The President's Own--The United States Marine Corp Band

Last night, I went with my dear friend Sarjim to the Civic Center to see this band.  They are a band established by an Act of Congress in 1798 to provide music for the President of the United States and the Commander of the U S Marine Corps.  According to their brochure, this makes them the oldest continuously active professional music organization in America.    They made their White House debut on New Years Day 1801 for then President John Adams.  They perform about 500 times a year and can boast that march king John Philip Sousa was their director from 1880-1892.

They are an impressive bunch, about 130 strong and all are commissioned into the U S Marines for duty in this band only.  None but the directors rank above Master Sergeant.  I was a way back and there was no flash photography so my picture is not great but they are impressive in their red, white & blue uniforms:

As expected, the crowd was older and very patriotic (as am I, without shame) and at the end, they did the armed forces song and asked people to stand if it represented them.  They actually asked for anyone who was related to anyone either but I think it should be for those that served so I did not stand even though my dad was in the army.    It was funny that at the end, they started the Marine Corp anthem and they all stood up at once.    I have to admit I am not much on classical music and on a couple of the songs I was concentrating on the conductor, waiting to get to the last page of the song but the marches were fun and they did a tribute to Lerner & Loewe with a soloist who sang 'On the Street Where you Live' from My Fair Lady,
'If Ever I Would Leave You' from Camelot and 'They Call the Wind Maria' from Paint Your Wagon, the last thousands of times better than the original I heard...Lee Marvin & Clint Eastwood...should never have happened.    A final rendition of 'God Bless America' and all left feeling all warm and fuzzy.

This has little to do with the band but outside were Marine recruiters dressed in blues and quite spiffy looking. I did not enlist but there was a handsome major (sadly, not pictured) who could probably talk me into anything.