TUESDAY, JUNE 30TH – WEDNESDAY, JULY 1ST, 2026 – DRAKE MILLIGAN TO KOREA FOR 4TH OF JULY / 250TH BIRTHDAY OF THE USA CELEBRATIONS:
So, here I go again writing a road report for a tour I was unable to accompany. Really disappointed not to be able to go with Drake and his group to Kunsan Air Base, Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys Army Garrison. Fifteen hours just for the portion from Minneapolis to Seoul was just too risky for developing a blood clot! And I knew their tour manager Lucas could handle everything. All the pre-planning was in place.
The group departed 6:00 am from Nashville, connected in Minneapolis and landed in Seoul at 5:00 pm the following day. Long flight! They were met by an escort provided by Camp Humphreys and had no problem clearing immigration and customs. Their escort – Ricah – was waiting for them and they drove for about 3 hours to Kunsan AB. I “think” they stopped at a Roadside Rest Area for dinner but not sure. I do know their rooms were ready for them when they arrived at the Wolf Pack Lodge. Kunsan Air Base has always been my favorite base and I am so sad I can’t be there. But, I’ve worked with Kiersten on several previous tours and knew she would take great care of the group. And she did!
The group got to play with “boy toys” up until time for sound check. That included visiting the K-9 Unit and letting one of the guys “suit up” and get taken down by the dog. They also got to shoot the 50 Cal off a Humvee and hold several of the “big guns”. Plus, they saw a drone demonstration and got to fly those. All these were things I wanted to set up for them on their first tour to Germany last year but the schedule was so tight, all we did was bus from base to base, do sound checks, shows, and repeat. Very happy they had the true “military experience” on this trip!
Sound check went “fairly well” except the sound company wired the system complete backwards and forgot to put the “pin” in the riser where they set up the drum kit! Sadly, the person we have been using for production passed away last year not long after our big shows in May in Korea for the Gary Sinise Foundation. Sound check ran late because of the mis-wired system and the crowd was already coming in before they finished. Report is they had a fantastic performance and Kunsan was very pleased They also had a pretty long line for the M&G after the show. Several of the guys went “hooch hopping” – something I told them they should not miss if the opportunity was there. Not sure what time that finished but I’m sure it went into the wee hours of the morning.
FRIDAY, JULY 3RD – PERFORMANCE AT OSAN AIR BASE:
Lobby call was at 9:00 am and SrA Smith met them for the bus ride from Kunsan to Osan Air Base. For the first time, the group was not allowed to stay at Turumi Lodge on Osan – which was a HUGE mistake. I tried to get it changed but Osan and Camp Humphreys had pre-paid for rooms at a local Marriott Hotel before I knew about the situation. The group dropped bags in a building by the stage but were unable to leave them in their “Green Room” because it was occupied by Osan Air Force Officers and their families. SrA Smith took them outside the gate to the great shopping area so they could have lunch at a “local” restaurant. When they bot back on base, the Green Room was ready for them.
Sound check was a disaster. The person in charge of the festival had made the decision to put the Front of House console on the side of the stage. Think about it…”Front of House”…obviously it goes “in front of the stage”1 Drakes Front of House engineer couldn’t see or hear the group from that position. Let me explain it this way – sit in the trunk of your car and then try driving the vehicle down the road. That’s what was expected of Drake’s group. I was furious. I asked the production company “why” I was not told about this because obviously he knew. He said the told the person at the base it was not appropriate but they refused to cooperate. Since I was paying the production company, I should have been notified. Sadly, all the great people working for FSS at Osan lost their jobs last year in al the DOGE cutbacks. Because the group were not staying at Turumi Lodge, the base had to provide toiletries and towels and transport them to the gym to shower.
I assume the show was great and there was a big crowd but I’ve been unable to get any information at all from the base. I did talk to Lucas and he confirmed that there was a big crowd. Camp Humphreys had to send a truck after the show to pick up all their equipment and transport it to their base. Again, if they had been lodged at Turumi, that would not have been necessary. But, since the group traveled by bus to the Marriott Hotel after the show, they couldn’t take all the equipment with them. The Marriott is a beautiful hotel located near NOTHING1 It was not walking distance to any shops, restaurants, etc. but instead was in an industrial area.
SATURDAY, JULY 4TH – 250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT USAG HUMPHREYS:
Lobby call at 7:30 am to drive to Humphreys and stay all day. Sound check was early – 9:00 until 11:00 am – -but they had to stay there because traffic was going to be horrendous coming onto the base. The base opened the festival up to all the locals and they stopped allowing people to come in when they reached 80,000 attendees!
There was a massive stage built with all the “bells and whistles” – pyrotechnics, cannons, etc. and the best sound company in all of Korea was hired to produce the show. There were seven female heavy metal K-Pop bands performing besides Drake. Seemed really strange to have that as the line up for the birthday celebration of the USA but that’s the type of music the young soldiers want to hear. They also had the Black Eagles performing – the South Korean equivalent of the USA’s Thunderbirds or Blue Angels. I saw some video footage and it was spectacular.
The group filled the time after sound check and before their performance with lunch, bowling, shopping in the largest Army base exchange in the world and another visit to the gym for showers! Photos and videos from Drake’s performance were amazing. They left shortly after their performance to go back to the Marriott. I’m not sure if they decided to venture into downtown Seoul that night or not.
SUNDAY, JULY 5TH – DEPARTURE FROM SEOUL:
Lobby call was at 9:30 am and Drake’s group departed to Australia for a tour!
