[Cheering]
♪
[Cheering]
♪
Company halt!
Company present arms!
♪ O say can you see ♪
♪ By the dawn's early light ♪
♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪
♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪
♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪
♪ Through the perilous fight ♪
♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪
♪ Were so gallantly streaming? ♪
♪ And the rockets' red glare ♪
♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪
♪ Gave proof through the night ♪
♪ That our flag was still there ♪
♪ O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪
♪ O'er the land of the free ♪
♪ And the home ♪
♪ Of ♪
♪ The brave? ♪
[Cheering]
[Man barking orders]
Come on! Come on!
Come on!
The most incredible voice,
the most talented, the most beautiful--
Yes. Give it up for Jennifer Hudson!
[Cheering]
How you feel out there? My name is Jamie Foxx!
[Cheering]
Listen, the whole world is watching us right now,
but we need to represent.
I need to hear you make some noise right now!
U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.--
[Crowd chanting, "U.S.A."]
[Foxx beatboxing]
Oh, my goodness! Yes! Yes!
Are you ready for an incredible show tonight?
Let me hear you make some noise!
[Cheering]
But listen, we are here for the veterans.
We want to thank all of the veterans,
your parents' parents,
everybody from the beginning of this country.
We want to take time out to say thank you.
Make some noise once again. Let them hear.
It's a million people out here.
[Crowd cheering]
There's no better country in the world.
If you believe that, let me hear you make some noise!
[Crowd cheering]
Now, I wish I could bottle up all this energy.
Let's not just have this day like this.
Let's have every day like this. Am I right?
[Cheering]
And here's the thing.
I know I'm supposed to be talking on the telethon
right now, but I just gotta say something.
I know I'm messing up. I ain't even reading that.
I feel so-- I was crying back there.
Jennifer Hudson had me crying. I was in tears.
[Crowd cheering]
'Cause it feels good, and let me tell everybody
out there who's complaining--
let me talk about the people
that's complaining about everyday life,
"Oh, I didn't get the right Mercedes Benz,
or, "I didn't get this house," or, "I didn't get that."
I ran into a guy in my hotel. He didn't have a hand.
He walked up to me.
He said, "I just want to thank you for what you're doing."
He gave me this honorable medal right here, and I want to say,
"Let's stop complaining, man. It's really not that bad."
For all you do out there, man, for everybody,
for all what you doing out there, man,
we don't have to complain.
We want to celebrate tonight.
And I'm telling you, you're here live for the Concert of Valor!
Concert of Valor, make some noise!
[Crowd cheering]
Go to ConcertForValor.com.
You can find out how to, to--
you make sure that you support our veterans.
Find out what the organizations is doing
and make your support because tonight,
we ain't just here just messing around.
We're not just--
We're not just going to be singing and stuff like that.
You know what I'm saying?
We got other things we're doing. We giving out money.
[Cheering]
We giving out a car. Who want a car?
[Cheering]
Who wants a new Range Rover?
[Cheering]
We're giving out a Range Rover key chain,
a key chain.
That's all I had in my budget.
I had to give the keys to you, but other than that--
but we're here to celebrate tonight, and I'm telling you,
this whole place is packed, so make some
more noise right now for your veterans.
[Cheering]
Now, are you ready for a special little treat right now?
You know I got treats.
Are you ready for a treat?
Talk to me now. Say, "Yes."
[Cheering]
We have a little message from our Commander in Chief,
President of the United States.
Let's hear it right now, Mr. Obama.
Hello, everybody, and thank you for coming together
on Veterans Day for the Concert for Valor.
There, on the National Mall, you're surrounded by monuments
that symbolize the towering power of our democracy
and memorials that remind us of all who've served
to make our freedom possible,
the thousands of Gold Stars of the World War II Memorial,
the faces in statues of our Korean War veterans,
the names of our fallen from Vietnam
etched forever into that wall of stone.
And while there's not yet a monument
to our veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan,
this newest generation, the 9/11 generation,
has only added to the legacy of those who came before them.
These men and women volunteered for service
knowing they'd be sent into harm's way,
and tonight, you'll hear their stories,
stories of courage and strength that will take your breath away.
So enjoy the evening, everybody,
and when you return home, let's all find ways
in our schools, our businesses, and our communities,
to serve these heroes as well as they have served us.
That's what Veterans Day is all about.
And to all our troops, veterans, and military families
out on the Mall and watching at home tonight,
thank you again for your
extraordinary service to our country.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Foxx: Thank you, Mr. President.
Now, y'all ready to get this party started?
Let me hear you make some noise right now!
[Cheering]
You can do louder!
Let's do this! Make some noise! [Cheering]
Now give it up for the amazing, the extraordinary,
the two divine, righteous and beautiful voices
of Jessie J and Jennifer Hudson!
[Cheering]
♪
♪ You shout it out ♪
♪ But I can't hear a word you say ♪
♪ I'm talking loud, not saying much ♪
♪ I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet ♪
♪ You shoot me down, but I get up ♪
♪ I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose ♪
♪ Fire away, fire away ♪
♪ Ricochet, you take your aim ♪
♪ Fire away, fire away ♪
♪ You shoot me down, but I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ You shoot me down, but I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ You cut me down ♪
♪ But it's you who has further to fall ♪
♪ Ghost town and haunted love ♪
Y'all know.
♪ Raise your voice ♪
♪ Sticks and stones may break my bones ♪
♪ I'm talking loud, not saying much ♪
♪ I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose ♪
♪ Fire away, fire away ♪
♪ Ricochet, you take your aim ♪
♪ Fire away, fire away ♪
♪ You shoot me down, but I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ You shoot me down, but I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ I am titanium, oh, yeah ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ Stone heart, machine guns ♪
♪ Firing at the ones who run ♪
♪ Stone heart, bulletproof ♪
♪ Gla-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaass ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ You shoot me down ♪
♪ But I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ You shoot me down ♪
♪ But I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
♪ You shoot me down ♪
♪ But I won't fall ♪
♪ I am titanium ♪
[Cheering]
Please make some noise for the amazing Jennifer Hudson!
We love you!
Jessie J: Thank you.
It's such an honor to be here tonight, everyone,
and I want everyone to have an amazing time,
so please dance with me.
Get ready! Hey!
Whoo!
♪ She got a body like an hourglass ♪
♪ But I can give it to you all the time ♪
♪ She got a b-b-booty like a Cadillac ♪
♪ But I can send you into overdrive, oh ♪
♪ You've been waiting for that ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Stop, hold up, swing your bat ♪
♪ See anybody could be bad to you ♪
♪ You need a good girl to blow your mind ♪
♪ Yeah, go ♪
♪ Bang bang into the room ♪
♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Bang bang all over you ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Bang bang, there goes your heart ♪
♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Back, back seat of my car ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ She might have let you hold her hand in school ♪
♪ But I'ma show you how to graduate ♪
♪ No, I don't need to hear you talk the talk ♪
♪ Just come and show me what your mama gave ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ You've got a very big shh ♪
♪ Yeah, hey ♪
♪ Mouth, so don't say a thing ♪
♪ Oh, yeah, see anybody could be good to you ♪
♪ You need a bad girl to blow your mind ♪
♪ Go ♪ ♪ Bang bang into the room ♪
♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Bang bang all over you ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
♪ Ah ♪
♪ Bang bang, there goes your heart ♪
♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Back, back seat of my car ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
Ladies, sing!
♪ Bang, bang, bang, bang, Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Bang, bang, bang, bang, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Ooh, boy, yeah ♪
♪ B to the A to the N to the G to the uh ♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, b-baby ♪
♪ B to the A to the N to the G to the hey ♪
♪ See, anybody could be good to you ♪
♪ You need a bad girl to blow your mind ♪
♪ Your mind, yeah ♪
♪ Bang bang into the room ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪ ♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Bang bang all over you ♪
♪ Bang, bang, bang, bang ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah ♪
♪ Bang bang, there goes your heart ♪
♪ I know you want it ♪
♪ Back, back seat of my car ♪
♪ I'll let you have it ♪
♪ Wait a minute, let me take you there ♪
♪ Wait a minute till you ♪
[Cheering]
Thank you.
Whoo.
Dr. Bill Krissoff was a successful orthopedic surgeon
with a thriving practice
and a comfortable life in Truckee, California.
He and his wife Christine had two sons--
Nate and Austin.
Both boys were excellent students,
accomplished musicians, and skilled athletes,
and both, after the events of September 11,
chose to join the Marine Corps.
In 2006, Nate was a first lieutenant based
out of Fallujah, Iraq,
Austin was at Officers Candidate School
in Quantico, Virginia, and Dr. Krissoff was
about to begin a journey that would take him
from the depths of despair to a new mission saving
lives half a world away.
Man: On December 9, 2006, I was informed that we
had lost a Marine
and that his name was Lieutenant Krissoff.
Man: His Humvee had been blasted by an IED,
and he caught the brunt of it.
Nicholson: I wrote a personal letter to the family, expressing
our condolences and our grief,
and the letter came back with an answer.
Bill: I said, "I'd like to become a battalion surgeon
"with the Marines.
That's what I'd like to do."
Austin: I think my dad was inspired by Nate,
and I think he felt that he had the capability
to make a difference.
Bill: I contacted the Navy medical recruiter,
and I told him how old I was-- I was 60 at the time--
and he said, "Well, that's going to take an age waiver."
So he came back a week later and said,
"Eh, doesn't look like that that's going to fly."
We ended up meeting President Bush
in the summer of 2007.
The president had a tradition of meeting
with families of the fallen
and spending a bit of time with them.
And at the end of this meeting,
President Bush went around the room and said,
"Is there anything that I or my staff
can do for you to help?"
And I said, "Oh, yes, sir, there is.
"I'm an orthopedic surgeon.
"I want to join the Navy Medical Corps,
"but they told me I was too old,
and, no disrespect, but I'm younger than you are."
Got a phone call later that week from my recruiter,
and he was laughing, and he said,
"Bill, looks like you got your age waiver."
Nicholson: A couple of years later,
I'm sitting at Camp Leatherneck in our chow hall,
when somebody taps me on the shoulder
and says, "General Nicholson, I'm Bill Krissoff."
And I instantly knew the name and couldn't
believe he was there.
Afghanistan was a very, very dangerous place,
and Bill was precisely the type of surgeon
that we desperately needed there to save the lives
of our young Marines.
Bill: Injuries from IEDs, blast injuries were horrific
and oftentimes multiple-limb amputations.
My time in Afghanistan was the most indelible experience
of my life.
Nicholson: Bill Krissoff is one of my heroes.
There's no doubt in my mind that because
of his presence there, there are Marines alive today.
I would, of course, think of Nate on a daily basis.
One thing struck in my mind--
I believe it was on Memorial Day.
There was a service there which I went to,
and I remember sitting out after that,
kind of watching the sunset and thinking about Nate...
and a lone bagpiper came by,
and I'm going, "Where is this coming from?
I mean, somebody's speaking to me."
♪
Austin: If my brother could talk to my dad,
I think he'd be humbled knowing that his dad honored
his service and sacrifice.
I think he would say, you know, "Good going, Dad."
♪
Thank you, Commander Krissoff.
We are so grateful for what you, Austin, Nate,
and Christine have given.
We salute you all.
[Cheering and applause]
Meryl Streep: Captain Austin Krissoff is here
with us tonight.
[Cheering]
Hi. I'm Meryl Streep, and I am honored, honored
to be here...
[Cheering]
as part of this Concert for Valor
on behalf of my nephews who currently serve,
my brothers-in-law who served,
my father-in-law, and my own Dad, veterans all.
[Cheering]
Valor.
Valor is a powerful word, and it arises
in many circumstances.
It resides in those good, simple, decent things
that we do for one another, and it's found
in those courageous acts that leave us in awe,
wondering where such bravery comes from,
from our neighbors and our friends
and our loved ones.
Valor is at work tonight, too, in our effort here
to find a way to celebrate and honor and support
the 2.6 million new veterans since 9/11.
[Cheering]
And we have an opportunity to not only
help them meet new challenges
but to ask our veterans what we can do to better serve them.
So please, go to TheConcertForValor.com
and read about the veteran service organizations
like Semper Fi Fund...
[Cheering]
and Give an Hour and Soldier On.
Find your way to give and honor the valor
of those who serve.
Now I get to introduce an artist who has paved
a sonic highway through American punk, rock, pop
and has had a lot of fun on the way. Ha ha!
He's the mastermind of the Foo Fighters,
and he's a really good guy-- Mr. Dave Grohl!
[Cheering]
How you guys doing? You all right?
[Cheering]
♪
Let me tell you, it's an honor to be here
in my hometown of Washington, D.C., where I grew up.
[Cheering]
So I'm going to sing a couple of songs for you
that I think make perfect sense tonight.
♪ Too alarming now to talk about ♪
♪ Take those pictures down and shake it out ♪
♪ Truth or consequence, say it aloud ♪
♪ Use that evidence, race it around ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ Watch him as he goes ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ He's ordinary ♪
♪ Don't the best of them bleed it out ♪
♪ While the rest of them peter out? ♪
♪ Truth or consequence, say it aloud ♪
♪ Use that evidence, race it around ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ Watch him as he goes ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ He's ordinary ♪
I don't think we could have asked
for a more beautiful night.
[Cheering]
So when we get there,
I want you guys to sing with me as loud as you can...
because we got a lot of heroes here tonight.
We're gonna sing for them, all right?
♪ Kudos, my hero ♪
♪ Leaving all the best ♪
♪ You know my hero ♪
♪ The one that's on ♪
♪ Here we go ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ Watch him as he goes ♪
♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ He's ordinary ♪
All right. I want to hear you guys sing it.
Sing it loud. Ready?
Audience: ♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ Watch him as he goes ♪
I'm gonna sing it with you.
Everybody in the back, I want to hear, too. Ready?
[With audience] ♪ There goes my hero ♪
♪ He's ordinary ♪
Grohl: ♪ All right ♪
[Cheering]
Thank you very much.
Now this song is about living in the moment,
which I feel like everybody has to do.
You got to stop,
look at what you got,
and be thankful that we're all here tonight
to celebrate this night for everybody.
[Cheering]
♪
This song's called "Everlong."
It sounds like this.
[Cheering]
♪
♪ Hello ♪
♪ I've waited here for you ♪
♪ Everlong ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
♪ I throw myself into ♪
♪ And out of the red ♪
♪ Out of her head ♪
♪ She sang ♪
♪ Do do do do do do do-do-do ♪
♪ Do do do do do do do do ♪
♪ Come down ♪
♪ And waste away with me ♪
♪ Down with me ♪
♪ Slow how ♪
♪ You wanted it to be ♪
♪ I'm over my head ♪
♪ Out of her head, she sang ♪
♪ And I wonder ♪
♪ When I sing along with you ♪
♪ If everything could ever feel this real forever ♪
♪ If anything could ever be this good again ♪
♪ The only thing I'll ever ask of you ♪
♪ You've got to promise not to stop ♪
♪ When I say when ♪
♪ She sang ♪
♪ Breathe out ♪
♪ So I can breathe you in ♪
♪ Hold you in ♪
♪ And now I know you've always been ♪
♪ Out of your head ♪
♪ Out of my head, I sang ♪
♪ And I wonder ♪
♪ When I sing along with you ♪
♪ If everything could ever feel this real forever ♪
♪ If anything could ever be this good again ♪
♪ The only thing I'll ever ask of you ♪
♪ You've got to promise not to stop ♪
♪ When I say when ♪
♪ She sang ♪
♪ And I wonder ♪
♪ When I sing along with you ♪
♪ If everything could ever feel this real forever ♪
♪ If anything could ever be this good again ♪
♪ The only thing I'll ever ask of you ♪
♪ You've got to promise not to stop ♪
♪ When I say when ♪
[Cheering]
Thank you very much.
Hey, everybody. You got a great band coming out.
They write amazing songs about everyday Americans.
They've played for the troops home and overseas.
I love playing with them,
and you're going to love hearing them.
Please welcome my sweet friends
the Zac Brown Band right there!
[Cheering]
It's an honor to share the stage and to be here
in tribute to all of our troops
and all of our veterans.
Thank you for what you do.
Thank you for giving us--
thank you for giving us our freedom so that
we can be free and able to have a concert.
Thank you for all the love that you give to us
and to all of us.
[Cheering]
♪
[Playing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"]
[Cheering]
[Playing "Free"]
♪ We'll live out in our old van ♪
♪ And travel all across this land ♪
♪ Just me and you ♪
♪ We'll end up hand in hand ♪
♪ Somewhere down on the sand ♪
♪ Just me and you ♪
♪ Just as free ♪
♪ Free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ Just as free ♪
♪ Free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ We'll drive until the city lights ♪
♪ Dissolve into a country sky ♪
♪ Just me and you ♪
♪ Lay underneath the harvest moon ♪
♪ And do all the things that lovers do ♪
♪ Just me and you ♪
♪ Just as free ♪
♪ Free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ Just as free ♪
♪ Free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ Ever ♪
♪ Be ♪
♪ No, we don't have a lot of money ♪
♪ All we need is love ♪
♪ We're free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ Just as free ♪
♪ Free as we'll ever be ♪
♪ We'll live out in our old van ♪
♪ And travel all across this land ♪
♪ Just me and you ♪
[Cheering]
Can't say thank you enough to everybody.
I want to say thank you to everybody
that came to support this cause
and to be able to be here, and they called and asked us,
and we were so glad to be able to do it
and privileged to have our life
and to have our jobs and do what we do,
and I've got a lot of friends that served,
and it's a privilege and an honor to be here,
and you all are the reason that we're here tonight,
so once again, we're the Zac Brown Band.
[Cheering]
♪
♪ O beautiful ♪
♪ For spacious skies ♪
♪ For amber waves of grain ♪
♪ For purple mountain majesty ♪
♪ Above the fruited plain ♪
♪ America, America ♪
♪ God shed his grace on thee ♪
♪ And crown thy good ♪
♪ With brotherhood ♪
♪ From sea to shin-shining sea ♪
♪ I'm proud to be an American ♪
♪ Where at least I know I'm free ♪
♪ And I won't forget the ones who died ♪
♪ And gave that right to me ♪
♪ And I'll gladly stand up ♪
♪ Next to you and defend her still today ♪
♪ 'Cause there ain't no doubt ♪
♪ I love this land ♪
♪ God bless the U.S.A. ♪
[Cheering]
♪ You know I like my chicken fried ♪
♪ Cold beer on a Friday night ♪
♪ A pair of jeans that fit just right ♪
♪ And the radio up ♪
♪ Well, I was raised up ♪
♪ Beneath the shade of a Georgia pine ♪
♪ And that's home, you know ♪
♪ Sweet tea, pecan pie, and homemade wine ♪
♪ Where the peaches grow ♪
♪ And my house, it's not much to talk about ♪
♪ But it's filled with love that's grown ♪
♪ In Southern ground ♪
♪ And a little bit of chicken fried ♪
♪ Cold beer on a Friday night ♪
♪ A pair of jeans that fit just right ♪
♪ And the radio up ♪
♪ I like to see the sunrise ♪
♪ See the love in my woman's eyes ♪
♪ Feel the touch of a precious child ♪
♪ And know a mother's love, love ♪
Play it here, Jimmy.
♪ Ain't it funny how it's the little things ♪
♪ In life that mean the most ♪
♪ Not where you live, what you drive ♪
♪ Or the price tag on your clothes ♪
♪ There's no dollar sign on a piece of mind ♪
♪ This I've come to know ♪
♪ So if you agree, have a drink with me ♪
♪ Raise your glasses for a toast ♪
♪ To a little bit of chicken ♪
♪ Cold beer on a Friday night ♪
♪ A pair of jeans that fit just right ♪
♪ And the radio up ♪
♪ I like to see the sunrise ♪
♪ See the love in my woman's eyes ♪
♪ Feel the touch of a precious child ♪
♪ And know a mother's love, love ♪
Let me have some slide, Coy.
♪ I thank God for my life ♪
♪ And for the stars and stripes ♪
♪ May freedom forever fly ♪
♪ Let it ring ♪
♪ Salute the ones who died ♪
♪ The ones that give their lives ♪
♪ So we don't have to sacrifice ♪
♪ All the things we love ♪
♪ Like our chicken ♪
♪ Cold beer on a Friday night ♪
♪ A pair of jeans that fit just right ♪
♪ And the radio up ♪
♪ I like to see the sunrise ♪
♪ See the love in my woman's eyes ♪
♪ Feel the touch of a precious child and know a ♪
I need y'all to sing, "Cold beer," come on.
♪ Give me a little chicken fried ♪
♪ Come on ♪
Audience: ♪ Cold beer on a Friday night ♪
Brown: ♪ Yeah, a pair of jeans that fit just right ♪
♪ And the radio up ♪
♪ I like to see the sunrise ♪
♪ See the love in my woman's eyes ♪
♪ Feel the touch of a precious child ♪
♪ And know a mother's love, love, love ♪
[Cheering]
[Cheering continues]
Thank you very much.
Y'all please welcome two of my friends gonna come out
and join us for a song--
Mr. Dave Grohl...
[Cheering]
and Mr. Bruce Springsteen!
[Loud cheering]
[People calling, "Bruce"]
[People chanting, "Bruce"]
♪
♪ Some folks are born made to wave the flag ♪
♪ Ooh, they're red, white, and blue, Lord ♪
♪ And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" ♪
♪ Lord, they point the cannon at you ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no senator's son, no ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no fortunate one, no ♪
Brown: ♪ Some folks are born silver spoon in hand ♪
♪ Lord, don't they help themselves, oh ♪
♪ But when the taxman comes to the door ♪
♪ Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no millionaire's son, no ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no fortunate one, no ♪
[Springsteen playing guitar solo]
♪ Some folks inherit star-spangled eyes ♪
♪ Ooh, they send you down to war, yeah ♪
♪ And when you ask them ♪
♪ "How much should we give?" ♪
♪ All they answer is "More, more, more" ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no military son, no ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no fortunate one ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no senator's son, no ♪
♪ It ain't me, it ain't me ♪
♪ I ain't no fortunate ♪
All: ♪ One ♪
[Cheering, calling, "Bruce]
Brown: Thank y'all for all the love.
Thank you for showing up and supporting it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Bruce Springsteen, ladies and gentlemen!
[Cheering, calling, "Bruce"]
Dave Grohl!
And my band-- Coy, Clay,
Matt, Jimmy, Hop, Chris, Danny, Tommy.
Thank you so much.
We're the Zac Brown Band. Thank you.
[Cheering]
Lieutenant Colonel Kellie McCoy commands
an engineer battalion of 6 Army companies
with the storied 10th Mountain Division.
She's one of the first women to command such
a large unit of combat-focused forces.
Kellie was the first female engineer officer
asked to command a company in the Army's
82nd Airborne Division.
It didn't matter that she would command soldiers
who performed duties that she, as a female,
was barred from doing herself.
Kellie has spent the last 18 years in military service
with nearly 1,500 days deployed,
including two tours in Afghanistan
and 4 tours in Iraq.
♪
I'm 5 feet tall.
I weigh about 105 pounds.
So obviously I don't command a physical presence
like other officers do,
but I worked hard to overcome that
in terms of my ability to do the same thing
that every other soldier does.
Growing up, I knew very little
about the military, but it appealed to me
because of the ideals that it represented
and the challenge that it presented.
I had never held a gun before.
I was not particularly athletic.
Exceeding expectations of my own has been one
of the most rewarding parts of being
a professional soldier.
In September 2003, I was in a convoy
of light unarmored vehicles in Iraq.
We'd only been in country 3 days,
and we were on this routine patrol
when we were ambushed with roadside bombs and RPGs.
A group of enemy soldiers was rapidly approaching
our vehicle with AK-47s, and I was forced
to kill two of them with my M4 rifle.
3 of our 4 vehicles had been damaged,
and I had to go back into the ambush
to try to secure my personnel
and the soldiers that were with me.
It was a real wake-up call.
It changed my whole perspective of leadership
from being something conceptual
to a serious business of really trying to bring
every soldier home alive.
Man: Battalion commander.
Kellie: Good morning. Take your seats.
How's everybody doing this morning?
Kellie, voice-over: I currently serve as a battalion commander
in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York.
Kellie: What do I expect of you?
A few things.
Specifically, for lieutenants,
appreciate the influence that you have
over America's sons and daughters.
Not every soldier is going to serve 20 years in the Army,
I know that, but whether they serve
3 years or 30, they came into the Army
as good citizens, and we should send them
back out as great citizens.
Kellie, voice-over: I quickly found that through repetition
and consistently leading by example,
I slowly earned respect and gained the trust
of the soldiers under my command.
I don't consider myself a trailblazer,
being the first woman or the only woman.
I don't put a lot of focus on that.
To me, it's just a detail.
♪
Kellie McCoy has been the recipient
of two Bronze Stars, one of them for valor
for her courageous actions during that ambush in Iraq.
Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Kellie McCoy,
for your continued service to our country.
[Cheering]
John Oliver: Ladies and gentlemen,
please show your appreciation
for Lieutenant Colonel Kellie McCoy!
[Cheering]
Uh, I am John Oliver, and I know what you're
all thinking--
"Who is this British guy,
and when is the next band coming on?"
Those are two entirely fair questions.
I'll get to the second one in a moment,
but first, it is a true honor to be here.
My wife actually was a combat medic
for the U.S. Army.
She served in Iraq with 1st Cavalry.
If you ain't Cav...
Audience members: You ain't shit!
It's lovely to hear people cursing in unison
on the National Mall.
So I truly, deeply appreciate the service
of everyone here.
In fact, last year I went to Afghanistan
with the USO, and I think one of the things
I appreciated the most was for a group of people
who love each other as much as you do,
I have never heard so much high-end trash talk in my life.
Everywhere I went in Afghanistan,
it was just the Army and the Navy talking shit
about the Air Force.
[Cheering and booing]
Everywhere!
Mainly about them having nicer things,
which, incidentally, is a fact, and then the Air Force
basically making the point of,
"Well, maybe everyone would have nicer things
if they were as smart as we are."
[Cheering]
So it is a spectacularly solid relationship built
on mutual contempt.
I cannot thank you all enough
for being here today.
I just wanted to quickly mention how you can make
a difference after this concert is over
or, honestly, right now if you're sitting at home
next to a laptop, which, let's face it,
you probably are.
None of you are paying full attention to me
right now at home.
We can all agree that we owe a debt
of significant gratitude to the veterans
when they come home,
and just one, just one of the ways that can help
ease the transition to civilian life
is through education, so please go online
to TheConcertforValor.com, where you can find
details about the work that organizations like
Student Veterans of America
and the Pat Tillman Foundation do to help students pay for
and get the most out of their schooling.
Give it up.
[Cheering]
Yes.
And, uh, if you're thinking at home about not doing that,
think of it this way.
It's literally the least you can do.
So now, please join me in welcoming with noise
and enthusiasm, from Akron, Ohio,
the Black Keys!
[Cheering]
[Playing kick drum]
♪
♪ I must admit ♪
♪ I can't explain ♪
♪ Any of these thoughts racing ♪
♪ Through my brain ♪
♪ It's true ♪
♪ Baby, I'm howlin' for you ♪
♪ There's something wrong ♪
♪ With this plot ♪
♪ The actors here ♪
♪ Have not got ♪
♪ A clue ♪
♪ Baby, I'm howlin' for you ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Na na na na na na na na ♪
♪ Mockingbird ♪
♪ Can't you see ♪
♪ The little girl's ♪
♪ She got a hold on me ♪
♪ Like glue ♪
♪ Baby, I'm howlin' for you ♪
♪ Throw the ball ♪
♪ To the stick ♪
♪ Swing and miss ♪
♪ In the catcher's mitt ♪
♪ Strike two ♪
♪ Baby, I'm howlin' for you ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
Come on, D.C., come on!
♪ Na na na na na na na na ♪
[Cheering]
All right. Thank you so much, everyone.
[Cheering]
We're so honored to be here,
and it's amazing to see such a huge turnout.
Hello to everyone at home.
Let's keep it moving right along, huh?
[Cheering]
♪
♪ Fever, where'd you run to? ♪
♪ Acting right is so routine ♪
♪ But, Fever, let me live a dream ♪
♪ Fever, I'm a slave to ♪
♪ Know I misbehaved, too ♪
♪ Fever, they're misunderstood ♪
♪ Wouldn't leave you if I could ♪
♪ Fever ♪
♪ Fever, 'cause I'm breaking ♪
♪ Fever got me aching ♪
♪ Fever, why won't you explain? ♪
♪ Break it down again ♪
♪ Fever got me guilty ♪
♪ Just go ahead and kill me ♪
♪ Fever, why won't you explain? ♪
♪ Break it down again ♪
♪ Fever, can you hear me? ♪
♪ You shook me like I've never been ♪
♪ Now show me how to live again ♪
♪ And used to be a blessing ♪
♪ But fever's got me stressing ♪
♪ Realize I am to blame ♪
♪ But fever let me play the game ♪
♪ Fever ♪
♪ Fever, 'cause I'm breaking ♪
♪ Fever got me aching ♪
♪ Fever, why won't you explain? ♪
♪ Break it down again ♪
♪ Fever got me guilty ♪
♪ Just go ahead and kill me ♪
♪ Fever, why won't you explain? ♪
♪ Break it down again ♪
♪ Now if the cold, pale light in your eyes ♪
♪ Reaches those horizon lines ♪
♪ You know not to leave her ♪
♪ Now if the cold, pale light in your eyes ♪
♪ Reaches those horizon lines ♪
♪ You know not to leave her ♪
♪ Fever ♪
[Cheering]
Woman: Take it off, baby. Yeah!
[Cheering]
Oh, yeah. Once again, thank you, everyone.
This is going to be our last number.
Help us out if you know these words, all right?
♪
♪ Well, I'm so above you ♪
♪ And it's plain to see ♪
♪ But I came to love you anyway ♪
♪ Came to love you ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm born to bleed ♪
♪ Any old time to keep me waiting ♪
♪ Waiting, waiting ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ I'm a lonely boy ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ Well, your mama kept you ♪
♪ But your daddy left you ♪
♪ And I should've done you just the same ♪
♪ But I came to love you ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm born to bleed ♪
♪ Any old time you keep me waiting ♪
♪ Waiting, waiting ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ I'm a lonely boy ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
All right, D.C.
One more time.
Show us what you got. Come on.
Let's go!
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
♪ I'm a lonely boy ♪
♪ Oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ I got a love that keeps me waiting ♪
[Cheering]
[Song ends]
Tom Hanks: Immediately after a devastating earthquake
in January 2010, a handful of young Americans traveled
to Haiti to see how they could help.
Among them were two former Marines,
Jake Wood and William McNulty.
Utilizing skills they developed in the military,
Wood and McNulty provided lifesaving assistance
to thousands of people whose world
had literally collapsed around them.
As a result of their relief work in Haiti,
the two former Marines created Team Rubicon,
an organization of American military veterans
who respond in a similar fashion whenever
a natural disaster hits,
whether it's to a neighborhood-leveling tornado
in Joplin, Missouri,
or the community-destroying fury of Hurricane Sandy.
Tens of thousands of Americans have rebuilt their lives
with the help of Team Rubicon.
McNulty: There are 3 things that you lose
when you take off the military uniform.
That's purpose, community, and identity.
Wood: We can take that veteran, we can make them the person
that communities look to in times of crisis,
and through that, we can provide them
with that sense of purpose that they need.
I am the Arkansas State Operations Coordinator.
We are in the path of the tornado.
This one stayed on the ground for 32 miles.
At different times of it, it was two miles wide.
Man: The devastation was indescribable.
The first time I saw it, it brought me to tears.
Reynolds: When I got here, I knew that it was--it was bad.
Woman: We took a direct hit.
It lifted the home, twisted it,
and then the trees brought it back down.
Both my husband and I believed we were gonna die that day.
Team Rubicon stepped up to the plate.
They came in, they moved trees.
They moved the piles to the road.
They made sure that we were all OK on a daily basis.
For my husband and I, it meant a lot.
When I went in the Navy, I was a hospital corpsman.
I was patching people up.
I was injured,
and they medically retired me out after that.
I got in a funk, started drinking,
didn't spend time with my kids, didn't want to do anything.
I was sitting here in the house
and just decided, "What the hell?"
I got my weapon out and just thought, "Well, it'll be easy
"just to jack one in the chamber and pull the trigger
and won't have to worry about anything else."
I got my laptop out and thought, "You know what?
"I'm just going to check and see what's going on
before I go ahead," and to this day,
I have never seen Team Rubicon on a little ad again.
It was just that day I seen it and I clicked on it,
and I was like, "Wow."
And I haven't looked back since that day.
Team Rubicon gave me my life back.
McNulty: Chad is a great example of why we shifted the focus
to the veteran, to give him back that purpose,
that community, that identity that he lost
when he took off the military uniform.
Chad is the mission.
Spread from coast to coast,
over 14,000 vets are now Team Rubicon volunteers,
and from their efforts, many of these vets
have derived a renewed sense of duty and purpose.
Grateful for the service of these United States veterans,
we salute you, Team Rubicon.
[Cheering]
Lopez: Yeah!
Come on, National Mall, let's make some noise!
[Cheering]
Our heroes are right over there!
Give it up for William McNulty
and Jake Wood!
Give it up!
[Cheering]
Hey, listen, this is an amazing show, and I know
we can make some more motherfuckin' noise than that.
Come on!
[Louder cheering]
Everybody, I'm George Lopez.
[Cheering]
And right now,
I am giving the civilian salute
right here to all of the Latino
and Latina veterans out there.
órale, gracias!
America's so grateful, and I'm so grateful and proud
of your service, whether you are at home tonight
or whether you're here in the audience.
If you want to show your support for a veteran,
then take a picture just like
this, hand over your heart,
and post it on Twitter
with the hashtag
TheConcertForValor.
#TheConcertForValor
or my own hashtag, #chingón.
[Cheering]
Do it for a family member.
Do it for a friend.
Do it for the veterans who are no longer with us,
or we can do it for the men and women
right now who are standing in harm's way.
Let's give them a nice round of applause!
God bless you!
Getting involved is the greatest thing in the world,
so go to TheConcertForValor.com.
There are so many great
organizations working with
returning veterans, and the more
we get involved, the more we can
empower our veterans and empower
their families, so check out
The Mission Continues,
check out Taps, give what you can,
or donate your time.
[Cheering]
Now.
Now!
Let's go, National Mall.
Let's go, HBO. Let's go, America.
I am honored to introduce a singer whose commitment
to our servicemembers and their families is
as strong and as powerful as her voice.
America, National Mall, HBO,
please welcome Carrie Underwood!
Let's hit it!
[Cheering]
♪
Underwood: How you guys doing this evening?
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
Underwood: ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Said good-bye, turned around ♪
♪ And you were gone, gone, gone ♪
♪ Faded into the setting sun ♪
♪ Just slipped away, but I won't cry ♪
♪ 'Cause I know I'll never be lonely ♪
♪ For you are the stars to me ♪
♪ You are the light I follow ♪
♪ I will see you again ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ This is not where it ends ♪
♪ I will carry you with me ♪
♪ Oh, till I see you again ♪
Sing it with us!
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
Put your hands up!
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Well, I can hear those ♪
♪ Echoes in the wind ♪
♪ At night ♪
♪ They're calling me back in time ♪
♪ Back to you ♪
♪ In a place far away ♪
♪ Where the water meets ♪
♪ The sky ♪
♪ The thought of it makes me smile ♪
♪ You are my tomorrow ♪
♪ I will see you again ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ This is not where it ends ♪
♪ I will carry you with me ♪
♪ Oh, till I see you again ♪
♪ Yes, sometimes ♪
♪ I feel my ♪
♪ Heart is breaking ♪
♪ But I stay strong ♪
♪ And I hold on ♪
♪ 'Cause I know ♪
♪ I will see you again ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ This is not where it ends ♪
♪ I will carry you with me ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ I will see you again ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ This is not where it ends ♪
♪ I will carry you with me ♪
♪ Oh, till I see you again ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Till I see you again ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Till I see you again, yeah, oh ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Till I see you again ♪
♪ Said good-bye, turned around ♪
♪ And you were ♪
♪ Gone, gone, gone ♪
[Cheering]
Thank you so much.
How you guys doing tonight?
[Cheering]
We are so honored and so very glad
to be here with you guys tonight.
Tonight we honor our veterans, and I thank you
from the bottom of my heart for everything
that you guys do for us on a daily basis.
God bless you.
[Cheering]
♪
♪ He said, "I've been where you've been before ♪
♪ "Down every hallway's a slamming door ♪
♪ "No way out, no one to come and save me ♪
♪ "Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave me ♪
♪ "Then somebody said what I'm saying to you ♪
♪ Opened my eyes and told me the truth" ♪
♪ They said, "Just a little faith, it'll all get better" ♪
♪ So I followed that preacher man down to the river ♪
♪ And now I'm changed ♪
♪ And now I'm stronger ♪
♪ There must've been something in the water ♪
♪ Oh, there must've been something in the water ♪
Yeah!
♪ Well, I heard what he said and I went on my way ♪
♪ Didn't think about it for a couple of days ♪
♪ Then it hit me like lightning late one night ♪
♪ I was all out of hope and all out of fight ♪
♪ Couldn't fight back the tears, so I fell on my knees ♪
♪ Saying, "God, if you're there, come and rescue me" ♪
♪ Felt love pouring down from above ♪
♪ Got washed in the water, washed in the blood ♪
♪ And now I'm changed ♪
♪ And now I'm stronger ♪
♪ There must be something in the water ♪
♪ Oh, there must be something in the water ♪
Yeah!
♪ And now I'm singing along to "Amazing Grace" ♪
♪ Can't nobody wipe this smile off my face ♪
♪ Got joy in my heart, angels on my side ♪
♪ Thank God almighty, I saw the light ♪
♪ Gonna look ahead, no turning back ♪
♪ Live every day, give it all that I have ♪
♪ Trust in someone bigger than me ♪
♪ Ever since the day that I believed ♪
♪ I am changed ♪
♪ And now I'm stronger ♪
♪ There must be something in the water... ♪
Choir: ♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ Oh, there must be something in the water... ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ Oh, there must be something in the water... ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Oh, there must be something in the water... ♪
♪ Like me ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ I am changed ♪
♪ Stronger ♪
♪ I was blind ♪
♪ But now ♪
♪ I see ♪
[Cheering]
Give it up for the Singing Sergeants
from the U.S. Air Force!
[Cheering]
All right.
Thank you so much.
I want to hear you guys singing along with this one,
and I want to hear you sing it loud.
Whoo!
♪ Right now, he's probably slow-dancing ♪
♪ with a bleached-blonde tramp ♪
♪ and she's probably getting frisky ♪
♪ And right now, he's probably buying her ♪
♪ Some fruity little drink 'cause she can't shoot whiskey ♪
♪ And right now, he's probably up behind her ♪
♪ With a pool stick, showing her how to shoot a combo ♪
Ha!
♪ But he don't know ♪
♪ That I dug my key into the side ♪
♪ Of his pretty, little, souped-up 4-wheel drive ♪
♪ Carved my name into his leather seats ♪
♪ Took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights ♪
♪ Slashed a hole in all 4 tires ♪
♪ Maybe next time, he'll think ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
Hey!
♪ Right now, she's probably up singing ♪
♪ some white-trash version of Shania karaoke ♪
♪ And right now, she's probably saying, "I'm drunk" ♪
♪ And he's a-thinking that he's gonna get lucky ♪
♪ And right now, he's probably dabbing on ♪
♪ $3.00 worth of that bathroom Polo, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, and he don't know, whoa ♪
♪ That I dug my key into the side ♪
♪ Of his pretty, little, souped-up 4-wheel drive ♪
♪ Carved my name into his leather seats ♪
♪ I took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights ♪
♪ Slashed a hole in all 4 tires ♪
♪ Maybe next time, he'll think ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
Hey!
♪ I might have saved a little trouble for the next girl ♪
♪ Because the next time that he cheats ♪
♪ Oh, you know it won't be on me ♪
[Cheering]
♪ No ♪
♪ Not on me ♪
Let me hear you! Come on!
♪ 'Cause I ♪
Crowd: ♪ Dug my key into the side ♪
♪ Of his pretty, little, souped-up 4 wheel drive ♪
♪ Carved my name into his leather seats ♪
♪ Oh, when I took a ♪
♪ Louisville Slugger to both headlights ♪
Underwood: ♪ And I ♪ ♪ Slashed a hole in all 4 tires ♪
♪ Oh, maybe next time, he'll think ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
Hey!
♪ 'Cause I dug my key into the side ♪
♪ Of his pretty, little, souped-up 4-wheel drive ♪
♪ Carved my name into his leather seats ♪
♪ And I took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights ♪
♪ Slashed a hole in all 4 tires ♪
♪ Maybe next time, he'll think ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
♪ Oh, maybe next time ♪
♪ He'll think ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
♪ No ♪
♪ Oh, oh ♪
♪ Before he cheats ♪
♪ Oh ♪
Yeah!
Thank you, guys, so much.
It has been a pleasure. God bless you!
Thank you!
[Music continues]
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
David Oclander was a talented high school soccer player
who was offered scholarships to several colleges,
but chose to attend West Point.
Over a career that spanned two decades
with the 82nd Airborne, he served two tours of duty
in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, where he commanded a battalion
of over a thousand paratroopers.
Finishing his military career with a distinguished assignment
at the Pentagon, Lieutenant Colonel Oclander
was ready to enjoy civilian life with his wife and young family,
but when he discovered that we were losing more young men
to gun violence on the streets of Chicago
than on the battlefields of Afghanistan,
he embraced another challenge.
By utilizing the leadership skills
he developed in the service of his country,
Colonel Oclander would try to make a real difference
in the lives of young Americans by becoming a teacher
at a public high school in Chicago.
Oclander: The greatest threat to our nation is
an uneducated society.
Here in Chicago,
depending on your zip code,
you might have a 6% chance
of graduating from college.
At my school,
98% of our kids are minority.
The cards are stacked against them in many ways,
and through education, I'm getting the opportunity
to completely change that dynamic.
Boy: Mr. Oclander is someone you really don't
expect to come into your school one day.
Here's a man who has so many credentials, and he's here
teaching us what it is to become a man and a leader.
Martir: I first saw Mr. Oclander when he happened
to walk into my gym class.
I challenged him to a push-up competition,
and he beat me.
What we want to do with you is
build each of you into great leaders.
That's our mission: positive, multigenerational change.
All right? OK.
Woman: Dennis one day came home, and he tells me,
"Hey, Mom, I met this gentleman. His name is Mr. Oclander,
"and he's talking to me about West Point,
and I think I'm interested."
Oclander: I learned that Dennis' father was
a gang leader here in Chicago.
Cancel: Dennis' father was not involved in Dennis' life.
Oclander: I started to ask some of his teachers, and
you know, I got kind of mixed reports about Dennis.
He had some character flaws at the time.
I challenged him on a couple of areas
that I wanted him to show some growth in,
and he met my challenges head-on.
Martir: I got my invitation to West Point,
and it was shocking that I was accepted.
I feel like I beat the odds.
So right now, I just got back from West Point.
I'm in Chicago,
and I'm about to surprise my mom.
She doesn't know I'm here.
Cancel: Dennis could have end up selling drugs
and taking his father's footstep,
being a gang leader
or a murderer,
but I knew Dennis was smart, and I knew
that Dennis could become someone.
♪
What? Woman: Oh, my God!
Oh, my God! That's Dennis!
Oh! [Clapping]
[Sobbing]
Martir: I wouldn't be at West Point without Mr. Oclander.
Thank you.
Mr. Oclander's going to be his father figure.
Oclander: We talk about multigenerational change.
In one generation, we've gone from a father
who will probably be in prison for most of Dennis' life
to a kid who's now going to be a leader for our nation,
and that opportunity...
it--it just--it's inspiring.
♪
We salute you, Colonel Oclander and thank you for your service
both on and off the battlefield.
[Cheering]
Jack Black: Ladies and gentlemen,
Lieutenant Colonel David Oclander is here
with us tonight!
There you are.
There you are. There he is.
Hey, everybody, I'm Jack Black. You know what?
[Cheering]
What a night!
What a night so far.
What an amazing way to celebrate veterans on Veterans Day.
[Cheering]
Great music,
great stories about committed veterans
solving problems at home,
and it's also a great night to show our deep appreciation
for those active-duty right now.
[Cheering] Yeah.
Here's what you do.
You go to TheConcertForValor.com.
That's TheConcertForValor.com,
not--don't forget the "the."
Don't go just "ConcertForValor."
That wasn't available.
Check out the Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America
and the Easter Seals Dixon Center.
Spend some time
with the Got Your 6 Campaign, which does an amazing job
bringing veterans and civilians together
to make communities stronger.
Give what you can
because there are 22 million veterans
in these great United States of America right now.
[Cheering]
And now, each one of them said,
"I will serve."
Now it's our turn to serve them.
Man: Fuck, yeah!
Now listen up!
This next band I'm about to introduce
is a favorite of our troops.
No, I'm not talking about Tenacious D.
Even better.
Yes, it is possible.
A lot of you kids don't remember back in '85,
the Monsters of Rock Festival...
[Cheering]
as, uh, Bon Jovi and Ratt
watched in the wings, crying
as they witnessed the birth of a new form of heavy metal.
With the fire and force of a thousand suns,
they changed the landscape of rock and roll forever.
I can't introduce them alone.
I need all of you and the millions at home watching
to chant their name with me.
It's the only way we're gonna get to ride the lightning.
Chant with me now:
Metallica, Metallica, Metallica,
Meta--can't hear you.
Louder.
Metallica!
Ladies and gentlemen,
Metallica!
♪
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
♪ Make his fight on a hill in the early day ♪
♪ Constant chill deep inside ♪
♪ Shouting gun, on they run through the endless gray ♪
♪ On they fight, for they're right, yes, but who's to say?
♪ For a hill, men would kill Why? They do not know ♪
♪ Stiffened wounds test their pride ♪
♪ Men of five, still alive through the raging glow ♪
♪ Gone insane from the pain that they surely know ♪
♪ For whom the bell tolls ♪
♪ Time marches on ♪
Will you sing it?
Crowd: ♪ For whom the bell tolls ♪
That's beautiful!
♪ Take a look to the sky just before you die ♪
♪ It's the last time you will ♪ [Echoes]
♪ Blackened roar, massive roar fills the crumbling sky ♪
♪ Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry ♪
♪ Stranger now, are his eyes, to this mystery ♪
♪ He hears the silence so loud ♪
♪ Crack of dawn, all is gone except the will to be ♪
♪ Now they see what will be, blinded eyes to see ♪
♪ For whom the bell tolls ♪
♪ It tolls for thee ♪
What is it?
Absolutely!
♪
♪ Master ♪
♪ End of passion play, crumbling away ♪
♪ I'm your source of self-destruction ♪
♪ Veins that pump with fear, sucking dark is clear ♪
♪ Leading on your death's construction ♪
♪ Taste me, you will see ♪
♪ More is all you need ♪
♪ Dedicated to ♪
♪ How I'm killing you ♪
♪ Come crawling faster ♪
♪ Obey your Master ♪
♪ Your life burns faster ♪
♪ Obey your Master ♪
Crowd: ♪ Master ♪
♪ Master of Puppets, I'm pulling your strings ♪
♪ Yeah, twisting your mind and smashing your dreams ♪
♪ Blinded by me, you can't see a thing ♪
♪ Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
♪ Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
Yeah!
♪ Needlework the way, never you betray
♪ Life of death becoming clearer ♪
♪ Pain monopoly, r-r-r-ritual misery ♪
♪ Chop your breakfast on a mirror ♪
♪ Taste me, you will see ♪
♪ More is all you need ♪
♪ Dedicated to ♪
♪ How I'm killing you ♪
♪ Come crawling faster ♪
♪ Obey your Master ♪
♪ Your life burns faster ♪
♪ Obey your Master ♪
♪ Master of Puppets, I'm pulling your strings ♪
♪ Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams ♪
♪ Blinded by me, you can't see a thing ♪
♪ Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
♪ Just call my name, I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
[Roaring]
[Crowd cheering]
♪
[Cheering]
Sing it and take it out.
♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪
Yeah!
♪ Master, Master ♪
♪ Where's the dreams that I've been after? ♪
♪ Master, Master ♪
♪ Promised only lies ♪
♪ Laughter, laughter ♪
♪ All I hear or see is laughter ♪
♪ Laughter, Laughter ♪
♪ Laughing at my cries ♪
OK. Let's go.
Ha ha!
Shit!
♪ Aw, hell is worth all that ♪
♪ Natural habitat ♪
♪ Just a rhyme without a reason ♪
♪ Never-ending maze ♪
♪ Drift on numbered days ♪
♪ Now your life is out of season ♪
♪ I will occupy ♪
♪ I will help you die ♪
♪ I will run through you ♪
♪ Now I rule you, too ♪
Sing it for us!
Crowd: ♪ Come crawling faster ♪
♪ Obey your master ♪
♪ Your life burns faster ♪
♪ Obey your master ♪
♪ Master ♪
Hetfield: ♪ Master of Puppets ♪
Ha ha!
♪ Twisting your mind, smashing your dreams ♪
♪ Blinded by me, you can't see a thing ♪
♪ Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
♪ Just call my name, I'll hear you scream ♪
♪ Master ♪
Shh!
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Ah, ha ha ha ha!
♪ Master, Master ♪
♪ Master of Puppets♪
Ah! [Echoes]
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
♪
[Cheering]
♪ Say your prayers, little one ♪
♪ Don't forget, my son, to include everyone ♪
♪ I'll tuck you in, warm within ♪
♪ Keep you free from sin till the Sandman, he comes ♪
Ah!
♪ Sleep with one eye open ♪
♪ Gripping your pillow tight ♪
♪ Exit, light ♪
Sing it!
Crowd: ♪ Enter, night ♪
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ Off to Never Never Land ♪
Ha ha!
♪ Something's wrong, shut the light ♪
♪ Heavy thoughts tonight, and they aren't of Snow White ♪
♪ Dreams of war, dreams of liars ♪
♪ Dreams of dragon's fire and of things that will bite ♪
Yeah!
♪ Sleep with one eye open ♪
♪ Gripping your pillow tight ♪
♪ Exit, light ♪
Sing it!
Crowd: ♪ Enter, night ♪
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ Off to Never Never Land ♪
♪ Never Never Land ♪
Man: Now I lay me down to sleep...
Child: Now I lay me down to sleep...
pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I die before I wake...
Pray the Lord my soul to take.
♪ Hush, little baby, don't say a word ♪
♪ And never mind that noise you heard ♪
♪ Ooh, it's just the beast under your bed ♪
♪ And in your closet, in your head ♪
♪ Exit, light ♪
What is it?
Crowd: ♪ Enter, night ♪
♪ Grain of sand ♪
♪ Exit, light ♪
♪ Enter, night ♪
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ Off to Never Never Land ♪
Ha ha ha ha ha!
We finally get to play for our heroes!
[Crowd cheering]
Shh! Ooh!
Ooh!
♪ Hey, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
Ha ha ha ha!
♪ Take my hand ♪
♪ We're off to Never Never Land ♪
♪ Take my hand, ah ♪
♪ We're off to Never Never Land ♪
Hey!
Hey! Together!
Hey!
Hey! Together!
Hey!
Thank you, veterans.
Thank you, all that serve and your families.
Thank you for keeping Metallica
and our friends safe.
Freedom is not free!
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
Crowd: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
[Chanting continues]
[Chanting ceases]
[Cheering]
Master Sergeant Cedric King has been in the Army
for nearly 20 years,
including 10 years as an elite Army Ranger.
He served one tour in Iraq and two more in Afghanistan,
and on his last deployment,
he was propelled into the fight of his life.
In 2012
while leading a platoon on a mission in Afghanistan,
Cedric was wounded when he stepped on an IED.
His injuries were so severe
that doctors put him into a medically induced coma,
and he was sent to
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,
and when he regained consciousness,
Cedric realized that his toughest battle
was about to begin.
King: July 25, 2012,
I got blown up in Afghanistan.
I remember waking up 6 or 7 days later
and seeing my mom and my wife at the hospital.
My wife said,
"They had to take your legs away."
I've had low moments to where I feel
like it'd be better if I'd just died that day,
but my heart was saying, "Hey, man,
"there's so much good to give.
"If you can just get out of this hospital bed, you could
"probably be pretty inspiring to other people, man.
Keep fighting."
♪
26 months and 3 days after losing my legs,
I am completing a half an Ironman, 70.3 miles.
Cedric has a burning desire that I haven't seen
in a lot of people that he's got to do this.
King: I probably could have done this before,
but I didn't believe it enough.
I'm not supposed to be swimming 1.2 miles
with no legs.
But guess what? I'm gonna do it.
[Starting cannon fires]
Growing up, I was a kid that was picked on.
I saw my environment and ended up being a prisoner to it
because that's all I see.
In the military, I learned that possibilities
in life are what you create,
what you choose to see.
[Cheering and applause]
King: I met failure time and time and time
and time and time again.
Geared up! Here we go!
Johnson: Most triathletes go through
a very extensive training; Cedric can't do that.
Cedric has a condition where his bone matter
is still growing through his muscle tissue,
and literally, for you and I, that feels
like you're walking on glass.
King: I learned that I could be doggedly persistent
about something that I want in life.
Johnson: He's not looking back. He's only looking forward.
Woman: Woo hoo! Watch it!
King: But I did not know
that I was going to need that toughening
for an experience that I would have down the road.
I cannot tell you how much on fire
my freakin' legs are right now.
Johnson: He's missing his right hamstrings.
He can only use his quadriceps,
and that is a painful situation to be in.
King: I learned that disappointment
is going to come, but this is how you deal with it.
Johnson: He's basically running off into the abyss.
He has no idea what's gonna happen.
We're gonna take it as it comes.
King: I want to send a message
to those guys that meant to hurt me.
Instead of hurting me, you made me better.
I know in my heart I'm giving everything
I've got right now.
Instead of taking my legs away,
you gave me so much more to live for.
Woman: This is just Cedric.
There's nothing that's ever held him down before,
so none of this was going to stop him moving forward.
King: Hurts bad.
Hurts real bad.
You can take my hands, you can take my eyes,
you can take my hearing.
[People cheer]
The thing you cannot take away from me is
that spirit inside of me that wants to win.
That's something that that little boy
that used to get picked on didn't know.
[Crowd cheering]
Michelle Obama: I had a chance to meet Cedric
at the White House last year
and see his courageous spirit firsthand.
In so many ways, Cedric embodies the incredible resilience
and strength of all of our wounded warriors,
and so we owe it to these heroes
to show just a tiny fraction of their commitment
and service to this country with service of our own.
So let's all join forces with heroes like Cedric,
and together we can serve them
as well as they've served us.
[Cheering and applause]
Bob Woodruff: Thank you, everybody.
I have to say, to start this out, to--
to give a big thank you to Master Sergeant Cedric King,
who is just over here on this side.
[Cheering]
Thank you for what you've done for our country,
and so many other out there, as well.
I'm Bob Woodruff, and this is just an absolutely
extraordinary place to here-- be here, up here on this stage.
I have to say that I am not a veteran,
but my father, my grandfather were veterans in the Army
for World War I, World War II,
and the Korean War.
As for me, I had been covering wars for years
when I finally myself
was badly injured in 2006 in Iraq near Taji.
I was hit by--hit by an IED
just about 20 yards away on that side,
completely shattered my skull.
I was in a coma for 5 weeks,
then I was rushed back here to Bethesda Naval, where I finally,
miraculously, woke up, and it's not far from this place.
[Cheering]
But most importantly, I am alive today only
because of those extraordinary doctors,
the medics, the nurses who have saved thousands of lives
of people who have been wounded
in these wars for the past 13 years.
I also need to tell you that about 90%
of our recently wounded veterans survive their injuries.
Most veterans are transitioning on to the next phase
of their lives, but many veterans and their families
face challenges, so we're asking you to give,
to volunteer, to connect and empower them.
So right now, I want you to go to TheConcertForValor.com
and support these critical veteran service organizations
like those that we know-- for example,
the Fisher House Foundation...
[Cheering]
Time--Team Red, White, and Blue...
[Cheering]
and also One Mind.
For those veterans who are most in need,
these are the organizations that will ensure
that not one veteran has to ask
or fight for what they have earned.
Our next performer,
well, he believes that, too.
He's been a huge supporter of our organization,
the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
He's been with us for 8 straight years.
He will not stop. He will never surrender.
He amazes us with his songs and his voice.
The one, the only,
my friend, Bruce Springsteen!
[Cheering]
[People shouting "Bruce"]
Woman: I love you!
Good evening, Washington.
[Cheering] [Blows into harmonica]
Want to send this out tonight as a...
prayer for our recently returned vets,
who, uh,
deserve the best care this country can give them...
and we have--we've come a-- we haven't got there yet.
[Strumming guitar]
This is for you guys.
♪
♪ On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert ♪
♪ I pick up my money and head back into town ♪
♪ Driving cross the Waynesboro County line ♪
♪ I got the radio on, but I'm just killing time ♪
♪ Working all day in my daddy's garage ♪
♪ Driving all night, chasing some mirage ♪
♪ Pretty soon, darlin', I'm gonna take charge ♪
♪ Well, the dogs on Main Street howl, 'cause they understand ♪
♪ If I could take this moment into my hands ♪
♪ Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man ♪
♪ And I believe in a promised land ♪
♪ I've done my best now to live the right way ♪
♪ I get up every morning and go to work each day ♪
♪ But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold ♪
♪ Sometimes I feel so weak, I just want to explode ♪
♪ Explode and tear this whole town apart ♪
♪ Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart ♪
♪ Try to find somebody itching for something to start ♪
♪ Well, the dogs on Main Street howl, 'cause they understand ♪
♪ If I could take this moment into my hands ♪
♪ Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man ♪
♪ And I believe in a promised land ♪
♪ There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor ♪
♪ I packed my bags and I'm heading ♪
♪ Straight into the storm ♪
♪ Gonna be a twister to blow everything down ♪
♪ That ain't got the faith to stand its ground ♪
♪ Blow away the dreams ♪
♪ That tear you apart ♪
♪ Blow away the dreams ♪
♪ That break your heart ♪
♪ Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but ♪
♪ Lost and brokenhearted ♪
♪ Well, the dogs on Main Street howl, 'cause they understand ♪
♪ If I could take this moment into my hands ♪
♪ Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man ♪
♪ And I believe in a promised land ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ In a promised land ♪
♪ And I believe ♪
♪ In a promised land ♪
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
[People shouting "Bruce"]
♪
Wrote this 30 years ago...
and I think it still holds.
♪ Born down in a dead man's town ♪
♪ The first kick I took was when I hit the ground ♪
♪ You end up like a dog that's been beat too much ♪
♪ Till you spend half your life just a-covering up ♪
♪ I was born in the U.S.A. ♪
[Cheering]
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ I got in a little hometown jam ♪
♪ So they put a rifle in my hands ♪
♪ They sent me off to a foreign land ♪
♪ To go and kill the yellow man ♪
♪ I was born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ Come back home to the refinery ♪
♪ Hiring man says, "Son, if it was up to me" ♪
♪ I went down to see my V.A. man ♪
♪ He said, "Son ♪
♪ Don't you understand?" ♪
♪ I had a brother at Khe Sahn ♪
♪ Fighting off the Viet Cong ♪
♪ They're still there ♪
♪ He's all gone ♪
♪ He had a woman he loved in Saigon ♪
♪ I got a picture of him in her arms now ♪
♪ Down in the shadow of the penitentiary ♪
♪ Out by the gas fires of the refinery ♪
♪ I'm 40 years burning down the road ♪
♪ Burning down ♪
♪ I'm burning down ♪
♪ I got nowhere to run ♪
♪ I got nowhere to go ♪
♪ Nowhere to go ♪
♪ I was born in the U.S.A. ♪
♪ Born in the U.S.A. ♪
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
[People shouting "Bruce"]
♪
Thanks for coming out tonight, supporting this cause.
[Cheering]
And remember, when you leave,
take all these men and women home in your--
home in your heart with you
'cause this is just the beginning.
You can't start a fire without a spark.
[Cheering]
♪ I get up in the evening ♪
♪ And I ain't got nothing to say ♪
♪ Come home in the morning ♪
♪ Go to bed feeling the same way ♪
♪ I ain't nothing but tired ♪
♪ Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself ♪
♪ Hey there, baby ♪
♪ I could use just a little help ♪
♪ You can't start a fire ♪
♪ Can't start a fire without a spark ♪
♪ This gun's for hire ♪
♪ Even if we're just dancing in the dark ♪
♪ Messages keep getting clearer ♪
♪ Radio's on, and I'm moving round the place ♪
♪ Check my look in the mirror ♪
♪ Want to change my clothes, my hair, my face ♪
♪ Man, I ain't getting nowhere ♪
♪ Just living in a dump like this ♪
♪ There's something happening somewhere ♪
♪ Baby, I just know that there is ♪
♪ You can't start a fire ♪
♪ You can't start a fire without a spark ♪
♪ This gun's for hire ♪
♪ Even if we're just dancing in the dark ♪
♪ You sit around getting older ♪
♪ There's a joke here somewhere, it's on me ♪
♪ Shake this world off my shoulders ♪
♪ Come on, baby, have a laugh on me ♪
♪ Stay on the streets of this town ♪
♪ And they'll be carving you up all right ♪
♪ Say you got to stay hungry ♪
♪ Hey, baby, I'm just about starving tonight ♪
♪ I'm dying for some action ♪
♪ I'm sick of sitting round here trying to write this book ♪
♪ I need a love reaction ♪
[Cheering]
♪ Come on now, sugar, gimme just one look ♪
♪ You can't start a fire ♪
♪ Sitting round crying over a broken heart ♪
♪ This gun's for hire ♪
♪ Even if we're just dancing in the dark ♪
♪ You can't start a fire ♪
♪ Worrying about your little world falling apart ♪
♪ This gun's for hire ♪
♪ Even if we're just dancing in the dark ♪
[Cheering]
♪ Even if we're just dancing in the dark ♪
♪ Even if we're just dancing ♪
♪ Hey, baby ♪
[Cheering]
Thanks.
[People shouting "Bruce"]
Leroy Petry knew from the time he was 7
that he wanted to join the Army, and after he enlisted,
he knew what he wanted to be--a Ranger,
a member of the Army's elite fighting force.
On September 11, 2001,
Leroy was at Ranger school in Georgia.
On that day, he and his fellow trainees knew
they were going to war.
Over the course of 8 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan,
Leroy rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant,
with over a dozen fellow Rangers under his command.
He and his men lived on the front lines,
slept on the ground, and remained at the ready,
knowing they could be called on at any time.
Though their targets changed, the mission was always the same:
to hunt down America's most dangerous enemies.
It's May 26, 2008
in the remote east of Afghanistan.
Petry: We loaded up the Chinook helicopters
and we started to fly out.
Obama: Their target is an insurgent compound.
The mission is high-risk.
It's broad daylight, the insurgents are heavily armed.
Petry: As soon as we broke one corner, there was
two enemy fighters with AK-47s,
just shooting...tons of fire.
I felt, uh, one of the bullets enter my left thigh,
and it felt like a sledgehammer.
Obama: Leroy is hit in both legs.
An enemy grenade explodes nearby,
wounding Leroy's two comrades.
And then a second grenade lands, this time only a few feet away.
Petry: I saw it, reached over with my right hand.
Now, every human impulse would tell someone to turn away.
Obama: That's what Sergeant Leroy Petry could have done.
And as I went to throw it to my left,
I opened my hand, and as soon as I opened my hand, it exploded
and completely severed the hand at the wrist.
They started packaging me up for medical evacuation
on the helicopter, and I'm sitting there in the stretcher.
Sergeant Higgins was running up the ramp and he's like,
"Hey, you saved us, you saved us."
We present
our nation's highest military decoration,
the Medal of Honor,
to an extraordinary American soldier.
[Applause]
Man: Our company has an Armed Forces network
of veterans, and they had invited Sergeant Petry,
the Medal of Honor recipient, to give a talk.
Petry: I consider every servicemember who is serving
and who has served to be our heroes.
Schultz: And I listened to his story.
Here was this man who stood in front of 4,000 people
and said, "I'm no hero.
I was just doing my job."
I was emotionally struck with what I had just heard.
I said to myself, "I have to start understanding this."
Never before in America's history
has there been a war like this,
an all-volunteer service that represents
less than 5% of the population of the country
in terms of a direct or indirect relationship
with someone who is serving.
My job is to create as much awareness
as I can from the position I'm in.
We're going to hire 10,000 returning veterans
and/or their spouses within the next 5 years.
Petry: I was born in a free country because there was
men and women that stood guard of our country
while I was growing up so I could grow up free.
All I did was try to pass it on to the next generation.
Master Sergeant Petry,
we thank you for your service
and we salute you.
[Cheering]
Bryan Cranston: Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Medal of Honor recipient
Master Sergeant Leroy Petry!
[Cheering]
Thank you, Master Sergeant, for your service.
Hi, everybody. I'm Bryan Cranston.
[Cheering]
We have now come to the halfway point of our show.
[Scattered laughter]
But what a night it's been, hasn't it? You having fun?
[Cheering]
Now, Howard Schultz found a deep connection
after a--uh, meeting with our veterans
and, uh, Master Sergeant Petry,
and he--uh, his and many of his stories were heard tonight
come from the book "For Love of Country,"
which he wrote with Rajiv Chandrasekaran.
Now, Howard's appreciation
for the remarkable contributions made
by this generation of veterans is the driving force
of the Schultz Family Foundation's national initiative
to ensure that our veterans find meaningful work
after their service to our country.
Our veterans have the skills and the work ethic
that is second to none.
So if you're listening on I Heart Radio right now,
it means...well, it means that you're not here.
[Scattered laughter]
But you can contribute, and you can be a part of this.
Go online and look into Show Your Stripes.
It's their initiative to connect local businesses
with skilled veterans.
And check out--
if you're watching on HBO, check out Hiring Our Heroes...
[Cheering]
and Hire Heroes U.S.A.
at TheConcertForValor.com.
[Cheering]
Let's put our veterans' know-how to work at your company,
and if not, you just may get a little visit
from a man named Heisenberg.
[Cheering]
Man: Good, Walter!
Woman: We love you!
There's still a lot of room in Belize for people.
[Laughter]
I would like to personally thank all of you who serve
and to my parents, who served their country.
My father was a proud member of the Naval Air Corps...
[Cheering]
and my mother happily and honorably
served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Let's hear it for them.
[Cheering]
Now, I am about to introduce someone
who is a musical force of nature!
[Cheering]
She is one of the most powerful female voices on Earth!
The beautiful, strong,
loud, and unapologetic
Rihannaaaaa!
[Cheering]
♪
Hello, D.C.!
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Find light in the beautiful sea ♪
♪ I choose to be happy ♪
♪ You and I, you and I ♪
♪ We're like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ You're a shooting star I see ♪
♪ Vision of ecstasy ♪
♪ When you hold me, I'm alive ♪
♪ We're like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ I knew that we'd ♪
♪ Become one right away ♪
♪ Oh, right away ♪
♪ At first sight, I felt ♪
♪ The energy of sun rays ♪
♪ I saw the life inside your-- ♪
♪ Shine bright ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
♪ You and I ♪
♪ We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Eye to eye ♪
♪ So alive ♪
♪ We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Palms rise to the universe ♪
♪ As we moonshine and molly ♪
♪ Feel the warmth, we'll never die ♪
♪ We're like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ You're a shooting star I see ♪
♪ Vision of ecstasy ♪
♪ When you hold me, I'm alive ♪
♪ We're diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ I knew that we'd ♪
♪ Become one right away ♪
♪ I saw the life inside your eyes ♪
♪ Tonight ♪
♪ You and I ♪
♪ Universe ♪
♪ Diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Eye to eye ♪
♪ So alive ♪
♪ We were like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Shining bright like a diamond ♪
♪ We were like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond, yeah ♪
♪ Shine bright tonight ♪
♪ You and I ♪
♪ We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Eye to eye ♪
♪ So alive ♪
♪ We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Shine bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Bright like a diamond ♪
♪ Oh ♪
♪ Mmm ♪
♪ Beautiful ♪
[Cheering]
♪ Like diamonds in the sky ♪
[Cheering]
♪
Happy Veterans Day, everybody.
[Cheering]
I just want to thank you all, all the veterans,
from the bottom of my heart,
for giving your time and your life for this country.
We thank you, we love you,
and I'm dedicating this one for you.
♪
♪ All along, it was a fever ♪
♪ A cold sweat, hot-headed believer ♪
♪ I threw my hands in the air, said, "Show me something" ♪
♪ He said, "If you dare, come a little closer" ♪
Woman: Love you, Rihanna!
♪ Round and around and around and around we go ♪
♪ Oh, now, tell me now ♪
♪ Tell me now, tell me now you know ♪
♪ Not really sure how to feel about it ♪
♪ Something in the way you move ♪
♪ Makes me feel like I can't live without you ♪
♪ It takes me all the way ♪
♪ I want you to stay ♪
♪ It's not much of a life you're living ♪
♪ It's not just something you take, it's given ♪
♪ Round and around and around and around we go ♪
♪ Oh, oh, now, tell me now ♪
♪ Tell me now, tell me now you know ♪
♪ Mmm ♪
♪ Not really sure how to feel about it ♪
♪ Something in the way you move ♪
♪ Makes me feel like I can't live without you ♪
♪ It takes me all the way ♪
♪ I want you to stay ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ The reason I hold on ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ 'Cause I need this hole gone ♪
♪ Funny you're the broken one ♪
♪ But I'm the only one who needed saving ♪
♪ 'Cause when you never see the light ♪
♪ It's hard to know which one of us is caving ♪
♪ Not really sure how to feel about it ♪
♪ Something in the way you move ♪
♪ Makes me feel like I can't live without you ♪
♪ It takes me all the way ♪
♪ Want you to stay ♪
♪ Stay ♪
♪ Oh, I want you to stay ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
[Cheering]
Thank you.
[Song ends]
♪
♪ I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed ♪
♪ Get along with the voices inside of my head ♪
♪ You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath ♪
♪ You think I'm crazy, you think I'm crazy ♪
Eminem: ♪ I wanted the fame, but not the cover of "Newsweek" ♪
♪ Oh, well, guess beggars can't be choosey ♪
♪ Wanted to receive attention for my music ♪
♪ Wanted to be left alone in public, excuse me ♪
♪ For wanting my cake and eat it too and wanting it both ways ♪
♪ Fame made me a balloon 'cause my ego inflated ♪
♪ When I blew, see, but it was confusing 'cause all ♪
♪ I wanted to do is be the Bruce Lee of loose leaf ♪
♪ Abused ink, used it as a tool when I blew steam ♪
♪ Hit the lottery, ooh-wee ♪
♪ But with what I gave up to get it was bittersweet ♪
♪ It was like winning a used mink, ironic ♪
♪ 'Cause I think I'm getting so huge I need a shrink ♪
♪ I'm beginning to lose sleep: one sheep, two sheep ♪
♪ Going cuckoo and kooky as Kool Keith ♪
♪ But I'm actually weirder than you think 'cause I'm-- ♪
Rihanna: ♪ I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed ♪
♪ Get along with the voices inside of my head ♪
♪ You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath ♪
♪ And you think I'm crazy ♪
Background singers: ♪ Yeah, you think I'm crazy ♪
Eminem: Lady! Rihanna: ♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
Rihanna: ♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
Eminem: ♪ Now, I ain't much of a poet ♪
♪ but I know somebody once told me ♪
♪ To seize the moment and don't squander it ♪
♪ 'Cause you never know when it all could be over tomorrow ♪
♪ So I keep conjuring ♪
♪ Sometimes I wonder where these thoughts spawn from ♪
Background singer: ♪ Yeah, pondering'll do you wonders ♪
♪ No wonder you're losing your mind the way, it wanders ♪
Eminem: ♪ Yoda-loda-le-hee-hoo ♪
♪ I think it went wandering off down yonder ♪
♪ And stumbled onto Jeff VanVonderen ♪
♪ 'Cause I need an interventionist ♪
♪ To intervene between me and this monster ♪
♪ And save me from myself and all this conflict ♪
♪ 'Cause the very thing that I love's killing me and I can't conquer it ♪
♪ My OCD's conking me in the head ♪
♪ Keep knocking, nobody's home, I'm sleepwalking ♪
♪ I'm just relaying what the voice in my head's saying ♪
♪ Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just friends with the-- ♪
Rihanna: ♪ I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed ♪
♪ Get along with the voices inside of my head ♪
♪ You're trying to save me, stop holding your breath ♪
♪ You think I'm crazy-- ♪
Do you think I'm crazy? Eminem: Lady!
♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
Eminem: Lady! Rihanna: ♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
Eminem: ♪ Call me crazy, but I have this vision ♪
♪ One day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian ♪
♪ But until then, the drums get killed and I'm coming straight at
♪ MC's, blood get spilled and I'll take you back to the days that ♪
♪ I'd get on a Dre track, give every kid who got played that ♪
♪ Pumped up feeling and shit to say back ♪
♪ To the kids who played him ♪
♪ I ain't here to save the fucking children ♪
♪ But if one kid out of a hundred million ♪
♪ Who are going through a struggle feels it and relates, that's great ♪
♪ It's payback, Russell Wilson falling way back ♪
♪ In the draft, turn nothing into something, still can make that ♪
♪ Straw into gold chump, I will spin Rumpelstiltskin in a haystack ♪
♪ Maybe I need a straitjacket, face facts ♪
♪ I am nuts for real, but I'm OK with that ♪
♪ It's nothing, I'm still friends with-- ♪
Rihanna: ♪ Friends with the monster that's under my bed ♪
♪ Get along with the voices inside of my head ♪
♪ Trying to save me, stop holding your breath ♪
♪ You think I'm crazy, you think I'm crazy ♪
♪ I'm friends with the monster ♪
♪ That's under my bed ♪ ♪ Get along ♪
♪ Get along with the voices ♪
♪ Inside of my head ♪ ♪ You're trying to ♪
♪ You're trying to save me ♪
♪ Stop holding your breath ♪ ♪ Gonna be ♪
♪ You think I'm crazy ♪
♪ Do you think I'm crazy? ♪
♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
Rihanna: ♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
♪ Well, that's nothing ♪
♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh ♪
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
Thank you.
D.C., give it up for Eminem!
Eminem: D.C., make some motherfuckin' noise for Rihanna!
[Cheering]
Eminem: OK. ♪
D.C.,
Happy motherfucking Veterans Day!
Everybody...
you ready?
♪ Feels like a close, it's coming to ♪
♪ Fuck am I gonna do? ♪
♪ It's too late to start over ♪
♪ This is the only thing I, thing I know ♪
♪ Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is ♪
♪ Find different ways to word the same old song ♪
♪ Ever since I came along ♪
♪ From the day the song called "Hi, My Name Is" dropped ♪
♪ Started thinking my name was fault ♪
♪ 'Cause any time things went wrong, I was the one who they would blame it on ♪
♪ The media made me the equivalent ♪
♪ Of a modern-day Genghis Khan ♪
♪ Tried to argue it was only entertainment, dog Gangsta? ♪
♪ Naw, courageous balls, had to change my style ♪
♪ They said I'm way too soft and I sound like AZ and Nas ♪
♪ Out came the claws, and the fangs been out since then ♪
♪ But up until the instant that I went against it ♪
♪ It was ingrained in me that I wouldn't amount to a shit stain, I thought ♪
♪ No wonder I had to unlearn everything my brain was taught ♪
♪ "Do I really belong in this game?" I pondered ♪
♪ I just want to play my part, should I make waves or not? ♪
♪ So back and forth in my brain, the tug of war wages on ♪
♪ And I don't want to seem ungrateful ♪
♪ Or disrespect the art form I was raised upon ♪
♪ But sometimes you got to take your loss ♪
♪ And have people rub it in your face before you get made pissed off ♪
♪ And keep pluggin', it's your only outlet ♪
♪ And your only outfit, so you know they're gonna talk about it ♪
♪ Better find a way to counter it quick and make it--ah! ♪
♪ Feel like I've already said this a kabillion-80 times ♪
♪ How many times can I say the same thing different ways that rhyme? ♪
♪ What I really want to say is ♪
♪ If there's anyone else that can relate to my story ♪
♪ Bet you feel the same way I felt when I was in the same place ♪
♪ You are, when I was afraid to-- ♪
Background singers: ♪ Afraid to make a single sound ♪
♪ Afraid I will never find a way ou-ou-out ♪
♪ Afraid I'd never be fou-ou-ound ♪
♪ I don't want to go another rou-ou-ound ♪
♪ An angry man's power will shut you up ♪
♪ Trip wires fill this house with tip-toed love ♪
♪ Run out of excuses for everyone ♪
♪ So here I am, and I will not run ♪
Eminem: Yeah!
♪ Guts over fear ♪
♪ The time is near ♪
♪ Guts over fear ♪
♪ I shed a tear ♪
♪ For all the times ♪
♪ I let you push me around ♪
♪ And let you keep me down ♪
♪ Now I got guts over fear ♪
♪ Guts over fear ♪
♪ Na na ♪
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
Eminem: D.C.
[Cheering]
This next song, man,
I want to dedicate
to all the veterans in here tonight...
[Cheering]
and everyone currently serving in our Armed Forces
and also to the ones who didn't make it home.
I just want to say thank you for your sacrifices.
This song's for you.
♪ I'm not afraid ♪
Man: Sing it!
Eminem: ♪ Yeah ♪
♪ It's been a ride ♪
♪ Yes, I had to ♪
♪ Go to that place to get to this one ♪
♪ And some of you might still be in that place ♪
♪ Just let me go ♪ ♪ Trying to get out ♪
♪ Holler if you feel like you've... ♪
♪ You can try and read my lyrics off of this paper before I lay 'em ♪
♪ But you won't take the sting out these words before I say 'em ♪
♪ 'Cause ain't no way I'ma let you stop me from causing mayhem ♪
♪ When I say I'ma do something I do it, I don't give a damn what you think ♪
♪ I'm doing this for me, so fuck the world, feed it beans ♪
♪ It's gassed up if it thinks it's stopping me ♪
♪ I'ma be what I ♪ ♪ Set out to be ♪
♪ Without a doubt ♪ ♪ Undoubtedly ♪
♪ And all those who ♪ ♪ Look down on me ♪
♪ I'm tearing down ♪ ♪ Your balcony ♪
♪ No ifs, ands, or buts, don't try to ask him why or how can he ♪
♪ From "Infinite" down to that last "Relapse" album ♪
♪ He's still shitting, whether he's on salary paid hourly ♪
♪ Until he bows out or he shits his bowels out of him ♪
♪ Whichever comes first, for better or worse ♪
♪ He's married to the game, like a fuck-you for Christmas ♪
♪ His gift is a curse, forget the Earth, he's got the urge ♪
♪ To pull his dick from the dirt, and fuck the whole universe ♪
♪ I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid ♪
♪ To take a stand ♪ ♪ To take a stand ♪
♪ I said everybody, everybody ♪
♪ Come take my hand, come take my hand ♪
♪ We'll walk this road together ♪
♪ Through the storm, whatever weather, cold or warm ♪
♪ Just letting you know that you're not alone ♪
♪ Holler if you feel like you've been down the same road ♪
♪ Cut the crap, I shouldn't have to rhyme these words ♪
♪ In the rhythm for you to know it's a rap ♪
♪ You said you was king, you lied through your teeth, for that, fuck your fillings ♪
♪ Instead of getting ♪ ♪ Crowned ♪
♪ You're getting capped, and to the fans ♪
♪ I'll never let you down again, I'm back ♪
♪ I promise to never go back on that promise, in fact ♪
♪ Let's be honest, that last "Relapse" CD was wack ♪
♪ Perhaps I ran them accents into ♪ ♪ The ground ♪
♪ Relax, I ain't going back to that now ♪
♪ All I'm trying to say is get back ♪
♪ Click-clack ♪ [Gunshot]
♪ 'Cause I ain't playing ♪ ♪ Around ♪
♪ It's a game called circle, and I don't know how ♪
♪ I'm way too up to ♪ ♪ Back down, down ♪
♪ But I think I'm still trying to figure this crap out ♪
♪ Thought I had it mapped out but I guess I didn't ♪
♪ This fucking black cloud still follows me around ♪
♪ But it's time to exorcise these demons ♪
♪ These motherfuckers is doing jumping jacks now ♪
♪ I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid ♪
♪ To take ♪ ♪ A stand, to take a stand ♪
♪ I said everybody, everybody ♪
♪ Come take my hand ♪ ♪ Come take my hand ♪
♪ We'll walk this road together ♪
♪ Through the storm, whatever weather, cold or warm ♪
♪ Just letting you know you're not alone ♪
♪ Holler if you feel like you've been down the same road ♪
♪ And I just can't keep living this way ♪
♪ So starting today ♪
♪ I'm breaking out of this cage ♪
♪ I'm standing up, I'ma face my demons ♪
♪ I'm manning up, I'ma hold my ground ♪
♪ I've had enough, now I'm so fed up ♪
♪ Time to put my life back together right now, now ♪
♪ It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me ♪
♪ Admittedly, I probably did it subliminally for you ♪
♪ So I could come back a brand-new me, you helped see me through ♪
♪ And don't even realize what you ♪ ♪ Did, 'cause believe me ♪
♪ I been through the wringer ♪
♪ But they could do little to the middle finger ♪
♪ I think I got a tear in my eye ♪
♪ I feel like the king of my world ♪
♪ Haters can make like bees with no stingers and drop dead ♪
♪ No more beef lingers, no more drama from now on ♪
♪ I promise to focus solely on handling ♪
♪ My responsibilities ♪
♪ As a father ♪ ♪ So I solemnly swear ♪
♪ To always treat this roof like my daughters ♪ ♪ And raise it ♪
♪ You couldn't lift ♪ ♪ A single shingle on it ♪
♪ 'Cause the way I feel, I'm strong enough to go to ♪
♪ The club ♪ ♪ Or the corner pub and ♪
♪ Lift the whole liquor ♪ ♪ Counter up ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm raising the bar ♪
♪ I'd shoot for the moon, but I'm too busy ♪
♪ Gazing at stars, I feel amazing ♪
♪ I'm not afraid ♪ [Echoes]
♪ To take a stand ♪ ♪ To take a stand ♪
♪ So everybody ♪
♪ Everybody ♪
♪ Come take my hand ♪ ♪ Come take my hand ♪
♪ We'll walk this road together ♪
♪ Through the storm, whatever weather, cold or warm ♪
♪ Just letting you know ♪ ♪ You're not alone ♪
♪ Holler if you feel like you've been down the same road ♪
Man: D.C.!
[New song begins] Come on!
[Cheering] Come on! Come on!
Eminem: ♪ If you had ♪
♪ One shot ♪
♪ Or one opportunity ♪
♪ To seize everything you ever wanted ♪
♪ Or one moment ♪
♪ Would you capture it ♪
♪ Or just let it slip? ♪
Let's go, D.C.!
♪ His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy ♪
♪ There's vomit on his sweater already, Mom's spaghetti ♪
♪ He's nervous, but on the surface ♪
♪ He looks calm and ready to drop bombs ♪
♪ But he keeps on forgetting what he wrote down ♪
♪ The whole crowd goes so loud ♪
♪ He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out ♪
♪ He's choking how, everybody's joking now ♪
♪ The clock's run out ♪
♪ Time's up, over ♪ But!
♪ Snap back to reality,
♪ Oh, there goes gravity ♪
♪ Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked ♪
♪ He's so mad, but he won't give up that easy, no ♪
♪ He won't have it, he knows his whole back's to these ropes ♪
♪ It don't matter, he's dope, he knows that but he's broke ♪
♪ He's so stagnant, he knows when he goes back to his mobile home ♪
♪ That's when it's back to the lab again, yo ♪
♪ This whole rhapsody, he better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him ♪
♪ You better lose yourself in the music, the moment ♪
♪ You own it, you better never let it go ♪
♪ You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow ♪
♪ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime ♪
♪ You better lose yourself in the music, the moment ♪
♪ You own it, you better never let it go ♪
♪ You only get ♪ ♪ One shot ♪
♪ Do not miss your ♪ ♪ Chance to blow ♪
♪ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime ♪
♪ The soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping ♪
♪ This world is mine for the taking ♪
♪ Make me king, as we move toward a new world order ♪
♪ A normal life is boring, but superstardom's close ♪
♪ To post mortem ♪ ♪ It only grows harder ♪
♪ Homie grows hotter, he blows, it's all over ♪
♪ These hoes is ♪ ♪ All on him ♪
♪ Coast-to-coast shows ♪
♪ He's known as the ♪ ♪ Globetrotter ♪
♪ Lonely roads ♪ ♪ God only ♪
♪ Knows he's grown farther from home ♪
♪ He's no father ♪
♪ He goes home and barely knows ♪
♪ His own daughter ♪
♪ But hold your nose 'cause here goes ♪
♪ The cold water ♪
♪ His hoes don't want him no more ♪
♪ He's cold product ♪
♪ They moved on to the next schmoe who flows ♪
♪ He nose-dove and sold ♪ ♪ Nada ♪
♪ So the soap opera is told ♪
♪ And unfolds, I suppose it's old, partner ♪
♪ But the beat goes on, da-da-dum, da-dum ♪ Come on!
♪ You better lose yourself ♪ ♪ In the music, the moment ♪
♪ You own it, you better never let it go ♪
♪ You only get one shot ♪ ♪ Do not miss ♪
♪ Your chance to ♪ ♪ To blow ♪
♪ This opportunity ♪ ♪ Comes once in a lifetime ♪
♪ Lifetime, you better ♪ ♪ Lose yourself ♪
♪ In the music ♪ ♪ The moment ♪
♪ You own it ♪ ♪ You better ♪
♪ Never ♪ ♪ Let it go ♪
♪ You only get ♪ ♪ One shot ♪
♪ Do not miss your ♪ ♪ Chance to blow ♪
♪ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime ♪
♪ No more games, I'ma change what you call rage ♪
♪ Tear this motherfucking roof off like two dogs caged ♪
♪ I was playing in the beginning ♪
♪ The mood all changed ♪
♪ I've been chewed up, spit out, then ♪
♪ Booed off stage ♪
♪ But I kept rhyming and stepped ♪
♪ Right in the next cypher ♪
♪ Best believe somebody's paying the ♪ ♪ Pied Piper ♪
♪ All the pain inside amplified ♪ ♪ By the ♪
♪ Fact that I can't get by with my ♪ ♪ 9 to 5 ♪
♪ No, I cannot provide the right type
♪ Of life for my family 'cause, man ♪
♪ These goddamn food stamps don't buy ♪ ♪ Diapers ♪
♪ And it's no movie, there's no Mekhi ♪ ♪ Phifer ♪
♪ This is my life, and these times are ♪
♪ So hard ♪ ♪ But it's getting even harder ♪
♪ Trying to feed and water my seed ♪ ♪ Plus ♪
♪ Teeter totter, caught up between being a father and ♪
♪ A prima donna ♪ ♪ Baby mama ♪
♪ Drama ♪ ♪ Screaming on and too ♪
♪ Much ♪ ♪ For me to want to stay ♪
♪ In one spot ♪ ♪ Another day of monotony ♪
♪ Has gotten me to the point, I'm like ♪ ♪ A snail ♪
♪ I've got to formulate a plot
♪ Or end up in jail ♪ ♪ Or shot ♪
♪ Success is my only motherfucking option ♪ Crowd: ♪ Failure's not ♪
♪ Mom, I love you, but this trailer's ♪ ♪ Got to go ♪
♪ I cannot grow old ♪ ♪ In "Salem's Lot" ♪
♪ So here I go ♪ ♪ It's my shot ♪
♪ Feet, fail me not ♪
♪ This may be the only opportunity that I got ♪
♪ You better ♪ ♪ Lose yourself ♪
♪ In ♪ ♪ The music, the moment ♪
♪ You own it ♪ ♪ You better ♪
♪ Never ♪ ♪ Let it go ♪
♪ You only get ♪ ♪ One shot ♪
♪ Do not miss your ♪ ♪ Chance ♪
♪ To blow ♪ ♪ This opportunity ♪
♪ Comes once in a ♪ ♪ ♪ Lifetime, you better ♪
♪ Lose yourself ♪ ♪ In the music, the moment ♪
♪ You own it, you better never let it go ♪
♪ You only get ♪ ♪ One shot ♪
♪ Do not miss your ♪ ♪ Chance ♪
♪ This opportunity comes once in a lifetime ♪
♪ You better lose yourself ♪
D.C.!
[Cheering]
D.C., D.C.!
Make some noise for every battle that you mothers fight
for all of us who are not!
[Cheering]
Ain't that true?
Make some noise right now.
Put your hands up there. That's it.
Send some out. Rock it, y'all.
My man Oyster on keys...
my man Aaron on the drums...
Jackie on drums...
you all want to check
my man hammer on the drums--Omar Hakim.
Make some noise for the monster on keys.
Give it up for thoe horns, y'all.
My man Alan. What? Come on.
Make some noise for our DJ, DJ Alchemist!
Make some noise for everybody else who came out here and performed here.
Rihanna!
[Cheering]
Now make some noise
for my man... D.C.!
Eminem!
[Cheering]
[Song ends]
[Cheering]
Eminem: D.C.,
make some motherfucking noise for yourselves, yeah!
[Cheering]
Yo, Happy Veterans Day, man.
Thank you for having us, HBO, everybody.
Everybody who came here tonight, thank you, man. We love you.
We're outta here. Peace.
Peace.
♪