Tour Highlights Video

Josh Cowing put together a great tour highlights video for us - Thanks to all who contributed content:

Our Plane was Struck By Lightning!

Just as we left Tampa International Airport for home, our Boeing 737 was struck by lightning. We were all happy to just get off the ground because all the flights were delayed [yes...due to lightning...] when this happened:

It's amazing that Jody Davis was able to get this photo of our plane being struck by lightning as we left Tampa International Airport. It's especially amazing considering the fact that Jody was on the plane at the time, but here is the picture and pictures on the Internet don't lie!

Nick Helms screamed like a little girl! (That's a direct quote from Martin...)

Photos from Clearwater

Photos from Orlando Concert

Some Sad News...

Just as we pulled away from our lunch at Planet Hollywood, after the bus had settled down and the band had completed it's amazingly efficient roll call, Captain Dusty Hill said that he had an announcement for the band.

He announced that he and Shelley had received their orders and would be moving at the end of June to take over as Divisional Commanders of the Hawaii and Pacific Islands division. He also announced that since he was soon to be a divisional commander, he would no longer answer to the name Dusty and that we should refer to him only as Captain Edward A. Hill.

Now, most of us knew that this would be coming, but actually hearing it was a real bummer. Dusty and Shelley have been great corps officers. I know this is a good move for the Army and for the Hills, but it is difficult to imagine the Tab under new leadership (at least for me, since they've been the only officers there since I arrived in 2004.)

I know that God has the right people for us. We are very grateful that He brought the Hills to us and that they will leave the corps as strong and vibrant as it has ever been. Pray for us, the Hills, and our new officers-to-be.

Photos from Downtown Disney Concert and Planet Hollywood

Downtown Disney Concert and LUNCH

It's Friday and time for another outdoor concert. This time we are at the Downtown Disney Marketplace--it's a shopping and entertainment area outside the main gates of Disney's theme park mega-plex here in Orlando.

It's quite amazing that on Monday we played outdoors is Macon, GA where the temperature was barely 40 degrees, yet just 4 days later and about 400 miles South, we are ready to succumb to heatstroke in temperatures just over 90 degrees and in full sunlight.

Sounds really rough, doesn't it??

We had a nice little concert and the folks from the Disney music festival (was his name really Hanz?) said that we played just the right kind of music for the audience. They also gave the band an major award that featured a statue of Mickey Mouse. (WE DO EXPECT TO SEE IT PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED IN THE BAND ROOM, BILL!) As the Assistant Executive Officer for the band, Major Ed Covert was given the somewhat dubious honor of making sure that the very fragile and undoubtably quite expensive statuette (the "MICKEY" as we affectionately refer to it) made it home to LA safely. Major Covert was seen with it handcuffed to his wrist for the rest of the trip.

After the nice concert we were treated to a great lunch (can anyone say barbeque?) at the only place louder than sitting directly in front of Josh Cowing at a concert: Planet Hollywood! The folks there were quite nice to us and we all got more than enough to eat and drink--and we didn't have to pay for it. We got so much to eat that when they brought each of us a giant chocolate chip cookie, most of us couldn't eat it. Len Zola volunteered to keep them for us for later on, and was seen walking out of the restaurant with about two dozen giant cookies!

Thanks Disney and Planet Hollywood for giving us this opportunity to perform and eat. We are getting quite good at eating!

Photos From EPCOT

A Day Off!

Well - if there's anything the band needed after this morning's crazy flight, it's a day off. We got one, too! We chose to spend it walking around a 5,000 acre theme park in the 88 degree heat of an unusually hot and humid Central Florida Spring day!

Actually, it was fantastic--and we could have just found a bench somewhere to rest on all day if we wanted. It's rumored that James Allen and Vimbaye found a nice table in an air conditioned restaurant. It seems that they fell so soundly asleep that their "friends" didn't have the heart to wake them, and left them at the table to rest. James and Vimbaye awoke at a table of strangers about an hour later and were a bit embarrassed to have passed out like that. (Actually--I think that James was UNDER the table...)

EPCOT center is spectacular--really--the attention to detail of ANYTHING done by Disney is always amazing. One of the highlights of the day was watching Jim Sparks screw up enough courage to strap himself into one of the capsules of the Space Flight simulation ride. (Jim had earlier experienced motion sickness while watching the Circlevision film about Canada--which, by the way, are both air conditioned.) I have to admit that after what had to be the 25th warning about how disorienting and possibly sickening the Space ride was going to be, I was nervous myself. We entered and it was truly fantastic--Jim made it just fine.

We spent much of the day eating and trying to find the next air conditioned place to sit for a few minutes rest. Finally, the moment that most of us had been waiting for was at hand: We were granted VIP seating for the awesome end-of-day fire works, music, laser, spotlight and exploding planet Earth spectacular! It really was quite amazing, and made just about any other fireworks display I've seen look quite lame by comparison.

Just as the fireworks were about to begin, the heavens opened and we were treated to a beautiful Florida thunderstorm. You can see from the photos that the last thing many of us wanted to do was wrap ourselves in plastic after spending all day in the Florida Sunshine. It was actually refreshing.

We walked back to the bus and were taken to our motel. Some of the band took advantage of the swimming pool and James Allen took advantage of the opportunity to fall with Nick Prince on his shoulders--giving Nick a corneal abrasion when he hit the side of the pool. James was actually quite horrified, but it looks like Nick will get to wear his cool sunglasses for the rest of the trip.

Tomorrow will be a bit easier and we won't have such an early start.

The Charlotte Miracle

Well - things started out a bit crazy this morning!

We left the hotel at about 5:00 am to make our flight to Orlando from Charlotte. When Jim Gebhardt arrived with the equipment truck, he learned that our flight had actually been booked for yesterday!

We're not quite sure how that happened, but it's not really that important. What is important is that by some miracle, we were able to get all new tickets on a different flight for all 45 or so of us, and that this new flight would get us into Orlando only 1 hour later than originally planned.

Unfortunately, buying 45 one way tickets 30 minutes before boarding raised some redflags with the Transportation Safety Administration (the other TSA), so each of us were singled out for extra security screening.

We made it to Orlando via Atlanta one hour later than scheduled. Only John Docter's suitcase was missing. but since we won't need our suitcases until tomorrow, it will be delivered to the motel while we are at EPCOT center.

The day has already been exhausting and we've still got a long day at EPCOT Planned.

Photos from Charlotte

Charlotte, NC

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - Charlotte, N.C.

The Tab Band experienced the most recent highlight of its 115 year history last night when we performed a concert at the Victory Christian Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The congregation for the concert numbered over 1,500. Most were from the church led by Pastor Robyn Gool. The church is less than 30 years old but has nearly 4,000 members and massive education and social services. The church also has a great collaboration with The Salvation Army. The congregation is primarily African-American. The facilities of the church were amazing. Everything was state of the art and it was exceptionally well maintained and professional. We were warmly greeted and well treated during our stay. We were grateful to the local Army and the Victory Christian Center for their many kindnesses.

A few of the highlights of the concert included outstanding solo presentations by John Doctor (“Standing on the Promises”) , Martin Hunt (“Holy, holy, holy”), Lambert Bittinger (“Travel Along”), Matt Woods (“He had to hold to Calvary”), and James Allen (Grieg Piano Concerto).

Jim Sparks did his usual “meet the band” segment to the delight of the audience. When he introduced the piece “Disney Magic” it was suggested that the children come and sit on the steps in front of the band. It was a delightful thing to witness a hundred or so children pour from the vast auditorium on to the stage near the band.

I had the privilege of sharing a brief devotional based on Romans 5:8 and then interviewing Jody Davis. Evidently, it was Jody’s first public spoken testimony. He did great. We focused on his work as a Police Officer and how God helps to sustain him in that ministry. Jody believes that God has “called” him to this vocation as a means to serve him. Well done Jody!

The band is doing great. A calm and loving spirit is evident even as we get fatigued. Bill’s leadership of the band is greatly appreciated. Having said that, I think we are all beginning to look forward to our return home in a few days.

Captain Edward Hill

Photos from Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Well if it’s Tuesday, it must be Chattanooga! We left the CFOT in Atlanta in the early morning mist for the drive to Chattanooga. As we drove, we were treated to a top ten “old-school” style by our very own “Stadtler and Waldorf” otherwise known as the Nottle brothers. The fact that I can’t remember anything from their comedy bit doesn’t mean that it wasn’t funny.

We arrived about 11:00 am at University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (UTC), where we were to give a clinic about brass bands to the music students there. It was a nice auditorium. We were joined by Composer James Curnow who used the band to show examples of how different combinations of instruments are used by a composer to create different sounds or “colors” and add interest to music. For the clinic, he used excerpts from the piece “Proclamation” which he wrote for the Tab band and this tour. The clinic was well received by all who were present.

We then moved to the Chattanooga Citadel corps for the 1st of 3 intensive feeding sessions. We were given gift bags including Cola and Moon Pies.

The evening concert was held at the 1st Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It is an amazing building. Although it’s not very old, it is built in the style of a large European Church. Real cut stone and a massive wooden ceiling were architectural highlights.

A local brass band, the Jericho Brass, played as a prelude to our concert and also joined us for two massed band items in the second half. James Curnow conducted the two massed items.

Although the crowds were a bit small and it’s always more exciting to play for a large audience, the band kept true to the spirit and purpose of Salvation Army music by giving their best. We don’t play for our personal glory, but so that God may use us. None of us knows what may come of our efforts on this tour and we are mindful that it may be in this very audience that God wants to work,

After the concert, we were treated to snacks by the Chattanooga Salvation Army who were kind enough to bring them to us at our hotel. It was a very nice spread and the people of the corps there are owed a debt of gratitude for their kind treatment of us.

We went to bed as early as possible (at least us old folks did) and got ready for the next day’s drive to Charlotte, North Carolina.