You can't make this stuff up....

All,

  I know this sounds weird being in a warzone and all, but here it is:

 

I'm fortunate enough to be allowed to be the sound guy for the local band CSTC-IT-2-YA (pronounce see-stick-it-to-ya -- it's a takeoff on our command name, CSTC-A pronounced see-stick-uh).  Any-hoo, normally the band just plays on base.  We got invited to play the British Embassy Christmas party.  That was going OFF!  There was 250 people crammed into a room for 150.  The band played really well.  The intoxicated Brit females in tight party dresses were dancing their butts off (rhetorically speaking).  We Americans aren't allowed to drink in the

 

The acoustics in there were awesome.  The decorating committee put sheets on the celing with Christmas tree lights for "mood lighting", but the sheets turned out to be the world's greatest dampers for the drums, which let us open up the mids on vocals.  BAM!  People could understand the band.

 

The band was out in the crowd playing, especially during (I know, these were Brits) Sweet Home Alabama.  Whodathunk that Brits dug Skynyrd?

 

Anyway, the other strange phenomenon was the crowd starting to sing along to "Far Away" which is a song that Al, the lead guitarist, wrote.  It's a catchy tune, but to get a crowd to sing along to the chorus of an original tune is pretty huge.

 

Since I'm the mixing board guy, I got to see the whole thing.

--
"...wrap your arms around your body armor, give it a big embrace, and LEARN TO LOVE THE SUCK!"
  -- Sergeant First Class Jenkins, 13 JUL 08