What an awesome day of Drum Corps yesterday! I got to my seat on the 2nd tier club level, 50 yard line, 6 rows back. Heaven for watching a DCI show. Was there from Carolina Gold at 1:55 through Santa Clara Vanguard to end the night.
General Comments: I’ve been a drum corps fan since I was 14 years old. I’m currently 55. So I’ve lived through the evolution of the activity. I watched Jim Ott hornlines ( my brother marched on them), and now I watch Van Doren hornlines ( along with all the others). While I do have a lot of the old school in me, last night was one of the most breathtaking shows I’ve ever been to. A lot of people will say “once you break into the top 6 it really turns up”. I disagree in a sense. They were all spectacular. For instance, Madison Scouts brought tears to my eyes. They aren’t even a 3-wood from the top 6, but I found myself wrapped up in their show, their drill, their sound…and quite frankly, I hope the negativity around Madison just stops. Then throw in Spirit of Atlanta, Pacific Crest, Crossmen, Phantom, Mandarins, etc. There just wasn’t a bad show ( please don’t quote that last sentence and turn this thread into a diatribe on the one show you may have thought was “bad”. )
The marching arts are alive and well!
The Venue: The Dome is the freaking BOMB! The only thing I thought was strange was that we were in the 237C Harrah’s Club Level…and they opted not to have any food or bar service this year. Which seems like a huge lost sales opportunity to me. But hey…I don’t run their business, and it was only a few steps out of the club level to food and drink. Generally I thought the acoustics ( for a dome) were pretty good.
My chill bump moments: I’m a sucker for an emotional ballad so must of them for me were in the ballads of these shows. In no particular order, my chill bump moments were:
- The close of the Madison Scouts show…aerodynamic drill movements while playing fffff and me thinking “I’m watching the end of an era” ( please don’t turn this thread into the co-ed debate). Possibly had a tear in my eye. Loved their show, and think the rumors of their demise are greatly overstated.
- The close of Phantom Regiment’s show…with the corps pulling into the final “Phantom Formation” and the “burning platform” chugging right down the 50. I’ve always been a Phantom fan, and I’m rooting for them to continue to do what it takes to restore themselves to their former glory. Saw flashes of that last night.
- The baritone’s “second verse” in Academy’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”…some rich baritone musicianship and a nice chart.
- “Gabriel’s Oboe” solo turned cross-field duet from Carolina Crown. Delicious. Chicken skin!
- The entire Cavaliers ballad…that low brass in the beginning reminded me of a different era of Phantom Regiment when their low brass sound was trademarked as their own.
- “Hey Jude” from the Bluecoats. C’mon…let your hair down…it’s just fun and fabulous!
- “Hurt” by the Blue Knights. Wow.
What I see moving into the last two weeks: The “heart versus head” predictions are as follows.
- Bluecoats rock the dome in Indy. The whole building is singing “Hey Jude”. Yet they still win a Silver to…
- Blue Devils…who I think still have a lot more to show us.
- SCV finishes 3rd about a point behind Devils
- Carolina Crown rides a brass caption win to 4th and mitigates some of their GE issues
- The Cavaliers surge late and beat Boston in Indy with a fan favorite type show that is just straight up energy from the first note.
- Boston has LOS on their feet screaming when Goliath’s head comes off again. Cavaliers/Boston will be a scrap until the last note.
- Blue Knights tighten the current margin between themselves and BAC/Cavaliers. They have a majestic show!
What a show! See you in Indy!
Rolling With the Cavaliers 