[upbeat guitar music]
- Dan Rodriguez: Appleton, I love your faces.
It's so good to see you.
How are ya? [audience cheering]
["Troubadour Family Man" by Dan Rodriguez]
? Well, I'm one more shot in a hotel bar ?
[upbeat acoustic guitar music]
? And I'm a melted crayon in the seat of the car ?
? I'm an ashtray on a balcony ?
? And a Band-Aid on a skinned red knee ?
? I'm a downtown stage singing out a tune ?
? And a blanket fort in the living room ?
? I'm another thousand-mile marks ?
? And a bedtime story in the dark ?
? Well, sometimes I'm a sinner
? And sometimes I'm a saint
? Another highway song about coming home ?
? After every town I paint
? I got one foot in the ocean
? The other one in the sand
? Ooh, troubadour family man
Come on, let me hear you out there!
? Well, raise 'em up and set 'em free ?
? And show 'em how to follow dreams ?
? It's that easy far as I can tell ?
? To build a life and live it well ?
? Well, sometimes I'm a sinner
? And sometimes I'm a saint
? Another highway song about coming home ?
? After every town I paint
? I got one foot in the ocean
? The other one in the sand
? Ooh, troubadour family man
Make some noise out there, Appleton!
[audience cheering]
[upbeat folk music]
? Well, sometimes I'm a sinner
? And sometimes I'm a saint
? Another highway song about coming home ?
? After every town I paint
? I got one foot in the ocean
? The other one in the sand
? Ooh, troubadour family man
? I'm a troubadour family man
? Yeah-eah-eah
[audience applauding and cheering]
I think this is my ninth year playing Mile of Music.
My favorite thing about coming here is seeing everybody.
Everybody in the group is really excited to be here
because it just feels like family everywhere we go.
And, honestly, we're famous.
We're famous here in Appleton.
I'm not famous in other cities.
I'm famous in Appleton, though!
Whoo!
[audience applauding and cheering]
Oh, all right, I'm gonna do this.
I can see you better, hi.
[audience cheering]
I recently fired my inner critic.
And he's, that inner critic,
I've held myself back from sharing lots of songs
over the years because I thought
either they weren't worthy of sharing or I was afraid.
But lately, since I fired
my voice of critic, my inner critic
and that voice of doubt, nobody's around anymore
to tell me it's a bad idea to share new songs.
[audience cheering]
So I want to share one with you guys.
??
This is a song I shelved many years ago
'cause I didn't think it was worthy
of seeing the light of day.
I wrote this song eight years ago.
Really didn't start playing it out until recently.
But, uh...
it's gonna be my very next single that comes out.
I already recorded it.
[audience applauding and cheering]
[folksy acoustic guitar music]
? Whoo, hmm hmm
? Hmm hmm hmm
? Hmm hmm
You let me know what you guys think after this.
If you're excited about another record coming out.
[audience cheering]
If this is a song that you wanna hear.
All right, we only have a 50-minute set here.
And I usually come in and play for a couple of hours
when I come into town, and so I'll say this.
We got a little bit of time, and I'm gonna let,
I'm gonna let go of everything that I've been holding onto,
all the stress leading up to this moment,
all the making sure,
all the coordinating and all the things.
And I just wanna stop, step out of it,
and into this moment with you.
Will you step into this moment with us?
[audience applauding and cheering]
["Wander" by Dan Rodriguez]
? Nothing feels quite like 72
? With the windows down
? And all you can do
? Is keep on rolling
? And keep on pressing through ?
? Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm
? Seen the valley
? And the mountains high
? The winter haze
? And the summer sky
? This place is changing
? And I'm changing, too
? I wanna wander
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? I know you wonder what it feels like to be free ?
? Come on, let go of all the things you think you need ?
? The world is a wonder
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? Hmm hmm hmm
? It might be easy
? To stay in one place
? And always follow
? The road that's paved
? But your heart is asking
? For a different view
? Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm
? 'Cause all of the mystery
? That this life holds
? Like staying young
? When you're growing old
? You can find it
? It's waiting out here for you ?
? I wanna wander
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? And I know you wonder what it feels like to be free ?
? Come on, let go of all the things you think you need ?
? The world is a wonder
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? Well, you can pack your bags
? And leave 'em behind
? 'Cause there's a wide world out there ?
? For you to find
? I wanna wander
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? And I know you wonder what it feels like to be free ?
? Come on, let go of all the things you think you need ?
? The world is a wonder
? Ohh ohh ohh ohh
? I wanna wander
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? I know you wonder what it feels like to be free ?
? Come on, let go of all the things you think you need ?
? The world is a wonder
? Do you wanna wander with me? ?
? Hmm hmm hmm
? Hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm
[audience applauding and cheering]
What Mile of Music has done is it's given a stage
and an opportunity and an audience
to artists who would otherwise not have that.
I started here playing
at one of the smallest venues you can play.
And my first year I came, I was stuck in the corner.
There's a handful of people listening.
And here, several years later now,
we're playing at the largest stage.
They say 7,000, 8,000 people show up to Jones Park
for these sets.
I don't know anywhere else like that, that you can,
in just a few years, make a name for yourself.
There's nothing like this that exists anywhere else.
It's just different.
People have to come here to experience it.
[audience applauding and cheering]
[gentle electric guitar music]
Will you sing along with this one?
[audience applauding and cheering]
["25 Years" by Dan Rodriguez]
? Dancing in the kitchen
? Louie playing trumpet on the radio ?
? You're spinning in that white dress ?
? That you wore so long ago
Come on, now.
? Now I've been trying to slow down ?
? But time keeps moving faster
? Dragging me along
? But, darling, this is right now ?
? And it's where we belong
? In 25 years
? I'll be looking at you
? Wondering, what did I do
? To find someone like this?
? And in 25 more
? We'll be looking older
? Our story won't be over
? All we'll need is
? Another 25 years
? Yeah!
? Ooh, you leave me breathless
? Audrey Hepburn timeless in everything you do ?
? And if we live to be 100
? I'd still need more time with you ?
? In 25 years, I'll be looking at you ?
? Wondering, what did I do
? To find someone like this?
? And in 25 more
? We'll be looking older
? Our story won't be over
? All we'll need is
? Another 25 years
? When we are old and wrinkled ?
? We'll still be interlocking fingers, yeah ?
? Stealing a kiss, feeling like we're kids again ?
? 'Cause whatever comes tomorrow ?
? We're on time that is borrowed ?
? Living it like it's never gonna end ?
Sing it, now.
? In 25 years
- Audience: ? I'll be looking at you ?
? Wondering, what did I do
- Dan: ? To find someone like, oh, yeah ?
? And in 25 more
? We'll be looking older
? Our story won't be over
? All we'll need is
? Another 25 years
? Ooh ooh, ooh ohh, ooh
? Ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh
? Yeah
? Another 25 years
[audience applauding and cheering]
Dan: Thank you Appleton, I love you so much!
[upbeat music]