I got to Rock Island early for the Navy Band Great Lakes concert...

... and ran into some old friends.

"Joliet" Jake, Elwood and Frank.

Sound Check: Navy Band Great Lakes

LT Geordie Kelly and the band
finish their sound check.

Navy Week in Rock Island, Ill. began last night with a performance by the Wind Ensemble from Navy Band Great Lakes, and...

And wow. I arrived at Schwiebert Park while the band was completing its sound check, and I sensed immediately this band would shine.

It did. It's been decades since I heard or played in a Navy concert band, but I don't recall fleet bands playing at such a level.

Throughout the concert, I found myself wondering: is this the typical quality of today's fleet bands, or is the Great Lakes band somehow special?

My guess is: both. After the concert, the bandmaster, LT Geordie Kelly told me that a typical Navy fleet band nowadays is filled with MUs who completed their bachelors' degrees before enlistment.

Navy Band Great Lakes' performance had everything you'd expect from a Navy band concert and, even better, things you wouldn't expect; I'll provide video highlights of the concert soon.