Totally unbelievable

It was totally unbelievable in more ways than one. I am talking about the Free concert we went to last night. It was a performance by the United States Navy Band and it was awesome. But before I get to the highlights of the performance, let me tell you what happened BEFORE the concert.

The concert was at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center(NCPAC). This is located right next to the North Charleston Colosseum. The two buildings are almost touching and they share the same parking lots. We arrived at the parking lot with plenty of time to spare. To my amazement the traffic was very heavy and as I guessed there were other events going on. We were supposed to have tickets waiting at the will call office but the question was which one.

We asked the first person who looked official; Can you tell us where we pick up our tickets to.... He just pointed in a direction and said "will call" We hurried along with the masses which all seemed to be heading in the same direction. The crowd looked a little rough for a band concert so I correctly assumed that they were mostly going to something different. As we walked along a woman with 4 children was going over her rule #1 with the kids:

Do you all remember what my rule #1 is she asked. One of the children said "Don't embarrass you" That's right she said. Rule #1 is don't embarrass me. She rattled off a bunch of stuff and then repeated the don't embarrass me part. For a moment I thought they might be going to the concert but I was wrong. When we rounded the building we saw the will call line and was it ever long. We took our place in line and waited.

As time went on I asked the person behind me what he was there to see and with an attitude like "you don't know" he said "THE hockey game". So all these people were waiting to see the Stingrays Hockey game. I thought; that makes sense now why the woman didn't want her kids to embarrass her. Who wants loud kids at a hockey game full of drunken fans. As I looked around I noticed that almost everyone had children with them. There were children as young as one year old all going to the hockey game. I thought Hmmmm what's wrong with this picture.

Another employee passed us and again I asked if this was the right line to get the will call...He cut me off and said "yes this is the only will call line." So we waited. When I got to the window the girl asked me what I was there to see and I said The Navy Band. She repeated back "The Baby Band" and I said no and repeated myself more clearly. Apparently there is a band called the Baby Band that I am guessing is related to the Goo Goo Dolls. I'm just guessing here.

She then asked my name and began fumbling through the hundreds of tickets trying to find mine. After a minute or so she came back and again asked me what I was there to see and again I repeated myself. She had this blank look on her face so I explained It's a classical band THE UNITED STATES NAVY BAND and she rudely told me I was in the wrong line. So we headed back to the NCPAC to see if we could find anyone who knew what was going on. Once we got in the right hall of the PAC there was a table with our tickets waiting for us.

So the concert was awesome. It was sponsored by the American Bandmasters Association. They played some classic pieces like one by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov and some more modern pieces by people like Jack Mackey. The highlights of the performance were a flute solo by MUC Dollard and finale which was Stars and Stripes Forever. It's hard to beat a march by John Philip Sousa. In the finale, when it got to the part with the flutes, all three of the flute players stood up and played their part in unison and it made you want to stand up and start marching. Again it was an awesome concert.

What amazes me is that parents will take very young children to a violent hockey game and pay a lot of money for it when there is a free concert going on right next door. I guess that says what is wrong with America. I guess I should be happy that all those children weren't at the concert. I would hate to think how many "rules" there would be in there.

Have a great day,
Greg

Comments

Mary said…
Any of the "service" bands are incredible! I agree with you...it is sad that parents would rather take their kids to a hockey game than to a "culture" event. They probably would have behaved better at the concert (and have had a better time)!
Carolina Lady said…
I play the french horn, and every member of my family plays a musical instrument. I played "Stars and Stripes Forever" in high school. With many schools minimizing their art programs, kids aren't exposed to the cultural arts the way I was. You can thank No Child Left Behind for that. All the kids see is sports, sports, video games and more sports. It's a real shame.
Carmen said…
"Who wants loud kids at a hockey game full of drunken fans?" HILARIOUS! We're not allowed to drink in the arenas here...but I think that's changing. Too bad! Glad you enjoyed your concert and sorry you had to wait in a lineup full of crazy people!! Well...crazy Mom anyway.
Greg, I luv ya dude, but have you ever been to an NHL hockey game? It's one of the most family friendly events there are. The Maven and her husband and 9 year old son have been going to Washington Caps games for years. Unlike NFL and NBA players, hockey players by and large stay away from controversy by behaving themselves off the ice. They don't behave like prima donna's and remain approachable to their fans. Like I said, I luv ya Greg, but on this one I have to disagree.
Rena Jones said…
Sounds like a great concert. I agree with Mary about the service bands all being awesome!

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