Marine Corps Base Hawaii -- Mololani Park was covered in lawn chairs and blankets July 12, 2013 as families and friends gathered for the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Band’s Summer Concert Series. This was the second concert in the three-concert series.
“The whole show was very invigorating and family oriented,” said Anna Hipp, concert attendee. “It’s great. It brings the families together.”
The concert was open to the public. The theme for the concert was “Welcome Home.” The band played songs related to different parts of the U.S., like the East Coast around North Carolina, songs from the south like Georgia, and songs from places like Alaska. The songs came from places with well-known military bases where some families now stationed in Hawaii might have traveled from. It was a way to bring service members and their families together by showing everyone here has been through moving away from home.
“Anyone could attend and enjoy it,” said Heidi Goedecke, who attended the concert with her step-daughter. “If you like music, how could you not like the concert?”
Kids ran around laughing and playing while parents watched, smiling. Dogs lay lazily in the grass, seeming to enjoy the cool, breezy night.
The band played “Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” and “America, the BeauÂtiful” as well as other well-known songs. The band played mostly instrumental music but a few Marines stepped up to the microphone to sing.
The Marines threw humor into the concert. When they wanted to play a song from Alaska, the band played an off-key tune, stating the instruments froze because of the cold. A drum line came out, claiming the drums are the only instruments immune to freezing temperatures.
“I think there was a good connection between the audience and the band,” said Cpl. Alex Dutton, drummer, MarForPac Band. “I felt good about the fact that I can bring a mutual understanding to military families about moving.”
Near the end of the concert a few Marines came off the stage to hand out colorful beads to the children in the audience. Children ran from their parents to the stage to get their set of beads. The Marines smiled and laughed as they handed out the beads to the excited children.
The next concert in the Summer Concert Series is Aug. 23 at 6 p.m. at Mololani Park and is open to the public.