DCI@35: MARCHING MUSIC'S MAJOR LEAGUE PREVAILS

[David Hill]

"Well, that's DCI for you."

I overheard that epitaph, which was delivered at the end of a rant about corps' final placement Saturday night, on the plane as it landed at BHM, at the conclusion of my 35th year with Drum Corps International. And save for the derisive tone -- yes, another form of drum corps narration -- the speaker was right: last week's championship event in the historic Rose Bowl, was DCI for you. Splendidly so.

The entire week was historically-based, and referenced, but last week, and this season, DCI rapidly evolved into its' marketing slogan, "Marching Music's Major League." Again, and for me, splendidly so.

Call it what you will, the idiom morphed at this, our world series, into a slick, professional entertainment, that is at the leading edge of the marching music world. Couple astonishing performance with increasingly widespread marketing acumen, and the future is "Wow" ... is "Now!" That's DCI for you.

Here's what DCI was for me this 35th year.

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New beginnings were all over the field this season, and everyone was glad. The Troopers' reformed cavalry appealed, the relocated Crossmen provided an audio/visual corps history, and Madison's Scouts went the distance in its third turnaround in recent years. And that legendary line-up was presented in the first two quarterfinal hours!

LaCrosse's Blue Stars almost "stole home" into the Saturday night show with one of the most ambitious programs of the year. The single-eyed vision of this organization to "come play" is a home run, even if a "solid double" was as far as the competitive bat could reach this year. With no misty-eyed nostalgia, the Stars adopted every current marching music style to offer up a powerful presence that was steeped in traditional quality.

The meteoric Academy, with all of its appeal and competitiveness, performing on the heels of a "limited" national tour, brought two things to my mind: Spartans and Jersey Surf. Here were two equally appealing and competitive units, who would have likely caused placement ripples "if only" there was a clearer sense of what constitutes a "limited tour." Here, taking a look at Winter Guard International's Power Regional qualifying approach might be worthwhile.

For all of the nail-biting, "league championship-style" excitement about getting into finals, both Spirit of JSU and Glassmen displayed a level of professionalism in performance that demanded their presence Saturday night.

While pulling from historic drum corps "play books" for its crystal clear and unfettered design, the Colts pulled out all the stops for a performance that kept the bases loaded for 11 minutes. But its coup de grace was in picking up "an old bat," the ballad ending, and sending it soaring over right field! An easy aural highlight of the year.

Boston's Crusaders chose a Spanish soundtrack, but resisted a red-and-black visual approach, in favor of an artistic palate that skewed Picasso-esque, for broadstroke effects. And then there is pageantry's parallel performing universe: the Blue Knights. Out-of-any-box thinking and design is concocted by this fine unit every season. Fine performances ensue from its talented young adults every season. The Denver unit is to DCI what soccer is to American football: a spreading sensation!

NOW TO THE HORSE RACE: the four corps that were separated by a mere .8 points in the bottom of the ninth. This will be the competitive plotline most remembered from '07.

What more can the Bluecoats do? Stepping onto the playing field each June, the corps is fully loaded, its batting order in tip-top shape. Why, it's almost criminal that such an approach should end the season anywhere but in the top echelons.

Carolina Crown has become something of a drum corps darling over the past five years, and with good reason. Here's a unit that has built a persona on style and performance, the leading qualities in marching music these days. This year, an eclectic music mix -- so steeped in drum corps history -- was configured under a fetching title, then visualized in the most contemporary of ways. "Triple Crown" was cat-and-mouse programming, yin and yang, old and new, delivered in powerful, lovely, and humorous ways. It was as traditional as the Mets-Yankees' "subway series" ... and even more satisfying.

"Now that was a drum corps show!" With a head-nodding exclamation, my friend, and drum corps traveling companion, said it. The Santa Clara Vanguard alumni who were around us completed the thought: "Gail saw that one." Eureka!

Honest to goodness, there can be no more hard working unit in marching music than Phantom Regiment. But then, there are few corps that perenially showcase such raw emotion and unbridled power than does Rockford, either. Heady, potent stuff here this season; something was in the air.

This quartet of quality-- save for an up tick here, a variable there -- presented a perceptional tie. Did you have a favorite, would you have reordered the tenths? Or at season's end, as history begins to record this tale, might sublime pleasure from this fantastic four suffice?

THE MEDALISTS

Oh, the empyreal pleasure that is The Cavaliers. Championship success has freed the organization to stretch itself, and the activity, in ways no one could have seen coming. Especially with "And So It Goes." Adding another performance "plane" to the marching music field by ascribing Twyla Tharp visuals from its "Movin' On" inspiration, made this program an unending pleasure. As for the light musical touch; it is as viable a design choice as any. Time will well serve this cycle of drum corps' machine.

It was to be marching music's "A Chorus Line." The Cadets' "This I Believe" was to be "our" back story, the defining connection between performer, audience, and the future. Indeed it was to be the penultimate bridge from DCI to Marching Music's Major League. The young people did their part, delivering oh-my-god performances all season. But the "story" behind the story misfired. What could have been, by season's end at least, the story of a single performer who found his voice in marching music, vacillated in reach, in tone, and in -- to put it simply -- writing quality. What we really "heard" was the need to, in marketing language, "storyboard" the show; build a structure that moved music, visuals, and narrative forward dramatically. In other words, this would require a complete re-thinking of the marching music design, and writing, process. It will be done, and it will be done well. "This I Believe" moved the process that much closer.

For all of the shows, for all of the performances, for all of the marching music, and for all of the celebration swirling around this 35th anniversary --thank you Kingsmen alumni all for your dedication and live highlights footage-- it was, in the end, and at the top, "Winged Victory" that encapsulated, almost documentary style, the three and a half decades, the activity, and where we go from this moment forward. For years, the Blue Devils have been called drum corps' deadliest performers in the clutch; this overwhelming achievement reinforced it. Concord's history is bullet-pointed with caption victories in every single area of judging, but as this year's championship show illustrated, the Devils are their best when the corps is the sum of its parts. Head-shaking disbelief at the performed excellence notwithstanding, by season's end, this was the head-nodding victor.

Now to the great Midwest for a ten-spot; now to move from an idiom to an idiomatic approach. Drum Corps International is now "Marching Music's Major League." All hail the voice we found therein.

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From Field&Floor, the two biggest names in pageantry, in review.

For more on my 35-year affair with DCI, you might be interested in:

The 35 DCI shows that define my drum corps experience ... so far

#35-25: THE TRENDS

#24-13: THE SHOWS

#12-1: THE PERFORMANCES

AND THIS: my favorite non-finalist shows and corps of the 35 years

Edited August 13, 2007 by David Hill

[Jay B]

Everyone needs to go to the links at the bottom and read the about your 35 year affair. I started a little earlier than you, but I think you hit on the reason why alum corps are important in that they remind us of why we became passionate about this activity. Its really is easy to forget isn't it?. You also reminded me of the importance of the 80 SC show. I had forgotten. Well done Mr. Hill. Keep them coming!

[bawker]

Excellent read, as always. :)

[jwillis35]

Yes, this is just great stuff, and people need to read the links. Some excellent writing, pondering and assessing in these posts.

JW

[one4drumcorps]

Excellent read, ... :)

I was going to leave out the "as always" only because I am too new to DCP to have read enough of your posts to make this assertion.

However, after also reading through your blog entires in the links at the bottom of your post I am going to amend:

Excellent read ...

"...as always"

Thanks! :)

[NeutralNovice]

Thank you!

[Guardguy89]

Woohoo

Les Eclipses '85 made the list. I'm always surprised that people enjoyed that show so much. That was a really good and really rough year for us.

Later,

Mike

[ScribeToo]

Thank you, David. You make this forum worth reading in the immediate post season. :)

Stef

[Ryan H. Turner]

I'm still a fan Dave--great job!!