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Fryeburg Fair
On this past Saturday we took the kids to the Fryeburg Fair in Freyburg, Maine. We had a great time but I posted this somewhere around hour three on Facebook:
Fair revelation- it’s easier to tell the kids no rides and listen to ten minutes of attitude than to buy them each 20 tickets and spend 3.5 hours deciding which rides to go on….
Seriously! Our group had five kids in it and the youngest two kids used up their tickets pretty fast then cried at every ride because the older kids were going without them. My oldest ultimately ended up donating most of his tickets to the 7 year olds in the group. Sweet kid! But, really, we enjoyed ourselves a ton!!
But, the real fun was the night show. We figured we’d watch since we were there. As it turns out, even the seven year old agreed that March Fourth Marching Band was the highlight of the Fair this year!
March Fourth Marching Band
I took a look at the entertainment lineup for the night we’d be at the fair. I saw that March Fourth Marching Band was the main grandstand 8pm show of the day. I watched a couple of YouTube videos (check out the one below) and thought the show would be worth watching. Clearly, the videos are a gross misrepresentation of the performance- in fact, they aren’t even close to the thrill, enjoyment and pure fun you’ll have watching this show live.
I’m talking front and center… there was actually nothing between us and the stage. Even the audience in the back experienced some great entertainment, interaction and engagement! But, probably not like we did. The 7yr old was “breakdancing” almost at their feet. The 12 yr old, donned in her giant fuzzy pink/black/white tiger hat danced her heart out- and, quite frankly, so did I. Exhausted, from fairground walking for 9 hours, and barely able to stand up and this group had me on my feet and dancing for over an hour! That, my friends, takes an excessive amount of talent!!
At one point one of the dancers came off the stage and danced with my family. She talked to 7yrold about his breakdancing, tiger clawed at my daughter and (with some prompting from his little sister) shook the 14yr old drooling son’s hand, followed by a hug and a whisper that made him blush and grin from ear to ear. It will be a night none of us will ever forget!!
From stilt walkers dancing to using human marionettes on strings to radical costumes, excellent music, an engaging audience-interactive dance to the amazing use of instruments I sincerely, whole heartedly recommend that if you have the chance you attend their show!!! The group is very diverse. Each of us had a favorite musician and/or dancer by the end of the night.
My biggest regret was that our cameras died as the show started up. And, in fact, March Fourth Marching Band not only did an encore performance, they walked down off the stage (giving my kids and I high-fives on the way down and back up) right into the audience and posed for pictures with audience members after the performance finished. Stilt walkers picked people up to pose for photos. The dancers posed with anyone that asked. These are musicians that truly remember what makes them special- their fans. Afterall, what is talent if no one’s watching?
To all of the amazing M4 performers and a special note of thanks to Melissa for dancing with us and Nayana for sharing press photos with me, thank you for an unforgettable experience!! We’ll be purchasing your CD’s, stalking you online and front and center the next time you are within 100 miles from us- that’s a promise!! At the beginning of the show one of the performers (Dan? maybe) said, “Share Your Smile!” Thank you for putting such a big smile on our faces!!
March Fourth Marching Band Video
M4 and Monsters University
Yep! They are famous- especially for the performance of the closing song of Monsters University-
“Gospel,” by MarchFourth Marching Band (Portland, OR), from their 2009 CD “Rise Up,” was included in the closing sequence of Disney/Pixar’s 2013 film ‘Monsters University’ and two other scenes. Since you won’t find it on the official movie soundtrack, download it here…. The track was composed by Eric Miller, an M4 trumpet player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9tnMEAV3S8
MarchFourth Marching Band Tour Schedule
10/08/13 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $12/$15. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 110 E Main St. with GangstaGrass More info… BUY TICKETS
10/09/13 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $12/$16. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 126 E. Cabarrus St.. wth Gangstagrass More info… BUY TICKETS
10/10/13 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
Time: 9:00pm. Address: 101 Biltmore Ave. with GangstaGrass. 18+ More info… BUY TICKETS
10/11/13 Harrisburg, PA ABC Abbey Bar
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $12/$15. Age restrictions: No Minors. Address: 50 N. Cameron St.. Doors at 8 PM. M4 plays at 10 PM More info… BUY TICKETS
10/12/13 Arlington, VA Artisphere
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $15 adv. $18 dos. Age restrictions: No Minors. Address: 1101 Wilson Boulevard. Doors at 7:30 pm. “Night of 1000 Andys,” a special show to coincide with Andy Warhol’s Silver Clouds exhibition (September 12 – October 20) and to commemorate Artisphere’s Third Anniversary. Show will include two other bands and/or DJs as well as dance and performance art. More info… BUY TICKETS
10/13/13 Virginia Beach, VA The Jewish Mother
Time: 7:00pm. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 600 NEVAN ROAD. More info… BUY TICKETS
10/15/13 St. Louis, MO 2720 Cherokee
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $15. Address: 2720 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, MO, 63118. Venue phone: 314-276-2700. ages 18+ More info…
10/16/13 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $12/ $14. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, KS 66044. More info…
10/17/13 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $15 GA + $2 for under 21 tickets. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 1135 13th Street Boulder, CO 80302. More info… BUY TICKETS
10/18/13 Bellvue, CO Mishawaka Amphitheater
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $15/$17.50. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 13714 Poudre Canyon. The show will be inside at the Spokes Buzz Lounge. More info…
10/21/13 Portland, OR Mondays at the Mall
Time: 12:00pm. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: SW 6th and Oak. M4 plays outdoors at Unitus Plaza (SW 6th and Jefferson), then march to Pioneer Courthouse Square, rain or shine! More info…
10/26/13 Portland, Oregon PSU Stott Center
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $18. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 930 SW HALL. Opening for OKGO. Part of the Portland State of Mind festival More info… BUY TICKETS
01/04/14 – 01/09/14 Miami, FL Jam Cruise
Time: 4:00pm. Admission: festival pricing. Age restrictions: All Ages. More info…
03/01/14 Bremerton, WA Admiral Theatre
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $18-35. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 515 Pacific Ave. More info… BUY TICKETS
About March Fourth Marching Band
MarchFourth Marching Band (M4 to its fans) is a kaleidoscope of musical and visual energy that inspires dancing in an atmosphere of celebration.
More about M4: Aside from their marching band themed costumes, as well as the 5-piece percussion corps and 7-part brass section, M4 is far from a “marching band” in any traditional sense (though this group of about 20 has been known to parade down Main Street before taking the stage). M4 is anchored by funky electric bass and has been evolving into a more guitar- and vocal-driven musical experience. The show will take you on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the gypsy camps of eastern Europe to the African jungle by way of Brazil, echoing the deepest grooves of American funk, rock, and jazz then boiling it all together in cinematic fashion with high-stepping stilt-acrobatics and dazzling dancers. This genre-busting, in-your-face experience is not to be missed! What began as a Fat Tuesday party in Portland, OR. on March 4th 2003, has since become one of the nation’s best live touring acts.
Your blog brought tears to my eyes. I’ve been in March Fourth since the beginning, and this affirms our mission. Thanks.
Thanks so much for your comment! I meant every word and just the time you’ve taken to write this reaffirms by decision to tell the world how great I think M4 is!!!
We are in total agreement. I’ve known about M4 thanks to a family connection to a friend of mine. I never dreamed they’d come east. I found about the CT show by accident earlier the same day and made a mad dash to Fairfield when I got off work at 8 p.m. I was so glad I did. What a great time. I definitely got more than my money’s worth for my ticket. “Fun” is the one word I keep coming back to. I hope they are able to come back this way again.
Fun is definitely a great way to describe M4!! I won’t ever miss the opportunity to see them on the future!
Love the picture “collage” you made! Lots of great pictures in it! The Fryeburg fair sounds (and looks) amazing!
The March Fourth Marching band sounds AWESOME! I’ve never heard of them before this post. I live a very sheltered life, lol.
I would never have know about them had they not been at the fair! Really great fun!
I’m another Maine mom, kicking myself for not bringing my family from Portland to see m4. I had the Maine Marathon to run in the next morning and thought the temptation to dance would be too strong.
I am so happy to read about your experience. I donated a little bit towards their fundraiser for a new tour bus last year and I’m reminded of why I did with your blog post!
Thanks so much for stopping by! You aren’t kidding about the temptation to dance- I could barely walk when the show started and still danced the whole way through! I think we’ll see big things happen for M4 for a long time to come!