Editorial
NBC Toby Keith Tribute Major Disappointment To Fans
by Dustin Alexander-Pérez, Editor-In-Chief | MetSentinel.net | Monday, 7 October 2024 | Midday Edition
Toby Keith's performance at Country Thunder 2012. (Photo: ©2012 Bill Stephens / WMS Photography for The Met Sentinel.)
CHICAGO, IL – A televised tribute to the late country music singer, Toby Keith, recently aired on the NBC Television Network. While many people were pleased to see the program, there were several fans very upset with the organizers decision to sideline Keith's band not having them to perform during the event.
Bill Stephens, Chairman and CEO of Metro News Network & Affiliates was one of those viewers. To summarize what got so many people up in arms is the fact the Easy Money Band which was with Keith since he was 20-years-old, was not invited to perform during the NBC-TV memorial program. Yet, three days prior to the taping, the band was told to sit off to the side as one of the spectators. An interim group of musicians took the place of the original band members. The band had been playing with Toby Keith since 1988.
Stephens justifiably frustrated and astonished this directive was allowed to happen immediately blitzed social media accounts with the following statement:
Let this be an open letter to the organizers of the Toby Keith tribute.
I have been a live performance photographer for almost 45 years and this group of amazing musicians grew into a family and if you really paid attention you could see, feel and hear the chemistry. Yes, Toby and his band were one of my favorite shows to photograph.
Musically and visually you nailed it; the musicians played the notes. The lights and graphics were perfect. The chosen performers were a good match and fit in to Toby's life as a band. Sadly along the way, members of the original band passed away.
However, you knew this was coming. something was missing. The band while musically and note-for-note accurate, you were missing the heart and emotion of any of the hundreds of Toby's shows.
When a Toby show finished, Toby and the Easy Money Band left that heart and emotion with each and every person at his show.
Toby's Easy Money Band was the heart of the music. Nothing will ever sound like the chemistry that was on that stage, in your radio and in your head.
I am disappointed , Toby's band should have played at that tribute. They were all family and helped to shape his music.
To the organizers and NBC, you blew it!!!!
We took this argument to our readers and asked what you thought about this matter. A few people stated they thought it might have been out of place for the people who loved and worked with Keith to actually be a part of the memorial. One person suggested that it gave the band members time to be a part of the group of mourners and that performing would only prolong or burden the grieving process.
However, the majority of survey participants stated the network action was completely wrong and insensitive to the Easy Money Band members feelings and shouldn't have taken their opportunity to express their feelings through their music publicly.
In my opinion, I would tend to agree with Bill Stephens and the other readers who are shocked the band was asked to step aside for the evenings telecast. I sang my mothers favorite hymns at her funeral because that's what mum wanted. But, there also was another soloist who we never met that sang as well at the church. Both performances were appropriate and provided comfort to those in attendance at the ceremony.
There are many reasons for having music performed live at a tribute to a deceased loved one. And when you personally knew the person who the memorial is for, many feelings occur and are vary depending upon who is experiencing those feelings and why they are feeling the way they are at the moment.
The website for Mothe Funeral Homes, LLC expresses the purpose of music being presented at a funeral as follows:
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Music is therapeutic. It is also a potent tool of remembrance and tribute. Songs played at funerals often hold a deep, personal resonance with the departed, reflecting their tastes, personality, or life story.
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The power of music offers a medium for expressing their feelings that words alone may not fully capture.
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Music can help unite people all experiencing a difficult time of loss.
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The choice of music for a funeral can be a deeply personal decision. It's essential to consider the wishes of the deceased if known, and the feelings of the attendees.
Does anybody know exactly what Toby Keith wanted after he passed away? And what would Keith think about the televised tribute to him? Would he approve or disapprove? Ultimately, executives who may have had their hearts in the right place when planning this, didn't quite think this entire thing through.
But, are they actually to blame for anything that happened or didn't happen that evening? This writer left messages for the NBC executives and also sent requests to several people who were directly responsible for the final result we watched. I have yet to hear from anybody about the actual plan for that evening.
So, all we can Maybe what we saw and who was involved in the roles they played during the tribute were ultimately what Keith wanted. The bottom line is we don't know anything until we hear something from someone. The next step is to directly contact the members of the Easy Money Band and asked them what they know.
But, also we don't want to let this moment be diminished from the facts we do know. Several people thought enough of Toby Keith to produce a televised tribute to the man. And millions of people watched the event on TV. And let's not forget that proceeds from revenue generated from the tribute were donated to Keith's favorite charity.
At the end of the day, many folks will notice something that doesn't set well with them during a final farewell. But, if we are privileged enough to be able to experience and somehow be a part of that send off, then we should take away the positive happenings and try to focus on the life and legacy that the departed left behind for us.
The show for Keith did just that. Some people weren't completely happy with the way it was presented, but ultimately that evening wasn't about our personal choices, but about remembering a country music legend and celebrating the positive feelings and wonderful emotions Toby Keith shared with us throughout his career.