Zac Brown Band rock's the Marne

Photo By Spc. Gregory Gieske | The Zac Brown Band performs for approximately a thousand Soldiers in attendance at FOB Marez/Diamondback as part of the band's USO tour, April 16.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, IRAQ

04.21.2010

Story by Spc. Dustin Gautney and Spc. Gregory Gieske

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq -- The sounds of a thousand voices cheering in celebration filled the night air over the distance land, intermixed with musical southern hospitality. For the Soldiers of Forward Operating Base Marez/Diamondback treated to a concert by the Grammy Award winning Zac Brown band the nighttime concert allowed an opportunity to relax from the pressures of deployment life and enjoy a brief moment of home.

"I'll tell you what we tell the crowd every night back home when we play back in the states. We tell them to remember people sleeping in a sandstorm so that we can be free," said the bands' front man, Zac Brown, to the crowd of Soldiers.

With successful Southern-rock hits including five Billboard country charts and number one singles such as, "Chicken Fried", "Toes", "Highway 20 Ride", the band said it was their duty as Americans to bring the troops overseas, "a little bit of home."

"They were great," said Pfc. Seth Geiger, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, "Some of the songs really remind you of just being home and hanging out with friends."

Similar to the bands' stateside shows fans were welcomed to meet and talk with the band members after the show as well as sign autographs.

"They said it was just part of Southern hospitality, but it was awesome to get a chance to talk to them face to face; they really care about what we are doing here," said Geiger.

During the USO tour's various shows the band recorded much of the performances for a music video for the band's single "Free."

"The soldiers at the shows were able to wave at their families [During the music video footage]," Brown says. "We want to show our support of the military and just remind everyone that it's still real, and it's still going on."

Despite the band's own personal success of being nominated for the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, the band elected to take part in the USO tour instead of attending the awards ceremony.

"The war isn't front-page news anymore and a lot of folks forget that there are actually people over there, away from their families, serving our country, "said Brown. "They've been giving up months and months of their lives, some of them years, so we're excited to get to entertain them."

• Date Taken: 04.21.2010
• Date Posted: 04.30.2010 03:44
• Story ID: 48916
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, IQ