Just a few short weeks until I pack everything I’ll need for the summer into one large duffel bag and my laptop bag before heading out on the road. Slated to depart my humble home on June 17th for a short tour of 11,000 miles with performances in 15 states including the DCI World Championships in sunny Foxboro, MA.
Since last summer’s chance encounter with someone I marched with back in ye olde days (1993) I’ve been driving a few weekends a month for the Cascades. After driving all last summer tour I had a nice short break before starting doing the “Spokane Van” driving in January it gave me a chance to get to know the Eastern Washington people fairly well.
For those of you who are fans, I’d highly recommend volunteering for your local corps for at least 2 weeks on tour. It’ll give you a much better idea of how hard these kids really work. If you’ve got no clue what I’m talking about imagine an activity that is equal parts athletics, music, abstract design and teamwork. All of those things combine together and are then framed by the limits of a standard football field. Pretty cool.
I’ve got to say one of the best things about going on tour as a driver is the chance to spend the summer seeing the country from a side other than through the window of a hotel near the business or tourist district. It really gives you a chance to experience things from the perspective of a local (as much as you can in a 2 day period). From the perspective of a designer it lets you step back and see things from a different angle and also allows you to take a break and disconnect from the digital for quite awhile due to spotty cellular coverage and rare exposure to internet cafes.
With no reliable connection to the internet on tour I don’t plan to be online much until around August 17th or so but will try and keep a tour journal with a few guest posts from some of the members whenever I get a chance to get online.
Hopefully you’ll see us on the field Saturday night in Boston during Finals. Otherwise take a look at the tour schedule and try and attend a show this summer. It’s never a bad thing supporting youth activities.
Related Posts
Viewing 4 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Trackbacks
(Trackback URL)