Now that Dan Finnerty is best known as the foul-mouthed wedding singer from “Old School” and more recently as the 50 Cent-covering performer from “The Hangover,” it’s clear that this guy isn’t your regular wedding singer.
And, if you were wondering, Finnerty is only a wedding singer on the big screen.
He made that apparent in a recent interview with The Daily Aztec, when he said, “After ‘Old School,’ we were getting a lot of offers (to play weddings), and that’s only going to increase after this movie (‘The Hangover’), but I think that the grandmas out there want to see the brides all pretty and not me cursing in their favorite songs.”
Instead, Finnerty fronts a cover band appropriately titled The Dan Band. The rock comedy troop proved its talent reaches far beyond the wedding scene in its recent show at the House of Blues.
While Finnerty has played in San Diego before — and his wife, actress Kathy Najimy, is a San Diego State alumna — he first gained notice while playing bars in Los Angeles, where “Old School” and “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips discovered him.
It’s no surprise to anyone who’s seen one of The Dan Band’s shows why its gained such popularity.
Finnerty’s hilarious covers of songs “previously sung by female singers,” with a little cursing sprinkled in, gets the crowd roaring and he builds off of that with his audience interaction.
Case in point: After belting out “Mamma Mia!” alongside two male back-up singers, Finnerty proceeded to curse out a girl in an arm cast, yet somehow keeping her laughing the whole time.
After speaking with Finnerty, and seeing him live, it’s obvious that this success couldn’t have come to a nicer guy. His blue-collar personality and background shine through his performances and shouldn’t be missed when future concerts come to town. In the meantime, his work as a wedding singer is readily available at a video store or theater near you.
For more information on upcoming shows at House of Blues, visit www.hob.com.
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