MaestroBen

That would have been Bob Guinn, most recently seen playing bass drum #1 in the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project.

Mike, That's the problem with all that crowd response B) , you just missed the subtle part of the show. Kidding, we did play soft every now & then. I just don't see where we could have really put it in the show. After Malaguena, and the tag? It would have taken 10 minutes to pick the babies up off the field before we could have started!

Jon Schipper played the beginning You'll Never Walk Alone as the Honor Guard entered the stadium at the beginning of the show. Perhaps the roar of the crowd covered this up? I could hear it clearly in the tunnel. Of course, I was about 15 yards away from him. We also sang You'll Never Walk Alone after we came off the field. It hasn't been a part of a Madison Scouts field show since 1970 (just checked Corps Reps to be sure), and as important as that song is to us, I think it was featured properly. Did you really think we didn't take the crowd with what we played? -Ben

Hello all... Back from a scorching weekend in Madison. First of all, I apologize to the members of the Bluecoats (who weren't there) and the Blue Stars, who were, for managing to corrupt both of their names in the original review. Too little late night proofreading. Just a few items that should be noted before this discussion ends. First, a change of decision has been made regarding ticket refunds. They are now being granted, or you can get the $15 expensive seats for next year. Nice decision there. Also, there was an explanation in the Lincoln paper (in an article Friday which I cannot find a link to) about the reason that the event was not moved inside to the Devaney Center. Apparently, University regulations stated that the Devaney Center must be notified by 5 pm whether the building would be used. The organizers wanted--obviously--to get the show in outside, since it wasn't raining at 5, so they decided not to go with the Devaney Center. So, the lack of the inside performance is the 'fault' of the University regulations, and not DCI or the Lincoln show organizers. Better weather next year.

Lincoln, NE “Cornhusker Summer Music Games” Review ----from previous thread--- (moderators, you can delete part I) I’m writing the first part of this review before the show, so I can get it posted before I head to Madison for the final MSARP rehearsal weekend. I’ll post the actual review—assuming the thunderstorms don’t wipe out the show—when I return from Madison on Monday. The City: This is Lincoln’s first drum corps show. The Cavaliers rehearsed here in 2004 at the beginning of finals week. There was supposed to be a show last year (with the same 4 corps) but Coach Callahan decided that the Memorial Stadium turf needed to be replaced. Lincoln would be a great venue for a major regional show. The airport is very close to downtown (5 minutes max., unfortunately only Northwest & United fly here. Cheaper fares and more flights can be found in Omaha, 50 minutes east), there is a lot of hotel space (80,000 Husker fans need a place to sleep during football weekends, many good restaurants, abundant corps housing possibilities, and a great stadium. The Lincoln/Omaha area reminds me a lot of Madison/Milwaukee, for those of you whose only connection with Nebraska is driving through it in the middle of the night coming back from Drums Along the Rockies (that would be me before I moved here). Except, Lincoln doesn’t have nearly as much ‘character’ as Madison, there are no lakes, and we have more tornados. The Stadium: Ever since I moved to Lincoln 8 years ago, I’ve thought that Memorial Stadium would be a prime venue for a drum corps show. Tonight I’ll find out for sure, but here are some of the features. The stands are right on top of the field, on both the home and visitor sides. And, the stands are steeply banked, so wherever you sit you feel right on top of the field. The stadium is also completely enclosed, so the sound should really ring. Again, I’ll have a full report Monday. There’s a nasty looking thunderstorm outside my window right now that’s heading towards Lincoln. The radar suggests that this storm should blow through quickly, but the forecast is for scattered strong storms throughout the evening. I hope we can get the show in. I’m not particularly excited about seeing Cavies in a standstill inside. ----Brief New Review follows---- The show started at 7:30, featuring a brief performance by the senior high University of Nebraska summer band camp band. Great job guys. The middle school kids joined them for the National Anthem. Very nice. Blue Coats The first 20 seconds of the show has too much narration, talking about "freedoms" that our Founding Fathers gave us, that, as my wife pointed out, only 1 or 2 of the four were actually given to us by our founders. And then the rains came. We waited for an hour. We were promised, when we bought tickets, that the Devaney Center would be the "Rain Location". Well, the DCI representative announced at 9:00 that we should all go home because of the continued lightning. No mention of a rain location. At this point I feel very sorry for the wonderful people sitting behind us from Beatrice (an hour south of Lincoln) who had heard of DCI for 10 years, and always wanted to go, but could never make as far as Omaha. They were thrilled to go to their first show. What do they get? A promise of $15 tickets next year. Why was there no standstill inside? The show was cancelled at 9. The printed schedule showed an encore (by all 4 corps, a very neat idea for a small show) beginning around 9:30. We could have all gotten to the Devaney Center--conservatively--by 10:00. The corps would have been on the road half an hour later. Instead a couple of thousand people, including 300-400 high school and middle school kids, who have never had a show in their town, leave after hearing only 20 seconds of narration. I'm quite disappointed in D.C.I. I know we can't control the weather. I've been in shows that have been cancelled by the weather. Every one I can remember, however, we performed a standstill SOMEWHERE, either in the stadium, or a nearby basketball arena, or somewhere. Unfortunate. I'll have more thoughts on this when I return from the Madison Reunion Corps rehearsal and performance weekend. -Ben -Ben

Lincoln, NE “Cornhusker Summer Music Games” Review I’m writing the first part of this review before the show, so I can get it posted before I head to Madison for the final MSARP rehearsal weekend. I’ll post the actual review—assuming the thunderstorms don’t wipe out the show—when I return from Madison on Monday. The City: This is Lincoln’s first drum corps show. The Cavaliers rehearsed here in 2004 at the beginning of finals week. There was supposed to be a show last year (with the same 4 corps) but Coach Callahan decided that the Memorial Stadium turf needed to be replaced. Lincoln would be a great venue for a major regional show. The airport is very close to downtown (5 minutes max., unfortunately only Northwest & United fly here. Cheaper fares and more flights can be found in Omaha, 50 minutes east), there is a lot of hotel space (80,000 Husker fans need a place to sleep during football weekends, many good restaurants, abundant corps housing possibilities, and a great stadium. The Lincoln/Omaha area reminds me a lot of Madison/Milwaukee, for those of you whose only connection with Nebraska is driving through it in the middle of the night coming back from Drums Along the Rockies (that would be me before I moved here). Except, Lincoln doesn’t have nearly as much ‘character’ as Madison, there are no lakes, and we have more tornados. The Stadium: Ever since I moved to Lincoln 8 years ago, I’ve thought that Memorial Stadium would be a prime venue for a drum corps show. Tonight I’ll find out for sure, but here are some of the features. The stands are right on top of the field, on both the home and visitor sides. And, the stands are steeply banked, so wherever you sit you feel right on top of the field. The stadium is also completely enclosed, so the sound should really ring. Again, I’ll have a full report Monday. There’s a nasty looking thunderstorm outside my window right now that’s heading towards Lincoln. The radar suggests that this storm should blow through quickly, but the forecast is for scattered strong storms throughout the evening. I hope we can get the show in. I’m not particularly excited about seeing Cavies in a standstill inside. -Ben

Hello from Lincoln (I have to walk about 5 blocks to this show, so I'll be there!). I agree that the price might be a bit steep, and, yes, it is just the 4 corps performing (Cadets, Cavies, XMen, Bluestars for those of you that haven't gone to the show's site). However, I think this show has a lot going for it. Most importantly, Memorial Stadium should be an almost perfect drum corps venue. Both home and visitor stands are right on top of the field, and they're steep, so the sound should be brilliant (not counting any amp issues, key of horns, number of valves, or any other possible faults of modern drum corps). And, to get to the $27 seats, you go through the club level, a place very few of us 'mortals' have been on a normal footbal Saturday in Lincoln. This is the first show ever in Lincoln. One was scheduled for last summer (with the same 4 corps I think), but Bill Callahan decided in May that the stadium had to have a new playing surface installed, so the show was cancelled. There has been more advertising around town (billboards, pre-movie ads, posters everywhere, etc.) than for any local show I can recall seeing around the country. If $27 is just too much, the lower level $22 seats should be quite good as well, and, if you get up towards the top of one of the lower sections, the view will still be good. So, to wrap up my first post here on DCP, I would recommend this show to anyone who can make it. Hopefully there will be a great response, and we might see a more significant show here in the near future. (F.Y.I., I have no affiliation with anyone running the show here, except that I obviously know most of them, and I have no affiliation with the show itself at all. I'm just glad to be in the audience, and glad that the show wasn't scheduled for one day later, as I would be travelling to Madison to rehearse with the Alumni Corps). -Ben