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Singer’s viewpoint: Air Force band performs at American Samoa

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Courtney Clifford
  • Pacific Air Forces Band
April 17, 2014 --  We piled into the blue Air Force 15 passenger van March 25, after stacking our luggage and gear in the back, partly obstructing the view through the rear window. We were on our way to the Honolulu Airport to fly to a place I knew little about.

After the six-hour plane ride, we landed in American Samoa. It was evening and the air was thick with humidity. We were herded through the customs as we felt the heat hitting us like a Mack truck. We finally arrived at our hotel, checked-in, and unloaded our gear. Tuckered out from the day's travel, I fell asleep as soon as my face hit the pillow.

It was still dark when I awoke from my short but refreshing slumber. It was time to get ready for the first performance of the tour. The sun was beginning to rise, cascading beautiful gem tones across the sky. Lost in the beauty, I realized I was running late; uniform on, hat in hand, I darted out of my hotel room. The rest of the band was waiting down stairs. We were finally on our way, in our caravan of trucks, to Faga'itua High School.

We arrived at the school and started to unload and set up for the show. With every performance, there is always an uncertainty about how we'll be received.
We set up on a stage under a huge concrete structure. The structure was supported by six solid pillars, with the diameter similar to that of a Giant Sequoia tree.
There were bleachers set up perpendicular to the stage on either side. While we set up, there were about 50 students that were hanging out. After a few minutes of our arrival, we started to make conversation. We were greeted with big smiles and a sense of excitement.
I knew from then on, that this was going to be an awesome show and an awesome tour through-out American Samoa.

We finished setting up and ate lunch. With the turkey chili heavy in my stomach, it was time to start the show. SSgt Griffin played a beat on the cajon. I told the crowd to put their hands together, they complied. After a short introduction of who we were, I started to sing "Royals" by Lorde. The students roared with surprise and sang along to every word. The majority of the show was high-energy; Tech. Sgt. Michael Smith, our audio engineer, even started a dance-off with a student. At that point, every student was on their feet, singing, dancing, clapping, and screaming- the energy in the room was amazing. The happiness was radiating through my circulatory system and I knew that we'd never forget these American Samoan students, and they'd never forget us. The entire student body sang to us at the end of the assembly, as a token of their gratitude. I was sitting on the ground at this point, and I was encompassed by the angelic sounds of the choir.

After the assembly, we posed for photos, took "selfies", and conversed with the students. Staff Sgt. Griffin led a drum circle with some of the students, whom belonged to the drum line. They taught us some Samoan, like "Talofa" meaning hello.

We played, on average, two shows a day. We had the opportunity to play on the radio twice, at three high-schools, an elderly home/day care, "Hope House", and a community concert at the Executive Office Building.It was an amazing time; American Samoans are friendly, hard-working, and loving people. This trip has affirmed my belief that music is the universal language; a language that goes deeper than words and a language that is spoken by the soul, to the soul.