Cambridge

It really isn’t Tour until we have played a Gym Job. After nearly two weeks of performing in high school auditoriums, old theaters, and university concert halls, we finally played our first Gym Job in Cambridge, NY.

Nearly every band member with a few tours under his or her belt will tell you there is nothing like a good Gym Job to remind you why we are on the road; the people. In a gym, you might be playing in a vast, cavernous space with your sound bouncing off the bleachers or being sucked up by the plastic sheeting found protecting the floors, but you have a great view of the people.

It is more than the people watching, though, that makes the Gym Jobs worthwhile; it is the connection one makes with the audience. There is a clear view of facial expressions and outward signs of emotion; the excitement of the young children, the pride seen on the faces of the veterans. The excitement and emotion is so obvious it is nearly touchable. It reminds us we are taking music to America, the America we see before us, perched on bleachers and folding chairs, braving the discomfort and long lines to hear our concert. This is what it is all about.

My very first tour concert was a gym job, almost field house proportions. (Feel free to skip this paragraph if you’ve heard this story.) I spent very little time in the set up before heading back to deal with hair and uniform, so the gym had not even opened the doors to the patrons before I left the “stage”. Mike Ryan called “On Stage!” and I left the tunnel to walk to the set-up. I stopped mid stride as I realized not only was the entire arena filled to capacity, but they were all on their feet, cheering deafeningly. Someone behind me gave me a little shove and spoke in my ear, “This is what it’s all about!”

Last night’s gym wasn’t even a third of the size of my first tour concert, but I thought about that concert so long ago, looking at the tour newbies, wondering what they were thinking. Maybe they were taking for granted the overwhelming reception we receive at each concert, so different than the reception at any orchestral concert. Maybe they were less than enthused about the locker room dressing areas that go hand in hand with Gym Jobs.

But maybe, just maybe, they had a chance to really see the audience and understand the impact of our performance. Maybe they saw the veteran standing proudly in the back of the gym, saluting as we entered. Maybe they saw the red jackets of the Marine Corps League. Maybe they saw the red, white, and blue sweaters knitted with stars. Maybe they saw the smiles as the audience clapped and waved at band members. Maybe they saw the small children with shining eyes, pointing at the different instruments. Maybe they saw the why of Tour.