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Misterstarsfan

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  1. 1987 was either the year it was really cold during the early part of the week, or the year we were inundated with bees in the stands, or the year when my ears became seriously clogged on the plane ride from Dallas and didn't become unclogged for 2 days. I can never remember which it was.
  2. Well, geez. I'ts been 3 days since the show. Since then, I've nearly had my eardrums explode on my flight back home due to a nasty sinus infection I developed, so my memory is somewheat hazy. I'm only going to provide deneral impressions of a few of the corps. First off, this place was really out in the middle of nowhere, which was about 50 miles from D.C. The stadium was built into the side of a hill, and all the souvenir trucks had to drive up a pretty steep incline just to get their trucks and trailers to the field behind the stadium. The backfield stand MIGHT have had 200 seats, and trees surrounded the entire field. The lighting was pretty dull, almost to the point of being dark. It was most evident when the Crossmen where on the field. Kudos goes to Outback Steakhouse, who provided meals to every kid in every corps. (Not steaks, but burgers.) The high school band that sponsored this show really did a good job. They provided door prizes, had a raffle for cash, and the kids themselves roamed the stands the entire night hawking concessions. Court of Honor really impressed me and entertained me. My vantage point was 8 rows up on the 46 yard line, so I was able to really see the faces of the kids. This is a very young corps (or is it that I'm really getting older?). Anyway, they appeared really young, and performed well. I recall one really humorous moment in the show that I won't reveal so that I won't spoil it for others who haven't yet seen them. I had seen Magic 2 weeks previous, so I was really surprised that there hadn't been done much to clean their show visually. It's still an entertaining show, though. They need to put the silver sash back on their uniform. Going into the show, I was surprised to learn from one of the Crossmen member's mother that the Crossmen had been, up to that point, being outscored by both Blue Knights and Spirit. She informed me that, they had made some significant changes over the week leading up to Orlando. Whatever changes they made were evident in Warrenton. I thought they were terrific. The brass nearly blew me away. Cadets - Of all the corps that I've seen this summer (Cavaliers, Cadets, Bluecoats, Crossmen, Blue Knights, Spirit, Seattle Cascades, Capital Regiment, Southwind, Magic, Troopers, Kiwanis Kavaliers and Court of Honor), this was the only corps where the amps actually made an impact on me. I know that other corps use them, but they were pretty much non-existent and didn't have an impact on my listening pleasure. The amps for The Cadets were, to me, overbearing. They're also unnecessary. As for the baton twirler, I reserved judgement until I saw it for myself in the show. In my opinion, a baton twirler doesn't belong in a drum corps show. If he's that good a twirler, show off his talents with a rifle or a sabre - NOT a baton. It was too marching band-ish for me, and also somewhat distracting. That being said, the corps put on a good performance. There were some performance issues within the brass line. For instance, a contra player really nailed one impact, however, it was a split second before the rest of the hornline. Plus, it was right in front of George's face, as he stalked the sideline during their entire performance.
  3. I happened to be in the D.C. area this week for business, and made the trek to Warrenton for the show on Tuesday night. What do you want to know? I'm not much on providing reviews, though.
  4. I spoke for a few minutes last night with Jeff Fiedler after the show, and he told me that there are still a few things that they're going to do with the ending to quicken up the pace and add some more "pizzaz". I thought the same thing as you, though, that the ending wasn't quite there yet. Oh, and I have had seats right under the pressbox for the past 20+ years, so I'm sure I saw you there.
  5. The lack of crowd response at the end of the show proves that most of the people were watching the fallen drummer rather than focusing on the show itself. I know I was. I'm of the opinion that he should have simply gone to the corner of the field and stood there for the remainder of the show (there was only about 20 seconds left anyway) rather than meander around the field while attempting those repairs.
  6. You didn't offend me. I was just hassling you. I understand now what you meant. And, no, that WASN'T a flag! I used the word for lack of a better term.
  7. My junior year of college had just ended towards the end of May 1984, and I was looking for a summer job. One night, after I arrived home from taking my girlfriend out, my parents set me down and told me that they had made a few calls and found out that the Cavaliers had one opening for the summer, and that it was mine if I wanted to go. They knew how much of a DC freak I was at the time, because I could hear about 2 notes from any corps from the previous 6 years, and tell them which corps, which year and which song they were playing. I was strictly a fan at the time (I had only marched high school band previously), and they wanted to give me an early graduation present since it would be my age-out year, and it was the first, and last opportunity I'd ever have to march. Needless to say, I couldn't pack fast enough, because I was to catch the first flight the next day to meet up with the corps before they left on tour. My first real goosebump moment was at DCI- Midwest in Whitewater. After our finals performance, while marching off the field, the tears were streaming down my face, because I finally felt what countless others had felt before me while marching in a place such as Whitewater. The crowds, the adoration, etc. I had finally made it! I had played solos with my high school band in front of 60,000 fans at Dallas Cowboys games, but that experience didn't come close in comparison to what I felt that night in Whitewater. My second moment was the week before finals in Atlanta. One of our stops along the way was the annual Dallas show. Coincidentally, the show has always been hosted by my high school alma mater, on the very field where I had marched so many Friday nights. So there I was, marching at the very highest level, in front of my family and countless friends on my "home field". I almost couldn't finish that show, because I was watching the elation on my parents' faces, and I lost it. Of all the shows that summer, that one show in Dallas, 19 years ago, is the one where I have the most vivid memories of that glorious summer.
  8. As I recall, that "prop" you speak of was the hornline while we held those 2 continuous long flags. Just call me a "prop". B)
  9. Wouldn't it be better to just point out that the person was incorrect without throwing insults? Just a thought.
  10. You know what really ticks me off? The Cavies, for the 2nd year in a row, will spend an afternoon in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area rehearsing and not competing. However, it happens on the same day as the annual DCI show in Dallas, which this year features 10 corps.
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