WOW... Thank you - a message from David Gibbs

After the DCE show in Kortrijk, last Saturdau, executive director David Gibbs from The Blue Devils posted a message on the Blue Devils blogs. Here is what the executive director said about the show and the first week in Europe.

"We are on the way to Paris. I will fill until we get the blogs posted. Been hard to get internet while in Europe. We had some great rehearsals days in the heat in La Gorge. Made many changes and the show is starting to really take shape. On Saturday we went to the town of Gent, Belgium for a performance in the town square. They fed us and we had a great time performing for the festival in Gent.

That night we had our DCE performance in Kortrijk, Belgium. I have to say that the reception and audience reaction was the most overwhelming I have ever experienced in all my years. When we turned the corner and walked into the stadium, it was truly a frenzy. Chants of USA... USA. WOW... it really was very emotional when you realized why you worked two years to make this happen. It was truly an experience of a lifetime for our members. They will remember this for the rest of their lives. And so will I and my son Peyton.

We hope we put on a great show for the fans. We heard from many after the show on how much they enjoyed it. Many autographs and pictures. It was a kick. I met many people that said that this was their first time they have ever seen The Blue Devils or an American drum corps. Many young people who were truly inspired by the performers. Really cool...

I want to thank Jean Paul for all his incredible and tiresome work. He operated on 8 hours sleep for the entire week and we could not have made the trip to Belgium without him. And thank DCE for putting on a great show. We were truly honored to be guest at a first class drum corps event. Well run and professional. DCE wanted The Blue Devils to be in competition and we wanted to satisfy any wishes they had. I know it was a unusually high score (for this time of year). We were not here to compete. We wanted to help grow the activity worldwide, give fans of Europe a chance to see The Blue Devils up close and personal and for our members to have a experience of a lifetime. I think we are doing that.

All the family, friends an fans of The Blue Devils should be very, very proud how these kids are handling themselves and how hard they are working. Traveling oversees and dealing with almost everything new ... from food to housing, language differences and transportation with a GREAT attitude. They really understand their responsibilities as professional performers. They are the best. AND thank you to the staff for just being the best in the world.

These kind of trips bring the entire corps and staff together like nothing else. We will be very close, ready to go and anxious to see other corps when we get back into the US. Now it is two days off in Paris and one day in Venice then on to Lecco, Italy and back to work.

Thanks for all the support.

Dave"