The city of London has been a launching ground for legendary acts like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

But to get the first week of the 2012 Olympics off to a rockin' start, they called in a Florida band.

The International Olympic Committee wanted a band they knew could get a crowd going.
So, they invited the Gators.

“Performing on the mall in front of Buckingham Palace has been incredible,” said Jason Silbiger, the drumline section leader.

Dramatic Photos: The London 2012 Olympic Games

The University of Florida Gators are now the first non-British marching band to perform on the mall, the area just outside Buckingham Palace.

“I can't believe all that's been done here,” Silbiger said.

That show is just a warm-up for their Olympic debut at women's cycling.

Coral Gables trumpeter Jason Kossis, couldn't believe it.

“That really summed it up, because we are here for the Olympics, and we saw, you know, that we are,” Kossis said. “That was kind of an official coronation that we are a part of the Olympic experience right there.”

The band also played First Lady Michelle Obama's youth fitness campaign, where UK soccer star David Beckham was a guest.

The Gators didn't just take a bite out of London, they ventured out an hour away to Windsor Castle, once home to Queen Victoria.

The Windsor Castle tour winds down a week's worth of sightseeing, music making and celebrity hobnobbing for the 230 member band.

It's also one of many London memories they'll have for a lifetime.

Tour guide Jan Koslover will have her share of memories, too.

“We have every year marching bands coming in to London for the year, but there's nothing quite like the Gators I have to say,” Koslover said.

The trip cost each member about $4,000, and not a penny, they say, was wasted.

“I think it's all going to hit us once we get home, really, once we start looking through the pictures and start thinking about the memories we had,” Kossis said.

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