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Last night I went to a Steve Miller concert at the wonderful Wolftrap amphitheatre outside of DC. (I might be dating myself: Some youngsters out there might not know that Steve Miller was a HUGE rock start for a while in the 1970s, with hits such as Fly Like an Eagle and The Joker.) Anyway, Miller did a really cool thing to start the night. Right after the band's opening number (the aforementioned Fly Like an Eagle), he did a short monologue dedicating the next song, in very heartfelt fashion, to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. The song was "Living in the USA," which appears to be intended to criticize people who enjoy freedom and take it for granted without doing anything to earn it. It was very refreshing to hear a rocker of that generation so unambiguously express admiration for our military folks. I loved it.

Oh, and the rest of the concert was great, too. Miller earned every bit of whatever he was paid: His band played for a solid 2 1/2 hours, with 26 different numbers, to an enthusiastic crowd. The last six songs were all once really big hits: Keep on a Rockin' Me, Baby; Take the Money and Run; The Joker; Come on and Dance; Jungle Love; and Big Ol' Jet Airliner. If anybody out there has Miller and his band playing near your town, I recommend the show highly.

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Military