Bon Voyage with the Band Day Two Published June 30, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Madeleine Richards 146th Airlift Wing CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. -- The 562nd Air Force Band of the West Coast has made it to Utah! I wish I could say that the drive was beautiful and scenic but I slept the whole way. Much needed sleep for the long day that was ahead of us. Our day started with a 7am report time. The band and I headed over bright and early to Hill Air Force Base in Layton for their Air Show. I had the pleasure of watching the Brass Quintet and the Dixyland Tailgators, who are also members of the 562nd band, play before the main event. They were so much fun to watch. Both groups were extremely upbeat and people just loved to watch them as they were passing by. After they were done performing, the entire band lined up to march down the edge of the flight line. Their formation was beautiful and I don't think I saw one person out of step out sync. I know because I took pictures that can prove it! When they came to a stop it was time for them to play the National Anthem while someone jumped out of an airplane with an American flag flying in the wind. It was quite an amazing moment for the Air Force Band of the West Coast! That evening the band played at the Ed Kenley Amphitheatre in Layton, Utah. The crowd started filling up thirty minutes before the performance even began and by the time it started almost all the seats were full with people even sitting in the grass overflow! The audience was very diverse in age ranging from adorable young kids waving American flags in the air to many old Veterans representing their branch of service with hats and t-shirts. The energy of the crowd was amazing and I could definitely tell that the band was feeding off their good vibes. A good audience makes a huge difference. When the song 'America the Beautiful' came on the crowd sang along even the Captain of the band admitted it gave him goose bumps! It was a lot of fun to shoot and I hope the rest of their performances get equally enthusiastic reaction from the audience like this one did. I am exhausted between the two shows and I can only imagine how tired the band members are. Another 7am call tomorrow morning for day three with our spectacular band!
Bon Voyage with the Band Day Two Published June 30, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Madeleine Richards 146th Airlift Wing CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Calif. -- The 562nd Air Force Band of the West Coast has made it to Utah! I wish I could say that the drive was beautiful and scenic but I slept the whole way. Much needed sleep for the long day that was ahead of us. Our day started with a 7am report time. The band and I headed over bright and early to Hill Air Force Base in Layton for their Air Show. I had the pleasure of watching the Brass Quintet and the Dixyland Tailgators, who are also members of the 562nd band, play before the main event. They were so much fun to watch. Both groups were extremely upbeat and people just loved to watch them as they were passing by. After they were done performing, the entire band lined up to march down the edge of the flight line. Their formation was beautiful and I don't think I saw one person out of step out sync. I know because I took pictures that can prove it! When they came to a stop it was time for them to play the National Anthem while someone jumped out of an airplane with an American flag flying in the wind. It was quite an amazing moment for the Air Force Band of the West Coast! That evening the band played at the Ed Kenley Amphitheatre in Layton, Utah. The crowd started filling up thirty minutes before the performance even began and by the time it started almost all the seats were full with people even sitting in the grass overflow! The audience was very diverse in age ranging from adorable young kids waving American flags in the air to many old Veterans representing their branch of service with hats and t-shirts. The energy of the crowd was amazing and I could definitely tell that the band was feeding off their good vibes. A good audience makes a huge difference. When the song 'America the Beautiful' came on the crowd sang along even the Captain of the band admitted it gave him goose bumps! It was a lot of fun to shoot and I hope the rest of their performances get equally enthusiastic reaction from the audience like this one did. I am exhausted between the two shows and I can only imagine how tired the band members are. Another 7am call tomorrow morning for day three with our spectacular band!