Culture 3 min read By Lauren Baxter
Dave Grohl Dedicates «My Hero» to «New Friend Jack» at Power to the People Festival
During Foo Fighters' set at the Power to the People Festival, Dave Grohl dedicated «My Hero» to «my new friend Jack,» an apparent reference to former special counsel Jack Smith. The moment quickly became a talking point online.
Dave Grohl turned a Foo Fighters performance into a political and cultural flashpoint over the weekend, dedicating the band's song «My Hero» to «my new friend Jack» during the Power to the People Festival. While Grohl did not state the dedicatee's full name, the reference appeared to be to Jack Smith, the former assistant U.S. attorney and special counsel appointed to investigate Donald Trump's actions following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The dedication landed in a charged atmosphere. Smith's investigations into Trump made him a central figure in one of the most consequential legal and political dramas in recent American history, and his name carries immediate recognition for audiences on both sides of the country's divides. By invoking «Jack» from the stage without further explanation, Grohl let the crowd and the internet fill in the rest — and they did, with clips of the moment circulating widely within hours.
Foo Fighters were among the performers at the Power to the People Festival, an event whose name alone signals a civic and activist spirit. The band's catalog includes «My Hero,» a song long used to honor figures of personal and public courage, which gave the dedication an added layer of meaning for those in attendance. Grohl has a history of using stage banter to make pointed remarks, and this instance fit that pattern: brief, unscripted, and open to interpretation.
The moment also arrives during a busy stretch for Grohl and Foo Fighters. The band released its 12th album, «Your Favorite Toy,» in April, and has been touring North America on the «Take Cover» run, including dates with Queens of the Stone Age and two large shows at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium in June. Grohl has remained a fixture of live rock culture, appearing at festivals and stadium shows while balancing Foo Fighters' schedule with guest spots.
That broader live-music context includes Grohl's recent appearances with AC/DC. He joined the Australian rock legends on stage for «Highway to Hell» at the final date of their «Power Up» tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, after Foo Fighters served as support. Introducing him, AC/DC singer Brian Johnson told the crowd that «a very good friend of ours asked us today if he could come up and join us for ‘Highway to Hell’. And we said, ‘Yes Dave, you can.’» Grohl has spoken publicly about how seeing AC/DC's «Let There Be Rock» film at age 11 shaped his decision to pursue rock music for life.
For Foo Fighters, the Power to the People appearance adds to a year of high-profile performances and a new album cycle. For the audience and the wider public, the «My Hero» dedication became the kind of unscripted festival moment that travels far beyond the venue — a rock star's tribute that doubled as a cultural signal at a time when the figures surrounding January 6 remain at the center of American public life.
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