Oops, he did it again.
No, Britney Spears was nowhere in sight. But on July 22, Dr. Lew C. Schon, a Pikesville resident and world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, joined Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters for a repeat performance in concert at Fenway Park in Boston.
Schon — director of the foot and ankle program and chief of the foot and ankle fellowship at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital — helped repair Grohl’s broken leg in early 2015. That summer, Schon, a Chizuk Amuno congregant who blows shofar at his shul on the High Holidays every year, drew international headlines when sitting in with Grohl and the Foos at Fenway and performing The White Stripes’ anthem “Seven Nation Army.”
“[Grohl] knew from one of his relatives that I was a musician, so we talked about that,” the New York-born Schon told MTV News back in ‘15. “I’m known more for maybe my stage personality, and maybe through piano-playing spirit. I usually sing backup harmonies, and I usually do character songs.”
Lew & the Foos
Schon told Jmore that the seeds for his reunion with Grohl & Co. were planted last November when he caught the band’s show at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
“[Grohl] said, ‘Maybe we should do another song together?'” Schon recalled. “Then a week ago, we were in Boston and Dave texted me. He said, “Are you ready to rock?’ On Saturday afternoon [July 21], he texted again and said, ‘It’s gonna be a rocker!‘ I said, ‘Oh yeah, can’t wait!‘ He wrote, ‘Woo hoo!‘”
Joyfully and with abandon, a seemingly hyper-caffeinated Schon reprised his cameo appearance on Sunday night by helping out Grohl’s six-member band with a scorching cover of the Ramones’ classic “Blitzkrieg Bop.” At the end of the high-energy performance, Schon received a ‘bro-hug’ from the sweaty Foo Fighters front man.
“When I suggested ‘Blitzkrieg Bop,’ [Grohl] said, ‘Best idea ever!'” Schon said of the 49-year-old rocker and former Nirvana drummer.
The Foos are currently touring in support of their 2017 release, “Concrete and Gold.”
“The overall experience was extremely positive,” Schon said of the concert. “When we walked into the stadium, some people recognized me from three years ago, and of course the band and crew have met me before. So it was a little bit of a reunion.
“When I went out [onstage], I felt very comfortable, felt the crowd was with me,” he said. “I was hoping for a co-creation of a special event we would all share together. The crowd was very enthusiastic. I wasn’t nervous, I just wanted to make sure it was a good, entertaining experience with good artistic energy.”
Among those in attendance were four of Schon’s five sons, with their significant others, as well as his own wife of 32 years, Erika Pardes Schon.
“They were able to share the experience and enjoy Fenway, and feeling part of the spirit,” Schon said.
Of Punks and Pigeons
Joining the Foos later in the show during their 20-song set was another special guest, Joe Walsh. A veteran guitar legend and occasional Eagle, Walsh played one of his signature tunes, an amped-up rendition of “Rocky Mountain Way,” with the band (but alas, not with the good doctor).
“We went back to the rehearsal space before the show, and we saw the Foo Fighters and Joe Walsh. That was really exciting,” said Schon.
When he’s not shredding punk anthems with rock icons in front of tens of thousands of frenetic fans at Fenway, the bow tie-loving Schon is an associate professor of orthopedics and biomedical engineering at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Erika Schon is Krieger Schechter Day School’s middle school choir director and conductor of the Baltimore chapter of HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir.
By the way, one of the Schons’ sons, Jeremy, plays guitar in the popular local funk jam band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.
“It was a critical bonding part for both of us,” Schon said of Jeremy attending the recent Foos concert. “I’m looking forward to when they [Pigeons Playing Ping Pong] play Fenway!”
Associate Editor Simone Ellin contributed to this article.
See Dr. Lew Schon rock out with the Foo Fighters here: