This year's National Memorial Day Concert will feature a segment commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditionally live concert will not be held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Instead, the 32nd annual event will be a special taped 90-minute broadcast Sunday on PBS, featuring performances and tributes from D.C. and around the country.
One of those tributes will mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The segment will feature actresses Mary McCormack and Bailee Madison, and it will be hosted by actor Steve Buscemi. A former FDNY firefighter, Buscemi helped at Ground Zero in New York City following the attacks on the World Trade Center.
“The next day on Sept. 12, I was able to get down to the site and work with my old company,” he told WTOP-FM. “It was a privilege to work alongside them and witness the humanity in the face of the greatest evil, to see all of these people come together: first responders, steel workers, sanitation workers, volunteers, Red Cross, it was amazing.”
Witnessing the Twin Towers fall was an awful, heartbreaking experience, Buscemi said. Initially, the level of destruction and loss of life was overwhelming and difficult for him to comprehend.
"It wasn’t until I started hearing the numbers of firefighters that were missing that it hit home for me, because now I knew that I would know people who were lost," he said.
This isn't the first time Buscemi has participated in a national 9/11 memorial event.
"I went to D.C. almost 20 years ago the year after 9/11; I was asked to do the 9/11 tribute then because they knew I’m a former firefighter with Engine 55 in Manhattan,” he said. “Here we are 20 years later. I’m actually not coming to D.C. I’ve pretaped my tribute at Ground Zero in front of the Freedom Tower and 9/11 museum, so I’m very honored."
32nd Annual National Memorial Day Concert
- When: 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 30.
- Broadcast: PBS; check local listings.
- Streaming: PBS' online concert page. The broadcast will remain streaming for two weeks.
