Portsmouth, Va., – The Gary Sinise Foundation will host a “Tribute to the Troops” concert featuring Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion.
The concert is free and open to all DoD cardholders with valid i.d. cards and their family members.
Gates will open at 5 p.m. and all seats are general admission and on a first come, first serve basis.
For the past decade, Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band have brought their exhilarating live performances to our nation’s service members and their families all around the world. Whether boosting morale on military bases at home and abroad, the band entertains, educates, inspires and builds communities with their live show.
The band covers everything from classics by Stevie Wonder and The Police to contemporary songs by Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, the Zac Brown Band and much more to include Pop, Rock, Blues, Motown, Soul, Country, even tunes from the 40’s big band era. There’s something for everyone and each show highlights the musical diversity of the band, as well as the passion and energy each member brings to the stage.
“Lieutenant Dan” is the character Sinise portrayed in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, a role for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. As Gary began visiting troops around the world, people who didn’t know him as Gary Sinise, the actor, would recognize him as “Lt. Dan”. Those in the military also seem to identify strongly with the character. And so the name for his group was an easy choice: Lt. Dan Band!
In recognition of his humanitarian work on behalf of the troops and veterans, Sinise has received many distinguished awards including The Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Medal of Honor Society, the Spirit of the USO Award, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 2008 recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal (the second-highest civilian honor awarded to citizens for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation), and in 2013, Sinise was presented with the Spirit of Hope Award by the Department of Defense and was named an honorary Chief Petty Officer by the Navy.
