On Veterans Day, the Edgar Loudermilk Band headlined Red, White & Bluegrass at the Jack Wilcox Theater at PARC in Plymouth, Michigan. They played two full shows, at 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM, for a room that came to honor the people who served, and for a livestream audience watching from across the country.
Who Edgar Loudermilk Is
Edgar Loudermilk records for Pinecastle Records and leads his own band. He was named SPBGMA Bass Fiddle Performer of the Year two years running, in 2023 and 2024, and was inducted into the Georgia Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Bluegrass Unlimited has called his voice “one of the most distinctive, recognizable, and enjoyable voices in the business.”
Those are the credentials. What people in Plymouth saw was a working band that knows how to play for a room, and knows why it was there that day.
Why Bluegrass on Veterans Day
Bluegrass is music of small towns, families and hard work. It is the music a lot of veterans grew up on, and a lot of them came home to. It fit the day.
The theme for the concert was “Celebrating Our Nation, Honoring Our Heroes.” The band carried that through both shows. They also shared the stage with Lily Alattar, who joined them for several numbers, and with special guest Sandy Point, who opened the show.
More Than a Concert
The afternoon and evening also included a Quilts of Valor presentation, and a video thank-you from Congressman Jack Bergman (Lt. Gen., USMC, Ret.) to everyone who attended and to the Elks. The event was hosted alongside the Plymouth–Ann Arbor Elks Lodge #325.
None of it happens without the people behind it. Thank you to our sponsors and supporters:
- Paralyzed Veterans of America, Michigan Chapter
- Veterans BRG, a UPS Business Resource Group
- Veteran’s Disability Claims Assistance (VDCA)
- Everything Fraternal, Plymouth Rocks, Glover’s Heroes, Spark Nation and the City of Plymouth
- Production partners FERAL Entertainment and Heroes Media Group
And thank you to PARC and to Ryan Fisher, PARC’s Theater and Operations Coordinator, for giving us a home for the day.
Most of all, thank you to the veterans who came out, and to the ones who watched from home. This day is yours. The music was our way of saying so.
Keep the Conversation Going
If you liked this, you will like Thirsty Thursdays: every Thursday, 4 to 6 PM at Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, where blue-collar know-how meets STEM thinking over a cold one. It is free. Grab your free ticket, or tell us you want one started in your town.
See the full lineup, partners and more from the day on the Red, White & Bluegrass event page.
