MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Within just a couple days of each other, platinum-artist Elliott Yamin and rising band Clarias both came to show their support for troops during a United Services Organizations tour throughout Guam and Japan.
Screaming teenage girls rushed the stage as Yamin made his first appearance on the parade deck here Oct. 14.
This was Yamin’s second USO tour and seventh trip to Japan within the last year and a half.
“I’m here for you guys,” Yamin said. “The gratitude we get from the men and women of the armed forces is amazing, but we’re just as grateful to you guys.”
During the concert Yamin performed songs from both his selftitled album and his sophomore album, “Fight for Love,” but saved his first radio single, “Wait for You,” for the end of the show. The array of fans joined in to sing the final song of the performance.
“That’s the beauty of music,” said Yamin. “To be able to take people’s minds off the mundane things of everyday life is a great thing.”
The Boston-based band Clarias arrived in Iwakuni Oct. 16 just two days after Yamin’s performance.
The band of brothers and college friends made their way to Iwakuni after touring several military bases throughout Guam and Japan.
Clarias’ upbeat and lively music kept the crowd pumped up throughout their two-hour performance.
“The music we play is pop/rock. It’s commercial, it’s accessible. Everyone likes it,” said drummer Jordan Lipp.
There is one difference from Clarias and most other rising artists in the pop/rock genre, though; they are determined to make it big without getting signed by a major record label.
“The whole thing is, without the help of a record label no band has actually made it, so we’re in a weird dynamic in the music industry right now,” said Lipp.
It wasn’t hard to tell the band was passionate about what they do.
“We believe in what we do and want other people to believe in it, so obviously we want to share it with as many people as we can, and if that means we have to stand around and listen to it while other people enjoy it, that’s totally cool because we like to see other people enjoy music,” said Lipp. “That’s why we play.”
Clarias not only wants to do a tour when they get back to the states, but also made it very clear they plan on doing another American Forces Entertainment or USO tour as soon as they can.
“The shows have just gone off so well,” said Lipp. “Everyone’s just giving us such good vibes from the audience, and they’re just so encouraging that we have no choice than to put out our best show for them.”