Gary Sinise Archives -

What can be more traditional than watching the PBS Memorial Day concert? This year, there were a few reasons why I couldn’t watch it live. 1) I no longer live in the D.C. area which makes it a little less accessible than usual. And 2) the concert wasn’t live.

We all know why the concert wasn’t live this year: we all have to practice social distancing due to COVID-19. But don’t fret, the concert was as wonderful as usual. There were plenty of emotional moments and reasons to not forget the real meaning on Memorial Day.

The show started with “thank you” messages from various famous artists and actors. Vanessa Williams, George Clooney as well as Gwyneth Paltrow took the time to record messages to our vets and front line workers. Did you know that Jennifer Garner is a military brat? Neither did I until her segment was played.

Christopher Jackson, the star of “Hamiliton” sang our National Anthem. It was incredible to hear so I can only imagine what it would have been like live.

The 33rd rendition of this concert had many more nuggets that surprised and delighted us. Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise made sure that they remained six feet apart during their segments. We rely on them to maintain the dignity of this event. As Gary stated, “We come together as one American family….”

In order to overcome the challenges that the pandemic has brought, the production team replayed segments from past shows to emphasize the stories that we have shared as a nation. They celebrated the end of WWII by showing the story of Ray Lamont who landed and survived that invasion. Even if you are a regular watcher of the concert, you can’t keep a dry eye when you see these brave men and women’s stories.

“We come together as one American family….”

Mary McCormack honored all military families with a tribute. As an Air Force spouse, I know it means a lot to us when we don’t go unnoticed.

So, if you missed the show tonight, you can watch it again by streaming it online through my Facebook page, Ordinary Supergoddess. This concert is always worth it so don’t miss out. Thanks once again to PBS for finding a way to keep this tradition going.

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:

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