The Concert in Trafalgar Square
What a difference a day makes!
Day two in London brought a more rested group of Southerners and an ample dose of that famous London rain and chill. Fortunately, before the rain set in, we had time to check out some local landmarks and forge ahead to the highlight of our day– our concert in historic Trafalgar Square!
As our tour buses navigated the narrow streets, we thrilled to see real views like this one we’ve seen on so many postcards…
Even though the Queen was not home, we didn’t think she’d mind if we stopped for a few photo opportunities at Buckingham Palace.
One group of us cheesed it up for our amazing tour guide, Maitland…
while JSU’s own first couple, Dr. and Mrs. Meehan, reenacted Prince William and new bride Kate’s kiss so daughter Carol Grace could make a photo for the Meehan family album.
Dr. Meehan then took a moment for a photo with our amazing drum majors, Lauren and Daniel.
Then it was time to move on to the audience that awaited us at Trafalgar Square! In addition to the often photographed fountain and Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square now has a countdown clock to the 2012 London Olympics. Here we are, making our way past it to our performance area in front of the National Gallery.
And here are some of us in the pre-concert drizzle, waiting for our moment to make it a sunny day for the people of London who graciously invited us to join them for New Year’s…
We were greeted by some fantastic fans, including some we brought with us…
And some new ones we hadn’t yet met.
They filled the square, standing in the drizzle as they cheered on a band from a town they’d never heard of.
They represented many nations and spoke so many languages.
They could have gone anywhere else in this grand old tourism town, and yet they chose to stand in the mist and share with us the universal language of music.
It warmed our hearts!
Because they stayed with us, we brought our best to them.
Our best smiles…
Our highest kicks…
Our grandest gestures…
Our best spins…
And our sweetest notes.
We played some of our favorites, and we hope some of our favorites become theirs.
We played Salvation and Southerners Special, Firebird and Fever.
They listened from behind us, on the steps of the National Gallery…
And in front of us…
And did we mention that it warmed our hearts?
When it was over, our new friends hung around for a bit and we had some more fun.
We saw a future Ballerina in the crowd…
Who watched the current Ballerinas grant media interviews…
And pose with some admirers…
All in the name of world peace.
And did we mention that this warmed our hearts?
We can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds as we end 2011 in London.
Happy New Year’s Eve from the Marching Southerners and the Ballerinas!