I've just returned from Washington D.C., from playing at the Inaugural festivities with the Lesbian and Gay Bands of America. 140 musicians from 17 different lesbian and gay community bands, on four weeks notice, got themselves to Washington to rehearse and play for this event. We were stationed along the side of the street, near the end of the parade, where we entertained the crowds all day while waiting for the parade to begin. There have been some previous posts to soc.motss about this (one rather lengthy one from me), so this is just a quick update of how things looked from my perspective. The Inaugural Ceremonies were broadcast along the parade route, and it was eerie that the sun reached our side of the street at the very moment that Clinton was sworn in. Imagine listening to this while standing with a crowd of lesbians and gay men, many of whom are your closest friends. Feelings get amplified in a crowd, sometimes to the point of irrationality, and most of us got very choked up. It felt as if a yoke of hatred was being lifted from our shoulders. The Clintons and the Gores were near the head of the Parade, and by the time Bill and Hillary and Al and Tipper got to our station, they had left their cars and were walking and waving. When this Presidential group came by, we played a lush, sweet arrangement of _America the Beautiful_. (Carmen Dragon's arrangement, for you bandies out there). I know I'm a little prejudiced in this regard, but we really sounded wonderful for this. Some elderly women I met on the metro later that day turned out to have been sitting near my band, and they were full of praise for us. They, and most other folks I talked with, were incredulous that we could sound as we do when we do not regularly play together as a single band. There were spectators standing behind us (who, for the most part, had no connection with us) who were moved to tears by our musical background to the Presidential appearance. I know that sounds strange, but it is difficult to explain the feelings that the Inaugural Week, and the Inauguration itself, generated among the attendees. Bill Clinton was not on our side of the street, but Hillary pointed out our banner to him (Lesbian and Gay Bands of America) and he walked right over, waved, and mouthed "thank you" (twice). Al Gore was on our side of the street, and when he read our banner he broke into a big grin and gave us two thumbs up. It's just a couple of politicians. But the symbolism of these gestures was huge. If I think too hard about it, I can get enraged that such a small, simple thing as a smile and a thanks from the President for a lesbian and gay group should be such a big deal. But that doesn't mean that it wasn't a big deal. Does my stock go down in soc.motss if I admit that I cried a little while playing the piece? Some have posted to soc.motss that they are disappointed that our group got no coverage on the networks. Hey, talk to my mother about disappointment. But we were mentioned a lot. We were listed prominently in the big map published in the Washington Post. When we told spectators who we were, nearly all of them said, "Oh, yes, I read about you." It was not the biggest publicity blitz the world has ever seen, but we were decidedly not invisible. I have been told that Tuesday night's CBS evening news included some footage of our rehearsal. Oh, and Rush Limbaugh called us human trash, but that was a few weeks ago. I'm disappointed, too, that more networks didn't cover our presence -- it still seems a major, historical moment to me. But the gay press has, for the most part, ignored us as well (that's another story and another post). The parade logistics were a nightmare for us. The DC police were refusing to cooperate with the Inaugural people, and wouldn't let our buses to their appointed spots. We were delayed well over an hour because of this, and, ultimately, had to carry all of our instruments and equipment through several blocks of parade crowds. We were told to leave our cases on the buses (and our lunches), but the buses disappeared. In fact, a small suitcase of mine may still be on one of those buses, as I had to leave for the airport before we could find them. (Fortunately the bulk of my things and my airline ticket itself were elsewhere -- others were not so lucky.) I think back to the rhetoric of the Republican convention, all that talk about "real Americans," all that explicit stuff that said that we are not legitimate citizens of this country. I think about the times when it looked as if we were doomed to a President of the party that had vowed to maintain this policy. And then I think about a President and Vice-President who (at least by proxy) invited the Lesbian and Gay Bands of America to a Presidential Inaugural. That's my group, the group I have devoted a good part of the last 8 years to. I'm more pleased than I have a right to be. -Steven Levine steven@cray.com