Neal McCoy, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders kick off USO tour at RAF Mildenhall

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  There's no doubt about it: Neal McCoy and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders rocked RAF Mildenhall with their live performance here Jan. 25.

The country singer relied heavily on audience participation during the hour-long concert, throughout which one of the NFL's best-known cheering squads wowed the crowd with their high-energy dance moves.

"From start to finish, this was one of the best shows I've ever seen," said Staff Sgt. Thomas Long, 352nd Special Operations Group.

Acknowledging the various age groups and diverse musical tastes of the audience, in addition to his country hits, Mr. McCoy and his band performed songs by entertainers like ZZ Top, Sarah McLachlan, the Village People and the Commodores.

The entertainers visited RAF Mildenhall as the first stop on a multi-base tour of Europe courtesy of the United Services Organization and Armed Forces Entertainment. The tour is the 70th to include members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Mr. McCoy and the cheerleaders actively engaged the crowd throughout the evening, which was an effort appreciated by those in the crowd.

"His interaction with us was just awesome," said Senior Airman Melissa Littlejohn, 352nd SOG.

Mr. McCoy occasionally left the stage to personally serenade some of the youngest members of the audience, and the cheerleaders brought three very willing participants to the stage for an up-close view of one of their dance numbers.

The country star closed the show by saying what an honor it was for him and the rest of the performers to play for the military.

"I've been on 14 USO tours," he said. "I've been to Afghanistan and Iraq several times, and those visits are no more important to us than having the opportunity to come over here and play for y'all in England.

"We thank you for all you do," he continued, before finishing with his trademark show-closing song, "I'm Your Biggest Fan."

Following the concert, Mr. McCoy and the cheerleaders signed autographs and took photos with members of the audience. Earlier in the day, they visited several units on RAF Mildenhall, including the 100th Security Forces Squadron and the KC-135 flight simulator.