Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Band to return to Wheaton
What started as a party has turned into a passion for Gary Sinise.
Since hosting an impromptu concert for troops seven years ago in Chicago, the well-known actor and his Lt. Dan Band have performed dozens of shows on military bases in the United States and overseas.
The cover band also plays a number of gigs to help charities and not-for-profit organizations. One local show, the annual Rockin' for the Troops concert, raises money for the Illinois chapter of Operation Support Our Troops, which sends care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sinise said he's looking forward to this year's Rockin' for the Troops concert, set for Saturday, July 17, at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Gates open at noon and main stage performances start at 4 p.m.
"I hope we get another giant crowd out there," said Sinise, who is best known for movie roles such as Lt. Dan Taylor in "Forrest Gump" and for television shows such as "CSI: New York."
"It's been pretty much sold out the last three or four years," he added. "We're hoping we do that again this year. It's one of my favorite shows. I play it every year because this organization does such a good job. They've grown so well. So I am looking forward to supporting them again."
Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band Blue Moon Swamp will kick things off at 4 p.m. on the main stage followed by opening ceremonies at 5:45 p.m., country music singer Rockie Lynne at 6:30 p.m. and Sinise's Lt. Dan Band at 8:45 p.m.
Tickets for the concert are $25 and must be purchased in advance at local Jewel grocery stores, online at rockinforthetroops.org or by phone at (800) 594-8499. For information, visit osotil.org.
Sinise recently talked with the Daily Herald about the concert and his commitment to helping the troops. Here is an edited version of that conversation.
Q. How did you come up with the idea for the Lt. Dan Band?
A. After Sept. 11 when we started deploying our troops to Afghanistan, I just felt a need to do something. I have these musician pals that I play with, Kimo Williams and some of the folks in Chicago. So I asked the USO if they'd let us perform for the troops.
The first time we did anything for the USO was in 2003 right there in Chicago. We did a little concert - well, it was like a party. They invited some of the Marines and sailors from Great Lakes (Naval Station) and we just had a big party. We ordered some pizzas, and we played. It was very rough. It was kind of like a big jam session. But it was fun.
Then I started doing these tours. I went on five or six tours where I would shake hands and take pictures. They call them "handshake tours," and that's what actors do a lot. As I was doing that, I started discussing with the USO about the possibility of taking the band. They agreed to let us do that in February of 2004, and that's when we did our first overseas tour. It's a lot of fun to be able to go play for the troops and entertain them, rather than just me taking some pictures.
Once we knew we were going to go on the tour, that's when I talked to Kimo and said, "Let's call it the Lt. Dan Band. Everybody calls me Lt. Dan when I go on these (handshake) tours anyway."
Q. The Rockin' for the Troops concert is now in its fifth year. Did you expect it would become an annual event?A. I had no idea. We did it the first year and they had about 5,000 people come to it. Then they asked us back the next year and 10,000 people showed up. Now it's just a huge crowd. It's turned into a big, big annual show in the Wheaton area that people come from all over the area to attend.Q. What should we expect from the show this year?A. They've got some other entertainers on the bill. We've got our band coming back. Some of the things that people are familiar with that we do will be in the show. There's also some new material that we've learned this year. We're just going to make sure that we play a little something for everybody and that everybody has a great time.Q. Do you play any original music?A. I am not a songwriter or anything like that. I am not interested in having a music career. My career is as an actor. I play music for fun and to do something positive with it. The band plays 35 to 40 concerts a year and probably 75 or 80 percent of those are for organizations that are trying to do something for somebody. So this is not a moneymaking venture or anything like that. I am not in it to win a Grammy. We play songs that people are going to know and that they are going to enjoy. And we try to do something for everybody, because the band came together initially as something to entertain our troops. I wanted to make sure we were playing a variety of music that every soldier and service member out there is going to enjoy.Q. Do you feel the concerts help spread the message that we all should appreciate what the troops are doing for us?A. Celebrities who support various causes are able to draw attention to those causes. So somebody like me coming out there and showing my support of the troops by playing music to raise money for Operation Support Our Troops Illinois, that does help to make people aware and remind them that we have a lot of soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen out there fighting this fight. They are away from their families. They continue to be deployed. They continue to get hurt, and they continue to need our help.Unfortunately, if you're paying attention to what's going on in the world, you'll know that it's just not going to stop. No matter how we wish it away, there are elements out there and people out there that wish to do us harm. Who's going to try to defend us from that? It's our troops. So no matter who the president is - a Democrat or a Republican - he's going to be faced with the challenge of how to protect us against these elements. And he's going to have to make decisions to send these troops somewhere dangerous. And they are doing that in service of our country. We have to try to do what we can to keep them strong. Playing some concerts for them or sending them care packages just helps to remind them there's a nation that's grateful for what they do. There are people who are thinking about them and not forgetting them.Q. Do you see yourself doing these types of concerts for a long time?A. You hope that there will come a time when our enemies will calm down and we won't have to send our troops overseas somewhere. But I didn't know how long this would go when I started. Clearly, it's still needed. And now, if I didn't do it, I would feel like I'd be letting somebody down. So I am just tying to keep up the pace and help out where needed.Q. I have heard people call you "this generation's Bob Hope." What's you're reaction when people say that?A. I don't know about that. He became kind of an industry with what he was doing with the USO with his television shows and all of that. I just continue to go out there and entertain. Really, in the band that I have, I am the bass player. There's the singers and soloists and everything like that. They all step out and have their moments in the show. I just sometimes step up to the mic and say some things. I'm the guy who played Lt. Dan.False12472000Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band have performed numerous concerts for U.S. troops on bases around the world. They also play gigs to help not-for-profit organizations, including Operation Support Our Troops Illinois.Daily Herald file photoFalse <p class="factboxheadblack">Rockin' for the Troops concert</p><p class="News"><b>When:</b> Gates open at noon Saturday, July 17; main stage performances begin at 4 p.m. </p><p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton</p><p class="News"><b>Tickets: </b>$25; available only in advance at participating Jewel grocery stores, <a href="http://rockinforthetroops.org" target="new">rockinforthetroops.org</a> or (800) 594-8499 </p><p class="News"><b>Info:</b> <a href="http://osotil.org" target="new">osotil.org</a></p>