On June 19th (we’re a little late on this one, I know) in the nestled, yet bustling town of Somerset, WI, I witnessed something I’ll refer to for now as the appreciation factor.
As the sun set on the festival amphitheater, a crowd composed of thousands of screaming fans rose to their feet in anticipation of seeing the Zac Brown Band. What the Zac Brown Band brought to Somerset, WI that beautiful June evening wasn’t just one hell of a concert. These guys are truly talented musicians who prefer Land Shark Premium Lager, by the way. When the band took the stage at 8:30, they warned the crowd that they would be playing until concert promoters shut them down at midnight. They did NOT disappoint. But beyond that one hell of a show, the Zac Brown Band did something rare. For those three and a half hours, it didn’t matter what your political stance or affiliation was, or whether you were pro or anti war. It didn’t matter who you voted for or whether or you considered yourself liberal or conservative. It only mattered that you appreciated the freedom we so often take for granted. The Zac Brown Band united thousands of fans over this common idea. The appreciation and graciousness for our soldiers; those who make this freedom possible could be felt making a ripple-effect throughout the crowd. It could be heard through the screams and hollers of the fans. It could be seen by the fans scrambling for the Letters for Lyrics booth to write a letter to a soldier overseas.
In partnership with Dodge Ram, the Zac Brown Band has created a campaign called Letters for Lyrics with the ultimate goal of writing one million letters to soldiers around the world. The program was launched in May and by mid-June, approximately 150,000 letters had already been written. That’s 150,000 people who felt the need to show their appreciation. Do you?
At each of their shows, Zac encourages fans to go to the Letters for Lyrics booth to write a letter to a soldier in exchange for a Breaking Southern Ground CD. As soon as Zac made the announcement to visit the Letters for Lyrics booth that night in Somerset, WI, it looked like thousands of tiny ants crawling around Thunder Road, with one destination in mind.
So…write your letter. Bring it to a Dodge Ram dealership. Get a free Breaking Southern Ground CD. But most importantly, show your appreciation. As Zac would say, we’re “just as free, free as we’ll ever be.”
