Kid Rock wows troops

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Patrick Cabellon
  • 452 AMW Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  The stage is set, lighting is in place and the sound is optimal. The air is teeming with the anticipation of the imminent crescendo that is rock 'n' roll. The crowd--more than 3,700 strong and comprised of servicemembers and those near and dear--is all ready and waiting for Kid Rock to blow the roof off the C-17 aircraft hangar and shatter their eardrums.

Rock star Kid Rock performed here night inside Building 2312, a large hangar used to  maintain C-17 Globemaster IIIs. The star's show was part of the Air Force Reserve Command's Tour for the Troops and was not open to the public. Airmen, Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Coast Guardsmen, as well as their friends and families, were invited to partake in the excitement.

Before the evening's rock rowdiness began, Col. Karl McGregor, 452nd Air Mobility Wing Commander, swore two young men into the Air Force Reserve.

Rival Sons--a group with a sound akin to rock from the 1960s and 1970s--opened up the night with an explosive performance.

"Oh, it feels great," said band front man Jay Buchanan. "It feels great and is one of our biggest honors to play for the troops. It is an added bonus to play with Kid Rock for the troops."

"The troops are the guys that have it hard, doing everything that they do for our country," he continued. "I don't know what else to say other than thank you to them. What better way to say it than through this concert?" he asked cheerfully.

The audience enjoyed the opening band, but the main attraction was the multi-platinum rocker, Kid Rock.

"I've been all over the U.S. and been to hundreds of shows, but I am very excited for this show," said Jeff Hunter, a driver for the equipment company that provided the show's stage and lighting. "It's great that he is doing this sort of thing for the troops."

Shows Kid Rock concert help raise morale of troops military-wide and are a great tool for Air Force Reserve recruiters.

"It's real patriotic," said Aaron McCready, a 19-year-old Lake Elsinore resident who will be joining the Air Force Reserve next month. "It gives troops a sense of appreciation that they rarely get because the show was put on specifically for them."

Kid Rock ended the show with an encore in response to the crowd's repeated demands for another song His current chart-topper, "Born Free," brought the show to an end at midnight as the crowd's cheering could be heard nearly half a mile away at the main gate.