AF Leisure offers Airmen, households break from work, life stressors > Air Drive Set up & Mission Help Middle > Information Article

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Simply step away and breathe. It’s a easy but well-established instrument in terms of managing each day stressors in our lives. 

Offering Airmen, Guardians and their households alternatives to step away, breathe and simply be within the second is a key focus of the Air Drive Companies Middle (AFSVC) and its Air Drive Leisure program managers.

“All of us have stressors in our each day lives, so it’s necessary to search for methods to step away from these stressors, even when it’s only for just a few hours,” mentioned Jeri White, Air Drive Leisure LIVE STAGE manufacturing director.

“It’s nice to have the ability to deliver leisure to a base that offers Airmen, Guardians, households and buddies a solution to take pleasure in some camaraderie … possibly a while to search out the very best corn gap participant, let free in a brand new bounce home or some bonding with an older little one over the expertise of a primary live performance,” White mentioned, “and all of this for free of charge to the people.”

Since 2016, White and the AFSVC crew have labored with installations and performers – comedians, musical artists and different entertainers – to ship free, first-class performances at places all through the U.S. 

The AF Leisure crew works with reserving businesses to search out the expertise for excursions nevertheless it’s a real partnership between AFSVC and installations in terms of entertaining an viewers. 

“We work with set up leaders to search out the suitable sort of performers and venues, and with power assist squadron groups to execute a plan that makes certain every occasion is a big success whether or not it’s a extra intimate comedy present or full-blown live performance collection,” White mentioned.

Michael Freund is the LIVE STAGE assistant manufacturing supervisor and is commonly boots on the bottom at installations to ensure all goes nicely.  

“These occasions are a few of the most necessary issues in my eyes as a result of they supply a enjoyable occasion for all ages and are free,” mentioned Freund.   

“I work with a crew of operational and technical contractors to make sure the manufacturing facet of the live shows are accomplished appropriately and safely,” he mentioned. “It takes a particularly certified crew of execs to supervise the myriad of particulars concerned to make the occasion a hit.”   

Minot AFB, North Dakota, was one in all 5 installations that hosted LIVE STAGE rock festivals in August that includes Skillet, Hoobastank and We the Kings.  

“I feel it’s simple to overlook generally, particularly after the quantity of isolation that occurred throughout the COVID lockdowns, how necessary social occasions like Rock Fest are for constructing morale particularly at a distant base like Minot,” mentioned Matthew Balas, fifth Drive Help Squadron deputy director at Minot.  

“Native bases typically instances don’t have the sources to have the ability to present this stage of leisure so when a company like AFSVC can are available in and ship such a top-notch product that’s free to the Airmen, that’s an superior alternative!”

Having a high-level live performance on their set up left a constructive, lasting impression for each Airman and household that was capable of attend, Balas added.

“From the artists, Air Drive Leisure workers and crew, and all the many native companions … all the crew got here collectively for one objective … make this occasion a memorable one for all the hardworking and deserving Airmen and their households,” he mentioned, “and all concerned knocked it out of the park!”

“Once I speak to individuals at occasions, they are saying our reveals give them a day to simply overlook about all the things occurring and actually take pleasure in themselves,” Freund added.

Like elsewhere within the leisure business, when COVID hit in 2020 AFSVC tried to carry on to dates they’d arrange for live shows and selection reveals by working with base management to resolve whether or not to host a present or postpone it. More often than not, AFSVC was capable of postpone the present till a later date as a result of booked performers understood the state of affairs and labored with White to give you new dates. For some installations, that meant live performance dates had been pushed a 12 months.

Though the primary LIVE STAGE live performance following the breakout of COVID was in the summertime of 2021, it wasn’t essentially clean crusing afterward.

“During the last 12 months, as we had been planning and prepping for live shows, COVID numbers began to climb once more and we grew to become involved and reached out to base management,” White mentioned. “Most frequently, we heard commanders say, ‘We’re doing this live performance. My individuals want this. My Airmen and households have been cooped up lengthy sufficient. We want this as a shot in our arms.’”

That was necessary suggestions, White mentioned, since one objective of live shows is to get Airmen and Guardians out of their dormitories. 

“We work with every base internet hosting a live performance to make the occasion greater than only a live performance and encourage them to place Airmen on planning committees, so that they have a voice within the occasion,” she mentioned. “We all know that it’s simple for bases to do issues for households and kids and generally it looks as if we’ve forgotten our Airmen.”

Bases are chosen for a specific sort of leisure primarily based on a matrix that features issues like precedence of want, location and lack of alternative for different leisure within the native off-base group. Usually, a base will see a reside live performance about each two to a few years.

“We’re making an attempt to ship a live performance on that schedule, however COVID did a quantity on that, so we’re nonetheless making an attempt to get again to bases that missed out,” White mentioned. “We additionally take a look at what bases are shut sufficient to one another in order that we will do back-to-back weekends, saving on the price of the manufacturing, manpower and the bands as a result of we will e-book them as a bundle.”

Value financial savings are necessary, given the scale of LIVE STAGE live shows.

“After we herald a live performance, it comes with all of the bells and whistles and is in step with what the bottom populace would expertise at a serious live performance off base … the stage is 100 ft x 40 ft, has a roof that’s 35 ft excessive and has three video partitions which are 12 ft x 16 ft. Now we have cutting-edge lighting and audio techniques that use the newest know-how and meet the very best of requirements. 

“We go all out as a result of the Air Drive believes in its Airmen and Guardians,” White mentioned.

“Individuals who haven’t attended any of our occasions could not perceive that these are main occasions,” Freund mentioned, “and once I say main occasion I imply full-sized music festivals with full stage, meals distributors, household occasions and extra with extremely fashionable artists.”

There are quite a few possibilities for individuals to expertise an occasion within the coming months. 

• Illusionist Mike Tremendous started a 40-installation tour Sept. 20 at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts, and it ends Dec. 4 in San Antonio following reveals from coast to coast. 

• The 2022 Fall-Fest Live performance Collection begins in October and contains Tyndall AFB, Florida, Oct. 14; Moody and Robins AFBs, Georgia, Oct. 15 and 21 respectively; and Patrick House Drive Base, Florida, Oct. 22. It contains performances by Gas, 30H!3, Skillet and Sick Puppies. 

• The 2023 schedule contains 15-20 main live shows and near 150 selection and comedy reveals.

To search out out what’s occurring close to you, attain out to your power assist squadron via its site, Fb web page or cease by one of many FSS services in your set up. Info can also be accessible at www.myairforcelife.com.