Over the last month, members of The U.S. Army Field Band have been performing at probably the largest live music event in the world – The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Now, I’ve been around the block a few times and have performed at a lot of big events, but I’ve never seen anything like the Edinburgh Tattoo.
The Tattoo features over 800 performers from the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, and of course, the United States.
Performing six days a week – with back-to-back performances on Saturdays and the final Friday – for 8,500 people PER SHOW on the esplanade of the iconic Edinburgh castle, and a BBC broadcast for Europe and BBC America, it’s easy to see why this is one of the biggest spectacles in the world. I’m no mathematician, but that’s over 200,000 people live plus the BBC audience, which includes all of Europe.
So what?
Take another look at the countries represented, the guests who are attending – leaders from UK, NATO, U.S. State Department, members of the U.S. Joint Chiefs, European Command, Ukraine, and Finland to name a few.
Art has the ability to cut through political differences, language, and stereotypes. It creates a common ground upon which alliances and partnerships are formed. Art reaches us emotionally, which makes us more open to receive, and creates connections that are more meaningful than any briefing, teleconference, or slide deck can hope to deliver.
There’s no place we’d rather be (as one of the tunes from our set goes), than right here alongside our allies and partners.
To the Color 