"Idol" winner joins Adkins, Beach Boys for Memorial Day Concert

Beach Boys - Wouldn"t It Be Nice

WASHINGTON h**l go down in music and television history as the 15th and final champion of American Idol, having won the shows farewell season.

Now, Trent Harmon comes to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitolto sing the national anthem at this weekendsNational Memorial Day Concert, which airs live Sunday night from 8-9:30 p.m.on PBS andaround the globeto U.S. military service memberson theAmerican Forces Network.

A frequent advocate of theWounded Warrior Project, Harmon says he might get choked up.

Man, I dont think theres going to be any more moving of a ceremony than being able to look out over that crowd, Harmon told WTOP. Im pretty sure Ill be able to hold it all together, but I really cant wait. I hope I have time to get there early or even maybe afterwardand just walk through Arlington, just kind of soak it all in. Its going to mean a lot to me. This is a big deal to me.

Turns out, WashingtonD.C. holds a special place in Harmons heart.

D.C. is my most favorite childhood memory as far as family vacations go, Harmon said. Being a history major throughout college, it was kind of an inspiring moment for me to go to D.C. as a ninth or tenth grader, so thats going to be an even bigger bucket list for me.

Its been a wild ride for Harmon sincewinning the Idol finale in April. The Mississippi native has since moved to Nashville to crank out songs for his upcoming record the prize for winning Idol.

Itsstrange, man, Harmon said. I look at this from such a contestant-to-artist perspective. Even being around Keith Urban, Harry Connick and J-Lo, its such an artist-to-contestant perspective.And in one moment, they announce your name as the winner of the show, and now its artist-to-artist.

He says hes still not used to beingpart of the Idol club.

Imbumping arms and having lunch with the Scotty McCrearys, the Katharine McPhees, the Carrie Underwoods, Harmon said in awe. Id be talking to David Cook and I would say, Oh, excuse me, Mr. David, and hed say, Man, you dont have to say that anymore. Youre one of us now."

The Idol fellowship will continue Sunday, as McPhee will also perform as part ofthe Memorial Day Concert, along withThe Beach Boys, National Symphony Orchestra, Alfie Boe and Trace Adkins,who often salutesfallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery with thehit country song, Arlington.

I actually got to seeThe Beach Boys in concert for the first time last summer and it was pretty surreal in itself, Harmon said. I hadnt even auditioned for[Idol] at that point, so now Im sharing a stage with them artist to artist. Thats kind of weird if you really say it out loud from my perspective.

Retired U.S. General Colin Powell will also make anappearance at the concert, which will beco-hosted by annual emcees Joe Mantegna andGary Sinise,the latter of whom joined WTOP last week.

We just wouldnt miss it, Sinise said. Its one of my favorite things to do each year. Its a great way to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed for our country we have great performers every year.

Sinise and Mantegna will also co-host MondaysNational Memorial Day Parade onConstitution Avenue. The parade will include performances byPhil Vassar, John Michael Montgomery and Tony Orlando. Itwill betelevised live nationally at 2 p.m. on REELZ network, locally onNews Channel 8 in D.C., streamed online on Military.com andaround the world on the American Forces Network.

The American Forces Networkuses seven satellites anddigital compression to broadcast events over 1,000 outlets in more than175 countriesand U.S. territories, as well as on board U.S. Navy ships.

But before you line up along the parade route onMonday, head down to the National Mall on Sunday andgrab a spot forthe 8 p.m. concert.The National Memorial Day Concert is free to the public.

Listen to the full interview with 2016 American Idol winner Trent Harmon below:

Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.

2016 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.

Source: http://wtop.com/entertainment/2016/05/idol-winner-joins-adkins-beach-boys-for-memorial-day-concert/