MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. -- The Combat Center’s Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field was filled with the sounds of Seether and Saliva as the bands kicked off the 2010 Sounds of Freedom Rock Festival Saturday Aug. 25.
A sea of nearly 12,000 patrons attended this year’s event, quadrupling the 3,000 in attendance from the event in 2008, said Kelley Coe, Special Events Program Manager for the Marine Corps Community Service program.
The crowd screamed with anticipation as the stagehands completed sound checks and set up the stage, signaling to the thousands of fans the bands were about to perform.
First to rock the Combat Center community was Saliva.
Their set and enthusiasm set the mood for the night as the vast and undulating crowd grew louder, raving for more songs.
“Click Click Boom,” shouted the crowd, firing up when the first few notes of the popular Saliva song started to play.
Dave Novotny, the bassist for Saliva, said they’ve travelled to many military bases to play for the troops.
“My dad was a Marine,” Novotny said in an interview before the show, describing the connection he felt with the community he would later entertain. “We love supporting our troops.”
To close their performance, Saliva’s front man Josey Scott gave a personal shout-out to the Marines and sailors, saying how great it was to play for people who put their lives in jeopardy for the sake of the country.
Seether then seized the stage.
The stage lights dimmed as an intricate guitar and rhythm session proceeded, lulling the Combat Center into a daze before cranking up the volume and beat to reenergize the crowd.
Seether played well into the night. However, it was a side comment that raised the volume of the crowd to its loudest of the night – they professed the Marine Corps was their favorite military branch.
“Marines are nuts,” added Dale Stewart, bass player and back up vocals for Seether, in an interview before the concert.
While neither Seether nor Saliva has any other future military performances planned, both bands said this will probably not be their last.