Leisure provides Airmen, households break from work, life stressors > Air Power Materiel Command > Article Show

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Simply step away and breathe. It’s a easy but well-established device in the case of managing day by 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 Power Companies Middle (AFSVC) and its Air Power Leisure program managers.

“All of us have stressors in our day by 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,” stated Jeri White, Air Power Leisure LIVE STAGE manufacturing director.

“It’s nice to have the ability to convey 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 perfect corn gap participant, let unfastened in a brand new bounce home or some bonding with an older little one over the expertise of a primary live performance,” White stated, “and all of this without charge to the people.”

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

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

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

Michael Freund is the LIVE STAGE assistant manufacturing supervisor and is usually boots on the bottom at installations to verify all goes properly.  

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

“I work with a staff of operational and technical contractors to make sure the manufacturing side of the concert events are accomplished appropriately and safely,” he stated. “It takes an especially certified staff of pros to supervise the myriad of particulars concerned to make the occasion successful.”   

Minot AFB, North Dakota, was considered one of 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 in the course of the COVID lockdowns, how necessary social occasions like Rock Fest are for constructing morale particularly at a distant base like Minot,” stated Matthew Balas, fifth Power Assist Squadron deputy director at Minot.  

“Native bases usually occasions don’t have the sources to have the ability to present this stage of leisure so when a corporation 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 optimistic, lasting impression for each Airman and household that was in a position to attend, Balas added.

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

“After I speak to individuals at occasions, they are saying our reveals give them a day to simply overlook about every little thing happening 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 concert events 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 in a position to postpone the present till a later date as a result of booked performers understood the state of affairs and labored with White to provide you with 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 concert events, COVID numbers began to climb once more and we turned involved and reached out to base management,” White stated. “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 stated, since one objective of concert events 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, in order that they have a voice within the occasion,” she stated. “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 selected kind 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 stay live performance about each two to a few years.

“We’re attempting to ship a live performance on that schedule, however COVID did a quantity on that, so we’re nonetheless attempting to get again to bases that missed out,” White stated. “We additionally have 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 ebook them as a bundle.”

Value financial savings are necessary, given the scale of LIVE STAGE concert events.

“After we herald a live performance, it comes with all of the bells and whistles and is according to 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. We now have cutting-edge lighting and audio methods that use the newest know-how and meet the very best of requirements. 

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

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

There are quite a few probabilities 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 Sequence begins in October and consists of Tyndall AFB, Florida, Oct. 14; Moody and Robins AFBs, Georgia, Oct. 15 and 21 respectively; and Patrick Area Power Base, Florida, Oct. 22. It consists of performances by Gas, 30H!3, Skillet and Sick Puppies. 

• The 2023 schedule consists of 15-20 main concert events and near 150 selection and comedy reveals.

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