PBS National Memorial Day Concert May 24

PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert returns on Sunday, May 24, with a lineup that includes Alan Jackson, Mickey Guyton and Noah Wyle in a live national broadcast from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. PBS says the 37th annual program begins at 8 p.m. ET and runs 90 minutes. The event is part of the network’s annual Memorial Day weekend observance and will also stream online. ### Who is appearing in this year’s broadcast? Capital Concerts said performers and participants for the 2026 program include Alan Jackson, Mickey Guyton, Jamey Johnson, Noah Wyle, Melissa Leo, Jonathan Banks, Andy Grammer, Laura Osnes, Blessing Offor and conductor Jack Everly with the National Symphony Orchestra. PBS’ concert page also lists featured story segments tied to veterans and military families from multiple eras of service. (pbs.org) Alan Jackson’s appearance comes during his farewell run. ABC Audio reported that Jackson will perform from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, while Jamey Johnson and Mickey Guyton are set to appear from the Capitol program. ABC Audio said Jackson’s final tour stop is scheduled for June 27 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. ### Why has there been confusion over the hosts? (prnewswire.com) PBS and Capital Concerts announced earlier this month that Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise would host the 2026 concert. The May 4 release described them as the co-hosts for the live Capitol broadcast. (digital.abcaudio.com) Gary Sinise told USA Today, in an interview carried by AOL on May 24, that Mary McCormack would join him as co-host after Joe Mantegna dropped out “due to unforeseen circumstances,” according to a May 21 statement cited in the report. That account differs from earlier promotional material that named Mantegna. ### Which veterans are being honored onstage? (prnewswire.com) Chuck Kohler, 102, will be honored during the broadcast, according to Sinise’s USA Today interview. AOL reported Kohler is one of 11 remaining survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack and will be recognized on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Sinise said, “We’re losing 1,000 World War II veterans every single day, so time is short.” (aol.com) Olin Pickens, 104, of Blue Mountain, Mississippi, will also be honored during Sunday’s concert. Mississippi Today reported that Pickens, a World War II veteran and former prisoner of war, spent 26 months in captivity after being captured in North Africa. ### What stories is the program built around this year? The 2026 concert will mark 250 years of U.S. military service, according to Capital Concerts. (aol.com) The producer said the broadcast will include musical salutes and dramatized stories tied to service members and families from the American Revolution onward. One announced segment features Noah Wyle in a tribute connected to the Revolutionary War era. (mississippitoday.org) Gary Sinise also said the National Symphony Orchestra will perform two works by his late son, McCanna Anthony “Mac” Sinise, who died in 2024 of chordoma. “I’m so proud to have two of my son’s works played by the National Symphony Orchestra,” Sinise told USA Today. ### When and where can viewers watch it? PBS says the concert airs live on Sunday, May 24, at 8 p.m. (prnewswire.com) ET on PBS. Capital Concerts and ABC Audio said the program will also be available on YouTube, the PBS site and American Forces Network, and as video on demand through June 7. (pbs.org) (aol.com)