Arlington Insider

Grammy-nominated rock band Daughtry will perform live during the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game against the Oakland Raiders in a nationally televised halftime show that will air on CBS. The official announcement was made Friday, October 30th at Valley Ranch by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Major George Hood of the Salvation Army, as well as lead singer Chris Daughtry and members of the band Daughtry. The game kicks off at 3:15pm central on Thursday, November 26th and will be televised by CBS.

Daughtry’s performance on Thanksgiving Day will officially kickoff The Salvation Army’s 2009 Red Kettle Christmas campaign, the oldest annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and local children who are beneficiaries of Salvation Army programs were also on-hand for the announcement.

Daughtry will perform a medley of hits from their latest chart-topping album ‘Leave This Town’. The band — whose members include Chris Daughtry, Josh Steely, Josh Paul, Joey Barnes and Brian Craddock — will be the first band to perform a Thanksgiving Day halftime show at the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

“We’re honored to be here, it’s a great opportunity to be part of such an amazing cause,” Chris Daughtry said during the press conference to announce the band’s participation. “We’ve done work with many organizations and we know our fans give. So we hope they’re able to give again and support the Salvation Army.”

“If you want your dollar to go right to people who need it most and not to bureaucracy, you do it through the Salvation Army,” said Jerry Jones. “Almost $1.2 billion has been put into those kettles through the past 13 seasons we’ve hosted the Red Kettle Kickoff.”

Jones was also excited about the fact that this year’s performance will be in the new stadium.

“Throughout the design process, when we were making decisions, we thought of the Thanksgiving Day show,” noted Jones.

“You absolutely need to fill that stadium space with color and sound, and the music Daughtry produces is so strong and so powerful it’s just a perfect fit for us,” says Cowboys vice president Charlotte Anderson. “With the strength of the building, we need to have something that can really rock like Daughtry. I think they’re going to do a great job. And it’s time to have a great rock message for our audience. These guys appreciate where they are and where they came from. They are so willing to share that message with other people. You’ve got to have a band that fits your purpose & mission, not just be a great performer. They are both.”

Daughtry band member Josh Steeley talked about The Salvation Army’s bell ringers; he recalled the fact that his family would put money in the red kettles when they walked out of grocery and retail stores during the holiday season.

Major George Hood and Jerry Jones both acknowledged that difficult economic times have stressed charitable giving, yet also created a bigger need for services provided by the Salvation Army.

“The state of the economy has forced an increasing amount of people across the country to seek help from The Salvation Army and we expect to serve more than 30 million people in the coming year,” said Major Hood. “We really depend on continued public support of the Red Kettle Campaign. $130 million was put intot those kettles last year. We hope to surpass that. The American public has never let us down.

“We are America’s Charity. The Dallas Cowboys are America’s Team. Bringing us together, the synergy that is created, is a victory for the American public.”

This is the 13th year that the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day halftime show has officially launched the Red Kettle Christmas Campaign on a nationally televised stage. Previous halftime performers include: Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes, Creed, Jessica Simpson & Billy Gillman, Clint Black, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire.