FORT BENNING, Ga., (May 13, 2015) -- Soldiers, Families and civilians of all ages turned out May 9 at York Field for a free concert that had the crowd rolling with the music changes.
The warm weather and festive atmosphere had the crowd converging on the various ice cream stands and singing along to the musical stylings of REO Speedwagon, Grand Funk Railroad and the Chris Watson Band.
The concert, sponsored by the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, was a long-anticipated event by many of the Soldiers at Fort Benning.
"I have been waiting for this concert all season. REO is one of my favorite bands, and I'll take any excuse to see them in concert," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Baack.
"This event is an awesome time for Families to enjoy just being together," said Shanna Baack. "This show marks the beginning of summer weather on-post fun, and is the perfect opportunity for us to hang out with the kids and just let off some steam. We are so grateful for these kinds of opportunities."
The Chris Watson Band kicked off the concert, and while many in the audience weren't familiar with Watson's music, he gave a rousing performance that ended with loud applause and even had a few people singing along.
Following Watson, Grand Funk Railroad took the stage and had people clapping along as they sang hits like We're An American Band, The Locomotion and Some Kind of Wonderful. The real crowd pleaser, though, was Closer to Home/I'm Your Captain, a song that in the 1970s became a sort of anthem for Soldiers returning from Vietnam, said Don Brewer.
The final and most anticipated performance of the evening was REO Speedwagon, and they had no trouble getting the crowd on their feet, playing classic songs like Can't Fight This Feeling, In Your Letter, Take it on the Run and Ridin' the Storm Out. The band also took time to encourage Soldiers and Families.
"There are those who told us along the way that we didn't have what it took to make it in the music industry. They told us we would never be able to reach the goals we had set for ourselves," said Kevin Cronin, lead vocalist. "I tell you this because I'm sure y'all have had similar experiences - you set goals for yourself, and people along the way try to hold you down and tell you you're not good enough. And I tell you, just do what we have been doing for 40 years. Just keep pushing on."
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