Most Famous Show Ever?

[Michael Boo]

1971 Cavaliers.

Oops, I thought I saw INfamous! BTW I would rate 1984 Garfield at Whitewater an infamous performance.

Edit: I just saw the "Infamous Show" topic. It takes the air out of my lame attempt at humor. Carry on.

I'd have to agree that you were right the first time. The 1971 Cavaliers show was famous as the show the "killed" drum corps with the circus act. For years after I joined the corps in 1975, I saw people around the country wearing t-shirts that showed the juggling clown with the inscription on a tombstone, "The year drum corps died." Apparently, these were sold by someone and had a nationwide distribution. Of course, that show would be considered so very traditional today. Known by fans simply as "The Circus Show," I had long thought it was primarily fun and games throughout. Then one year, Michael Cesario gave a presentation at the DCI Annual Meeting in Chicago and played a film of the entire show, bringing up that many had considered it at the time to be the death knell of drum corps. However, in reality, most of the show was very, very old-school. Only the last 90 seconds or so were part of the circus act. I was quite surprised there was so much angst shed over something so inconsequential (by the standards of the day when Cesario gave the presentation).

So, I believe any show that generated t-shirts around the country had to be the most famous.

But my personal feelings about which shows of the DCI era are the most famous are quite different from what I wrote above, and many of those have already been mentioned.

[Fran Haring]

Known by fans simply as "The Circus Show," I had long thought it was primarily fun and games throughout. Then one year, Michael Cesario gave a presentation at the DCI Annual Meeting in Chicago and played a film of the entire show, bringing up that many had considered it at the time to be the death knell of drum corps. However, in reality, most of the show was very, very old-school. Only the last 90 seconds or so were part of the circus act.

Mike, I've brought this up before as well. Only the production number... and then the ending fanfare of the show...involved the circus characters.

The rest of the show, as you said, was pretty much straight-up standard drum corps fare for that era.

Now.... the Madison Scouts' show that year.... that, to me, was more of a "total show" concept centered around whimsical tunes. (And the costumed characters that were used.) Even the "Yankee Doodle" color pre had a lighter quality about it than a standard color presentation of that era.

[PR_ducky]

It's a shame people don't remember 88 SCV.

Their 88 show was better than the 89 one in almost every way.

[Rocketman]

Certainly one could argue for '75 Madison just based on the result at DCI however, in reality, '75 Madison was a continuation of 73 & 74 Madison. Just so happens it all came together in '75. I just wouldn’t consider ’75 Madison “legendary” as I don’t feel it broke any “new” ground. Others may disagree, but we are all expressing “opinions” here. Now, ’76 Blue Devils was far and away taking the activity to a new level, far surpassing whatever anyone thought of ’75 Madison. They were game changers while ’75 Madison was not.

[Jim Anello]

Pre-DCI: 1965 Chicago Royal Airs

:-)

Agree absolutely. What those kids did those hunks of plumbing that were horns back then was amazing. Nobody in that field sounded remotely like RA.

[tommytimp]

I wish I could have seen so many of the Old School shows live. 65 Royal Airs, 75 SCV, Madison, Argonne Rebels, whichever year they tied Madison in have liked to witness live more than any other. I think among drum corps fans, however,the most famous show has to be from either the 70s or the 80s, because that's when DCI (and drum corps in general, as a non-military art form) asserted its primacy. So:

Madison 75--Raw power, but, as some have said, a culmination, and not a storming of the walls

BD 1976--Total domination; I don't find it as revolutionary as others do

Garfield 1983--Zingali was already made by 1979, but this was the artsy show that finally won

Garfield 84--Overrated in my opinion, but not without its benchmarks

Of those 4, the obvious favorite on DCP is Garfield 84. But famous? I think BD 76.

Edited June 28, 2011 by tommytimp

[CrunchyTenor]

Certainly one could argue for '75 Madison just based on the result at DCI however, in reality, '75 Madison was a continuation of 73 & 74 Madison. Just so happens it all came together in '75. I just wouldn’t consider ’75 Madison “legendary” as I don’t feel it broke any “new” ground. Others may disagree, but we are all expressing “opinions” here. Now, ’76 Blue Devils was far and away taking the activity to a new level, far surpassing whatever anyone thought of ’75 Madison. They were game changers while ’75 Madison was not.

Yeah, but then you forget the 75 Sharpsburg Cadets. Oklahoma Crude, Shaft, It's Too Late, Up Tight, Uskadora, The Way We Were, Touch Me In The Morning. THAT was a show! Even Streisand had to record covers of that show. Stevie Wonder and Carole King, too.

Garry in Vegas

Edited June 28, 2011 by CrunchyTenor

[FHdork]

<It's a shame people don't remember 88 SCV.

Their 88 show was better than the 89 one in almost every way. >

I remember...and totally agree with you -

As for the topic: 83 Garfield - as much for the East finally winning it all as for Zingali's paradigm shift -

[Jim Anello]

<It's a shame people don't remember 88 SCV.Their 88 show was better than the 89 one in almost every way. >I remember...and totally agree with you - As for the topic: 83 Garfield - as much for the East finally winning it all as for Zingali's paradigm shift -

Since Garfield/The Cadets have been so dominant for so long, it's hard to remember back to the days when they weren't. Between Zingali's drill (it seemed absolutely relentless) and the idea of a venerable organization coming back up after over a decade of nearly two decades of being in and out of the top 12, Garfield was a breath of fresh air.

[jwscv87]

It's a shame people don't remember 88 SCV.

Their 88 show was better than the 89 one in almost every way.

I wouldn't mistake folks disagreeing with your second sentence for lack of memory. I remember and loved 1988 SCV, but 89 was better IMO.