Members of the U.S. Army blew the audience away on America’s Got Talent with their audition of a Temptations classic. Ahead of the episode airing Tuesday (July 11), NBC dropped a preview with a performance by the North Carolina-based 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus.
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Under the direction of the drill sergeant, the team came marching out onto the stage in an orderly fashion. The group’s leader shared that they not only came with the goal “to win,” but also to honor the memory of Elijah Crawford, a fellow solider in their division who passed away a week before their audition. “We’re dedicating this performance to him and all of the soldiers that have passed before him,” he said. “That is really respectful, and I’m really sorry,” judge Simon Cowell commented. “We’re all rooting for you.”
The group began the performance with a recitation of the Airborne call-and-response. But their militant stage presence evaporated as soon as they launched into an a cappella rendition of The Temptations’ “My Girl” that united their choir of voices beautifully and got the crowd and host Terry Crews hyped up.
The performance ended on a high note – literally – as one of the singers got down on one knee as he belted out a string of vocal runs that brought the audience to its feet. “I love it,” Crews cheered as he jumped up and down side-stage.
The latest season of the variety competition show has seen plenty of musical acts, including Steel Panther, Mitch Rossell, a singer/songwriter in Nashville who shared the “personal” song he wrote about his father who was killed in a drunk-driving accident when he was 10, and the Freedom Singers from Skid Row, among others.
Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC
