Hordes of young people gather in the middle of nowhere, raising devil horns and pumping fists along to a rock-radio staple. Laser lights penetrate the deep night sky and catch dust particles launched by the stomping of boots on desert ground.

The lights were spastic, casting hues of purples and reds across the night sky, while crane cameras swooped overhead and choreographed dance numbers and guitar solos unfolded onstage.

Soldiers queued up for hours to meet some of Operation MySpace's performers, lining the halls of the base's PX -- military speak for "postal exchange" -- to get autographs from Filter, Disturbed, and comic Carlos Mencia. But most everyone was puzzled by the man in fatigues seated next to Filter's Richard Patrick at the signing table.

One thing that's absolutely obvious after a few hours on this base: All soldiers have other passions, and when a few minutes in the day arrive for personal time, they'll dive right into whatever it is they enjoy. For two National Guardsmen about to deploy northward into Iraq, that passion is the guitar, and they got a rather awesome opportunity yesterday to jam with Filter's Richard Patrick.

About halfway around the world (and seven hours ahead), SPIN.com's Peter Gaston is in attendance at a U.S. base in Kuwait where Filter, Disturbed, the Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Simpson, and DJ Z-Trip are about to entertain some 5,000 troops, most of whom are scheduled for imminent deployment into Iraq. Here's his first video entry with scenes from his first day on base:

On Monday, MySpace will webcast a concert for the troops live from Kuwait, and our Peter Gaston will be on-hand to witness the event.