Laine Hardy Performs for U.S. Troops With Show in Abu Dhabi
American Idol, meet American troops!
A former American Idol winner has just returned from a trip to visit American troops, as Laine Hardy marks his first overseas concert entertaining members of the U.S. armed services. The guitar slinging newcomer shared news of the journey with fans Tuesday (February 9), posting a handful of photos to Instagram.
“My band and I greatly appreciate the sacrifice that each of the servicemembers make for our country,” Hardy says of his trip. “We are thankful for everything we were able to honorably experience while here. This will be a moment in my life I will never forget.”
The 20-year-old Louisiana native won season 17 of American Idol in 2019, and has since released a number of deep-country tracks produced by Jason Aldean collaborator Michael Knox. Artists do not reveal the exact details of their military-base visits ahead of time, a measure intended to protect both the artist and the men and women they entertain, but Hardy can now reveal he finished his excursion with a full-band performance in Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi.
Photos of the trip included Hardy smiling from the cockpit of a fighter jet, standing alongside face-masked servicemembers at a dusty desert outpost and posing for a group shot with his band in an airplane hanger. Laine Hardy spent 2020 performing for fans with his Ground I Grew Up on virtual tour, and released the tracks tracks “Ground I Grew Up On,” “Tiny Town” and “Let There Be Country.”
His latest release, “Other LA,” tips a hat to his Louisiana roots with a swampy-rock sound, and was co-written by Hardy with Andy Sheridan, Erik Dylan and Dan Isbell. He plans to release more new music early this year.
