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AFCENT Band Rocks 380th

  • Published
  • By 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The United States Air Forces Central Command Band, Starlifter, visited the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing from July 31 to August 2, 2014.

The seven-piece group of musicians is known for performing in virtually every musical genre. From rock, pop, jazz and country, to great contemporary and traditional patriotic songs, the band delivered a spectacular performance. Starlifter featured a variety of popular music from the 1970's to the more contemporary hits of today.

The musicians played three different venues during their short stay at the 380th. The first show was an o-dark-thirty breakfast treat for maintenance and operations workers at Roy's Dining Facility, followed by lunchtime and dinner acts. Crammed into a small corner of the facility, the band rocked a number of tunes for the hungry Airmen. They finished their gig by playing a handful of acoustic tracks for workers serving meals.
The next night the band brought down the house at the Thirsty Camel, playing a two hour concert for an excited crowd. Popular hits such as Sweet Child O' Mine and Gettn' Jiggy Wit It were part of a dynamic set.

"The most fulfilling part of our job is just all the smiling faces that we see when we come to a base," said Tech. Sgt. Keisha Gwin-Goodin, the lead vocalist with Starlifter. "We've been deployed two and a half months so far and we have hit eight countries already. There's lots of preparation that goes into putting on a show like this. The most challenging part of the deployment is sometimes the touring schedule, it is pretty grueling, but we have a responsibility to get out to our brothers and sisters who are deployed."

The band wasn't done yet. On Saturday they wrapped up their trip to the wing by playing a barbecue show for the Soldiers working at the Army Patriot site.

The U.S. Air Forces Central Command Band is the first permanently-assigned Air Force Band to the Central Command Area of Responsibility. Based in Southwest Asia, the band is comprised of deployed Airmen from active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard bands.

These dynamic musicians perform and tour in small ensembles throughout the AOR to positively promote troop morale, diplomacy and outreach to host nation communities. The USAFCENT Band rotates several ensembles through the AOR that perform a wide variety of musical styles to appeal to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.