Every year, PBS honors America’s fallen heroes during the National Memorial Day Concert. The annual concert occurs on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In 2023, the concert aired on PBS on Sunday, May 28.
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Some of the performers and special guests were Joe Mantegna, Gary Sinise, Trace Adkins, Mary McCormack, The War and Treaty, and Phillip Phillips.
Country music star Jo Dee Messina was another performer at the concert. The “I’m Alright” singer performed her military tribute song, “Heaven Was Needing a Hero.”
“Heaven Was Needing a Hero” was released in 2010 as a track on Messina’s EP Unmistakable: Inspiration.
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In “Heaven Was Needing a Hero,” the narrator loses a loved one who served in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice. She opens the song by saying:
“I came by today to see you. I just had to let you know, if I knew the last time that I held you was the last time, I’d have held you, and never let go.“
Then in the emotional chorus, Messina sings:
“I guess Heaven was needing a hero. Somebody just like you. Brave enough to stand up, for what you believe, and follow it through.”
Messina gracefully performed “Heaven Was Needing a Hero” during the 2023 National Memorial Day Concert. Photos and videos of people mourning their own lost heroes played on the screen to the side of the stage and appeared on the broadcast itself.
Everyone in the audience warmly applauded Messina after the song ended. You can watch her touching tribute in the video below.
