What was your “first” Drum Corps show?

[jstdrumn]

What was your "first" Drum Corps show, and how did it affect where you marched?

My first Drum Corps show was in 1984 at the Odyssey Classic in Southern California. I was 14 years old and witnessed what I thought was the coolest thing in my life. Having watched my older brother and sister in the ranks of High School marching band, I thought I was informed about this whole "marching band" thing, and had it all figured out.

Boy was I wrong. The defining moment was going down to the track and being blown away by the Blue Devils encore performance.

The very next day, I put down my Saxophone and picked up my brothers Pro-mark DC-10's and committed to march Drum Corps. (seems there was no Sax sections)

It was my dream to be in a Tom Float drum line and I set out to do so. In 1990 I marched in the VK snare line and thought I was on my way to march Blue Devils in 91. As fate would have it, Float was not part of the 91 season at the Blue Devils.

I did not march in 91, but when I found out Float was going to teach at VK in 92, I was there two hours before the first rehearsal, and ended up being the section leader.

I didn't realize until years later that watching that one show back in 84 actually put me on a course to fulfill a dream…..

Cheesy…but I think we all have that "first show" story in us…..

Edited August 28, 2008 by jstdrumn

[kansasDC]

My first drum corps show was on Long Island (I'm thinking Sayville??), and I was marching cymbals at the age of five. I never thought to march anywhere else in 16 years of corps as that was my "home".

[Dominath]

Saw a family member march Tarheel Sun in 2000. I was hooked.

[Keith Laubhan]

Blue Devils 1996.... I got drug to a Yamaha camp at a local high school by the rest of the drumline the summer before my freshman year.

My first taste was their running block (in-step and breathing in unison), which was instantly impressive. Even having done some intensely competitive youth sports, I had never seen such an awesome aproach to warming up.

We then had a drumming clinic with Fred Sanford (I wish I would have had an appreciation for who we was at the time), followed by lunch. After lunch I followed my friends to BD's battery warmup just in time to hear them play Ditty... I was hooked on the drums at that point.

We then got to check out their full ensemble rehearsal, and the first thing they played for us was the opening statement from that show. As the corps proceeded to peel my face off, I was instantly hooked on the whole package, too.

The next day, we went to see Cadets and Blue Knights... The team-to-team competition along with the different personalities of the corps was really what sold me on the activity, and I'm so thankful to have been exposed to it.

[Eddie]

My first drum corps show was in 1995 at the Western Corps Connection at Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, CA.

This was a Drum Corps West show that was also hosting a Summer Bands International (SBI) competition. I was a part of the California Knights Youth Band that was competing in SBI that year. I didn't really know what drum corps was at the time, but remember friends talking about this Blue Devil group. With my father being a NCAA basketball fan, I was always thinking that this was a Duke University group. I learned for the first time who they were that night and remember being quite excited that they were actually a California group. However, being a clarinetist, never thought it was possible to march in this or other drum corps. However, I think it was 2 years later that I took interest in marching in VK's cymbal line, but by the time I was ready to give it a shot, they had already fell under.

Also remember being very excited seeing the Santa Clara Vanguard for the first time. I saw their drum line give an exhibition performance at the American Drum Line Association championships that year and was very curious on who they were, thinking that they were some sort of a professional group or something, but was amazed to see this bigger... thing.

[DCIHasBeen]

1972, "Music Under the Bridge" @ Poly Prep in Brooklyn. It was a Long Island Circuit show.

I wound up marching with the host corps, The OLA Blue Angels, the following year ...

[Blackstar]

My first show as a spectator was in Wesat Chester during the band camp they sponsor.

My first marching was two years later in Huntington W. Va and I remember Mr. Robinson and a staffer walking through a practive and he stopped and looked at me and asked how old I was. I was 19 but I've always looked older. Well my mom had to fax my borth certificate and drivers license before they would let me march.

I remember the score being a 56 which is the lowest score I ever had in my marching career.

[84BDsop]

What was your "first" Drum Corps show, and how did it affect where you marched?

My first Drum Corps show was in 1984 at the Odyssey Classic in Southern California. I was 14 years old and witnessed what I thought was the coolest thing in my life. Having watched my older brother and sister in the ranks of High School marching band, I thought I was informed about this whole "marching band" thing, and had it all figured out.

Boy was I wrong. The defining moment was going down to the track and being blown away by the Blue Devils encore performance.

I didn't realize until years later that watching that one show back in 84 actually put me on a course to fulfill a dream…..

Wow! On behalf of my fellow 84 Devils, you're welcome!! I think that was the first encore I did....SCV pounded us a lot up until after Whitewater.

For me it was 83 BD at the RCC show...I had NEVER seen that kind of precision before...just blew me away....and the fact that the bari soloist in"One More Time, Chuck Corea" was ALSO a Signorelli (Tony Signorelli...BigBadBariMan on DCP, I think) was a plus!

Little did I know what a total rook I was, and what I was in for!

[BCS513]

My first show was in 2001 San Antonio show.

I had known DCI for about a year at the time, being introduced to it through my high school.

The corps were great but I had some bad seats so my experience was ok. Watching it on tv would have been better.

But my best experience was in 2003 when one of my friends who went with me to the 2001 show, was now marching with one of the corps. It was cool to see him out there.

[ouooga]

I finished high school obsessed with drum corps (the bando kid), but had never been to a live show. A buddy of mine freshmen year of college talked me into learning brass with him so we could drive to camps together.

8 months later, I was at my first show in Stockton.

Now comes one of the more embarrassing stories of my youth....

....we're getting ready to go on, and we're lined up, parade rest and not moving kind of thing. Esperanza was on at the time, and from the side I caught my first glimpse of drum corps, EVER! Well I just about flipped. I started whispering to people "Dude, dude look! It's a drum corps" completely oblivious at this point to the fact that I'm about to compete against them.

So I get yelled at to get back in line by a bunch of vets, and it clicks in my head what I'm doing. I go back to parade rest for about 3 seconds, and right then I hear about 5 feet to my left...."Santa Clara! Feathers UP!" So I of course turn around, and there, not 5 feet away is the Santa Clara Vanguard. I literally started jumping up and down, grabbing people around me "Dude! Dude!!!!! It's the Santa Clara Vanguard! Look!!!" It didn't matter how many vets yelled at me...there I was, full uniform, jumping and screaming DURING Esperanza's performance and I was grabbing everyone to see this amazing thing I'd discovered.

I got chewed out pretty good after that, and by the second show I was good to go.

So in retrospect, maybe I should have gone to a show and got that out of my system BEFORE my first performance. Oh well, live and learn.