Weeks of work go into band's performance

September 16, 2020 at 2:38 a.m. | Updated September 16, 2020 at 2:39 a.m.

by Neil Abeles

Putting out a wall of sound are, front row left, Mason Thompson, Samuel Rodriguez, Cassidy Caver, Brandon Sprayberry, Aidan Saffel, Josiah Hunt, X'Zavion Johnson, Austin Phelps, Jacob Rubio, Ash-lyn Quinn, Landon Moore, Collin Fincher and Zachary Goodroe. Back row, Madison Tomlin, Ethan Stewart, Sidney Lear, Carlos Cortez, Jake Smith, Sarah Whatley, Kentrell Luckey, Anthony Hamilton, Brooklyn Howard, Matthew Frost, Jonathan De Dios and Ty Blizzard.
Putting out a wall of sound are, front row left, Mason Thompson, Samuel Rodriguez, Cassidy Caver, Brandon Sprayberry, Aidan Saffel, Josiah Hunt, X'Zavion Johnson, Austin Phelps, Jacob Rubio, Ash-lyn Quinn, Landon Moore, Collin Fincher and Zachary Goodroe. Back row, Madison Tomlin, Ethan Stewart, Sidney Lear, Carlos Cortez, Jake Smith, Sarah Whatley, Kentrell Luckey, Anthony Hamilton, Brooklyn Howard, Matthew Frost, Jonathan De Dios and Ty Blizzard.

A high school band's Friday night performance at football games is one of a town's most colorful exhibitions.

Moving, playing, acting, exercising skilled maneuvers all from memory is quite an accomplishment. Try doing this with 140 players, as the Atlanta Big Bad Band from Rabbit Land does.

And, of course, band preparation has been difficult of late. A musical organization almost by definition involves playing close to one another. And one can't wear a mask. During the summer, the band couldn't even gather the students in a group the usual way and essentially couldn't start its year until Sept. 2.

But when the Atlanta band took the field last Friday night at the Gilmer game, its first chord of sound from its program "Bohemian Rhapsody" by the 1970s rock group Queen, was smooth, strong and satisfying. The notes and movements were sure, the students in character and the rhythm and keyboard instruments at the sideline were enchanting. The color flags and majorettes were their usual self-confident and crowd-pleasing selves.

"Our program is shorter by about two minutes because of the virus," said director Keith Sanders. "And it's built around a single song, which is a first for me. We usually move 65 times in a show. This one, we are in the mid-thirties."

Atlanta's band and all others in the district are not traveling to away games, so the students and directors will have these next two weeks to put this year's show together - finally. That accomplishment should come Friday night, Oct. 2.

Sanders directs everyone to come out to listen and see the show. He said the low winds - that's baritone, trombones and tubas - will have a musically difficult and entertaining part of the second section to perform.

"Come listen to these kids. They are a lot better in these difficult times than probably the adults are. They are resilient and don't worry as much. We're super proud of them."

Here are five photographs of the band's first time to take the field last Friday. They gave about half of their show, and from now on, each week they'll only get better.

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