keyboards and an assortment of backing singers. Comedian Jack Black even made a surprise appearance, singing one of the tune's final choruses.
You can watch the newly released video below.
Pink has never been shy about her Jewish heritage or afraid to speak out against antisemitism. In July, the singer released a song called "Irrelevant," whose video juxtaposes footage of Republican Supreme Court justices being sworn into office with footage of Nazis saluting Adolf Hitler. In 2017, she addressed the Unite the Right white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Va., in an Instagram post, writing, "It's incredible to watch neo-Nazis march in 2017, while I, a Jewish woman, headline a show in Berlin where these tunnels were built by him, built curvy so he couldn't be shot in the back."
This year marks the third consecutive installment of Grohl's Hanukkah Sessions, which he launched in 2020 with collaborator Kurstin. It's also the first year he performed the seasonal covers in front of a live audience, with proceeds from the show proceeds benefitting the Anti-Defamation League. Other guests at the Largo show included Beck, Tenacious D, Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O, Kurstin's Bird and the Bee partner Inara George and Grohl's daughter Violet.
"Get the Party Started" is the second installment of the 2022 Hanukkah Sessions, following a cover of Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel" featuring Judd Apatow.
Grohl, who is not Jewish, said that doing the Hanukkah Sessions with Kurstin, who is Jewish, helped him gain a greater appreciation for the holiday and the value of spreading joy. "This project, which initially began as a silly idea, grew to represent something much more important to me," he said at the end of 2020's Hanukkah Sessions. "It showed me that the simple gesture of spreading joy and happiness goes a long way, and as we look forward, we should all make an effort to do so, no matter how many candles are left to light on the menorah."