In celebration of Veteran’s Day, The Legendary Roots Crew was put up to a challenge perhaps never before seen on late night television. The band took their talents to the next level by making up songs in honor of veteran audience members on Friday’s episode of The Tonight Show.
Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon first brought up Army vet Larry and was then asked:
“If you could go on a trip anywhere in the world, where would it be?”
The vet responded enthusiastically with, “Probably California…smoke them trees!”
Fallon gathered a few other highlights about Larry’s life and then left The Roots to do their thing.
“Larry McDaniels, too high to get over it/He’s the Snoop Dogg of the Army,” Black Thought sang over the band’s on the spot composition. “Going to California, smoke them trees/Only in a window seat.”
From the looks of Larry’s dancing, pretending to smoke a joint on stage, he loved his personalized tune.
Next in the veteran lineup was a young woman by the name of Kayley who admitted to the fact that she would call her grandma first if she won the lottery, not her boyfriend who she arrived to the show’s taping with. She also shared that the “dumbest purchase” she ever made was a pair of workout cables that she’s never used.
“Her name is Kayley, she loves her family/So if she hit the lottery she’d call her Grammy,” Black Thought sang to a country music melody. “The dumbest thing she ever bought was workout cables/Her boyfriend’s with her, so you won’t be able/Don’t call her Katie/Don’t call her baby/Her name is Kayley.”
The last custom feature was dedicated to Adrian, an Army vet who candidly described her first ever concert experience: Tyrese…after the circus.
“Ringling Bros. used to have a concert series right after the end of the circus, and you’d stick around, and [Tyrese] sang the Coca-Cola song.”
After learning that the vet could play a little bit himself, the band invited him on stage to join in on performing his own custom song.
“I hope you aren’t nervous/Let me thank you for your service,” the song went. “He saw Tyrese at the circus/It was awesome.”