So…I now find myself in “tour limbo”. Not on tour, but also not home.
After my final driving assignment from Palmdale to San Bernardino by way of 2 airports and a Walmart, Laurie’s Mom, sister, sister in law, and niece joined us for the show and to support and see Davis. Which was great!
After the show, Laurie’s sister wheeled us through a convenience store to pick up some Modelo Especial. It was ice cold. Laurie and I noted that her SUV had tinted back windows…you can fill in the blanks that not all of those Modelo soldiers made the full journey to Palm Springs. Laurie and I are such rebellious law breakers!
It was interesting to hear the opinion of those who had never seen a drum corps show before when discussing last night’s show, but that’s another post for another time.
I wanted to use this post to continue to encourage parents and fans to continue pouring support on our men as they leave California. By any objective measure this tour knocked it out of the park! Let’s review:
Beat Blue Devils in Brass 3 nights straight to open the tour✔️
Beat everyone in Music Analysis on night 2✔️
Beat Blue Devils in Total Music on night 3 ✔️
Leaving California in a 2-point striking difference of last year’s top two Corps✔️
Okay…but that’s “on the field stuff”. That doesn’t include a concert event for our horn sponsor, the men having a free day at Santa Monica pier, and an amazing outdoor community concert in Los Angeles.
It’s not lost on anyone that those events kept us off the practice field for two days while our competition were getting full rehearsal days in. I don’t care. I’d rather my son be in a Corps that values them and provides those type of experiences rather than just methodically grinding along.
Ten years from now, do you think your son will remember playing with Wayne Bergeron… or their score at San Bernardino Valley Community College?
Yeah … I know how you answered that 😀.
So now we have one last full heads up tangle with last year’s top two in Mesa Arizona, followed by 3 days of drive by rehearsal sites until Lisle, Illinois on 7/5.
Last take on “captions” from this tour. We won the “Crowd Reaction” caption ( obviously not on the scoresheet) EVERY night of this California tour. It wasn’t even close.
So ask yourself… as a performer would you rather please the masses, the crowd… or the judges?
Its the teaching staff’s goal and mission to do BOTH. But as parents and fans, we should be so proud that our men and this show are so well received. By Indy they will be a crowd favorite. Heck…they are already!
So now I find myself sitting at Laurie’s mom’s place in Palm Springs, already conniving on how I will see tonight’s show on Periscope, sipping s Modelo, and truly thankful that my set of life events allowed me to take 11 days away from the real world and just be a drum corps dad who is immensely proud of his son and the Corps of Brothers that has become a deeply ingrained part of his world.
One last thing… for those of you who know Thien…when you see him, make sure to affirm him and thank him. This tour has had tireless amounts of “known” details to deal with. It also has had the inevitable unknown details to deal with and they’ve been more than plentiful and not without huge potential impact. Thien has guided this tour through all the above. And he never, ever gets unduly excited…he just reasons through to a solution. I feel so much better knowing he’s on the tour and making key decisions.
A night here in Palm Springs and we’re headed home. Hope to catch you all down the road and definitely in Indy!
Rolling With the Cavaliers 