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Regardless of individual political beliefs regarding the war in Iraq, every band that has appeared on ROCKLINE has proclaimed profound, positive support for the men and women who put their lives on the line on a daily basis. Now one band, Puddle of Mudd, has put their amps and guitars where their mouths are. Months ago, the U.S. military polled our service personnel as to which band they would most enjoy seeing perform in Iraq. POM was the soldier's choice. Immediately accepting the offer, the group headed halfway around the world stopping to play two gigs in Germany before heading for the scorching desert. They played live at Forward Operating Base Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, long a city dangerous to be near. After being briefed in Kuwait, and reminded to stay keenly aware of their surroundings, they began the journey to Iraq in earnest. Upon arrival they were fitted with body armor over their obligatory T-shirts, sneakers and shorts and placed in a Humvee for transport. The following day they were taken for a ride in a Blackhawk helicopter.

Many of the service personnel refused to believe the band was actually coming, as many had agreed only to back out at the last minute. Before a near delirious crowd of about 1,500, POM's set was preceded by a raucous warm up from the First Infantry Division's own Rock band. The concert itself was strikingly similar to a Stateside event with mandatory headbanging and girls storming the stage. Then, about two dozen female soldiers danced on stage with the band during their encore song "She Hates Me". But the surroundings were anything other than similar sights we would see here at home. While in Germany, the band met a soldier who had just been given the Bronze Star...in exchange for both of his eyes and much of one arm, the result of a car bombing. The unnamed soldier presented the Star to the band prompting drummer Greg Upchurch to be overcome with emotion. After leaving Iraq, Puddle of Mudd played another show in Friedberg, Germany.

Wes Scantlin and Doug Ardito are scheduled to join us for what will be one of the most amazing ROCKLINE's in history. Find out more about POM at PuddleofMudd.com then prepare yourself for an unforgettable evening, exclusively on ROCKLINE!