"THE DAN BAND: I AM WOMAN" Airs on Bravo Tonight after Tonys

[miked]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:38pm

TONIGHT ON BRAVO @ 11PM (10C)
Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg and Directed by McG, Bravo presents "Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band: I am Woman"

Bravo is taking viewers "front row-center" for the hottest concert in Hollywood during this one-hour musical special as the all-guy band known for their high-voltage, female empowering performance takes center stage. A cult-hit amongst the celebrity sub-culture of Hollywood, viewers everywhere can sing along to their favorite femme renditions seen only on Bravo.

The Dan Band is the product of actor-singer Finnerty's initial fascination with karaoke that spiraled into a new phenomenon. The result is a comedic and captivating performance that has played to sold-out, celebrity-filled crowds night after night. The set list pays homage to a legion of women who know how to take matters into their own hands. Opening with the unforgettable "Shoop" by Salt-n-Pepa, Finnerty and his backup singers -- Gene Reed and John Kozeluh -- forge through the show with a bevy of classic hits including "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward, "Nasty" by Janet Jackson, "Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears and "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips.

Finnerty and his band first caught America's attention as the foul-mouthed wedding singer in the box-office smash "Old School" (performing their now-infamous rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart").

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:48pm

These guys are a scream! I highly reccomend them!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 2:55pm

"the all-guy band known for their high-voltage, female empowering performance"

Okay, it makes total sense that he's married to Kathy Najimy.

[miked]

Posted: 6/5/05 at 3:16pm

Check out the review from THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:

Dan Finnerty & The Dan Band: I Am Woman

By Ray Richmond

Bottom line: "I Am Woman" is a straight-ahead presentation of the Dan Band's sublimely magnificent live show.

11 p.m., Sunday, June 5
Bravo

It turns out that Steven Spielberg is involved in more than one TV project this month. We all know about his six-week TNT limited series "Into the West" (the "limited" referring to its length but certainly not its promotion), but he's also an exec producer via DreamWorks TV of this hourlong musical special that shines a much-deserved spotlight on Dan Finnerty (heretofore known primarily as Kathy Najimy's husband) and his all-guy band. "I Am Woman" is a straight-ahead presentation of the Dan Band's sublimely magnificent live show, which I've had the good fortune to witness in the flesh. For the uninitiated, it's essentially Finnerty and two Blues Brothers-esque backup singers/performers rolling through a rollicking set of hits popularized by female musicians. But labeling it mere parody doesn't begin to do this concert justice.

Imagine a guy sporting a gas station attendant's shirt, a backward baseball cap and sneakers strutting and swaggering around the stage, flush with attitude as he pours his soul into painfully earnest and oddly appealing covers of "Total Eclipse of the Heart," "Ring My Bell," "Muskrat Love," Janet Jackson's "Nasty" and Britney Spears' "Slave 4 U." That's Finnerty, who adds to the lyrics a healthy number of self-created expletives for emphasis (lots of "****" and "****" and "mutha****er" to confirm just how emotionally connected to this music he is). It leads here to a demented encore serenading a "sweat-rag girl" (don't ask) onstage in a show-stopping rendition of "I've Never Been to Me."

The effect of all of this absurdity is at once uproarious and bizarrely reverential, as if the lead singer doesn't fully comprehend that macho posturing isn't exactly what the material calls for. Adding to the mock-intense vibe is the presence of backup singers Gene Reed and John Kozeluh, making like a couple of horn-rimmed loon jobs with their heavily choreographed ministrations. Indeed, what began as Finnerty's karaoke-spoofing joke several years ago evolved into a cult phenomenon boasting club audiences packed with celebrities. Next came prominent cameos in such feature comedies as "Old School" and "Starsky & Hutch." They put out a CD this year. And now it's an hour on national TV for the Dan Band, which is not so much a musical act as an impressively elaborate quasi-homage. Boys, it seems, just wanna have fun, too.