- Production and presentation
of the UW Varsity Band's Spring Concert
is provided in part
by Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
-Band:Ah how do you like me now?
["On, Wisconsin!"]
- Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen,
the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!
["On, Wisconsin!"]
[audience cheering]
*
["Hot Time"]
[increasingly fired-up tempo]
[audience cheering]
- Can you hear the trombones okay, lady?
[audience laughing]
This is the University of Wisconsin Band!
[audience cheering]
This is the band that's been entertaining you
during this 100th anniversary of the Camp Randall Stadium!
And we've been celebrating it all year long.
We're glad to have you here and hope you can celebrate with us.
This is the band that also saw the Badgers
go through their first undefeated regular season.
- Audience: Whoo! - How about that?
And also, we were in the Orange Bowl when we beat Miami.
Wasn't that fun?
[cheers and applause]
I just went to the doctor recently and the doctor said,
"Mike, you're in terrific health."
He says, "I'm just really pleased
about the health you're in."
He said, "But, I just wonder,
"if you only had two days to live,
what would you do with it?"
I said, "Well, I'd spend it with the tuba section."
[audience whoops with laughter]
He said, "You mean if you only had two days to live
"you'd spend it with the tuba section?
Why is that?"
I said, "Because it would seem longer."
[drumming] [laughter and cheers]
- Band: Whoo!
- We're gonna start with an old tune
that's been around for a while.
It's a big band jazz tune.
It's a tune called "The Tiger of San Pedro."
- Band: [ascending] Whoo! [descending] Whoo!
Hey-up!
- Leckrone: One, two, three, one...
["The Tiger of San Pedro"]
[energetic jazz music]
*
[cheers and applause]
- In searching around for a soloist we're always trying to find
someone we haven't had before here,
and I found a terrific young man.
He's right now living in New York City.
This is, ladies and gentlemen, this is Alphonso Horne.
[cheers and applause]
- Alphonso Horne: Madison, how you doin'!
- Band: Oh-ha!
- Leckrone: I'm so-- - Band: Alphonso Horne.
- Alphonso Horne: It gets me every time, every time.
- Leckrone: Alphonso was voted a rising star by Wynton Marsalis.
He's won all sorts of trumpet competitions.
He went to school in Florida State.
I won't hold that against 'ya, but...
[Alphonso laughing]
He went to school in Florida State.
- Still here. - And this is a young man,
who's one of the great young trumpet players
that I've heard ever
and I've heard a lot of trumpet players.
So again, a round of applause for Alphonso Horne.
[cheers and applause]
What would you like play?
And it better be something that we talked about! [Alphonso laughs]
- So, we have a hero in common
and his name is--
it's a jazz artist-- his name is Louis Armstrong.
Anybody know Louis Armstrong out there?
[audience cheering] Whoo, give it up for Louis!
Yeah!
So we're gonna play something from his book.
Actually, the great Duke Ellington wrote this song
about Louis Armstrong.
It's simply called "A Portrait of Louis Armstrong."
Please enjoy!
[audience cheering]
- Leckrone: And a one, two, a one, two, three.
["A Portrait of Louis Armstrong"]
*
[trumpets sustained note]
[audience cheering]
- What do you think of that huh? Alphonso Horne!
[cheers and applause]
Isn't that somethin'!
[cheers and applause]
What else would you like to do?
[Alphonso laughing] - Let's see.
Let's play something the great Ella Fitzgerald sang.
Anybody know Ella Fitzgerald?
[audience cheering] Whoo!
So, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald sang this together.
It's from the great Gershwin book, from Porgy and Bess .
It's called "Summertime."
[audience cheering]
- Leckrone: One, two, a one, two, three, four.
["Summertime"]
- Alphonso Horne: * It's summertime
* And the livin' is
[drawn out] * Eas-y-ee
[audience yells "Whoo!"]
* Fish are jumpin'
* And the cotton is high
* Your daddy's rich
* And your mamma's good lookin' *
* So hush little baby
* Don't you cry
*
[cheers and applause]
- Leckrone: Alphonso Horne, Alphonso Horne!
[cheers and applause]
Come on back, Alphonso.
Take another bow. Come on back.
Alphonso Horne!
[cheers and applause]
- Horne: Mike Leckrone. Give it up!
[cheers and applause]
- Doesn't everybody like ABBA ?
[audience cheering]
Yeah, ABBA' s been around for quite a while.
And actually I thought a few years ago
that they were gonna be a dead issue.
I thought, "There's never gonna be more ABBA.
Their records are done."
They sold something like 300 million records in their time,
but, you know, they sort of faded from view.
And then there was a movie came out.
Actually, there was a stage show first called Mama Mia .
[audience cheering]
And everybody liked the songs in that.
And then came the stage show.
And I understand they're gonna release a sequel to it
coming up this summer.
So you're gonna get a lot of Mama Mia and a lot of ABBA .
So I thought it would be just appropriate for us
in this show to give you a little bit of ABBA .
So here's some songs that I think you'll know,
and you can sing along and clap along if you like.
This is the music of ABBA .
[audience cheering]
- Band: Hey-up!
["Dancing Queen"]
* Oohh
* You can dance
* You can jive
* Having the time of your life
* Ooh, see that girl
* Watch that scene
* Diggin' the dancing queen
* Friday night and the lights are low *
* Looking out for a place to go *
* Where they play the right music *
* Getting in the swing
* You come to look for a king
* And when you get the chance
* You are the dancing queen
* Young and sweet
* Only seventeen
* Dancing queen
* Feel the beat from the tambourine *
* Oh yeah
* You can dance
* You can jive
* Having the time of your life
* Ooh, see that girl
* Watch that scene
* Diggin' the dancing queen
* See that girl
* Watch that scene
* Diggin' the dancing queen
[upbeat band music]
[audience cheering]
["Mamma Mia"]
*
["The Winner Takes It All"]
- Amanda Poulson: * I don't want to talk
* About the things we've gone through *
* Though it's hurting me
* Now it's history
* I've played all my cards
* And that's what you've done too *
* Nothing more to say
* No more ace to play
* The winner takes it all
* The loser standing small
* Beside the victory
* That's her destiny
* I was in your arms
* Thinking I belonged there
* I figured it made sense
* Building me a fence
* Building me a home
* Thinking I'd be strong there
* But I was a fool
* Playing by the rules
* The gods may throw a dice
* Their minds as cold as ice
* And someone way down here
* Loses someone dear
* The winner takes it all
* The loser has to fall
* It's simple and it's plain
* Why should I complain
* I don't want to talk
* Because it makes me feel sad
* And I understand
* You've come to shake my hand
* I apologize
* If it makes you feel bad
* Seeing me so tense
* No self-confidence
* But you see
* The winner takes it all
* The game is on again
* A lover or a friend
* A big thing or a small
* The winner takes it all
* The winner takes it
* All
[audience cheering]
["I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"]
["Take a Chance on Me"]
*
["Fernando"]
*
[cheers and applause]
Well, we're talkin' a lot about 100th anniversaries
and it's a 100th anniversary of a very famous musician.
Maybe one of the most famous musicians in the world.
And he was born 100 years ago.
He was composer, an arranger, a great pianist,
a great lecturer.
His name was Leonard Bernstein.
[cheers and applause]
And he wrote many, many great works
for both the concert orchestra and for the Broadway stage
and just pop songs.
And I thought it only proper for us to salute
his 100th anniversary with one his greatest works.
This is the music of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story .
[cheers and applause]
[" West Side Story Medley"]
[soft percussion]
[dramatic band music]
["Prologue"]
["Something's Coming"]
["I Feel Pretty"]
["Cool"]
["Mambo"]
- Mambo!
Mambo!
["Maria"]
["Gee, Officer Krupke!"]
["Tonight"]
[applause]
["Somewhere"]
[drumroll]
[trumpets solo of "Maria"]
[sustained trumpet]
[cheers and applause]
["Bolero"]
[soft tuba]
[light flute]
[audience cheering]
[upbeat band music]
*
[excited cheer building in audience]
["Space Badgers"]
[stamping feet in unison]
[dramatic music]
[shouts of excitement]
[triumphant music]
[audience cheering]
That's with Darin Olson and the Wisconsin Band there!
As we were looking for other anniversaries
to go with our 100th anniversary of Camp Randall,
discovered that this is the 30th anniversary
of a musical that was rather controversial in its time.
It's a musical, however, that had the largest advance sale
in the history of Broadway.
It's a story of love,
but it's also a story set in very controversial times.
It was a story that was set during the Vietnam War.
[Jordan Peterson narrates "Prologue"]
- The war in Vietnam,
a horrific time in our nation's history.
But it is the setting of a beautiful story.
A powerful story.
It's the story of Puccini's Madame Butterfly
transformed into the musical Miss Saigon .
A young Vietnamese girl falls in love
with an American G.I.
and they are separated by the fall of Saigon.
Her dream of sending her child to America
can only be realized
if she makes the supreme sacrifice.
With wonderful music by Claude-Michel Schönberg,
this is the music of Miss Saigon .
[helicopter blades whirring]
[" Miss Saigon Medley"]
["Overture"]
["The Heat is On in Saigon"]
["Last Night of the World"]
["I Would Give My Life for You"]
[helicopter blades whirring]
[chaotic screaming]
[dramatic music]
["Bui Doi"]
* They're called Bui-Doi
* The Dust of life
* Conceived in hell
* And born in strife
* They are the living reminders *
* Of all the good we failed to do *
* We can't forget
* Must not forget
* That they are all
* Our children too
- Like all survivors,
I once thought,
when I'm home I won't give a damn.
But now I know I'm caught.
I'll never leave Vietnam.
War isn't over when it ends.
Some pictures never leave your mind.
They're the faces of the children.
The ones we left behind.
These kids hit walls on every side.
They don't belong in any place.
Their secret they can't hide.
It's printed on their face.
I never thought I'd plead
for half-breeds from a land that's torn.
But then I saw a camp
for children
whose crime was being born.
* They're called Bui-Doi - They're called Bui-Doi
* The dust of life - The Dust of life
* Conceived in hell - Conceived in hell
* And born in strife - And born in strife
* They are the living reminders - They are the living reminders
*Of all the good we failed to do -Of all the good we failed to do
* That's why we know - That's why we know
* Deep in our hearts - Deep in our hearts
* That's why we know that they are all * - They are all
* Our children too - Our children too
[somber trumpet solo]
[dramatic music]
[upbeat music] ["American Dream"]
["I Would Give My Life for You"]
[gentle music]
- Kaleigh Sullivan: * You who I cradled in my arms
* You
* Asking as little as you can
* Little snip of a little girl
* I know I'd give my life for you *
* You didn't ask me to be born *
* You
* Why should you learn of war or pain *
* To make sure you're not hurt again *
* I swear I'd give my life for you *
* You will be who you want to be *
* You
* Can choose whatever heaven grants *
* As long as you can have your chance *
* I swear I'd give my life for you *
* No one can stop what I must do *
* I swear I'd give my life for you *
* I swear I'd give my life *
* For you
[dramatic music]
* Ah
* Ah-ah
* Ah-ah-ah
[dramatic music]
["This is the Hour"]
[cheers and applause]
[staccato cymbal]
[hand drumming]
[bass drums play on downbeat]
[staccato snare and tenor]
[snare drums play rim clicks]
[cymbal crashes]
[full drumline performs]
[tenor drums tuned to different pitches]
[short accented notes]
[snare drums and cymbals lead groove]
[bass drum feature]
[tuned to three different pitches]
[accents played on rims]
[drummers shout "Hey!"] [audience cheers]
[accented snare drums]
- Whoo! Whoo!
[playing rim shots] [cymbal slide-chicks]
- Man: Hit it!
[tenor drums play guitar riff from "Walk This Way"]
[drum roll, fading out one by one]
[drum roll, fading in one by one]
[solo snare drummer starts] [rest of drumline joins in]
[cymbal slide-chicks]
[full drumline plays groove]
[full drumline performs accented groove]
[tenor drum roll]
[full drumline performs] [half-time accent]
[cymbals chick] [snare drum accents on rims]
[snare drum feature]
[audience cheering] [tenor drum feature]
[full drumline performs]
[alternating cymbal crashes]
[fireworks pop]
[cheers and applause]
- Mike Leckrone: Our percussion section!
[cheers and applause]
["Wisconsin Forward Forever" by John Philip Sousa]
[fireworks pop rhythmically]
[patriotic music]
[fireworks pop rhythmically]
[cheers and applause]
- One, two, three, four!
[upbeat music]
We close as we always close,
and always will, as long as I have anything to say about it,
with a medley of songs of our great university.
Think about it the next time
you go through the Camp Randall Arch.
If you're a Wisconsin fan, sing along.
If you're Wisconsin alumnus, sing along.
If you just like Wisconsin, sing along!
If you're none of the above, eat your hearts out.
This is "Songs to Thee, Wisconsin."
*
* Songs to thee, Wisconsin
* Ever let us sing
* Praise to alma mater
* Ever let us bring
* Queen of all the West
* College we love best
* Queen of all the West
* College we
* Love best
[drumroll]
["If You Want to be a Badger"]
*
- Band: Ah... How do you like me now?
[tubas play very low bass notes]
["Varsity"]
* Var-sity!
* U-rah-rah!
* Wisconsin!
* Praise to thee we sing [echoing] * We sing
* Praise to thee, our Alma Mater
* U-rah-rah
* Wisconsin!
[drumroll] [cheers and applause]
[fanfare of trumpets]
Hey!
* Praise to thee, our Alma Mater
*
[chanting] U-rah-rah! Wisconsin!
- Band: Hey... up!
[drumming]
- Woman: Love you, Alex! - Whoo!
- Mike Leckrone: One, two, one, two, three, four.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you for being a part of
our 100th centennial celebration of Camp Randall Stadium!
Thank you so much for supporting us, thank you!
["On, Wisconsin!"]
We never say goodbye,
'cause we don't know where we're gonna see you again.
Maybe out in Camp Randall next year
for the 101st year in Camp Randall stadium.
[audience cheering]
Or maybe back here in the Kohl Center
for basketball and hockey.
And we're gonna have some great teams next year.
Or, maybe it will be...
Oh, I'd like to be there one more time in Pasadena.
I'd love to see you one more time.
[audience cheering]
And next year, we'll probably see you right back here
on April 11th, 12th and 13th.
We'd love to see you for that.
[audience cheering]
But we never say goodbye,
but tonight in a way we do.
I would like to introduce to you the seniors
who are performing their last time.
Would you please stand?
[cheers and applause]
But we won't say goodbye.
We'll just say,
"We'll see you real soon and 'On, Wisconsin!'"
Two, three, four, five.
["On, Wisconsin"]
[firecracker whistling]