Day 26

Date: June 10, 2011
Time: 12:00am
Playing on iTunes: "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow


Location: Allentown, PA
Recent Trip: 119 miles

Today was the first official day of tour. We drove to Allentown, PA from Johnstown where we had spring training. This was a very exciting time for me because after 3 1/2 weeks of preparation, we're ready to take this show on the road (literally).

We showed up at LA Fitness in Allentown around 4:30, slept on the buses for a couple hours, then took showers in the LA Fitness gym...man was that nice!! All day was extremely hot outside. The corps was performing in the center of Allentown for the community around noon. It had to have been 90+ degrees of extreme sun and heat. Here we go summer... Of course, when we unload the pit we need to move it up a hill, and then down 3-4 blocks to get where we really needed to go. But fortunately the moving wasn't the hard part, it was the standing in the intense heat performing. I love performing, but I was sweating sooo much while we were playing for the crowd. Very intense and crazy at the same time. The sweat was burning my eyes.

After that performance, we moved all the way back to symphony hall, which was right where we unloaded the truck, and we set up the pit...in the pit...and got ready for the performance that night for the community of Johnstown. There were various dance groups out of YEA (Youth Education in the Arts) that performed before us. And then the pit played Iain Moyer's arrangement of I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas while the colorguard danced. That was a great time.

The crowd tonight absolutely loved us! Performing this show for people for the first time is an amazing feeling for me because I get to see the reactions of people. The joy, the tears, and the energy the crowd brings when we perform. It's just a great feeling from a performer's stand point.

Symphony Hall; where we performed

After the performance tonight, the pit needed to load the truck. This is the first time we've loaded the truck on tour...there was some laughter, some fun, but also some frustration. As a pit we needed to figure out how to collectively load the truck without going crazy. But we got through it and figured everything out. We made everything fit on the truck that needed to fit on the truck since we got a few more things to add on since we go into Allentown.


I can definitely tell that everyone is getting exhausted as well too which is great because we're all putting 100% in all the time...especially my seat partner Nate...he's currently falling asleep on me, and I keep pushing him away but it's like I'm a magnet. He just keeps falling on me...it's gonna be a long night.  


Now we're on the road to out next destination...Meriden, CT!!




Thought of the Day: "No matter what your emotions are, take a step back, take a deep breath and tell yourself you can get through it. Nothing is impossible."