Country star will entertain troops and their families...UPDATE: The post about the concert is here
Grand Ole Opry favorite Brad Paisley will headline the USO "Salute to the Military" concert at the White House on Wednesday night, when President Obama and First Lady Obama host troops and their families for their annual Independence Day picnic on the South Lawn. The acclaimed Tennessee superstar, 39, has sold millions of albums around the globe, and was named the Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year in 2011. Paisley's first performance at the White House was two years ago, when he played in the East Room during an event celebrating country music. (Above: The First Family watches Paisley in action)
More than 1,200 troops and their families will attend the picnic on the bunting-and-balloon filled South Lawn, according to the White House. Paisley will perform from a big stage, as will the United States Marine Corps band, "The President's Own." There wil be games for kids and the best seats in Washington for the spectacular fireworks display over the National Mall in the evening. Barbecue will not be the only thing cooking: Washington has been breaking heat records for the last week, and the temperature on Wednesday will be in the 90s. The event will be livestreamed beginning at 8:00 PM ET at wh.gov/live.
“The Fourth of July has always been about family, freedom and celebration,” Paisley said in a statement from the USO. “I am so honored to be spending my holiday performing a USO concert for our troops and their families and to be celebrating those freedoms with the men and women who put everything on the line to defend them.”
July 4th is also Malia Obama's 14th birthday. President Obama and the First Family will return from an extended stay at Camp David on Wednesday morning. Ahead of the picnic, President Obama will deliver remarks at a naturalization ceremony for active duty service members in the East Room, at 10:50 AM.
Paisley first played at the White House in July of 2009, when the President and Mrs. Obama welcomed him for a country music edition of the PBS series In Performance at the White House.
Last week, the President and Mrs. Obama hosted the annual Congressional Picnic at the White House. It also had a country theme: "Blues, Boots & Barbecue."
Paisley in performance at the White House in 2009:
Photo by Pete Souza/White House, taken on July 21, 2009.
