"When you ......Upon a Star"

[Plan9]

Last night at LOS we witnessed a remarkable performance by Star of Indiana. For my family it was a particularly emotional moment as my son aged out and stood face to face on the field with the legendary SOI brass and was serenaded with “When you wish upon a star”…(hard to even type that now without blubbering).

Hidden among all the pageantry of that moment as we witnessed a seemingly unending Standing O for these remarkable people who brought so much to this great art form we love, was the close ups of the SOI members with tears streaming down their faces. LOS continued to erupt and (IMHO) collectively said, “We now know what you were trying to say to us then, and thank you for it!” To quote Michael Boo from an article in 2003: “It (93’ Star) was so different from anything anyone had ever seen, everyone was left with years of internal and external debate and evaluation of what they had just witnessed. Which to me is the very quality of the proverbial ‘wonder.”

I have no proof of this, but as I watched a 40-something guard member weeping, (wiping tears, putting her head down and looking up again quickly to be sure what she was seeing was true), I thought: “What if the last thing she heard nearly a quarter century ago after her final performance with Star of Indiana was the echo of a boo?” Now she has come full circle and all that she wanted then…. was right in front of her now. An emotional head-on collision….and good for her ....and good for us for letting her know!

So here we are again, at a time when drum corps might be at one of those “game changing” moments. For me, this isn’t about outcome tonight (who wins is now in the hands of the corps and the judges)…it’s about "seeing" these kids on the field 25 years from now (just like we did SOI last night) and knowing that we treated them with the greatest respect and appreciation, no matter who wins!

[fsubone]

That last sentence you posted I think should be put on billboards going into LOS. Now, I know that you and I have butt heads a few times this season, but when you post stuff like this, I really can understand what you mean, and I truly can agree with you on every level. I think that we do need to respect every single kid that's out there, regardless of placement, score, show. We just need to recognize that these kids just busted their butts for the last two and a half months, and gave us everything that they had on that field. Even if we're not happy with who takes it all, please everyone, just be respectful and applaud.

But about the Star '93 kids, please go back and re-watch that Finals performance. The crowd goes completely nuts for them at the end. Huge ovation. Just something to consider, they weren't bood at the end of the year, just the beginning part of it. But man, that alumni corps. I want to just stand in front of their mellophone section, and listen to them play. Those guys were just amazing last night. Wow. I was watching it at home on the computer, and I could feel the power and emotion all the way in California. That's one group of people who just love this activity so much, and really showed the audience how they do it.

[THeShadeOfNight]

Last night at LOS we witnessed a remarkable performance by Star of Indiana. For my family it was a particularly emotional moment as my son aged out and stood face to face on the field with the legendary SOI brass and was serenaded with “When you wish upon a star”…(hard to even type that now without blubbering).

Hidden among all the pageantry of that moment as we witnessed a seemingly unending Standing O for these remarkable people who brought so much to this great art form we love, was the close ups of the SOI members with tears streaming down their faces. LOS continued to erupt and (IMHO) collectively said, “We now know what you were trying to say to us then, and thank you for it!” To quote Michael Boo from an article in 2003: “It (93’ Star) was so different from anything anyone had ever seen, everyone was left with years of internal and external debate and evaluation of what they had just witnessed. Which to me is the very quality of the proverbial ‘wonder.”

I have no proof of this, but as I watched a 40-something guard member weeping, (wiping tears, putting her head down and looking up again quickly to be sure what she was seeing was true), I thought: “What if the last thing she heard nearly a quarter century ago after her final performance with Star of Indiana was the echo of a boo?” Now she has come full circle and all that she wanted then…. was right in front of her now. An emotional head-on collision….and good for her ....and good for us for letting her know!

So here we are again, at a time when drum corps might be at one of those “game changing” moments. For me, this isn’t about outcome tonight (who wins is now in the hands of the corps and the judges)…it’s about "seeing" these kids on the field 25 years from now (just like we did SOI last night) and knowing that we treated them with the greatest respect and appreciation, no matter who wins!

THANK YOU! This is truly what it boils down to. People will argue placements and details until the day is over but the fact of the matter is that these kids are getting a quality education and memories to last a lifetime. I saw friends of mine on the feed of the age-out ceremony. Manly tears were shed.

Tonight we celebrate, but remember that they have come far and overcame a lot to be there. Cheer like never before :)

[ohwiseone]

I agree with your last sentence. People should not care what they play or how they play it. they should show the excitement, to all the kids by cheering as loud as ever.

I hope every single fan celebrates tonight, and hope that maybe 10 years down the line, We can all enjoy the shows, and not judge it just because of the music.

[star27th]

To Plan9,

Thank you so much for this post. Im a former marching member of Star and I was on the field performing with them on Friday night. The emotions you saw from the corps memers were indeed real. The ovation we received from the crowd was amazing and meant everything to the members. To play the first 3 notes of "Praise Ye" and watch the crowd erupt instantly is something Ill personally never forget.

Take care!

[SACMellos2010]

Plan9-

Thank you so much for the kind words and you were right on!!!

And BTW the show was an incredible moment for all of us but it seems that within our ranks when we circled and most of the age outs were asking to come inside was even more rewarding as we felt like we gave to the fans during our performance and were then giving to the next generation from an activity that has made such a difference in the lives of so many young people!!!

[dougcee]

The performance of Star of Indiana Alumni Corps was truely AWESOME and the memories of that performance will live in the hearts of all those on the field forever.

Plan9 your comments are really what it's all about...thanks so much.