Rochester, Portsmouth, Worcester

Another Sunday concert, another week crossed off the itinerary! Sundays are always a challenge; earlier checkouts mean little or no warm up on the instrument and traveling in concert attire. This Sunday was a little different, though, thanks to Kurt and his high school band. Instead of a lunch stop somewhere between Augusta and Rochester, the band program at Kurt’s old high school offered to host us for lunch.

They produced a magnificent spread with something for everyone; meat lovers, vegetarians, and low carb. There were plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, cheese platters, deviled eggs, and multiple salad choices. The grand finale was a beautiful cake with a photo of the Band at the White House.

Completely stuffed and bordering on comatose, the Band members made their way back to the same gym we played in five years before on Kurt Dupuis Day. Kurt had plenty of solos to satisfy the audience full of his family and friends. Sara sang to his nieces and other family members, and I could see his parents singing along to Over the Rainbow. In addition to Kurt’s family and friends, Gunny Kanteres and his wife were in the audience; friendly faces from home. It was our last performance of the C-1 program, so we said goodbye to a number of pieces. Aegean Festival, Hammersmith, and El Salon Mexico move to the back of the folders to make way for some new music during the second half.

A night off in Portsmouth to relax and eat a meal without watching the clock; I caught up on phone calls and wandered out in search of food. I found a nice Mediterranean restaurant and had some Pasta e Fagioli followed by Gnocchi and Spinach in a pink sauce. I planned on an early night, but my room’s proximity to the lounge and crowd of sports fans meant a less than peaceful night’s sleep.

Karen and I were up as usual in the morning for our walk. We waited a few extra minutes to see if there were any others ready to roam, but in the end we struck out on our own. Armed with a map and directions of a four mile circuit around Portsmouth, Karen and I found ourselves seeing neighborhoods of Portsmouth we would not have found on our own. We were intrigued by the miniature pumpkins lined up on door frames, and we noticed that people in Portsmouth take their Halloween decorations very seriously. Some yards were a little more traditional, but there were quite a number on the ghoulish side.

We had a late departure from Portsmouth, so we had two or three hours to fill after loading the buses. Wandering around, I ran into Sara, so we puttered our way through some consignment shops before running into Sam and Heather. I had great fun helping Sara spend some money, and soon it was time to board the buses for Worcester.

The Worcester concert was en route as well, unusual for a weeknight concert. I fell asleep on the drive, even though it was only ninety minutes or so, largely due to the lack of sleep the night before. We parked behind Mechanics Hall and emerged from the buses, going forth in search of food. I ended up at Pizzeria Uno with Leslye and Matt, where we ate slowly to fill the time before we could get into the concert hall.

Mechanics Hall is celebrating its sesquicentennial this year, a mere teenager compared to the Band. The Band shares some history with the Hall; Sousa and the Marine Band performed in Mechanics Hall on the Band’s first National Concert Tour. It is a beautiful hall, albeit a tight squeeze for the Band. Chris Rose had to wind his way through the French horns and the flutes to reach the various instruments required during the piece. It was probably one of the more interesting load-ins for the stage crew, who do an amazing job of making sure we can do our job. It was our last A-1 program, so we played our final performances of Colas Breugnon, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and the Persichetti.

Mark Christianson was introduced to his hometown crowd; this is Mark’s fifth New England Tour, and his final tour with the Band before retiring next year. Les Hunt and his wife Jenny were in the audience. We’ll be seeing them several times on this tour.

Instruments stowed, trunks loaded and locked, the buses headed to Braintree, where we stop for a few days to rehearse new music and catch our breath before tackling the second half of tour.