The final concert

On Sunday afternoon the Saint Joseph's College band held its final concert. The program began with several numbers from the newly formed percussion ensemble. The band director, Robb Thiel, is a percussionist, and this group had long been a goal of his. The performance was its first and last.

The symphonic band performed five pieces, including an arrangement of Brian's Song. For many years prior to the mid 1970s the Chicago Bears trained at SJC and the movie Brian's Song was partially filmed on campus. It is, as far as I know, the only major movie filmed on campus. Below is a clip of the performance taken from the back of the audience.

 I was not the only one recording this. Visit Rensselaer has its version on Facebook here, and here is still another.

After the symphonic band finished, a series of other things made up a grand finale. First was a piece played on garbage cans.

Other people were recording this. (See here and here). The garbage can percussion has been done at past concerts and also at football games.

Following that were a couple more selections from the symphonic band, awards and tributes, some very loud pieces from the drum line that vibrated your chest, and finally several pieces in which a couple dozen past band members joined the band.

Many schools the size of SJC do not have the marching band and pep band that SJC has had. Robb Thiel has done an amazing job in building this band and sustaining it over the year. The band is one of the things I will miss most.

(Quite of few videos of the concert have been posted on Facebook. See here, here, here, here, here, and here.)

This week there will be another final, the final spring musical.