Busy Busy Busy! This weekend is only 1/2 over but it feels like VERY long. As you noticed in my last entry.

"Friday: Leave for Indy after 1st period
Saturday: March in Indy 500 parade"

Yes, I was in the Indy 500 Festival Parade! It was a blast, I'm from a small band, but the the one I was in was an All-Star band from high school's here in Indiana. Band directors were asked to pick up to 6 students to come down, stay at Butler and then march Saturday (today) in the parade.

In our band we are extremely disaplined, push-ups come in abundance, it's nothing new to do 200+ of them in a single 3 hour rehearsal. But with an All-Star band they are not like that at all. We only had 5 hours of rehearsal to put the music together, throw the parade block together and get some laps in on Friday evening and since each band marches differently, there would be no more than 6 people marching alike. So they gave very vauge instructions on how to march as well as horn positions. After the rehearsal/sectional we had dinner then off to a "dance/pizza party". Now I don't mean to dis on the admins of this event, but I must say the DJ stunk! I don't mind old music as long as it's descent stuff. But I can't stand Greese and Rocky Horror music to dance to. I left during YMCA and The Lion Sleeps tonight".

This morning we got up around 6:40 AM and got ready for a 7:30 breakfast. From there we had to get ready for a group picture, then off to the busses to head to down town for the parade. No complaints about the busses, they didn't skimp on them, fully decked out coaches! They have a foot rest for crying out loud!

When we got there we had to kill 2 hours of time. Why did we get there so early? you man be asking? Let's just say, 2 hours before the parade the street were packed, I wouldn't have ever tried to get a band of 140 through that crowd, not to mention we all had out home school's uniform on so the directors couldn't tell if we belonged with the band or not.

After the 2 hour break we hit the water and got ready for line up. While in the street warming up and setting the block some guy came over and told us that Howie D was across the street signing autographs. Of course the entire color guard ran over to him like a bunch of crazed 6th grade cheerleaders. I just laughed and ignored it. (I hate boy bands). The parade was almost uneventful. ESPN was there covering the event was hopfully someone in the band was taping and they got a shot of me, I know ratings would go up if they did (no one can resist my hot body j/k :-b). Since it's been almost a year since I've done much marching the 2.5 miles was a heck of a killer, my lips didn't get tired after MANY horn rips, it was my arms that were killing me! We got through it, headed back to the dorms, checked out and headed home. Needless to say, I'm dead! Marching that far in full field show uniform on a descently hot day is real killer in the off season. I didn't get many pictures, but as I get them from friends I'll be sure to share them. Posted by chris at 11:19 PM Band • (19) Trackbacks