Opry to East Green

TIFFIN — This Saturday, the East Green will feature Stolen Silver, a band riding high off of their debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry a month ago. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the East Green Amphitheater, 155 E. Market St. It is free and open to the public. Stolen Silver is a band composed of Levi Britton, of Traverse City, Michigan, and Dan Myers, Tiffin University Professor. Myers also plays with the Lt. Dan Band, led by "Forrest Gump" actor Gary Sinise, who played Lieutenant Dan in the 1994 blockbuster. Actor and Humanitarian Sinise created the Lt. Dan Band to honor military members and veterans. The concert at the Opry was a rare chance for the band to perform for a civilian audience. The occasion: celebrating 30 years of "Forrest Gump." Before becoming assistant professor of Commercial Music at TU, Myers was a songwriter who frequented Nashville. He laughed as he explained, "There's nothing quite like walking out on that stage and seeing the circle - pieces of the historic floorboards - and you see the big room it starts to feel like: wow this is real, we're really doing this." The Opry lineup included several country music legends, who each performed a selection from the film's iconic soundtrack. Stolen Silver is the de-fact opening act for the Lt. Dan Band. They performed Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" and their original song "Harder Than It Had to Be." "Our pick was last minute. We were running it backstage putting final touches on it." Myers explained. A seasoned performer, Myers said the Opry Concert will go down as one of the best musical experiences he's ever had. He remembered, "They had cameras out documenting us walking in through the artist's entrance. It had a certain seriousness to it as soon as we got off the bus." Stolen Silver had to go through an approval and vetting process to even be selected to perform. The performance at the East Green this weekend will be a smaller show, but a full-circle moment for Myers. His earlier band, "Down the Line" had their last-ever performance at The Ritz Theatre, 30 S. Washington St. Myers moved to Tiffin years later, where he raises his two boys. "Maybe the Universe brought me to Tiffin," Myers remarked. He was excited about the chance to teach film scoring, sound design, and music production to undergraduate students. "It's a forward-thinking school with a state-of-the-art studio." Myers and Britton feel really lucky to be able to get together at the East Green."We have guys coming in from Nashville and Michigan. I'm also excited to have my students and former students get to hear what I do out on stage." Stolen Silver is a folk-rock band formed 13 years ago. Their sound is built around the rock-solid vocal harmonies of best friends Britton and Myers. They're inspired by the sounds of the 1970s "We're excited to Rock Tiffin!"