FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 18, 2015) -- Fort Benning won a concert for its support in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service Wing Eating contest, but the artists coming to play are anticipating the event just as much as the fans are.
The Eli Young Band, with openers Old Dominion and Kelsea Ballerini, will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. March 28 on Wetherby Field, with gates opening at 4:30 p.m.
"It's always a wonderful opportunity to get to play for troops and for Families of military," said Eli Young Band drummer Chris Thompson. "They all sacrifice so much; their hours and their time. It's a great thing to be able to come and say 'thank you.'"
The Eli Young Band visited Okinawa, Japan, in early November for five days and brought out more than 7,000 servicemen and women for the concert.
Thompson said the band members all have personal connections to the military. Thompson's stepdad and his Family were Navy, while lead vocalist Mike Eli has brothers in the Marines and bassist Jon Jones' brother-in-law just retired from the Army, he said.
Pizza Hut is just one outlet for the Eli Young Band to find ways of supporting Soldiers, Thompson said. The band is constantly talking about partnering up with other artists for USO-style shows.
"As far as the four of us, we really enjoy these kinds of shows where we can just say 'thank you' and do something that's fun," Thompson said. "They are very unique shows, and it's not every day we get to have those, where there's just a sense of 'what every one there is doing is much larger than just buying a ticket and going to a show' - there's something more special about it and we really enjoy doing that."
The concert is the product of Fort Benning having been the Contiguous U.S. winner of the Pizza Hut of the AAFES Wing Eating contest in 2014.
The challenge was simple, as a release by The Exchange and Pizza Hut stated: Eat 24 wings as fast as humanly possible.
The winner of the contest was Staff Sgt. Trevor Schaff, D Troop, 2nd Squadron, 16th Cavalry, from Fort Benning, who clocked in at 1 minute and 59 seconds.
As the "Wing King," Trevor won a $500 gift certificate, said Gerald Smith, store manager for the Fort Benning Pizza Hut.
In addition to crowning a Wing King, the competition included a Battle of the Bases, where 30 installations competed to see which could eat the most wings.
As a result, two winning bases were crowned: Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, as the OCONUS winner with a 20.2 percent increase in wing sales and Fort Benning as the CONUS winner with a 6.48 percent increase in wing sales.
Opening act, Old Dominion, had been handpicked to do several shows with the Eli Young Band, Thompson said.
"They're awesome guys and a great band," Thompson said, noting the band's sound caught his attention at a music festival.
From then, when the Eli Young Band was discussing possible openers, Thompson said, "Old Dominion."
Thompson spoke for the band and said they want the fans to have fun, enjoy the music, be able to step out of the stresses of life and just have a good time.
With their new EP having come out this month, the band will play two brand new songs, as well as the hits that have made them famous.
"It's nice that the EP is finally out," Thompson said. "We started the year playing these two new songs for audiences who had never heard the songs. Now that it is finally out there, the fans can finally hear the songs and be familiar with them. It makes it a little more fun to play."
The band tailors the set list for concerts to where they play, so fans who have been long-time followers of the band's music may be familiar their older hits while newcomers can jam to their more nationally recognized songs, Thompson said.
"It's really a different kind of experience for us," Thompson said. "It's great selling out a huge venue; it's always a lot of fun. It just gives kind of more significance to the show."
The Fort Benning Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation is also a sponsor of the concert.
Wetherby Field is an open-air venue; so guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and arrive early to stake out a good spot.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase, but coolers will not be permitted. Pets are also not allowed.
Guests may be subject to security checks.
For turn-by-turn directions to Wetherby Field, download the free GuideOn smart phone app.
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