My Drum Corps Summer 2007 in Review

[oldguard]

In keeping with last year's rambles ...

Reflecting on the 2007 season, the following are the Top 10 most memorable moments for me:

1) the Manchester, NH, Show ... for me, it just doesn't get any better than this ...

(Among other things, my daughter attended her first drum corps show in over ten years with me, her husband and three children. I just cannot tell you what it means to me to have my family with me. The look on her face (and on my grandson's face) will stay with me forever when in the end my son-in law, who had just watched his first drum corps show ever, announced "So, I'm thinking that I could just re-arrange my schedule and go with you two next week when you head west for those finals. What does everybody think?" )

... and, yes, I am still going to write that review;

2) following the bus fumes rolling westward in the RV with my grandson as navigator and my son-in law as co-pilot, with the drum corps CD's in the player and the volume turned up;

3) Spartans' Final performance ... this is just a great drum corps;

4) Crown's show anywhere and everywhere all season long ... it was simply the family favorite;

5) Memphis Sound's ballad at Finals;

6) watching my son-in law watch my grandson watch Madison Scouts' Semi-finals performance and both of us turning away while my grandson surreptitiously swiped his eyes;

7) the Indianapolis Show watching Capital Sound and Colt Cadets complete their season;

8) the Stanford Show and just knowing at the end of the night that Blue Devils were going to take this triumphant, glorious dance all the way to winged victory;

9) walking alone in the dark one night after a show in the early season and coming upon a certain uniformed hornline in the arc blocking the street playing a certain song quietly for themselves, their corps, the few neighbors on the lawns, the few cars they had stopped ... and me;

10) sitting in the Rose Bowl as it slowly emptied with my grandson in the middle with one arm around my son-in-law and the other around me and realizing that in drum corps, as in life, things rarely work out as you would have them do so, or even expect them to, but that if you look closely and remain open to the possibilities of life as it unfolds, you will see the beauty and the greatness in the some things and find comfort and salvation in the others and a hand that guides us all;

Honorable Mentions ...

the Anaheim Kingsman Alumni Corps ... one great step back in time and one great new moment in drum corps history;

camping out on a ridge in the northwest and playing a trio ... me and my grandson on horns and my son-in-law keeping the beat (he was a drummer and a jazz saxophone player in high school and college band and no one, not even my daughter who met him after he'd completed grad school, knew ... and trying to catch the echo;

the Firebird Duet;

Spirit of Newark's formidible Prelims performance;

seeing the Velvet Knights reincarnate and take the field again;

... more to come ...

[DrumCorpMom]

So Cool! What a great way to spend the final two weeks of drum corp. I wish I had the time to take to do so. I look forward to reading more.

[Drumcorpsfanatic]

the Anaheim Kingsmen Alumni Corps ... one great step back in time and one great new moment in drum corps history;

Everyone in the Rose Bowl was on their feet.

No doubt about it...the show to see in 2007. Drum Corps fans (like 27 in 1994) will be talking about this show for years to come.

I hope they come out with a DVD so those of you that weren't there can see what you missed.

Wow!

[neholgate]

In keeping with last year's rambles ...

Reflecting on the 2007 season, the following are the Top 10 most memorable moments for me:

seeing the Velvet Knights reincarnate and take the field again;

... more to come ...

Oooooooh yeaaaaaaaaah!

[George]

nice post!

sweet thoughts & warm memories -

love it,

George.

[Grand Poobah]

See the next post

Edited August 26, 2007 by Grand Poobah

[Grand Poobah]

Speaking as the Muchachos Corps Director and for the host Corps for the Manchester show, we are honored that we made your memories of the season list. I can't wait for the review.

Al

[oldguard]

Thank you all for the kind words.

Partial preview of the Manchester Show review below. The full story is coming, I promise. I am very long-winded, but I have to write when I have time and the muse strikes.

The trip to finals week was a year in the planning stages. Last year, before my grandson and I had even left Madison, we were talking about "next year in Pasadena."

I run my own business and for a very long time it was pretty much a one-man operation. A few years ago circumstances necessitated me finding someone to take over when I could not be there. Fortunately, I had an employee who was more than capable of taking on increased responsibilities. He's a junior partner, now, and the long range goal is that in a few more years he will buy me out, as there is no one in my family who will likely want to take on this business anytime in the foreseeable future. Personally, I think he actually likes having me take an extended vacation so he can enjoy being his own boss. I do not have a problem with this. When I "retire" I will have plenty of work as a consultant, if I want it.

The big surprise was when his Dad said he wanted to come with us. My son-in law is a great guy and we have always had a good relationship although we have never spent that much time together. He is a good husband and a good dad. My grandson has been pestering his parents about marching since last summer. I think his Dad saw at the Manchester show just how much his son lights up when a corps takes the field and decided this was his chance to see what drum corps has to offer and to spend some time with his kid before he hops on the bus. This was tough all around on my daughter, though, as they are partners in profession as well as in life. So she was left with the two younger kids, keeping up with the house, the barn and their animals and the bulk of his workload along with her own for three weeks. She is very capable so she handled it all okay

... and we three guys, I admit, had the time of our lives ... heh, heh, heh ... :P

... more Honorable Mentions ...

Dutch Boy ... 2007: A Space Odyssey was one of our favorite shows of the year ..

I saw this one several times very early on when it was still quite rough, although all the pieces were there. This is a show which really took off. (Bad pun, I know) Seriously, I am impressed with how far the were able to bring this show. There was some very major competition in Division III this year for those top spots and even for a place in the semifinals. By the end of the season they were polished and primed and ready to launch when they hit the field and earned that bronze medal in the finals by a few tenths from Revolution, who had a really fine show of their own.

My favorite story about this show is from the Manchester show. My grandson and I had driven down to CT for the New London Show so we had just seen this corps the night before, he for the first time. My grandson was giving previews to his family about each corps. About Dutch Boy he said. "This show is so awesome. They got this rocket ship in the drill in the opener and the flags look like fire from the exhaust (at least even I got that part) ... and they got this kid as young as me playing one of the bass drums and at least two on the trumpet, too, ... (on close look, yeah, they definitely had kids as young as 10 or 11 out there) "... and the guard is dressed like astronauts with the Canadian flag on their back and (to his sister who loves the flags) you're going to love this part where the guard lays on their backs and spins the flag around their knees." At this point I said, "Huh? When was that?" He looked at me like I must have been blind and said, "You know, in the middle with the white flags with the red crosses on them?" I asked him if that was before or after the two-sided black and gray flags (my favorite ... they had some really effective work with these), and he correctly told me, "Before, but after they played "Moondance" and wait till you hear what they play in the end when the corps marches off and they guard stays there like stars in the sky! Don't tell them, Grandpa." (Good thing they did not ask.) I was amazed at how much he took in, some of which I had missed completely. For the record, as they marched off toward the end zone and left the flags posed, well, like stars in the sky, my smallest grandson who is only three, announced for everyone around us, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!"

What an entertaining, well written, well played show. Well done, Dutch Boy!

[ROO]

Oldguard

Thanks for the kind words about Dutch Boy and what we were trying to acheive this year. As a design staff we were really going for blatant and undeniable. Apparently that worked!!!! I loved that you grandkids picked up on all the cool things we were doing. My favorite part of your post was about your Grand daughter getting twinkle, twinkle at the end of the show. Oddly enough at the same show one of the judges was confused and couldn't figure out why we were playing "Bah, Bah, Black Sheep"!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA (Twinkle Twinkle, Bah Bah, and the Alphabet song are the same thing!)

As for the young ones in the corps, there was actually only 2 or 3 kids under 14 in the corps. 2 in the pit for sure, and I think 1 in the gaurd. The bass drummer is actually 14, just looks young for his age. And the trumpets were just shorter girls. But a couple years ago we were filled with younger kids 10-14. I think it's awesome to have kids that young in corps- start 'em young!

Once again, thanks for the great words. It's so awesome to know that people out there really appreciate what Dutch Boy and all the other Div III's out there are doing. It's because of people like you and your family that keep my interest strong in the activity. As I tell my kids before every competition- "who cares about a score, let me deal with that. You guys go out there and perform. Put on a show for the people who paid to see you. They should be the reason you do this, not for a score."

Thank you!!!

Edited August 27, 2007 by ROO

[Zen Came Drum Corps]

In keeping with last year's rambles ...

Reflecting on the 2007 season, the following are the Top 10 most memorable moments for me:

1) the Manchester, NH, Show ... for me, it just doesn't get any better than this ...

(Among other things, my daughter attended her first drum corps show in over ten years with me, her husband and three children. I just cannot tell you what it means to me to have my family with me. The look on her face (and on my grandson's face) will stay with me forever when in the end my son-in law, who had just watched his first drum corps show ever, announced "So, I'm thinking that I could just re-arrange my schedule and go with you two next week when you head west for those finals. What does everybody think?" )

... and, yes, I am still going to write that review;

2) following the bus fumes rolling westward in the RV with my grandson as navigator and my son-in law as co-pilot, with the drum corps CD's in the player and the volume turned up;

3) Spartans' Final performance ... this is just a great drum corps;

4) Crown's show anywhere and everywhere all season long ... it was simply the family favorite;

5) Memphis Sound's ballad at Finals;

6) watching my son-in law watch my grandson watch Madison Scouts' Semi-finals performance and both of us turning away while my grandson surreptitiously swiped his eyes;

7) the Indianapolis Show watching Capital Sound and Colt Cadets complete their season;

8) the Stanford Show and just knowing at the end of the night that Blue Devils were going to take this triumphant, glorious dance all the way to winged victory;

9) walking alone in the dark one night after a show in the early season and coming upon a certain uniformed hornline in the arc blocking the street playing a certain song quietly for themselves, their corps, the few neighbors on the lawns, the few cars they had stopped ... and me;

10) sitting in the Rose Bowl as it slowly emptied with my grandson in the middle with one arm around my son-in-law and the other around me and realizing that in drum corps, as in life, things rarely work out as you would have them do so, or even expect them to, but that if you look closely and remain open to the possibilities of life as it unfolds, you will see the beauty and the greatness in the some things and find comfort and salvation in the others and a hand that guides us all;

Honorable Mentions ...

the Anaheim Kingsman Alumni Corps ... one great step back in time and one great new moment in drum corps history;

camping out on a ridge in the northwest and playing a trio ... me and my grandson on horns and my son-in-law keeping the beat (he was a drummer and a jazz saxophone player in high school and college band and no one, not even my daughter who met him after he'd completed grad school, knew ... and trying to catch the echo;

the Firebird Duet;

Spirit of Newark's formidible Prelims performance;

seeing the Velvet Knights reincarnate and take the field again;

... more to come ...