Your Craziest Warm-up area

[raphael18]

Buffalo 2006 - II/III show. Bulletproof vests recommended.

OT - Buffalo 2001 - our nationals housing was at some Catholic "school" for severally disturbed children. We arrived at 2am, and everyone is getting off the bus like normal - then we get a warning that if we see any of the kids to just stair at the opposite corner and not to go near them. It was great, plenty of bars on the windows and everything.

Craziest warm-up? I think everyone has done the drive-way thing...a fairly unique one was at the first of 3 fourth of July parades. We were running late - for some reason they parked the buses at the end of the parade and made us walk (read jog) the entire route to our starting position. By the time we got there we had maybe 10 minutes where they would allow us to warm-up before step-off. So, the staff had us form up in our parade "A" and we did our warm-ups on the spot. It was a lot of fun because the groups around us had no idea what was going on, but we were running like a well oiled machine (all things considered).

Edited September 29, 2007 by raphael18

[silvertrombone]

The one that stands out in memory was Sky 92 in Boston--Boston U stadium, I think. Brass warmed up in between a bunch of buildings being in Boston--really resonated! We shocked ourselves, quite frankly--first time we as a hornline really played with emotion. The first hit in our opener was magical.

And then we went out and stunk up the performance. Oops. I talk about that stuff every now and again. You just don't know what I'm talking about until you've done it. And we were just a 15th place corps. And once you've done it at that level you don't know what the elite level equivalent is until you do that! I marched a pretty danged good 3 corps and we were still outclassed by BD in 94--simply insane execution and talent in their corps that year. This year, too. Cadets simply brought it. BD took it, came out and smoked them. OK, maybe not 'smoked' them--kind of a harsh term. But BD's music (taking into account percussion) outclassed the field again.

OK, Sky from 15 years ago compared to what we're seeing today is pretty much a joke. But for where us 18 year old rookies were then, and for many of us in the line used to technical proficiency in Texas bands with absolutely no musicality, it was our first experience with truly performing music!

Pretty amazing experience, for what it was! We never, IMO, again achieved that level of 'wow!' for where we were at any point that season.

And it occurred between a bunch of buildings in Beantown. Terrible place in my memory--that site, not the town. Although the reverb might have been what allowed us to 'hear' ourselves better and give it that extra bit of emotional edge. We just did not get the same effect off of the reverb from the stadium or in practices, and we just didn't know how to deal with that emotion when we experienced it.

Fun memory, though.

[silvertrombone]

OT - Buffalo 2001 - our nationals housing was at some Catholic "school" for severally disturbed children. We arrived at 2am, and everyone is getting off the bus like normal - then we get a warning that if we see any of the kids to just stair at the opposite corner and not to go near them. It was great, plenty of bars on the windows and everything.

Craziest warm-up? I think everyone has done the drive-way thing...a fairly unique one was at the first of 3 fourth of July parades. We were running late - for some reason they parked the buses at the end of the parade and made us walk (read jog) the entire route to our starting position. By the time we got there we had maybe 10 minutes where they would allow us to warm-up before step-off. So, the staff had us form up in our parade "A" and we did our warm-ups on the spot. It was a lot of fun because the groups around us had no idea what was going on, but we were running like a well oiled machine (all things considered).

And you guys probably weren't even panting at the end of the jog! That's a fun story. And you've gotta love the PR 4th of July Parade-a-thon! 3rd, 4th, whatever!

[Ranger Rick]

An aquaduct in LA... like the ones in the Terminator. I'm pretty sure there are some pictures around somewhere. NASTY place, GREAT acoustics.

[Duramay]

Lets see, warmup sites are always fun depending where you end up. One show I know we were in this side lot, rather small, inbetween two houses. Some of us were even under a low tree so that was interesting and we still didn't have enough room to form an adequate arc.

There was another place along the way to a parking lot that we saw this really sketchy run down shed/shack. It was really shady and we could only imagine what may have been in it.

In 2006 for our first dress rehearsal after a nice rain we performed under a rainbow. I know theres even a picture floating around somewhere of it too! B)

[raycat]

In 79 through 81 or so, the Garfield Cadets used to practice in the parking lot behind the Hackensack courthouse. There's an actual jail there of many floors which, I suppose, gave the inmates a bird's eye view of us all night long. Many times, we'd hear the inmates screaming at us through the bars on the windows. I can't remember what exactly... probably something obscene.

Then there was the time in 84 (I think) that we stayed at an insane asylum, which somehow I don't remember but my friend always reminds me. Apparently, the patients were also screaming at us.

Ahhh.... those were the days.

[A27Lancer]

Avant Garde camp one year was at the Rome Developmental Center in upstate NY. Mentally handicapped patients would watch us rehearse and go, well, crazy. One guy even got, shall we say, overly excited and - yeah, he actually did. (Oh NO he didn't!! Oh YES he did!!)

[Cadetsnare]

1990, Birmingham, Alabama (the hottest place I can remember that summer)....we were in this place nicknamed "Blood Alley". There was a big crack house right on the street, and this place was known for its drive-by shootings. 10 snares. 5 tenors, 5 basses, and 5 cymbals. 8 on a hand....LOUD! This cop rolls up and says "I would get out of here, if I were you!"

IIRC, a girl from another corps was attacked there that day (the Troopers?)

Anyone here recall if that was the case?

[84BDsop]

In 79 through 81 or so, the Garfield Cadets used to practice in the parking lot behind the Hackensack courthouse. There's an actual jail there of many floors which, I suppose, gave the inmates a bird's eye view of us all night long. Many times, we'd hear the inmates screaming at us through the bars on the windows. I can't remember what exactly... probably something obscene.

Then there was the time in 84 (I think) that we stayed at an insane asylum, which somehow I don't remember but my friend always reminds me. Apparently, the patients were also screaming at us.

Ahhh.... those were the days.

Dude..practicing at Garfield HS in 84 made me feel like we were rehearing at San Quentin!!!

Someone from 93 Freelancers tell the story about the warmup at someone's bar-b-que...I don;t remember it clearly enough...funny, tho!

[Russellrks]

This thread reminded me of a school on tour, I think it was where we stayed for the Stillwater show.... Anyway there was this courtyard where the hornline would warm up and there was the most unbelievable echo, just as loud and clear as what was being played coming back at us a few counts later. We would play notes that would turn into chords when the echo kicked in. We were literally playing with ourselves :P