The US Army Field Band is currently out on a 33 day tour of the Midwest and just hit the halfway mark. So far we have trekked across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The audiences have been great and very enthusiastic. This first picture is from a very cool venue called the Palace Theatre in Marion, OH. 

This concert was in a very different kind of location. It was the Madison Park Church of God in Anderson, Indiania. It has to be one of the largest churches I've ever seen, and they packed the place for our show! 

Often the Colonel will give pre-concert chats as a way to interact with the audience. This gives concert-goers an inside perspective on the kind of music they are about to hear, and who we are as soldiers representing the Army through music. Audience members come up with some great questions, occasionally inspiring moments like this one where Colonel Palmatier faces off with SFC Chris Sarangoulis in an impromptu push-up contest. 

We've had some fabulous color guards on this tour. Here I am posing with American Legion vets who came to our show to present the colors. 

We often invite local high school students to sit in with the band on a march. This guy had such an awesome maroon tuxedo on. Very "Anchor Man." I had to take a picture with him! 

Brass Five, the brass quintet I perform with, has been venturing out to elementary and middle schools to perform and work with students. This concert was for the entire Glen Raymond Elementary School in Watseka, Illinois. 

At this school gig in Indiana, SSG Carmen Russo demonstrates how brass instruments work using a simple device called a "hose horn." The kids love getting to try making noises on them. 

Two members of my quintet, SSG Jeannie Wiesman and SFC John Altman, play together during a piece. Our recitals expose kid to all kinds of genres. We do a little of everything, including Jazz, Baroque, Classical, and movie music. 

We stayed just outside of Chicago for a few days and I took the opportunity to explore the city a bit. The weather has been fantastic on this tour. 

You can follow our tour path on www.armyfieldband.com. We just turned East and are headed to St. Paul, Minnesota. Looking forward to making our way back to Maryland and playing some great concerts on the way.