III MEF Band's performance at Tokyo festival teems with emotion

Photo By Sgt. Scott Biscuiti | Staff Sgt. Michael July, the senior enlisted conductor for the III MEF Band, renders a hand salute to a cheering audience after the band's final performance.  

TOKYO, TOKYO, JAPAN

11.17.2006

Story by Sgt. Scott Biscuiti 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

by Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti
III Marine Expeditionary Force PAO

TOKYO -- Members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force Band recently performed for more than 45,000 cheering fans at the 2006 Japan Self Defense Force Marching Festival in Tokyo Nov. 17-18.

It was the second time the band took the stage at the Nippon Budokan, the same location where the Beatles made their Japanese debut nearly 40 years ago, and like the Beatles, the III MEF Band left a lasting impression on their audience.

"You gave something to them," III MEF Bandmaster Master Sgt. Sean Steele said after the performance. "You made them feel something. You moved me, and I've seen the show. I know it. If you could do that to me, imagine what they felt."

Yoshiaki Karasawa attended the Marching Festival last year and made it a point to return for the 2006 show.

"I was so excited when I heard the Marine band was returning," he said. "Their performances are very different than most, and I enjoyed it very much."

Sgt. Jacob Johnson, the band's drum major, said the band tries to design the shows to speak to the soul.

While most of the bands that performed stirred up claps and smiles from the crowd, the III MEF Band evoked a deeper emotion.

"When we took the stage, I felt a sense of reverence," Johnson said. "The audience became quiet. I guess you can describe it as edge of your seat since we set the bar last year."

The Tokyo show is the largest venue the band performs at during the year, and Johnson said there is a lot of pressure on the band to distinguish themselves. Last year, the III MEF Band was an alternate for the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. This year they were first choice.

"It was a point of pride to be invited again," Johnson said.

The U.S. Army Japan Band and the U.S. Seventh Fleet Band were also invited. All the bands performed six times over the two-day period.

Japanese performances included ensembles from all branches of the JSDF and a thunderous presentation from nearly 100 Taiko drummers who shook every seat in the Budokan with deafening beats.

Pfc. Aaron Jackson, a saxophonist with the III MEF Band, said he was amazed at the number of people that came to the festival.

"I never imagined that I would be performing for that many people," he said. "I peeked out from behind the curtains and was taken aback. I just remembered everything I was taught and started to have fun with it. That was the key."

After the sixth and final performance, Japanese musicians and audience members alike sought out anyone wearing the notorious dress blues.

"They received us like we were Hollywood stars," Johnson said with a smile on his face. "There was a huge line of people waiting to shake our hands and take pictures with us. It was overwhelming."

Whether it was just one of many performances for veterans like Johnson, or a completely shocking first experience for Marines like Jackson, the III MEF Band not only left an impression on the audience in Tokyo, they left with a little more than they arrived with.

"These Marines get pushed very hard, and the payoff is the crowd's response," Johnson said. "It's a sense of pride for all the hours put in. It's humbling to feel that."

• Date Taken: 11.17.2006
• Date Posted: 12.05.2006 08:51
• Story ID: 8476
• Location: TOKYO, TOKYO, JP