small.jpg)
Center Stage: Glee Club Spring Break Day 5
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Purdue Varsity Glee Club Director Bill Griffel reads some facts and instructions to the men of the Glee Club before arrival at the Pentagon in the morning.
The Glee Club arrived at the Pentagon ready to perform for the men and women who work there.
Because of security, the properties had to have been loaded onto a separate truck to be inspected. After passing inspection, PMO Scheduling & Events Coordinator Lance Connolly drove the truck in, escorted by Pentagon staff.
Staff member and Glee Club alum Mark Loepker had the opportunity to speak to the men during sound check.
After a quick lunch, the group was shown the chapel at the sight of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon. Director Bill Griffel led the men in a hymn to honor the victims of that day.
Always delivering the same great performance anywhere, the Glee Club show even included specialty songs and runouts to staff who watched on their lunch break.
Toward the end of the performance, Mark Loepker was invited back up with the gentlemen to perform "Pilgrim's Chorus" and "Prayer from Lohengren," two traditional Glee Club songs.
PMO Scheduling & Events Coordinator Lance Connolly and Annette Lamb, Director of Development for the Vice President for Student Affairs, smile for the camera with Ed and Therese Thiedeman in the center courtyard at the Pentagon.
The buses drove through downtown D.C. and treated the guys to some of the monuments, like the Washington Monument.
The guys were dropped off at Union Station to see some sights.
They headed to the Capitol building.
The Glee Club then sang the National Anthem and a few other songs on the steps of the Capitol Building after walking to the National Mall.
They then took their talents to the Dirksen Senate Office Building and entertained Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and his staff in the Committee on Foreign Relations room.
The Glee Club gifted Senator Lugar with a signed picture of the Glee Club.
Senator Lugar greeted each member of the Glee Club as they filed out of the room.
The men of the Glee Club then headed to the Hyatt Regency Crystal City hotel to perform for the Purdue Club of Washington, D.C. Before the show, the guys mingled with the alumni members.
The men formed up to start the show.
Flashbacks entertained the crowd.
Senior Charley Smith sings the run out song “Life Could Be A Dream.”
Senior Billy Thiedeman serenades a lucky lady of the audience.
New Man Ryan Smith also sings to a woman in the audience.
Ba-Na-Na took the stage next.
The guys sing out with pride during the show.
Voiceovers sing “Never Gonna Leave This Bed.”
Recent PMO graduate Brittany Daniel joined the Glee Club for the show. We wish her the best in her new job in Washington, D.C.
After the show, the men took a walking tour of D.C. Their first stop was the Jefferson Memorial.
They then headed to the brand new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
The guys took in the sights of the World War II Memorial and remembered those from Indiana who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
A panoramic view of the World War II Memorial at night.
The men of the Glee Club then sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and filled the National Mall with their song.
The guys then walked through the Vietnam Memorial to end their tour.
Daily Student Perspective:
The Glee Club finally made it to downtown D.C. today! I was personally really excited about this because I have never been to Washington, D.C. before. It was so cool! We started off the morning with a performance at the Pentagon. That was really neat! The security was actually not as bad as I expected, and once inside I was surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere was. For a military building it was very down to earth, and we could all tell how much the employees appreciated our performance.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with performaces for Purdue alumni and Indiana natives. We even had the chance to perform for Senator Lugar, which was an honor. It is nice to find Purdue supporters being active in our nation’s capitol.
The last activity of the day was a walking tour of all the monuments in the D.C. Mall. I was really excited to see these for the first time, and they did not disappoint! The quotes of all these great men were very inspiring.
The night was capped off with an impromptu performance at the Lincoln Memorial. This was made very special by an audience member who came up to thank us personally for the show. She had come to the capitol to grieve the death of her father in Vietnam, and was moved to tears by our songs. Seeing how we could inspire with our voices at the most unexpected times was very humbling, and I will never forget this night. It was a great day on tour!
Only one more left now!
In Song,
Matt Lancaster