Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service(69)
Our tours went smoothly. On that first band tour in 2004, we’d set the tone and format: we played our same set at each show, and I would talk to the troops a bit. My message was one of pure gratitude. I spoke my thanks that they were there, doing what they were doing. I told stories about my own family members who’d served with the military and mentioned how thankful I felt for them. I talked about getting involved with the DAV in 1994 and described how profoundly grateful l was for the people who sacrificed so much for the sake of freedom. I shared about 9/11, and expressed thankfulness for all the first responders on that fateful day. I told how events of that terrible day had motivated me to get out and support the men and women who were deployed. The message I was able to deliver was equally as important to me as performing the music. I loved playing, and I loved seeing the troops having a good time. Yet these concerts also enabled me to directly communicate a strong word of thanks, a central part of our shows from the beginning.
Soon after we came home from that first tour, I landed the role with CSI: NY, so my schedule quickly became a lot busier. But I wanted to keep doing the tours. I figured that during the nine and a half months each year when we filmed, the band could head out on weekends in between shoots. And in summer when the show was on hiatus, we could head overseas. The USO must have liked what we did overseas, because they soon said yes to setting up a domestic tour for us. Within three months, we were on the road. Three bases. Three states. Fort Polk in Louisiana, Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas, and Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. We were off and running.
For the first several years of playing for the troops, each summer we toured overseas when I was finished shooting my show for the season. As we ramped up more and more, we played thirty, forty, sometimes fifty shows in a year. During the television season when I was working on the show, we toured bases around the States on weekends. At the end of the workweek, I’d finish shooting, and I’d jump on a plane to meet the band somewhere. We would play two to three shows over the weekend, bussing from base to base, then jump on a plane to head home and go back to CSI: NY. The more I did, the more I wanted to do. In the early and middle years of the war, when the insurgency was at its height, our servicemen and -women were experiencing difficult times, and I found myself constantly wanting to do more, help more, and reach out wherever I could.
Compared to today, the Lt. Dan Band then sounded pretty raw. Yet from the start we came in with lots of energy and heart, and our mission has always been clear: we’re here for the troops. Period. This band isn’t about gaining recognition or becoming an international rock show or making any money. The mission has always been about encouraging our defenders. The people who fight to protect our freedom need to know they’re supported by the country they love. It’s all about honor, gratitude, and rock and roll.
Along the way, some band members have left, and new ones have come in. Kimo left the band in 2012 to focus on his own veterans’ charity work. Gina left shortly afterward, preferring to stay home more to focus on her own music. Today, twelve regular members plus myself make up the band, along with a great crew. We’re still a cover band. We play songs people like, everything from classics by Journey, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder to contemporary songs by Bruno Mars, The Band Perry, Sara Bareilles, the Dave Matthews Band, Beyoncé, the Zac Brown Band, and others. We dip into pop, rock, blues, Motown, soul, country, even tunes from the 1940s big band era, which World War II vets love. We’re deliberately a show for all ages, and it’s common to look out and see kids dancing along with their dads and moms and having a great time. Our goal is always to have fun and rock the house, and in the middle of each show I throw in a couple of familiar lines from Forrest Gump like, “Life is like a box of chocolates,” which crowds the world over recognize and cheer for. We play a certain few songs at nearly every show. “Another Star” by Stevie Wonder is a crowd favorite since it talks about falling in love, and the beauty of days that go well—and just for fun, in the tradition of great 1970s bands, we put a huge drum solo in the middle. Everybody loves a drum solo. And we always end with Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” a powerful and emotional closer.
Our level of musicianship rose quickly in the early days. The level was never bad, yet with the number of concerts we played, combined with our common purpose, we gelled quickly. Quality players and singers were crucial from the start, because I wanted the troops to have a first-class show. If anyone’s wondering, yes, I do pay my musicians and stage crew. They’re all professionals, and this is what they do for a living—and they work hard for me. But I don’t personally receive any money for the work I do with the Lt. Dan Band.
One thing I love to do at every show is feature different members of the band up front and let them showcase their talents. I’m technically the band’s “front man,” but other than the Beatles and the Police, there aren’t many bands with bassists as front men. I don’t sing, so during each concert I’ll come to the front of the stage and thump along on my bass for a while, then I’ll head back upstage and let other members of the group perform down front.
Today, in the seventeen years since we’ve been around, the Lt. Dan Band has played more than four hundred shows for troops. This band is another part of my mission of service to honor our defenders, and we’ve played all over America and all over the world in service to that mission. The show has been crafted and fine-tuned over the years, but the basic message remains the same. We are a band created solely for the troops’ enjoyment. We are here today to say the hugest thanks we can, and to reflect the overall appreciation of a grateful nation.