Standing O's?

[fsubone]

No, we were not used to that reaction at all. In fact, there was usually such a sense of shock at the end of "Aquarius" as the siren faded, and when "The Wall" seemed to come up out of the ground that often the reaction was muted, or sporadic, or sometimes just silence.

In fact, the reaction at finals was so drastically different from what we had experienced or anticipated that when it happened we were not prepared for it. By not prepared I mean that there was never any discussion on how to start the closer if the vocal command from the drum major could not be heard everywhere on the field. I was back behind midfield in that form, as well as 1/3 of the hornline. That night, we never heard the vocal that started the closer. We were still kneeling when we saw "The Wall" come down, and we were supposed to already be standing at that point and taking the first step into the drill. If anybody who was watching, and paying attention to the back of the form, they saw the back 1/3 of the hornline start popping up at random and jumping into the drill. Somehow, by 8 counts into the drill, we were all back into our spots, and back in time. From what I've heard by asking around, almost no one noticed the missed start.

The crowd reaction that night at the end of "Requiem" is something I will remember for the rest of my life, and not because of the snafu starting the closer...

Thank you. I'm glad someone from that corps finally chimed in. Just wanted to let you know, that I love that show, it's my favorite Suncoast show, even though I wasn't alive yet.

I was just wondering if that reaction was normal, and thank you for clarifying. It just seemed on the video like they waited to stop the closer until the applause died down. I get what you're saying though, there's been moments where I can't hear any of the cues going on when I have to come in, it's never easy.

[Geneva]

My wife was a guard member that year and she still talks about how they felt not just that moment on the field, but the entire year in respect to the whole show. She also talks about when they performed on the memorial wall when they toured through DC.

That years horn book is one of the many reasons why Robert Smith is being inducted into the HOF this year.

I checked it out on the Fan Network. Robert Smith certainly is a masterful arranger. It should be interesting to see what he does with Madison this year. I also loved Suncoast in 1983. The OTL that year was so well performed.

[mckdan]

The single longest standing ovation I could remember was the Troopers prelim show in 1979. The corps had just managed to push its' way into finals and the crowd was incredible! Every time the drum major tried to give the order to the corps to leave the field the crowd just got louder! There was an electrical sensation throughout the field from the corps and the crowd. It had to be at least about 10 minutes before the corps could finally get off the field. That was an experience, as a 6-year member, I will always remember.

Edited December 28, 2010 by mckdan

[BariBrian]

Witnessed : 1974, Ithaca NY DCI Prelims, the Bellville Black Knights. What an outstanding Performance in a great year of outstanding corps. There ovation lasted well after they were off the field.

Experienced: 1977 US Open Finals. Avant Garde. It poured on us during our show, but even more so during “Don’t Rain On My Parade”. The crowed stood up from that song until the time that we were out of sight. The Very Best feeling