The "Rhode Island Sound," a division of Navy Band Northeast from Newport, Rhode Island, performed in Times Square to a packed crowd as part of 2016 Fleet Week New York (FWNY), May 27.

"We get to travel around and get to put out the message of the Navy out to the public," said Musician 3rd Class Chris Lapidas. "We've received overwhelming positive reactions from the people of New York and they love to hear live music."

The 9-piece band played a modern mix of popular American rock and pop tracks ranging from Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" to Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4."

"They're fantastic," said Andrea Mansfield, a New York City native. "It's amazing ... the different songs and the different styles they can do. It's really heartwarming that they'll give us the time to put on a show like this with everything else they do already for us."

The concert ended with "America the Beautiful" with audience members standing in harmony and singing the lyrics.

"We like the patriotic music and the fact that military and civilians are all intermingling," said Cliff Mckenzie, a New York resident. "It gives us a good chance to see the support that we have on both the civilian side and military side, which is especially good in New York City."

FWNY, now in its 28th year, is the city's celebration of the sea services. Fleet week provides an opportunity for the citizens of New York City and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as see firsthand the latest capabilities of today's maritime services.

For up-to-date information on all Fleet Week events, visit the official Fleet Week New York website at www.fleetweeknewyork.com, "Like" FleetWeekNewYork on Facebook, and "Follow" @FleetWeekNYC on Twitter. Fleet Week New York photos can be viewed on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fleetweeknyc and Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/fwynpao. Join the conversation on social media by using #FleetWeekNYC.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Mid Atlantic, visit www.navy.mil/.