Riverview dedicates new band shell

Former Riverview High School band director Andrew "Jack" Crew spent his entire musical career chasing a sound. 

For Crew, music wasn't about hitting all the right notes. It was about a sound that started in "the bottom of your feet and worked its way up to your soul," as Riverview alum Vince Vance put it during the dedication of the Andrew J. Crew band shell on Jan. 27 at Riverview High School. 

The shell was installed in Riverview's auditorium to enhance the sound of band performances. 

Crew served as band director from 1968 to 1983. He died in 2014. His wife, sister and daughters attended the event at Riverview in his honor. 

Footage from an interview Crew granted before his death was shown between songs. In the interview he recounts a performance he directed. He was nervous the band wouldn't be able to control their sound at the crescendo.

After the performance ended, he wasn't sure if the band had managed to control their sound, either. It was either really good or really bad, he recalled thinking. There was a long pause. Neither he, his students or the audience reacted, but then the crowd erupted with applause. Many of his students had tears running down their faces. 

"I remember thinking 'There just can't be anything in life better than this,'" Crew said in the interview. 

For those in the audience who knew Crew, the bandshell served as a perfect tribute to a man who dedicated his life to a sound. 

"You've come full circle," Vance said during his tribute to Crew. "We welcome you back home."