This Memorial Day, Tim McGraw gave military members and veterans a real treat when he put on a military-only live performance at Manhattan’s Beacon Theater. The venue was packed to the hilt with men and women in uniform, but that doesn’t mean that soldiers around the world had to miss out. Thanks to a partnership between the United Service Organization and Chase, the concert streamed live via YouTube to bases all over the country.

“These men and women go out and put their lives on the line to protect the simple freedoms we enjoy every day,” McGraw said in a statement. “Playing for them last night was a thrill for me, and it was just small gesture of appreciation.”

The Memorial Day performance kicked off McGraw’s involvement with the HomeFront program, an effort from Chase and Operation Homefront to help military families buy homes. The program offers mortgage-free houses to wounded service members and military men and women in need. After all, it’s hard to come home from serving overseas when you don’t have a home to go to.

“I hope there will be a lot more of these types of shows as we get deeper into our HomeFront program,” McGraw added. “The energy in The Beacon was electric last night…it was the perfect way to spend Memorial Day.”

It sounds like the ‘Better Than I Used to Be’ hitmaker enjoyed spending his holiday with American heroes. Up next for the iconic country star is the kick-off of his history-making Brothers of the Sun Tour with Kenny Chesney. With two mega-popular country stars headlining the tour, the McGraw/Chesney road run could be the largest stadium tour in country music history. The fun starts with a show in Tampa, Fla. on June 2, and will stop at stadiums all over the country through August.

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