U.S. Navy Band Concert on the Avenue with the Sea Chanters (August 2, 2022)

In 2022, the United States Navy Band resumed a full summer schedule for its popular “Concerts on the Avenue” series at the U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza in the heart of Washington, D.C.

The full “Concert on the Avenue” on selected Tuesday evenings combined the talent and professionalism of the Concert Band; the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard; the U.S. Navy Drill Team; and the Sea Chanters, the U.S. Navy’s official chorus

The “Concert on the Avenue” begins with a procession of 56 state and territorial flags, each one carried by a member of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, followed by a command performance by the United States Navy Drill Team executing precision actions with 1903 Springfield rifles, all with 10-inch fixed bayonets.

The one-hour musical program features a tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim with a selection from “West Side Story”; the theme from the mega-hit ‘Top Gun” with its iconic electric guitar solo; a traditional sea shanty; a medley of Disco favorites; plus other popular and patriotic standards. (It is not unusual to find members of the audience dancing along.) Current and former members of the military are asked to stand and be recognized during “Armed Forces on Parade,” a medley of service songs, now incorporating the new U.S. Space Force Anthem. Every “Concert on the Avenue” concludes with a rousing rendition of John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” including the not often heard vocal finish by the Sea Chanters chorus.