Aero India 2019: US Air Force Bands Rock the Air Show

Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam

While metal birds were breaking the speed of sound at Aero India 2019, a group of airmen from the US Air Force mesmerised the crowd with a rock music concert. A six-member rock band named Pacific Trends from the US Air Force was one of the main attractions of events, with the rock numbers drawing crowd.

We are a six-member rock/pop variety group, but we also have a 13-member jazz band and between those two bands we cover all of the Pacific. So, we do a fair bit of travelling. We are basically based out of Yokota air base, outside Tokyo and we travel all around the Pacific.

Staff Sergeant Andrew Clemenson, the drummer of the band.

A jugalbandi with their counterparts in the Indian Air Force, the band managed to draw visitor’s attention away from the hovering helicopters and supersonic fighter jets.

“Today, we had the great opportunity to perform along with the Indian Air Force band. We played music back and forth, then played some Indian classical music and American pop and rock,” Clemeson added.

Senior Airmen Clifton Wright, the lead guitarist of the band was busy finding music in the sound of the fighter aircraft passing above his head. “That would be a Sukhoi SU-30. Very loud, very musical. I think it’s a D-Sharp,” he pointed just aircraft took to the skies.

But more than the fighter planes, Wright was more interested in the music. “I grew up listening to Ravi Shankar. If there was one thing I could do, that would be to play real Indian musicians. So, I got an opportunity to do that today and it was a transcendent experience,” he said.

Playing music while supersonic jets were making sorties was not easy, but according to a band member they started loving it after a point. “They tell us to take rest when the planes are going. But we they loved it. If they fly by during the music, we call it air power,” she said with a smile.

Master Sergeant Christin Foley, the vocalist of the band