9/11 Concert Pays Tribute to First Responders

John Herder remembers after Sept. 11, 2001, seeing the signs in people's yards and bumper stickers on cars with their "Never Forget" slogans.

A decade later, Herder wants to evoke that same feeling with at .

"I thought this concert would be along those lines, making sure people would never forget what happened," said Herder, a tuba player with the band and the organizer behind this weekend's event. "I wanted it to be an awakening, so we won't forget. I'm sure those same sentiments happened when they bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. But this is still fresh in our minds."

The free concert will commemorate first responders, police officers, firefighters and EMT workers with a selection of patriotic music. Members of the  and  will be on hand, as well as .   

The band held a similar event--also organized by Herder--six months after 9/11, and Herder said it was an emotional, well-attended event. He hopes Sunday's concert has the same effect. 

"I think the entire program is going to be very moving, to be honest with you," he said. "It's going to be a pretty impressive day. I think it's going to be a really worthwhile event."

When selecting songs, music director Tom Drake said he kept with standards, such as "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." 

"Basically, what we're going to play is patriotic-type of music," he said. "We kind of filtered through our past concert and tried to select numbers that were patriotic."

Joliet American Legion Band 9/11 Memorial Concert

When: 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11
Where: Lincoln-Way East High School, 201 Colorado Ave.
How much? Free