Funny Accidents on the Field?

[N.E. Brigand]

Over the past two weekends, I've been out to watch the performances of 122 different marching bands. In one of those shows something happened that suggests a topic for conversation here.

The band in question, Milton Union, from near Dayton in southwest Ohio, performed a show titled "Supernova" that featured music of Holst's The Planets, punctuated at times by recorded samples of Carl Sagan from the original version of Cosmos (I wonder if they were influenced by Minnesota Brass's show, which opened with a clip from the Neil deGrasse Tyson version). Scattered about the field were six large upright round painted placards meant to represent planets, and more or less in the middle of these shapes was a red bundle, about the size of an ottoman. Following the opening number, this object was unfurled to become a round tarp, about twenty feet across. I think this change represented a star exploding, but it's not important; the key point for this discussion are what happened next.

One player stepped to the middle of the tarp circle with a concert French horn for a solo to begin the next segment of the show. After the solo, the player set the horn down on the tarp. About a minute later, the show's drill called for another group of players to cross the tarp ...

And one of them stepped right on the horn. She or he stumbled slightly but didn't fall over and continued on.

Those members of the audience looking at that part of the field either laughed or groaned, but I think the only person in the band who realized what had happened was the stumbler--because about a minute after that, as the song worked to its conclusion, the soloist returned to the horn, had a brief moment of surprise finding the mouthpiece was not on the instrument, picked it up, and then began the solo...

And no sound came out of the horn.

OK, so it was funny in a wince-inducing way. But turning to drum corps: what humorous mishaps have you seen--or been part of--at or in a corps performance? No serious injuries, please: I'm curious about moments that you could laugh at without too much regret.

[xandandl]

Several years back BOA tried a regional in Bridgeport, Conn. which is on the L.I. Sound.

A band from North Carolina travelled the many hours north to participate.

There were gale force winds on the L.I. Sound that day but the band still spread a large tarp on the center of the windy field.

Toward the end of the show, a backstepping sousaphone player tripped over the tarp ends and fell sprawn on his back just as the wind got under the tarp.

He rolled to get up but rolled unfortunately into the side where the wind was lifting the tarp. The tarp covered him, rolled him, and captured him.

It took at least 8 adults to unroll the performer from the tarp as the band tried not to trip over him.

Unfortunately, the sousaphone player also had that 15 hour bus ride back to North Carolina.

I wonder still if he ever recovered.

[xandandl]

more drum corps related was the incident at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Mass. when the World Open contest was in its waning days.

There were prelims on Saturday morning beginning around breakfast and finals in the evening.

The Racine Kilties were still a male junior corps wearing yellow and black tartans and kilts; the corps drew an early morning performance.

No sooner had they begun their second number when on timers the sprinkler heads popped up out of the ground spraying water in every direction. No one on the contest committee knew how to turn the system off.

The audience was given quite a show.

Edited November 12, 2014 by xandandl

[fsubone]

Wasn't there an incident involving doves at a drum corps show? Something about them not flying at night, and just wandering around the field?

[Fran Haring]

Wasn't there an incident involving doves at a drum corps show? Something about them not flying at night, and just wandering around the field?

Yes.

1980 DCA Finals.

The Westshoremen from Harrisburg, PA, released the birds during the finale of their performance.

Only problem... the birds didn't fly. (at least the vast majority of them didn't.) They just kinda wandered around the field.

So... when Westshore's show ended, it was basically a three-ring circus of 1) corps members trying to get the birds off the field, and 2 ) DCA timing and penalties judge Walter Kelly firing his starter's pistol (with blanks, of course) to try to get the birds to move.

I am not making any of this up.

The corps I was with... the Long Island Sunrisers... went on after the Westshoremen that night, and we were getting lined up when this whole incident went down.

So.... there we stood... and stood... and stood...waiting for the birds to be removed from the field.

My brother was director of Sun that year. One of the most laid-back people you'll ever meet. The upshot here.... he wanted to pull us back off the field for a few minutes to regroup, before we came out for our performance. But a DCA official threatened us with a "delay of show" penalty if we did so.

Well... my brother.... again, a very laid-back guy... went ballistic, because even though we had nothing to do with the incident, WE were the ones that were about to be given a penalty!!! (To be fair, I think the Westshoremen were also threatened with a penalty.. and believe me, the members of that corps certainly didn't plan for the whole "birds don't fly" thing to happen... it was just one of those things that went wrong.) Turned out neither corps was given a penalty.

But suffice to say, many of us in Sun were not exactly charter members of the Westshoremen Fan Club that night.

Those of us in both corps that night now laugh about the whole bizarre incident. Heck, I ended up marrying a woman who marched with Westshoremen that year, and I am now a member of the Westshoremen Alumni corps. Go figure. LOL

Edited November 14, 2014 by Fran Haring

[Fran Haring]

A personal "things went wrong" story, that pales in comparison to the "bird incident"....LOL...

1979 with the Sunrisers, we had a show in in Gloversville, NY... a very hot and humid evening.

My eyeglasses fogged up during our "Crown Imperial" opener, and never unfogged. Now... I couldn't see three feet in front of me without my glasses, so removing them was not an option.

So I basically did the rest of the show not being able to see much of anything ahead of me, and using the "feel" method of finding my way in the drill!!!

[JimF-LowBari]

To add to Frans report 1980 was my first year out and was watching Finals with my family. Chief Judge would shoo(t) the birds towards the end zone like he was making headway. Then the bleeping things would run back where they were a minute (and a bunch of shots) ago. Repeat a few times.... My mom had the best line "What if he runs out of blanks before the end of the show" (uh oh).... Everyone laughing and as WSM alumnus I'm thinking "Oh #### we're gonna get a penalty and there goes top 5". (WSM had never cracked top 5 in DCA before.)

Retreat started and WSM DM comes out with two doves on his shoulders. Couple of us wanted to see the back of the uni....

Following year Westshore sold a hoodie with a bird with the number 5 on it's wing as a souvie. Still kicking myself for giving it to Goodwill.

LOL saw the bird cases after Prelims and asked the "guard" one of our bus drivers who was hanging with the corps what the deal was "If I tell ya, Larry (Hershman) sez I gotta kill ya".

[bill]

more drum corps related was the incident at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Mass. when the World Open contest was in its waning days.

There were prelims on Saturday morning beginning around breakfast and finals in the evening.

The Racine Kilties were still a male junior corps wearing yellow and black tartans and kilts; the corps drew an early morning performance.

No sooner had they begun their second number when on timers the sprinkler heads popped up out of the ground spraying water in every direction. No one on the contest committee knew how to turn the system off.

The audience was given quite a show.

http://s2.photobucket.com/user/vizquel13/media/Untitled-49.jpg.html

[JimF-LowBari]

OK Fran jogged my memory. 1979 Brick(?), NJ which turned into a exhibition in a monsoon. First off we (Westshoremen) went to watch part of DCI East Prelims at Allentown as a treat instead of beating us to death at practice. On the way to NJ the skies darkened and.... we couldn't find the freaking stadium. Bus drivers actually would see people in the front yard and stop to ask directions. One time they pointed they way we had just come. We get to the show and it is pouring, think "No way" and then see a corps out there doing their thing.

We had new unis so did the exhibition (competition cancelled) in street clothes (did the same thing for the same reason at a parade day of DCI). Middle of the concert number I notice that the lights are temporary and the poles are swinging away in the (newly started) gale force winds. Wondering about the poles going over when we see a huge light bulb(?) fall out of one of the poles. Landed right behind the DM (he didn't see it coming) with a crash and he jumped but kept directing. He had a rough year as he was a rookie and this just added to the crap he put up with.

PS next year same DM had the doves on his shoulders... miss ya Mark (RIP)

[HornTeacher]

Yes.

1980 DCA Finals.

The Westshoremen from Harrisburg, PA, released the birds during the finale of their performance.

Only problem... the birds didn't fly. (at last the vast majority of them didn't.)

They just kinda wandered around the field.

So... when Westshore's show ended, it was basically a three-ring circus of 1) corps members trying to get the birds off the field, and 2 ) DCA timing and penalties judge Walter Kelly firing his starter's pistol (with blanks, of course) to try to get the birds to move.

I am not making any of this up.

The corps I was with... DCA's Long Island Sunrisers... went on after the Westshoremen that night, and we were getting lined up when this whole incident went down.

So.... there we stood... and stood... and stood...waiting for the birds to be removed from the field.

My brother was director of Sun that year. One of the most laid-back people you'll ever meet. The upshot here.... he wanted to pull us back off the field for a few minutes to regroup, before we came out for our performance. But a DCA official threatened us with a "delay of show" penalty if we did so.

Well... my brother.... again, a very laid-back guy... went ballistic, because even though we had nothing to do with the incident, WE were the ones that were about to be given a penalty!!! (To be fair, I think the Westshoremen were also threatened with a penalty.. and believe me, the members of that corps certainly didn't plan for the whole "birds don't fly" thing to happen... it was just one of those things that went wrong.) Turned out neither corps was given a penalty.

But suffice to say, many of us in Sun were not exactly charter members of the Westshoremen Fan Club that night.

Those of us in both corps that night now laugh about the whole bizarre incident. Heck, I ended up marrying a woman who marched with Westshoremen that year, and I am now a member of the Westshoremen Alumni corps. Go figure. LOL

Whatever you do, Fran...PLEASE don't tie this story into something pertinent to the "What to feed your Corps after the show" thread. Please. The picture in my mind isn't a pretty one.