That's why the members of Grand Funk Railroad are planning three concerts to benefit the children of Bosnia.
Proceeds from shows in suburban Detroit, New York and Los Angeles will be donated to the Bosnian-American Relief Fund. The charitable organization was created to alleviate suffering of war victims in Bosnia-Herzegovina, primarily children left orphaned and homeless.
The shows are scheduled for April 20 at the Palace of Auburn Hills, April 25 at Beacon Theater in New York and May 2 at Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
In addition to the three founding members of Grand Funk - Mark Farner, guitar and vocals; Don Brewer, drums and vocals; and Mel Schacher, bass - the shows will feature guest artists and a symphony orchestra, including members of the Sarajevo Symphony.
"The opportunity came about through (manager) David Fishof," Schacher said recently, prior to a rehearsal at the State Theatre in Traverse City.
Fishof asked the band members if they would be interested in doing a series of benefit shows. "We said, 'Absolutely,"' Schacher said.
"For us to do it, it's a privilege. We can be ambassadors of the good will of the people of America," Farner said.
Schacher concurred. "It's been my dream to be able to do things for other people," he said. And it offered a chance to perform with a symphony orchestra, something Schacher said had always intrigued the band.
With Farner living in Petoskey and Schacher in the Traverse City area, the group decided the State Theatre was the best location for rehearsal. Drummer and vocalist Don Brewer flew up weekly from his home in Florida.
The three dates are part of an upcoming tour that will take the band across the U.S. and also into Europe and Asia. It is the second tour for the band since it re-formed last year.
Members said that re-forming Grand Funk Railroad after 20 years just seemed like the right thing to do.
"It's not because of all the others, it's just time to get back together and work," Schacher said.
The band went out on top, having garnered a string of hits including "Heartbreaker," "The Loco-Motion," "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "We're an American Band."
Schacher said he and his bandmates simply ran out of energy and wanted to try some different things.
"We worked extremely hard, two albums a year, two major tours a year. There was no time for anything else. We wanted a life, so we stopped."
He and Brewer hooked up in the band Flint and Farner did some solo things, but they also moved on to other endeavors, musical and otherwise.
Brewer toured with Bob Seger for a few years in the 1980s before turning in his sticks.
"After I saw all the arenas, I got my degree and went to law school for a couple of years," Brewer said. But when his ex-wife died, "I basically retired, took time off to raise my daughter."
Meanwhile, Farner had decided the farm he had purchased near the band's hometown of Flint wasn't the right place any more, and he migrated to the Onaway area. "I had threats, people weirding out," he said.
Ten years later, he moved west to Petoskey. Schacher, meanwhile, had moved to nearby Traverse City.
The passing of some 20-odd years has made for some cosmetic changes in the band. Brewer's hair has turned a lustrous shade of gray, though his easy smile still lights up the room.
Schacher's hair is gathered into a tight ponytail, strands of silver peeking through, while Farner seems determined to ignore the passage of time, his long hair hanging down his back, defying fashion trends or the onset of age.
Their music is also little changed. Twenty years of technological advances have enabled them to improve their sound, but as Farner says, "Grand Funk is Grand Funk."
Farner points to his guitar and a scar on his neck, evidence of two discs he had removed. "The doctor said to play a lighter instrument. It's a five-pound guitar called a Parker Fly," he said. "I can make it sound like a Strat or a Telecaster."
Schacher lays down a heavy bottom end, while Brewer and Farner trade leads. Brewer keeps the beat, despite a skiing accident that put his left foot in a cast for a time, and Farner plays both keyboards and guitar.
After rehearsing for two weeks at the State, the band headed to Detroit to work with the orchestra before kicking off the tour at the Palace.
"It's gonna be tasty. It will be neat," Schacher said.