Pit_Girl_77

Stadium is FULL, lots of folks on the side hills in the end zone. Nice breeze, sunny, about 80 so it is warm but a really nice night for a show!

This is my home stadium and my favorite stadium because the horn line is so close to the crowd! The cavaliers have been running a clinic for high school kids, other buses are starting to pull in and unload and there's a lot of people in the parking lot milling around already with the gates opening at 5:30. Can't wait to bring my 11-year-old to his first full drum corps show 😎

Let’s go Colts!!! 🔺

Quick recap of Thunder of Drums--- Opening pre-show by 204th Army Jazz Ensemble was a very nice way to get everyone in the stadium. SSB before the official show start was the Army and the students from the marching club clinic today and it sounded GREAT---Army french horns for the win ❤️ Govenaires: All-age corps from just 10 miles up the road, they have lots of fans here tonight! Show hits the concept of Woodstock 100% with uniforms, silks, body work, all good. A bit off between the brass and front line/electronics at times but the show is very entertaining and is going to cook by August. Colt Cadets--Show concept is clear and entertaining. Flags were my favorites of the night, and the color guard capes sparkle and look fantastic even in the sunlight. I appreciate how the writing of the show matches the skills of the members (I don't know the ages of this year but in the past they had many 13-16 year olds in the mix), they are able to perform it well while working to add new touches each week. This is a great show! River City Rhythm--i was a bit worried when I saw how much the drum line outnumbered the horn line (They have a very successful winter drum line...maybe 3 percussion for each horn?), but DANG, that horn line can PLAY! Great job balancing the two! Another clear and well done show concept that starts before the introduction, very entertaining to watch. I don't think we saw the ending tonight, there may be more coming... MN Brass-All age, a bit smaller than a decade ago but still sounding great. The show was unfinished tonight and I think not judged, but what we saw sounded like a good start. The title gave me a west-side story vibe, but the music was more of a Godfather vibe and we were digging it. Madison Scouts,Colts,Phantom---SO much better live then on Flo! The first hit from each group was awesome, the stadium went nuts for all, and I am still smiling. All 3 shows I saw on Flo several days ago, tonight I saw lots of new (Or just new to me?) details. Several costume changes, more finished props in the Colts, cleaner marching and body work, more energy and volume...the shows really popped. My group (random backgrounds in band) agreed that Madison was the loudest with Phantom in 2nd. We loved them all. Seriously---go support live shows if you can, it is so much better then streaming! (Of course, I am still going to watch Flo...and dream of plane tickets to Atlanta or Indy...) Stadium---MN State Mankato is the BEST place to see drum corps. No track, so the corps are really close to the stands...so close most of the drum majors are in the stands instead of on podiums. Real grass. No roof. Lots of food trucks, sovies really close, lots of traffic directors before and after the show, parking and practice lots very easy to get to from the stadium, and lots of food options right across the street. The crowd is awesome and the crew that organized it does a fantastic job. Even free multi-page programs for everyone! (My hometown, so maybe a bit biased...but I have been in lots of stadiums 😎)

Sitting in Mankato under the press box, great crowd coming in, show is going to be about 15 behind due to some equipment something. SSB right now.

Nice jump in performance from all the corps so far tonight! It is going to be fun to watch how the shows change and grow this summer 🙂

So the big question…what song will Crown pull from the phone playlist tomorrow?

Phantom 2008 Finals---i would love to feel the energy in the stadium! We were crying watching in the movie theatre during quarter finals! Tied with: The Madison Alumni Project---I spent a chunck of my high school summers following the Scouts around the uppermidwest with my band buddies. 💕💕💕

I put a few more photos on Twitter from the show tonight. Everything was great, got to sit next to the parents of a Blue Stars soloist, a River City alumni from their winterline, and other great folks that made the show fun. Opening of Bluecoats, right before my battery died on the phone Random highlights and thoughts--- 3 MN corps to open the show!!! Love it!!! Ticketing/people finding the right seats/etc. was a bit of a mess, like usual, but the staff was super nice (Like usual! Love Minnesota!) My father predicts that this stadium is going to get a major overhaul pretty quick, as it is just about the only athletic facility on the MN State Mankato campus that has not been renovated in the past 10 years. I love this place, but it does need handrails for the very steep steps, wider marked seats, and more access for handicapped folks. And way more women's bathrooms. Lots more. (What stadium doesn't?) Also, they really should block off a section in the stands for drum majors to stand, as all the big corps have to find a spot to squeeze in. But with all of that, it is still the coolest stadium to see a show in! Traffic getting out of the stadium was well managed, lots of people directing, great job on that! Maybe one year we can do this without major construction within 500 feet of the stadium... Everyone did great in the shows. I really enjoyed Blue Stars much more with additions made since I saw the theater show opening night. Bluecoats was very intense live, and you can get whiplash trying to watch everything going on. Troopers ballad was wonderful, and about had me in tears thinking about the Phantom Regiment bus incident last night (Us old folks all remember Phantom 1991 doing the opera show, right?). Speaking of Troopers...thank you for an amazing encore! We got another listen to the ballad, and then some patriotic music (I cannot remember which song, but thank goodness it was not the Stars and Stripes...maybe Battle Hymn?) to end the show. My crew left the stands very happy :)

Putting some photos on Twitter of the show, someone feel free to add them here! #drumcorps #thunderofdrums

I love the Mankato stadium----my home show! Scouts 1995 is my very favorite drum corps memory in that stadium, so close to the action the drum majors are in the stands for the big corps :). Waiting for any Colts updates....scores have been announced in California...bored...

On Facebook live Madison had video of them setting up on the field, but it turned off before the show started of course...so Madison is just starting now.

Saw the show in a Sioux Falls theatre that was about 1/3 full, and this was about the 4th different theatre I needed to go find someone to turn the volume up. Also, why is there on worker hanging around to hit the lights at the end of the show? Oh well, customer service was good up front, so that was cool.... Anyway, I enjoyed all the shows but did not have a clear favorite or goosebump moment. Overall I smiled the most during the Cavies show, hoping for a larger "Mars" section in the final ending. I liked the cheesy goofiness of it, and look forward to seeing this one again to look for things I missed the first time. I loved the first half of Crowns show, thinking that it is a show my dad would love with classic, recognizable music played very very well. I know lots of folks are knocking the vocal soloist doing "For Good", but I almost cried....love you my Colt Cadets from 2010 that did this!!! Great memories of great kids and I will love every time I see this over the summer....but...After the ballad I was confused, hoping for some rewrites here. Just...huh? Blue Stars look elegant, nice first 2 acts. I love Moulan Rouge, but it just did not seem to fit here? I get the theme, but the sound clips were jarring and out of place when compared to the rest of the show, and I am thinking the ending has more in the works. I will get to see them live in a couple weeks, so we will see how that 2nd veiwing is. Bluecoats seem to have the swagger I always associated with the blue devils. Taking the field they just look like a crew that know they are on top-confident, at ease with performing, arrogant maybe...I liked the show, but it does not have the same "wow" as last year...yet..time will tell. 2% power on tablet and way past bedtime, maybe more tomorrow!

Cavies was my favorite show tonight in the theatre. I can see how it is not as hard or polished or whatever as some others, but I liked the music, smiled a bunch, and even lol at one point. One request---more Mars????? PLEASE???? With no weird sound effects, just a good minute of blow my face off brass and drums? Then end with anything you want, I trust ya after last year...

Of course crown was amazing, Roxanne has gained lots of cool details since the opening movie event. No weakness to my untrained eye, loved it all and can't wait to see what they add before finals. Blue star setting up for encore, gonna try to periscope it on my tablet since the phone is about dead...