Medeabrass

TDECU Stadium, 3875 Holman St, Houston, TX https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/embed?src=cavaliers.org_3jn85huq84ad0ka0mck4sum4bc@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Chicago&pli=1

That's weird. I emailed their website and they said they're at Kingwood Park High School. I wonder if there was a last minute change.

Does anybody have a list of housing sites? In particular, I'm hoping to find Crown. I can't find the info on their site anymore.

On one of those repertoire wish lists several years ago, I requested they do Chandelier thinking there would be no way they'd ever do it. Glad I was wrong.

HOLY FARG!!! Just listened to that Destination Moon piece for the first time. YES! Perfect for them. Lots to work with with just this one piece.

28 years later and still nobody has the balls to touch Belshazzar's Feast again. So much good material in the source music.

Brasso you rang my memory. We most definitely stayed at Endicott College in '92. I'm I'm 93% sure (see what i did there) that they stayed there in '91 as well. Now whether or not this is where George put in the Cross I can't say for sure lol.

Tim, the place we were at didn't even have a football field. It seemed like we were rehearsing on a courtyard. It's really foggy. It could've even been some kind of boarding school for all I know.

Mingus, I believe that's from the UT Dallas or UT Arlington stadium (can't remember which) the week of finals. I remember members that year saying the tape they laid down on that turf got melted in and Cook had to buy new turf or something. As mentioned in the post quoting the drum major Bobby Hullet, the cross was learned before their Lynn Massachusetts show it was put in somewhere nearby. I might be confusing things but I remember in '92 we got to stay at a small college in Massachusetts before the Lynn show (dorm rooms and everything) which was the same place they had stayed in '91. I seem to remember hearing it was chosen for it's proximity to George (obviously that decision was made before his death). I also seem to remember the vets getting to visit George's grave. A little bit of Googling of George, I noticed he was buried in nearby Malden. So, a small university or college somewhere near Malden, Mass is my best guess. I'll let someone from '91 fill in the gaps.

I get the feeling the cat is out of the bag. Edit: And I agree with all of your points.

OPEN THE ROOF!!! lol

I get it. I'm not even suggesting anything should change. Just illuminating an aspect of how we find ourselves where we are now. One of those being that the competition element could be a reason there's a disconnect with the audiences who buy said tickets and souvies. I'm just recognizing the nature of the beast as I see it. Drum Corps was the best possible thing for me at that age because it combined my 3 favorite things: sports, competition, and music.

The cat's out of the bag. DCI is impervious to complaints from the fans. I have been a part of shows that have garnered huge complaints. I feel like I've been on both sides of the so called "innovation" fence as a performer and now as a fan. It's weird that we allow "new toys" to supposedly foster creative expression, yet I look across the activity and most of what I see is derivative. Every now and then a corps really takes a chance and does something truly revolutionary. Then, the next year I see a bunch of followers doing those same things (badly out of context usually) just because they think it's required or cool. I haven't seen the sheets, but from the outside looking in, it's pretty apparent the "new toys" become a compulsory element over time. Whether this is a judging bias or an actual element on the sheets I don't know. Body movement comes to mind as an example. Sometimes, I think it's the competitive nature of drum corps that limits true creativity and not the rules of the game. On the other hand, if it wasn't competitive, how could we truly reward or penalize for following or not following said rules? It's the nature of the beast. The older I get, the more I realize how pointless and ego-centric competition in art really is. In my opinion, more beauty is created when one endeavors simply for the love of doing as opposed to the chance to feed my ego and claim my art is somehow superior to yours. 21 year old me woulda said "are you sh****n' me" to that statement but pursuing greatness to be better than the next guy in and of itself can be limiting. It potentially leaves a lot of achievement on the table. I still find elements of the activity that amaze me. The proficiency of the brass lines is superior now and I spend much more time in the lot to get an unadulterated sample. I think I'm getting better at filtering out that which I don't like and fully appreciating that which I do. For what it's worth, last year was probably the best year I've witnessed in a long long time. The activity is what it is and I hope I will always find new ways to love her. Maybe this is how 60 year marriages work.

Explosions in the Sky. Any of it

I'd say the reason you no longer have the PBS broadcast at least is because you no longer have Bill Cook. He was the driving force behind that whole deal. When he left the activity, so did PBS. I don't think that's a coincidence and it has NOTHING to do with the product on the field. I was once lamenting the current product and attendance but I'd say over the last 8-10 years, we've seen a return to very entertaining shows and the shows I've gone to have been packed and close to capacity. Those who don't like the current product (not directed at you) have been crying about the imminent demise of the activity going back to my days in the early 90s but I don't see the end in sight. There are new band kids being made every year to replace those whose tastes refuse to evolve. Hey, there's nothing wrong with Elvis. Just don't get mad at the current generation if they don't like Elvis and everything else from your generation.

Anybody have info on practice locations?

Call me biased but I really want more out of that Medea chord at the end. In one of the vids, it almost looked like the crowd was standing in anticipation of a big discordant payoff and instead they revisited other parts of the show. It's obvious the end is merely structural and will be fleshed out later. I'm looking forward to hearing those late season updates.

Me too sir. I think the difficulty of the original would hold up well today without an arranger needing to add in any. I know Ive derailed this thread a little with this discussion, but the more this stuff is talked about, the more there's a chance of a designer to consider it.

No kidding. I'm not even sure I'd be allowed to carry a cone as an alternate. It just occurred to me though that technology today helps the corps in off season preparation like never before. Even so, I would've been extremely lucky to be in any of their recent lines.

I really really wish they would do Belashazzar's Feast. I honestly cant believe it hasnt been touched again in 26 years. So much great music in the original. A corps could do an entire show out of material that Star didnt even touch in '90. Still my favorite Star show and 1 of 2 corps that year that convinced me I had to be a part of this great activity.

Not only because they play with the same (or new and improved technique), but also because they are leaps and bounds more talented and refined as musicians than we were. They wont get a lot of the cool parts water hosed outta the show like we did and they'll also be able to play alot more of the details of the original that Jimmer wouldn't have dared to put on our plate. I'm proud to see them continue the legacy and challenge their kids in ways we had barely begun to dream of. I cant wait for this summer. If this is indeed in the show, i just may be obligated to make it to Indy this year for the first time in forever.

I approve of this video!

I know you're probably looking for current tapes but here's field percussion tape for star '93: There were some star brass tapes floating around that I need to track down. I remember hearing the tapes for '90 and just cracking up at the judge's comments...gushing is probably the right word to describe the reactions.

Pretty much. At least to my eyes and ears, there seems to be more of a move back to "simultaneous demand" the past couple of years or so, but I want to see more of it. I'm much more impressed by a group that can do difficult music AND difficult drill at the same time. Novel concept.

As a Star of Indiana alum, this realization brings home just how short the life of Star was, how fortunate I was to be one of the lucky few to have been involved, proud of the legacy, but sad at the same time.