Armed Forces Entertainment is excited to announce that country artist Frankie Ballard will be entertaining troops in Japan and Okinawa, March 20-27, 2019. This will be Ballard’s fourth tour since 2016, performing a total of 14 concerts for military installations in various regions across the globe. The musician also toured with AFE in March 2016 in the UK and in October 2016 and May 2017 in Germany. To signify dedication like Ballard’s, AFE is honoring Ballard as an official ‘AFE Replay Artist’, which is a program designed to recognize the professional entertainers who have toured three times or more. The new AFE Replay Artist program highlights and showcases a true dedication of talented artist continually providing entertainment time and time again to the troops and families.
The tour, kicking off in Yokosuka, Japan, will include the following performances:
- March 20 – CFA Yokosuka, Japan
- March 21 – NAF Atsugi, Japan
- March 22 – Yokota AB, Japan
- March 23 – Kadena AB, Okinawa
- March 24 – Camp Schwab, Okinawa
- March 27 – MCAS Iwakuni, Japan
“Heading to Japan mile marks the furthest from home we’ve ever played shows! Although rockin’ our troops, ironically brings my heart closer to the red, white, and blue than anything. These service men and women deserve the best entertainment, and the best of me is what they’ll get,” said Ballard.
“Dedication like Ballard’s deserves recognition. We developed the AFE Replay Artist program to show appreciation to the entertainers who continually support AFE and our mission of bringing quality entertainment to troops and families around the world,” said Lt Col Ken Marshall, Chief of AFE.
When touring, AFE Replay Artist’s tour collateral will showcase an AFE Replay Badge that indicates the number of tours executed by that performer. Each time the entertainer goes on tour the badge will be updated acknowledging their commitment to entertaining at military installations in Europe, the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific.
All AFE events are FREE to service members, their families and guests who have appropriate access to the military base. The Frankie Ballard tour is just one of the many AFE events touring in 2019. For more information on upcoming events, click here.
