Saturday 13th August 2011
9.30am and the coach headed out to Alexandria. Alexandria is an historic town with beautiful buildings and a lovely marina. Modern America moved in though with the old building frontages but modern shops including a Starbucks inside. There is a ferry that runs in the week which goes to Mount Vernon (this is where George Washington lived) but as it was the weekend the ferry wasn't running.
The coach was back at the hotel by about 4.30pm and by 6pm we were all ready in our band uniform and heading to Gaithersburg Concert Pavillion for our 7pm performance. Like the majority of our performances this one was also well attended by the people of Gaithersburg with easily 140 people in attendance. We played for an hour and a half and every number was received with rapturous applause. The set list included:
Castel Coch
Final Countdown
African Funk
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans
James Bond Collection
L'il Darlin'
I Will Follow Him
Memory
Reet Petite
Fascinating Drums
Everybody Needs Somebody
Sparks
Bacharach for Brass
Valero
America the Beautiful
God Bless America
and One Voice as an Encore.
The crowd loved us and again gave us a standing ovation. It was a wonderful end to our concert tour performances and meant for the next day we could let our hair down.
Once back at the hotel it was free time and dinner time, once again off to the Rio Centre.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Sunday, 14 August 2011
A day at Six Flags
Friday 12th August 2011
The van with all our instruments on had to be at Six Flags before 10am. After breakfast we all boarded the coach and at 9.30am went to join the van. After a little confusion the coach made it to the "Backstage" area of the park. As it turned out the heavier instruments and percussion had been unloaded from the van which just left us to unload the smaller instruments nearer the 3pm playing time. At 10.30am the park opened and we were given free access to all the rides. There were rollercoasters which turned you upside down and inside out; rides which soaked you to the skin and others which spun you so fast they dried you out again; you didn't know whether you were coming or going...It was fantastic, if you like that sort of thing.
After four hours of testing our limits it was time for our first performance of two, and boy was it hot! The stage was open roofed, the sun was beating down relentlessly and by the time we started it had to be easily 90 degrees Farenheit (32 degrees Celcius), if not hotter! But we soldiered on, swigging plenty of water and applying plenty of sun screen to stop ourselves from getting ill or burnt. Considering the conditions it wasn't a bad performance and after we'd finished our first set we had half an hour to cool down. By the time we started our second set at 4.30pm a bit of cloud cover was offering us some intermittent protection from the sun, making it a little bit cooler. However, by 5.30pm we were all pretty well cooked and ready to get off back to the hotel. So we got all our equipment and instruments loaded back onto the van, jumped on the coach and headed home.
The evening was free time, so most of the band headed down to the Rio Centre and its selection of restaurants for dinner.
The van with all our instruments on had to be at Six Flags before 10am. After breakfast we all boarded the coach and at 9.30am went to join the van. After a little confusion the coach made it to the "Backstage" area of the park. As it turned out the heavier instruments and percussion had been unloaded from the van which just left us to unload the smaller instruments nearer the 3pm playing time. At 10.30am the park opened and we were given free access to all the rides. There were rollercoasters which turned you upside down and inside out; rides which soaked you to the skin and others which spun you so fast they dried you out again; you didn't know whether you were coming or going...It was fantastic, if you like that sort of thing.
After four hours of testing our limits it was time for our first performance of two, and boy was it hot! The stage was open roofed, the sun was beating down relentlessly and by the time we started it had to be easily 90 degrees Farenheit (32 degrees Celcius), if not hotter! But we soldiered on, swigging plenty of water and applying plenty of sun screen to stop ourselves from getting ill or burnt. Considering the conditions it wasn't a bad performance and after we'd finished our first set we had half an hour to cool down. By the time we started our second set at 4.30pm a bit of cloud cover was offering us some intermittent protection from the sun, making it a little bit cooler. However, by 5.30pm we were all pretty well cooked and ready to get off back to the hotel. So we got all our equipment and instruments loaded back onto the van, jumped on the coach and headed home.
The evening was free time, so most of the band headed down to the Rio Centre and its selection of restaurants for dinner.
Saturday, 13 August 2011
From Obama to Kennedy and then Washington.
Thursday 11th August 2011
6.25am and we were gathered in the foyer of the hotel where we were given our breakfast in brown paper bags. Breakfast doesn't officially start until 6.30am so the hotel kindly made packed breakfasts for us all as that was the time we needed to leave. We headed off to Washington D.C. for our date with the White House. As a group from outside the United States we were very fortunate to be given the opportunity to have a tour of The White House because the tours are only avaliable to US citizens. We had a bit of a wait even though we were there early and to make it easier for the security staff we had to stand in alphabetical order. When we finally started making our way through security we had to show our passports and give our surnames and dates of birth. There was one incident where the information that the security staff had was inaccurate, but it wasn't too much of a problem, the person just had to step to one side while the error was sorted out. Once inside The White House we were on a "self guided" tour, where we took ourselves round the rooms which were open to us and in each room there was a member of the Secret Service who can give you further information if you so wish. Our tour included a look at: The Library, The Vermeil Room, The China Room, The Red Room, The Green Room, The Blue Room, The State Dining Room, The East Room and the Cross Hall. All the rooms are used by the Obama family whether for relaxing or for official state functions. One of the Security personnel also told us that "President Obama is in Washington D.C. today and you're very close to him, but I can't say if he's in residence or not."
We left The White House by 9.30am and then drove around Washington D.C. From the coach we were able to see a number of the various monuments to the previous presidents; the ones for the Vietnam War and World War 2 and of course we saw the Capitol Building and the Washington monument, however, being 555ft tall you can't really miss it. We also saw where the museums were so that when we had some free time in D.C we would know where to go.
We were back at the hotel by 12.45pm and a rehearsal was called for 1.15pm in the car park at the back of the hotel. A necessary thing to do when you're being streamed live across the internet in the evening.
At 2.30pm we were back on the coach, all of us in our black trousers/skirts and band polo shirts and we went to the Kennedy Centre which primarily is a living monument to John F. Kennedy. It is also a cultural and international centre. We were due to play at 6pm to a live audience and the concert would also be streamed live over the internet. Before our performance we were given a guided tour of the Kennedy Centre and its various concert halls and stages. The millenium stage (the stage we'd be performing on) is at one end of a 630ft long concorse, at the other end is the Eisenhower Stage. The tour was very interesting. The most impressive thing we learnt is that everything you see inside the centre is a gift from organisations and other countries, for example the marble used in building the Centre was a gift from Italy: 3700 tonnes from Carrara! The tour finished at 4.30pm and we were then required to be on stage for a sound check. 5.30pm and we were off the stage again and getting changed into our full band uniform: white shirts, ties and band jackets, then at 5.55pm we were ready onstage for our performance. Surprisingly the auditorium was practically full, nearly 250 seated and there were still people standing beyond the seating area all the way back to the stage on the opposite side of the concourse. We estimated that there were between 450 and 500 people listening to us. That doesn't include all those people watching online, which you can see again following the link below.
A link to the performance : http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4743
8.30pm we were back at the hotel having started watching the DVD of our performance on the coach. Once at the hotel it was up to individuals to find their own dinner. There is an awful lot to choose from as the hotel is just round the corner from the Rio Centre which has all sorts of shops and restaurants.
6.25am and we were gathered in the foyer of the hotel where we were given our breakfast in brown paper bags. Breakfast doesn't officially start until 6.30am so the hotel kindly made packed breakfasts for us all as that was the time we needed to leave. We headed off to Washington D.C. for our date with the White House. As a group from outside the United States we were very fortunate to be given the opportunity to have a tour of The White House because the tours are only avaliable to US citizens. We had a bit of a wait even though we were there early and to make it easier for the security staff we had to stand in alphabetical order. When we finally started making our way through security we had to show our passports and give our surnames and dates of birth. There was one incident where the information that the security staff had was inaccurate, but it wasn't too much of a problem, the person just had to step to one side while the error was sorted out. Once inside The White House we were on a "self guided" tour, where we took ourselves round the rooms which were open to us and in each room there was a member of the Secret Service who can give you further information if you so wish. Our tour included a look at: The Library, The Vermeil Room, The China Room, The Red Room, The Green Room, The Blue Room, The State Dining Room, The East Room and the Cross Hall. All the rooms are used by the Obama family whether for relaxing or for official state functions. One of the Security personnel also told us that "President Obama is in Washington D.C. today and you're very close to him, but I can't say if he's in residence or not."
We left The White House by 9.30am and then drove around Washington D.C. From the coach we were able to see a number of the various monuments to the previous presidents; the ones for the Vietnam War and World War 2 and of course we saw the Capitol Building and the Washington monument, however, being 555ft tall you can't really miss it. We also saw where the museums were so that when we had some free time in D.C we would know where to go.
We were back at the hotel by 12.45pm and a rehearsal was called for 1.15pm in the car park at the back of the hotel. A necessary thing to do when you're being streamed live across the internet in the evening.
At 2.30pm we were back on the coach, all of us in our black trousers/skirts and band polo shirts and we went to the Kennedy Centre which primarily is a living monument to John F. Kennedy. It is also a cultural and international centre. We were due to play at 6pm to a live audience and the concert would also be streamed live over the internet. Before our performance we were given a guided tour of the Kennedy Centre and its various concert halls and stages. The millenium stage (the stage we'd be performing on) is at one end of a 630ft long concorse, at the other end is the Eisenhower Stage. The tour was very interesting. The most impressive thing we learnt is that everything you see inside the centre is a gift from organisations and other countries, for example the marble used in building the Centre was a gift from Italy: 3700 tonnes from Carrara! The tour finished at 4.30pm and we were then required to be on stage for a sound check. 5.30pm and we were off the stage again and getting changed into our full band uniform: white shirts, ties and band jackets, then at 5.55pm we were ready onstage for our performance. Surprisingly the auditorium was practically full, nearly 250 seated and there were still people standing beyond the seating area all the way back to the stage on the opposite side of the concourse. We estimated that there were between 450 and 500 people listening to us. That doesn't include all those people watching online, which you can see again following the link below.
A link to the performance : http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4743
8.30pm we were back at the hotel having started watching the DVD of our performance on the coach. Once at the hotel it was up to individuals to find their own dinner. There is an awful lot to choose from as the hotel is just round the corner from the Rio Centre which has all sorts of shops and restaurants.
On the Road...Again
Wednesday 10th August 2011
9.30am, after filling up on eggs and cereal and coffee it was again that time to get the coach loaded up with our suitcases and head south on the final leg of our tour. Destination: Springhill Suites, Gaithersburg. The Coach made good time - a travel time of 5 hours on the road was anticipated (traffic depending) but we made it in 5.5 hours including an hour stop off for food.
We arrived at the hotel at about 3pm and got ourselves all organised and settled in our rooms. Then it was free time for the rest of the day. However, an early night was encouraged as we were up and off to the White House very early the next morning.
9.30am, after filling up on eggs and cereal and coffee it was again that time to get the coach loaded up with our suitcases and head south on the final leg of our tour. Destination: Springhill Suites, Gaithersburg. The Coach made good time - a travel time of 5 hours on the road was anticipated (traffic depending) but we made it in 5.5 hours including an hour stop off for food.
We arrived at the hotel at about 3pm and got ourselves all organised and settled in our rooms. Then it was free time for the rest of the day. However, an early night was encouraged as we were up and off to the White House very early the next morning.
Back to Business
Tuesday 9th August 2011
Having spent the last two days boosting the US economy by doing what tourists do best: shopping, sightseeing and eating out, it is now time to get back to business.
After breakfast we had another briefing planning out the day ahead and in particular the concert at Trinity Church, which is right by Ground Zero (an awesome sight, the size of the area and the depth of the crater is altogether breathtaking). We we headed off across the city at 11.30am after transfering all our instruments from the van to the compartments under the coach. We arrived at the church at about 12.30pm which gave us plenty of time to unload the coach and get ourselves organised inside the church, which is also a most impressive and beautiful building. We played a mixed set which included Cornet, Eb Bass and Euphonium solos:
Castel Coch
Bass in the Ballroom (Eb Bass Solo)
America the Beautiful
My Love is Like a Red Red Rose (Cornet Solo)
James Bond Collection
English Folksong Suite
Memory (Euphonium Solo)
Stars and Stripes Forever
God Bless America
It was during the concert that the weather took a spectacular change. It had been a gloriously sunny day and then the heavens opened which made packing the coach up a slightly damp affair. Once back at the hotel we shifted all the instruments back onto the van which left a few band members soaked through.
Once we were all dried off it was free time again. There was the chance to go to a New York Yankies baseball game, otherwise it was a case of entertaining ourselves.
Having spent the last two days boosting the US economy by doing what tourists do best: shopping, sightseeing and eating out, it is now time to get back to business.
After breakfast we had another briefing planning out the day ahead and in particular the concert at Trinity Church, which is right by Ground Zero (an awesome sight, the size of the area and the depth of the crater is altogether breathtaking). We we headed off across the city at 11.30am after transfering all our instruments from the van to the compartments under the coach. We arrived at the church at about 12.30pm which gave us plenty of time to unload the coach and get ourselves organised inside the church, which is also a most impressive and beautiful building. We played a mixed set which included Cornet, Eb Bass and Euphonium solos:
Castel Coch
Bass in the Ballroom (Eb Bass Solo)
America the Beautiful
My Love is Like a Red Red Rose (Cornet Solo)
James Bond Collection
English Folksong Suite
Memory (Euphonium Solo)
Stars and Stripes Forever
God Bless America
It was during the concert that the weather took a spectacular change. It had been a gloriously sunny day and then the heavens opened which made packing the coach up a slightly damp affair. Once back at the hotel we shifted all the instruments back onto the van which left a few band members soaked through.
Once we were all dried off it was free time again. There was the chance to go to a New York Yankies baseball game, otherwise it was a case of entertaining ourselves.
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Sheraton Hotel, Lincoln Harbour to the East River Band Shell
The Sheraton Hotel
The poshest hotel we'll be staying in on our tour and also the hotel with the most problems, which have all been resolved now, but not without a bit of pushing. The pool at the hotel is currently out of action due to renovations and as compensation the hotel promised us a goody bag in our rooms, a free movie and free wifi internet access in our rooms (which normally costs $9.95/day). Everything was as it should've been except the wifi hadn't been set up for our use and the staff didn't know anything about it. Then there were issues over the rooms we'd been allocated, some couples had been given two single beds instead of doubles and we needed some rooms with three beds in, which again they failed to provide and someone had to spend the night on a camp bed. Breakfast was the final issue. The hotel had us sitting away from the other guests in our own private room, but they laid on a much reduced spread to what was in the main dining room. However, by Sunday morning everything had been put right and we could begin to enjoy our stay in New Jersey.
Saturday 6th August 2011
Good Morning New York City! Breakfast in our own dining area just off the main dining room: scrambled eggs, fried potato, a few cereals, croissants, pastries, tea, coffee and juice (all this still not being as much as what was available to other guests). After breakfast we had a quick briefing to go over the music we'd be playing that afternoon (The running order had to be changed as we couldn't get any rehearsal time at the hotel). From breakfast it was free time. A quick chance to have a look around the area surrounding the hotel. There are a good number of restaurants, a deli and amazing views of the Manhatten Skyline. By 2pm free time was over and we were all loaded up on the coach to go and find the East River Band Shell, which proved a tougher job than expected. We came one on one with the New York City grid/one way system and then the problem of our coach and van not being allowed down one of New York's main roads, FDR Drive, which we needed to go down to get to the Band Shell.
We eventually found somewhere to park the coach and the van managed to get inside the park. After unloading all our equipment and getting set up we eventually started our 3.30pm performance at about 4.30pm. Due to the strong winds we set up on the ground in front of the band shell instead of on it; the shape of the band shell made sitting in it like being in a wind tunnel. It was also nice to be joined by one of Porstmouth's (UK) bass players, who happened to be on holiday in New York, plus another holidaying Porstmouth player and family helped to make up the 50 or so in the audience.
We finished our performance at about 5.30pm, got our equipment loaded up and headed off through New York again back to New Jersey where the rest of the day was free to do with a we pleased. It was in fact the start of two whole days of free time.
The poshest hotel we'll be staying in on our tour and also the hotel with the most problems, which have all been resolved now, but not without a bit of pushing. The pool at the hotel is currently out of action due to renovations and as compensation the hotel promised us a goody bag in our rooms, a free movie and free wifi internet access in our rooms (which normally costs $9.95/day). Everything was as it should've been except the wifi hadn't been set up for our use and the staff didn't know anything about it. Then there were issues over the rooms we'd been allocated, some couples had been given two single beds instead of doubles and we needed some rooms with three beds in, which again they failed to provide and someone had to spend the night on a camp bed. Breakfast was the final issue. The hotel had us sitting away from the other guests in our own private room, but they laid on a much reduced spread to what was in the main dining room. However, by Sunday morning everything had been put right and we could begin to enjoy our stay in New Jersey.
Saturday 6th August 2011
Good Morning New York City! Breakfast in our own dining area just off the main dining room: scrambled eggs, fried potato, a few cereals, croissants, pastries, tea, coffee and juice (all this still not being as much as what was available to other guests). After breakfast we had a quick briefing to go over the music we'd be playing that afternoon (The running order had to be changed as we couldn't get any rehearsal time at the hotel). From breakfast it was free time. A quick chance to have a look around the area surrounding the hotel. There are a good number of restaurants, a deli and amazing views of the Manhatten Skyline. By 2pm free time was over and we were all loaded up on the coach to go and find the East River Band Shell, which proved a tougher job than expected. We came one on one with the New York City grid/one way system and then the problem of our coach and van not being allowed down one of New York's main roads, FDR Drive, which we needed to go down to get to the Band Shell.
We eventually found somewhere to park the coach and the van managed to get inside the park. After unloading all our equipment and getting set up we eventually started our 3.30pm performance at about 4.30pm. Due to the strong winds we set up on the ground in front of the band shell instead of on it; the shape of the band shell made sitting in it like being in a wind tunnel. It was also nice to be joined by one of Porstmouth's (UK) bass players, who happened to be on holiday in New York, plus another holidaying Porstmouth player and family helped to make up the 50 or so in the audience.
We finished our performance at about 5.30pm, got our equipment loaded up and headed off through New York again back to New Jersey where the rest of the day was free to do with a we pleased. It was in fact the start of two whole days of free time.
Portsmouth, Boston and New York
Friday 5th August 2011
We had an early start on Friday as we were travelling down to Boston which was an hour and a half to two hour coach journey from Portsmouth.
We were given a guided tour of Boston taking in the sights including Bunker Hill (the sight of the first battle of the American Revolution in 1773) and the USNS Constitution (The oldest active navel vessel). After the tour we had three hours free time in Boston. There was plenty to do in the City including guided tours of the inner harbour, plenty of shops and restaurants.
At 3.30pm we were all loaded back onto the coach for the next leg of our journey, the five to six hours from Boston to New York. There was a stop off at a fast food court for a quick break. After food and a comfort break we got back onto the coach just as a couple of police cruisers turned up to question a couple of guys; by the time we left the food court ten police cars had turned up with a couple of the policemen carrying some fairly serious hardware!
Back on the road again and the daylight slowly faded and the bright lights of New York eventually came into view. A buzz of anticipation ran through the coach as we pulled up to the Sheraton Hotel, New Jersey around 9.30pm.
We had an early start on Friday as we were travelling down to Boston which was an hour and a half to two hour coach journey from Portsmouth.
We were given a guided tour of Boston taking in the sights including Bunker Hill (the sight of the first battle of the American Revolution in 1773) and the USNS Constitution (The oldest active navel vessel). After the tour we had three hours free time in Boston. There was plenty to do in the City including guided tours of the inner harbour, plenty of shops and restaurants.
At 3.30pm we were all loaded back onto the coach for the next leg of our journey, the five to six hours from Boston to New York. There was a stop off at a fast food court for a quick break. After food and a comfort break we got back onto the coach just as a couple of police cruisers turned up to question a couple of guys; by the time we left the food court ten police cars had turned up with a couple of the policemen carrying some fairly serious hardware!
Back on the road again and the daylight slowly faded and the bright lights of New York eventually came into view. A buzz of anticipation ran through the coach as we pulled up to the Sheraton Hotel, New Jersey around 9.30pm.
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