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What shows first turned you on to drum corps, and why?


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In the thread about the Star of Indiana 1986 show. Sean Conley mentioned one never forgets their first show.

I still remember clearly the first drum corps show I saw and how the winning corps excited me. (And just over two years later, I ended up joining them.)

What corps and shows first turned you on to drum corps, and why? What did you feel when you saw that show? How did it change you?

How many of us share the experience of being turned on to the activity through witnessing a particular corps and show? Was it live or via a recording?

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I had seen several years of DCI finals on PBS, but the shows that really got me hooked on drum corps were at the Pageant of Champions at Cooper Stadium in Columbus, OH. The year was 1987 and it was my first live show...


Wednesday July 29, 1987

Santa Clara Vanguard 94.1002
Phantom Regiment 90.7003
Spirit of Atlanta 86.7004
Bluecoats 83.8005
Velvet Knights 82.5006
Dutch Boy 78.1007
Florida Wave74.7008
Freelancers 67.700



I remember Dutch Boy, Freelancers, VK, Florida Wave, Bluecoats, Spirit of Atlanta, Phantom Regiment, and The Santa Clara Vanguard performing.
Though I really enjoyed the first several corps, the night belonged to Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara...

All the corps were really great, but man those two Russian shows were just magical. It was some of the best brass playing that I had ever heard up to that point!
For those who know that stadium, it was a horror to march on! For the audience, it was great for sound and the angle of the stands was also steep enough to get a good view of the field. I really miss that stadium!

Edited by jjeffeory
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In the thread about the Star of Indiana 1986 show. Sean Conley mentioned one never forgets their first show.

I still remember clearly the first drum corps show I saw and how the winning corps excited me. (And just over two years later, I ended up joining them.)

What corps and shows first turned you on to drum corps, and why? What did you feel when you saw that show? How did it change you?

How many of us share the experience of being turned on to the activity through witnessing a particular corps and show? Was it live or via a recording?

I was first introduced to DCI via 1990 Finals video. I dug everything, as all I knew previously were HS marching bands and Big 10 marching bands. I went to my first show in 1991 in Columbus OH, and was utterly blown away by SCV. Their use of percussion blew me away, and I still think it's one of the most innovative marching books of the modern era. I knew some people marching in Limited Edition, so I really dug them as well (that was a good corps in 91), and I remember really liking the pageantry of Skyriders. Seeing DCI on video was cool, but it was seeing the corps live in 91 (particularly SCV) that made me fall in love with drum corps.

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For me, it goes back to the CYO/Eastern Mass/Mayflower Circuit days. My sisters marched in a drill team the Rangerettes which competed in Mayflower and Eastern Mass. I would go to competitions but I was too young to know what I saw, but loved it. In 1975 I began marching in a CYO band but I that year we only saw drum corps at the finals. In 1976, I became addicted. I was finally old enough to stay for an entire night competition (the previous year anyone under 12 had to go home after the show in a night competition), and saw what CYO called “senior” corps which by DCI definition would be junior. Junior for CYO was feeder. I can’t remember all the competitors that evening but the Jeanettes of Lynn took the field first. Later a newbie merger corps called “North Star” took the field. Boston Crusaders also marched that evening and won, but Holy Family Defenders were probably the evening’s favorite. They were my favorite that evening because they were the loudest and let’s face it, the first time a drum corps blasts you, you’re never the same. A week or two later, 27th appeared in exhibition. At that point, I gladly accepted being called a “drum corps nut.”

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My dad has always been a big drum corps nut so I grew up watching videos with him. I saw my first live show in Houston in 2005. Madison won that night with their Carmen show and I think that was the one that did it for me. Obviously I couldn't join the scouts but I did join the guard in my school and 3 years later I was marching!

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Phantom Regiment 1989. It was our show freshmen year, and at that time I didn't even know high school marching bands competed. Our director told us to go home and look it up, an I was wowed, got me into it, but didn't get me hooked.

That happened in June 09 when the Bluecoats rehearsed at our stadium. It was my first live viewing of a drum corps ever. I watched brass all day (couldn't find drum line lol), and I had a headache by the time the full run came around. By the end of the full run I was absolutely speechless. I went home that night and started following the whole summer.

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Early spring, 1972, a parade in Appleton, WI. Honestly, I do not recall which corps were there, but you knew instantly that these groups were a huge cut-above the HS bands marching. Found myself following each corps down the route as far as I could, then running back to see (and follow) the next one.

When I learned that Appleton had it's own corps, and my JHS band director was pro-corps (apparently a rare thing), I signed up.

Every weekend in WI had shows going on - man, it was a supremely awesome time. We regularly went up against the powerhouses, but it was many of the lesser-known corps that really made each summer special.

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The first time I ever saw any drum corps was 1977 finals on PBS...but when I saw 1978 I was HOOKED!

Crossmen, Bridgemen, Blue Stars, and Phantom Regiments shows were staples in listening! In fact I had a cassette with those four performances on it and wore it out!

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First show I ever saw.

1995 Cavaliers.

From then on, I was hooked.

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My dad introduced us to drum corps at birth,........but for me the 1975 Madison Scouts did it,..........real songs,...........real passion,............I met Alf Wateska, and his son who just finished the 75 season with Scouts at the RCA Championships held in Erie, as they were recording the contest,.......they got me to listen to the scouts show, and it was over, a corps fan for life,...........

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