dckid80 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) 27's whole show that night was a spectacle to behold. They peaked a shade early and BD was just too clean in Birmingham. Too many, but first hand, live, as an audience member, I would have to say 1980 Allentown - pinwheel to end of Danny Boy. That was the moment that convinced me I WOULD march somewhere, someday! They were so incredibly ON that night! The crowd was simply awestruck. I miss 27! Edited July 21, 2009 by dckid80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 1990 Star of Indiana: their ending push I still get goose bumps to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritofAtlanta99 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) My favorites:1983- Cadets, end of "Rocky Point Holiday" opener. Amazing! 1983- Spirit, end of "We Are the Reason" closer. Sends shivers.... 1987- Vanguard, end of both "Russian Christmas Music" opener and "Great Gate of Kiev" closer. Wow! Check all these out on the Fan Network! wow...I just had the thought of 1983 Spirit "We Are the Reason" and then I saw your post! If I had to send a segment of a show to battle with the best of other corps, I think it would be "We Are the Reason"! Edited July 21, 2009 by SpiritofAtlanta99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleu Raeder Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I would have to go with '79 SCV. The end of "If you believe" "Okay, time for Shostakov.....OH MY GOD....The Bottle Dance!!!" Look out, its raining babies!! This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaestroBen Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Yes. Add that one to my list, from right after the big, fast spinning turn in the wedge to the end. I think you're thinking of the ending of Malaguena in '96. Those wedges spinning were treacherous to learn...spinning blind in very close quarters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExPitster Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 1988 Madison Scouts. Mello solo to end. Spin into wedge was a thing of beauty. The crowd in Kansas City went insane.Close second to 1980 Spirit coming forward in the front for "Let it Be Me." A truly special moment. Winner here... 2nd place: 1997 Crossmen - horn line re-entry after drum solo to end of show (most spectacular rifle toss ever) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaestroBen Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Mine's just a personal reaction, but in 1994 on the day I got the audio cassettes, I started listening about 10 at night with headphones on and the volume cranked up. There was one minute or so of the Blue Devil's show - from the middle to the end of the 2nd piece (from the plastic discs on the snares on to the end) that literally made my heart speed up, the hair on my arms stand on end, and I said to the world at large, "holy cow." Whether it was the fact I had the volume maxed in the headphones, or the corps, or the moment or whatever, I don't think I've ever had quite that reaction to a single part of a corps show since. Mike It took me a while to grow to like this show. My good friend Scott Lile went to Concord to march Blue Devils in '94. And, we toured the west coast in '94, and saw them a lot. I didn't like it, not because they were beating us, but because they didn't look right. First time I saw them, I thought "who is this, and where are the Blue Devils?". I think the uniform change was actually a big part of the reason Scott didn't really enjoy his time with them, and came to march Madison in '95. I also now love that part of the Blue Devil's show. Scott decided--for some reason--to use that soprano feature for his Madison audition in '95. I was at East high school that Saturday morning, 'cause I wanted to switch from mello to soprano. As soon as he auditioned, I walked in to the restroom, and I see Scott Stewart, Scott Boerma, and the brass staff follow me. Stewart asks me "What's the deal with this guy? Why the he** is he coming here to audition with the Blue Devils' soprano feature?" I convinced them that they should take Scott. So...that's my contribution to the Malaga quartet in '95. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaestroBen Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Scouts '01 - last minute of the show. Along with the first 25 seconds or so of that show...This. Every time I hear it, it sounds to me like the entire musical ensemble is giving their competitive situation a huge collective middle finger. The end of that show is the most raw, angry, venomous sounding drum corps I have ever heard. And I love every single second of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Blue Devils 2003, starting at the six count silent drill facing back field to the end. This is the show that made me march! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaestroBen Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 You couldn't hear them over the crowd in the stadium either. And when they lined up for the elbow to elbow pivot company front - you couldn't hear anything in the stadium but the crowd roaring. I've always wondered if they could hear each other? (please, any 95 Scout, a response to that question would be geatly appreciated!)...Anytime I've wanted to introduce someone to DCI, I've shown them 95 Scouts (VCR/DVD). And the reaction has almost always been the same - they are exhausted just from watching and listening to Madison 95. That's the reaction I had to Scouts 95 the first time I saw it live - Semi-finals 95. But finals night, they just plain let loose. It was exhausting to see live and impossible to hear the ending. That, for me, definies the ultimate minute of Drum Corps Thanks for the love. Who knew 15 years later that show would still be generating such excitement. Well, we knew we had a special show, and a special hornline on our hands. What, we were supposed to be listening to each other? I really don't remember much about our finals performance....I didn't notice that the field was wet until we were getting ready for retreat and I wondered why my right knee was cold. Then, I looked down and my pants were soaking wet, from when I knelt in the middle of the opener. In the rotating company front, you never could really hear...the crowd always went nuts there....the assistant conductor was in the end zone, for a visual pulse. I'm pretty sure we could hear each other during the final push. It's not like that horn line couldn't play loud. But, you could feel the place going bonkers, and once we cut off, the crowd gave back to us the same volume & intensity we'd given them. I'd love to hear a recording of the semi-finals show. I know we nailed the soprano feature in semi-finals, without the one early entrance on that one syncopated note. I also wonder of the finals recordings from '95 are the whole reason we have amp'd pits now...somebody heard those recordings and decided that that was how things should sound. My favorite memory of that summer was from Giants stadium. We went on right before the Cadets....a Cadets show that is one of my favorites, and a show that should get crowds out of their seats....Well, we slapped the crowd around, and the crowd apparently sat on their hands throughout the Cadets show at their home show. After retreat, George Hopkins said to some of his staff, as they're walking past our busses "Man, I really wish we could go on before them...then we'd get some crowd response too." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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