Massillon, OH Show Thread

[N.E. Brigand]

How often have we seen lights in a DCI show? It was trying to recall last night, but nothing came to mind.

There was a camera flash from the drum major during the final chord in one of Madison's shows.

At Allentown this year, my friend and I were observing that Spirit does nothing with the street lamp props scattered around the field. Couldn't they at least light up, we wondered?

[Measton]

I was at the Massillon show as well. We bought tickets at 4:15 that afternoon and I was on the 45, side two three rows from the top. While it was crowded, it was not standing room only. That is a great stadium to watch and hear drum corps, but it is old and not real convenient with a large crowd.This was a killer line up though.

Having been to a million drum corps shows, I should have known better than to stay around once they announced an indefinite delay. Once I saw Hop, and two other directors walking around on the field with their phones blazing, I should have known to bail. Updates during the delay would have been great. Maybe telling the folks which side of the stadium was east and which was west would have helped too. (They had designated sections for taking cover.) This situation was handled poorly, but I have actually seen much worse and at major DCI events. We just happened to be talking to one of the field judges when they called it, or we would have wondered around for a bit longer.

Three questions - all BAC related.

1. During the closer, the battery comes back to focus after being scattered during the ballad. One of the snares suddenly had a white plume on his shako instead of red like the others. I am assuming he grabbed the backfield DMs shako by mistake? Did anyone else see this? It certainly was not by design right? Anyone?

2. The lights under the scrim. How long has that been in the show? How often have we seen lights in a DCI show? It was trying to recall last night, but nothing came to mind.

3. I never caught a Conquest quote in the show. I seem to recall one in every show prior to this one. Did I miss it? I am usually quite good at catching that (to my wife's annoyance I might add) Is it in there?

Some very strong performances by the corps that did get to do a run. Bummed to miss the last three.

MIKE

Bill, you missed it.

1) The percussion changes their plumes from red to white in the ballad, as if signaling a change in allegiance (hence, Revolution!) and come back to join with the band. If the whole percussion wasn't wearing the same colour plumes, then that is a whole other story I can't answer.

2) At least since Allentown

[craiga]

I was at the Massillon show as well. We bought tickets at 4:15 that afternoon and I was on the 45, side two three rows from the top. While it was crowded, it was not standing room only. That is a great stadium to watch and hear drum corps, but it is old and not real convenient with a large crowd.This was a killer line up though.

Having been to a million drum corps shows, I should have known better than to stay around once they announced an indefinite delay. Once I saw Hop, and two other directors walking around on the field with their phones blazing, I should have known to bail. Updates during the delay would have been great. Maybe telling the folks which side of the stadium was east and which was west would have helped too. (They had designated sections for taking cover.) This situation was handled poorly, but I have actually seen much worse and at major DCI events. We just happened to be talking to one of the field judges when they called it, or we would have wondered around for a bit longer.

Three questions - all BAC related.

1. During the closer, the battery comes back to focus after being scattered during the ballad. One of the snares suddenly had a white plume on his shako instead of red like the others. I am assuming he grabbed the backfield DMs shako by mistake? Did anyone else see this? It certainly was not by design right? Anyone?

2. The lights under the scrim. How long has that been in the show? How often have we seen lights in a DCI show? It was trying to recall last night, but nothing came to mind.

3. I never caught a Conquest quote in the show. I seem to recall one in every show prior to this one. Did I miss it? I am usually quite good at catching that (to my wife's annoyance I might add) Is it in there?

Some very strong performances by the corps that did get to do a run. Bummed to miss the last three.

MIKE

Bill, you missed it.

To answer your questions:

1. Boston's drum line switches from red to white plumes jusr prior to the beginning of the percussion feature, then back to red for the rest of the show. I think it makes for a bit more contrast during their drill moves through the corps proper.

2. They've had the lights enhancing the shadows under the fabric barricade for a little over a week, I believe.

3. There are no direct "Conquest shots" in the show this year....much as I love them, they don't always make sense musically with what is being played.

And yes, Boston is ROCKING right now!

[emc2]

This is from last night. Baaaaston you rocked :)

Thanks very cool effect. No one has anything like this. Very creative and the best Soloist in DCI this year.

[N.E. Brigand]

As long as there was lightning in the area we were not going to see a show nor a standstill. It was a shame, but mother nature can be a beast sometimes. Nothing anybody can do.

Oh, I understand the decision: that's why I called it a "pity" rather than a "mistake". It just seemed that the weather was taunting the decision makers by fading quickly away as soon as they cancelled the show. (And I wished to note that the corps directors seemed eager to resume the performances.) My only real complaint is how news wasn't communicated to the audience, as others have also noted. Ninety minutes of no updates, not even a statement as to how late a decision might be made, was frustrating.

Well, I'm also sorry not to have heard about the standstill, but others may be sorrier. I didn't leave the stadium until ten minutes after the cancellation was at last announced; I saw more than a few Bluecoats parents who had waited those ninety rainy minutes for the show to resume, and then left disappointed when the bad news came. Had they but known, they might have stayed. There was still lightning "in the area", i.e., visible in the distance, at 11 p.m., when the standstill occurred -- I didn't get on the road north until 10:45 p.m. and could see flashes in my rearview mirror for another half-hour or so. But I understand these things happen, especially with impromptu decisions.

[KAW]

I stood right in front of it. At approx 11PM, Hornline arced up on their own, with the rest of the corps, staff, admin, alumni, parents and fans in attendance. They started with a low brass arrangement of Salvation is Created, then went on to Autumn Leaves. The electricity in their sound was tangible. They changed the chilly evening with their warm wind. Everyone cheered them on to play more...and they did. They performed another emotional, unforgettable rendition of Creep. The crowd wanted more...the members wanted to play more. They played the entire closer, and a hype piece from their warmup. They finished off the evening with "Hey Soul Sister."

Although the members were clearly "going for it" in this "unreal" environment, the interplay between musicians and the family-oriented crowd made it more real than any competitive show could do. One of DCI's best hornlines performed last night, in the dark and mist, letting go of all emotion from this difficult season. A hornline worthy of the Jim Ott, but is instead stigmatized by hiccups in design and judging history; practically forgotten.

I will never forget this evening. Thank you, Bloo Hornline.

It's those rare moments that keep us coming back...

[mikekhs]

1. Boston's drum line switches from red to white plumes jusr prior to the beginning of the percussion feature, then back to red for the rest of the show. I think it makes for a bit more contrast during their drill moves through the corps proper.

This was one snare drummer in the closer after they are scattered around the field and none of the other battery players still had white. Sounds like a missed signal somewhere, and I totally missed a prior plume change.

Thanks for the answers guys.

Mike

[oldbandguy]

For Bluecoat fans in southwest Ohio, the corps is rehearsing at Centerville today and this evening before heading over to Indy.

[CeeJay]

...Blue Knights started their preshow. Not their show, their preshow. You know, the sampled voice singing about the "bonny boy". (Nobody ever answered FaustianMachine's question: what's the title of that song and who is the recording by?)

I had answered this a few days ago in a different thread with the same question:

It took a little bit of digging on itunes but I found it: "My Bonny Boy" on the album Kitchen Fairytales by Visnja.

[wvu80]

Thanks very cool effect. No one has (done) anything like this. Very creative and the best Soloist in DCI this year.

No one has done anything like this IN THIS CENTURY.

See Star of Indiana in the Amber Waves show, who did the playing behind the sheer fabric in the last century. (I think 1993)

Yes, it was goosebumps time, even back then.