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.