Has drum corps ever "standstilled" Times Square?

[PioneerWebmaster]

Well, the Cadets did do the THanksgiving Day parade in 2005, and did Sing,Sing,Sing as a standstill tune in the middle of it. There's a couple of videos up on that forbidden site of it.

Pioneer took a group photo in the middle of Times Square after the 2000 St. Patrick's Day parade. Not exactly a performance, but still pretty cool!

[Piper]

It would be nice to see but the logistics would be a bloody nightmare. Just the cost alone would be spooky. The only part of NYC that's NOT on an island is the Bronx. Times Square is on Manhatten. That means bridges and that means tolls. A Corps could probably buy a couple of new sops for that.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Piper

[Ted Mosby]

It would be nice to see but the logistics would be a bloody nightmare. Just the cost alone would be spooky. The only part of NYC that's NOT on an island is the Bronx. Times Square is on Manhatten. That means bridges and that means tolls. A Corps could probably buy a couple of new sops for that.

Sops...what are sops? We play trumpets here. Sigh...

[elphaba01]

The Kilties in 1964 stayed at the Great Northern Hotel. They decided one afternoon to hold a practice in Central Park, two blocks away. They started marching down the sidewalk in a column of 2s with their equipment.

They were welcomed at the gateway by at least half of the NYPD, red lights aflash, investigating multiple reports of a "hostile mob carrying guns and spears".

There was to be no drill rehearsal that day.

Undaunted, the Kilties marched back to 57th street. They formed up on the sidewalk in front of Carnegie Hall and held a very spirited music rehearsal.

"The City that Never Sleeps":

"Way Back" in 1966 the VFW held their National Chmpionships (The contests were actually held "Accross the River in Jersey City's old Roosevelt Stadium) & "Convention" in the "Big Apple". The Convention Parade was held in "Downtown" NYC and featured a zillion drum & bugle corps.

The parade went on until the wee hours of the AM, prompting many Gotham residents to complain LOUDLY about all the sleep they were losing.

Great memories from a great era....

Elphaba

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[Donny Drum Corps]

And then we had to go and line up for inspection at Roosevelt Stadium across the river.

Donny

[2000Cadet]

In 2000 when I was in Cadets, we, along with some marching bands went to the Today show (in that area where Matt Lauer and the rest of the newscast go and greet the people and have their little guests to perform their shows) and played the Today show theme along with some other pieces. That's the closest I remember any drum corps getting to Times Square lol...

[Ageout90]

In the late 1990's (April of 1997 if I remember correctly) YEA put together a 1,000 member marching band to kick off the 1,000 day countdown until the new Millenium in times square. This group rehearsed in the parking lot at Giants stadium for two days and then bussed over into the city on a Sunday morning. The group included BOTH marching band and drum corps people. I remember a fairly large contingent of Sunriser folks there. At that time we still had G bugles which made it very interesting.

It was such a large ensemble that we spanned from 42nd street back up broadway to almost 48th street.

The group played approx. 5 or 6 selections and many people held lyres since we had little time to memorize everything.

I ended up being the conductor and they had me on a 3 story scaffolding that stood over the Armed Forces recruting booth and they also had me on the jumbo tron for the entire event. The highlight for me was when Mayor Julliani came up there with me and got on the PA system to announce that times square is the central meeting place for the world and that it would be everyones focus on New Years even 1999-2000.

He then asked me to help him conduct stars and stripes (which was also the 100th anniversary of that march) The man could not conduct at all and you could see me on all three major networks and CNN in back of him trying to keep the time together.

*As a side note the jumbo-tron had a slight delay so we had to quickly tell the ensemble to not watch the jumbo tron but please watch me.:-)

I do not have a video clip of this...but if anyone does please let me know.

Larry Markiewicz

[HornsUp]

The Convention Parade was held in NYC and featured a zillion drum & bugle corps.

And no corps vehicles were allowed into Manhattan until they had passed a safety inspection. Fortunately the corps cooperatively came to each others' rescue. As busses and trucks passed inspection, they were pressed into service transporting multiple units to the Tuesday parade. In those pre-cellphone days, that was quite a logistical feat.

Edited November 18, 2010 by HornsUp

[dcm_alum]

Thanks everyone for commenting. I just thought, as i stood in Times Square, that I'd love to come in there with about 100 horns and play something. Maybe we should try to "flash corps" the place.