Clayton Anderson Band performs 9/11 tribute

The Clayton Anderson Band brought together a diverse group of students, professionals and community members in remembrance of Sept. 11.

The band played Friday at the Bluebird Nightclub along with the Bloomington Firefighters Bags and Pipes.

The night began with a performance from the Bags and Pipes, a group of about ten musically inclined Bloomington firefighters playing traditional Scottish bagpipes.

“We started about a year ago. There are 10 band members right now. The pipes itself, it takes about a year to really learn. It’s been a great success and a lot of fun,”  member Dan Emerick said.

The group performed songs such as Scotland the Braves, Bal Morial, Wings and Amazing Grace, Emerick said. 

Audience members took off their hats, raised their drinks and slowly swayed back and forth as the group played in memory of that tragic day in September.

But the energy quickly picked up as the members of the Clayton Anderson Band took the stage, ready to perform. Students cheered, women danced and men nodded their heads in celebration of America.

“I liked it. It was a blast,” Valparaiso law student Tom Martindale said.

The band played songs by various artists such as John Mellencamp, whose songs demonstrate what it means to be American. 

“We tried to play a lot of Americana-style music. We opened with ‘Pink Houses,’ an anthem for what’s great about living in the U.S.,” drummer Andrew Neukirch said.
The crowd enjoyed the music and tribute to the Sept. 11 theme as well, often singing along with the band.

The night was a fusion of music, tradition and remembrance of a national tragedy. Audience members were brought together by the diverse sounds of Americana music by a local band.

“A USA chant broke out a couple of times among the crowd,” Neukirch said.