and Gary Sinise are returning to host the event, with a line up that includes former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Cynthia Erivo, Renée Fleming, Trace Adkins, CeCe Winans, Kelli O’Hara, Mary McCormack, Christopher Jackson and the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jack Everly, as well as General Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Also woven throughout the show will be messages from entertainers and other artists directed at members of the military, veterans and front-line workers. The list includes Chris Evans, George Clooney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julianne Moore, Jimmy Kimmel, Mark Wahlberg and Jimmy Smits. . “It is very different when you have small crews,” Colbert said. “But the commitment is still there, and these are really powerful moments. They really come through on the screen.”
“I think this [show] will be very fondly remembered,” Mantegna added. “We will look back at this year and say, ‘You know what? We did a good job of overcoming this strange time in nation’s history.” The first time she participated in the concert, she recalls being moved by the stories of military heroes and by the music and its large spectacle. “I think [this year] will be equally moving, just in a different way,” she said.