Klarinet Archive - Posting 000100.txt from 2005/07

From: X-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] A long concert
Date: Thu, 07 Jul 2005 15:04:10 -0400

Well her goes my "long concert" story. It's really a long parade story
like that which has been shared by a couple of people.

I was in the 33rd Army Band in Heidelberg, Germany between 1974-1976. We
did a lot of beer tents and civilian parades as well as all the military
ones.

On one occasion, we were doing a parade somewhere in Belgium, I think it
may have been Mons. I thought at first that some of the people in the
band were joking when they told me that the city of Mons once a year
celebrated some event and hooked up the main fountain in the old city
square to an endless supply of bear. I thought they were joking, but no,
it turned out to be for real. Beer flowed from that fountain for a full
24 hours. Just take your mug and fill it up.

We ended up doing what felt like a 5 mile parade route in the afternoon,
followed by a sit down concert that evening. It was so hot that day that
the entire parade would proceed about 2 or 3 blocks and then take a
break. Everyone in the parade would then pour into every bar and pub
there was within walking distance and have a nice cold Stella Artois
while we all talked and shared stories. We would then start the parade
back up about 15 minutes later and proceed about another 2-3 blocks.
This went on for about 3 or 4 hours. Needless to say, all the bystanders
would pour into the bars and come over and talk to us and visit.

This was the most unusual parade I have ever done in my life and
needless to say, we ended up jamming to many Glenn Miller songs while
"resting" in the bars to the large crowds that would gather. It was the
most fun I have ever had while doing a parade and I met a lot of very
nice Belgium folks too. Only parade I ever did where we played "In the
Mood" while marching. The bystanders simply went crazy for that song.

By the end of the parade, we were so "relaxed" that the whole thing just
kind of petered out and we all ended up in a bar. To this day, I am not
sure we ever finished the parade or not, but we sure had a blast.

Tom Henson

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