concert

PBS Memorial Day Concert and an Interview with Trace Adkins

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It’s that time of year again. We are coming to the beginning of the summer season and that also marks the onset of the annual PBS Memorial Day concert. This year, with COVID-19, the concert has a slightly different look but the overall messaging is the same: we are honoring our veterans who have given their lives.

To help promote this concert, various military bloggers were given the opportunity to submit questions to country music star, Trace Adkins. He is one of the performers of this year’s concert.

There were 10 of us bloggers who submitted questions. As an Air Force spouse, I had to ask a question about his favorite Air Force experience.

“I’ve read that you’ve really enjoyed your experience on an aircraft carrier. Since we are the Air Force, what is your favorite Air Force memory?”

He responded that it was the time he was on a C-130 and did a corkscrew landing in Mosul. “It was insane,” he remembered.

I know that the E-3 isn’t the coolest airplane around, and it’s not necessarily what is on display overseas but I was hoping that our platform would be mentioned.

But back to reality….

The PBS National Memorial Day concert is a showcase of stars from all over. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna will host once again. They are the consummate hosts that we rely on.

The 90-minute concert will air on May 24th. It will honor not only our vets, troops and wounded warriors, but our first responders and front line workers as well. The line up includes the Army Chorus, the Air Force Singing Sergeants , and the Navy Band Sea Chanters.

Other performers to look forward to include:

Gen. Colin Powell

Cynthia Erivo

Renee Fleming

Sam Eliott

Mary McCormack

Esai Morales

Laurence Fishburne

CeCe Winans

Kelli O’Hara

Don’t forget that there are always special moments yet to be revealed. Stay tuned and watch wherever you can watch or stream PBS.

https://ordinarysupergoddess.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/military-bloggers-Q-A-with-Trace-Adkins.mp3

A Capitol Fourth Concert

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Holy Moley! What an event! Not that I should be surprised. Every year that this is held, it never fails to amaze. If you didn’t watch it live, you still have a chance to see it anyways. Just log onto pbs.org and watch a feed. Or log onto YouTube. It’s 90 minutes of pure joy and America.

The show opens with the Muppets. How can you go wrong with that? John Stamos mentioned that it was his dream to perform with them. That was always my dream too! You’ll have to watch to see how it turns out. By the way, can you believe that they are 50 years old this year! They don’t look like they’ve aged a bit! Fortunately, there are plenty of times to catch them on your screen.

Photo by MJ Boice. Rehearsal day.

And if you are a reality TV junkie, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the winners and participants from various singing competitions: The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and American Idol.

Early on in the broadcast, John Stamos reminded us all to,

“Love each other as citizens but also as a great, big American family.”

It is great advice in this time in our history. We need to remember our civility as well as our citizenship.

Speaking of civility, the wounded warriors who performed last night were so inspirational. We know that music can heal your soul but watching those men proved that. And having John Stamos behind the drum kit was amazing to see. They sang that country favorite, “Chicken Fried”. You know that gets the crowd going.

But they weren’t the only performers to move my heart. The list of people who came out to share in our nation’s premiere concert is impressive.

  • Lindsey Sterling-electronic violinist extordinaire
  • Laura Osnes-Broadway star
  • Keala Settle-The Greatest Showman performer
  • The O’Jays-celebrated R&B group
  • Gone West with Colbie Caillat
  • Yolanda Adams-gospel singer
  • Lee Brice-country music artist

Carole King and the cast of Beautiful brought me the most joy. She has shared in my young adulthood and the songs in the show bring back so many great memories. I’m happy to see that Vanessa Carlton has taken up the mantle of portraying Carole. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the musical, put it on your list of “to-dos”

But back to the concert at hand. The patriotic music showcased is incredible. After Vanessa Williams sang “America”, she was joined on the stage by a plethora of previous singers to belt out “God Bless America.” It was truly moving. And you should watch it yourself. Just check your local PBS stations for days and times when they are rebroadcasting it.

July 4th PBS photo

And then don’t forget to put it on your calendar for next year. It’ll be the 40th anniversary so it’s sure to be a doozy. You really need to make this show part of your 4th of July family tradition.