quietcity

To complete the terminology, OTL was followed by, and in no particular order, concert, drum solo and production number. Then, of course, closer. "Concert," for you young'ens, was the part of the show where the corps got to/had to stand still, and play some rocking piece. I was never sure if the standing still part was mandatory, or just the tradition back then. But compared to the frenetic, perpetual motion of modern drum corps, the concert piece seems downright quaint, even a little embarrassing. And those hapless corps members who ticked a lot, we called them "leakers," or the more savory "tick-f#ck."

Oh god, that valve-rotor french horn, my first drum corps instrument! I remember showing it with pride to my middle-school band director, who just shook his head in disgust.

The Power of Tin? That would be uncanny.

This is obviously the work of the North Koreans.

I am dating myself, but I remember the excitement caused when a fellow horn player showed up for tour with a Sony Walkman cassette player. He probably regretted it, because we all pestered him non-stop to borrow it. I think I got my turn after promising to buy him batteries. Or pizza. Or maybe both.

Wait, wasn't that Spinal Tap?

I am trying to wrap my head around "an elongated series of championship tilts."

And ironically, the crowd going wild probably contributed to the tear, given the echo-chamber acoustics of the semi-domed Olympic stadium. (By the way, when did it become "tearing" instead of "phasing"?)

Is it possible you just got a bad disc? Have you returned the disc and asked for a replacement? You should really reserve your judgement until you have done this.

You are ignoring one crucial variable: the number of theaters in use per year. The number has gone up from 44 theaters in 2004 to 634 theaters in 2014.

Not watching / listening to anything until the Blu-Rays show up. Then the plan will be: SCV, BD, Cavies, Crown, Madison. I would love to include Cadets, if only there was a way to edit out the narration. Seriously. And Coats, fine show, sure, but it does not have much replay value for me.

I am amused: there is a single "classical" composer, Beethoven, listed, and he is a statistical outlier on the far right X axis. But there is also a category called "classical", which ends up on the far left. What is up with that? For me, the real question is, which classical composers make you dumb. My bet is on Tchaikovsky and Wagner.

George Zingali knew how to wield a mace.

Tribune article is behind a paywall, but you can sign up for "digitalPass" and choose the option for 5 free articles a month. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-drum-corps-met-20140806-story.html?dssReturn#page=1&z=60622 The article is quite remarkable, both in depth and accuracy. There are also a bevy of great photos (see below), and a video to boot. Money quote from video: "They are nothing like a marching band."

The Chicago Tribune had a great feature on the Cavaliers this past summer.

Next year's BD show: Kafka-esque. The corps wears ill-fitting gray and beige. They cringe onto the field, if indeed they arrive at all. What little choreography there is lurches unpredictably between scatter drill and dense labyrinthine formations, into which occasional members disappear. Drum majors are unseen, yet their presence is everywhere felt. The guard scuttles about in a panic for the first few minutes, then cowers under marimbas or behind kettle drums for the remainder of the show. The music wheezes like an ancient calliope, issuing forth futile waltzes and sardonic dirges. No one rescues the broken clown. The show ends in an awkward silence.

Cymbal lines have been musically irrelevant since the advent of the pit in the early 1980s. Their raison d'être for the past 30 years has been to provide visual panache. The battery is rather limited in its ability to express itself visually, and the cymbals can add a kinetic, high-energy flair that would otherwise be missing. I for one get a thrill out of seeing an excellent cymbal line like SCV's, and I am delighted that Madison is bringing their cymbals back.

Garfield, it pains me to point out that Aristotle was a Greek, and marched in the fourth century BC. The Greeks were basically G7 until about the first or second century AD, long after Aristotle aged out. They then dropped to open class for the next couple millennia. Now, the Romans were medaling until about 400AD, before going inactive due to poor management and Huns.

I think you mean Philip Glass I think you mean Philip Glass I think you mean Philip Glass Philip Glass Glass Glass Philip Glass Glass I think you mean Philip Glass I think you mean Philip Glass I think I think I think I think you mean you mean you mean you mean Philip Glass Glass Glass Philip Glass Glass Philip Philip Glass Glass I mean you mean you mean I mean Philip Glass Glass Glass Glass you mean you mean you mean you mean Philip Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Glass Philip Glass.

One interesting (and lovable) aspect of drum corps is that it is, by its very nature, anti-nihilistic. Regardless of the designer's intent, there is something joyful and life-affirming about seeing 150 young musicians laboring in synchrony to put on a show. This is why watching drum corps always cheers me up when I am feeling low.

My god, that dancing is tremendous, and the whole piece is fantastic theater. They don't make movies like this anymore. I have never seen "White Christmas", but now I plan to watch it. Thanks, bob Clark!

Your wish is YouTube's command. Here are a couple fragments of of SCV's 1992 show from early in the season, screechy trumpets and all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWGBwMtO7JI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAj9KSM87Go And here is audio only from pre-change Pacific Procession (with wildly enthusiastic home crowd). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgsk3rSM1pc

The new Vanguard yell: "This is my BOOMSTICK!!"

Cadets

Well, that was from their show called "Tilt."