The LZHS marching band put on a show at the McCormick Place Skyline Ballroom in Chicago in honor of the American Society of Safety Engineer’s 100th anniversary.

            The ASSE asked the marching band in October 2011 to perform at their event honoring their 100th anniversary.

            “I had to ask the band if they would really commit to doing this,” Josh Thompson, band director, said. “We were dealing with the business world, so there was no messing around when it came to committing to playing at the event.”

            The American Society of Safety Engineers has more than 34,000 members who work across the world to protect people, improve business, and protect the environment.

The A.S.S.E. meets annually in Chicago to hold meetings, socialize with other engineers, and discuss business. The marching band performed at the convention’s opening address.

            “I like to think that the company heard of us because we are the best in the state, but it was probably because we have a parent who works for the organization,” Thompson said.

            The band performed three rehearsals a week prior to the event held downtown to figure out what to do for their big performance.

            “The music was the same as the music we play at football games, but we still wanted to make sure everything was perfect,” Thompson said.

            On June 13, the band was all ready to go.

            “We met at the high school at 5am to get downtown at around 6am,” Thompson said. “Then we did a dress rehearsal to make sure everyone was ready to perform.”

            Around 8:45am the band strolled out onto the floor of the Skyline Ballroom, surrounded by around 4,000 guests to see them perform.

            “It was great to see the reaction on all of their faces, because I don’t think any of the guests expected to have a full and complete marching band come out to perform,” Chris Orabutt, junior, said. “You could really tell the crowd was excited.”

            The band performed the songs “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Dance to the Music.”

            The last full minute of the performance, the band had eight cannons shooting out confetti into the ballroom.

            “Not only did we sound great because of all of our practice and experience, but the show looked amazing due to all of the confetti cannons. I’m sure the company was very impressed,” Thompson said. “We do what we do best; they asked for enthusiasm and energy, and that’s exactly what we gave them. In general, we have a really talented program; it’s well balanced and just excellent.”