First Show Stories

[DrumManTx]

So we all probably have that friend that we took to their first DCI show, that was not ready for what was about to happen. Anyone have any priceless moments to share of your friend unexpectedly getting their face blown off and their reactions? Share away!

Here's mine:

Ok, so one of my friends from high school went to her first DCI show in Round Rock last week. I kept telling her that it was going to blow her face off, and she just kinda said yeah, I bet! After Phantom, I got the one at the bottom:

Just a thread to share some stories of that first experience. Have fun! Don't turn this into a G7 thread or I will come to your house and find you.

Edited July 28, 2013 by DrumManTx

[Fobo1991]

Brought a old father and his son who was entering his teenage years to TOC Houston last year. The father bought the tickets as a birthday gift to the son even though they both did not have musical experience.

Let's just say I managed to help foster a love for drum corps from these two that night. They even paid in advance for San Antonio tickets to spend more time together. Unfortunately, due to family obligations the week before San Antonio, the father had to tell the son they wouldn't be able to attend, and he became really upset.

But even after that situation, I'm still amazed at how drum corps can bring a father and son closer together! The father kept on telling me how amazed the son was while watching the shows live!

[DrumcorpsmademeaTuba]

Oh man, here I was thinking this would be about a first show that we were at as a corps member... I'd feel bad if I mentioned the story since it involves the current section leader for the Blue Stars tubas, and I dunno if I've ever managed to introduce drum corps to a person :doh:/>

[perc2100]

Here's one:

I discovered drum corps in 1990, my freshmen year of high school (the season was summer before my frosh year). A few people in my HS marching band marched drum corps, and were ALWAYS playing tapes of watching videos. I saw Finals 1990 and I was hooked! My first show was in 1991, and my first Finals was in 1992. I was almost literally a drum corps addict.

My mom (who drove me around a lot in HS), was constantly forced to listen to drum corps tapes in her car, and I would always 'quiz' her on what corps was playing. She didn't seem super enthusiastic, but didn't mind either (side not re: my mom: she's a great lady, but not really super into music - she has always been supportive of my interests in music, and over the more recent years she's gone to half a dozen musicals every year plus the occasional symphony concert, but back then not-so-much). Mom chaperones marching band bus trips for contests and football games, attended a lot of the home guys w/my dad to cheer on the band, and likes marching band: more because I was involved than because she was a fan as we are here.

So in 1993 the local show coincided with our band camp. Our band director got all of us tickets, and we bussed the entire band (literally a bit over 300 kids) to the show. My mom chaperoned because she was curious to see this drum corps thing live (even though she just always looked at it as regular ol' marching band, like she saw on Saturdays at competitions). The corps BLEW HER AWAY. Cavaliers, Madison Scouts, SCV and others really rocked her world, but Madison was the show she loved that evening. That night in late July transformed mom from someone who tolerated me listening to drum corps in the car 24/7 to someone who legitimately liked drum corps. Her and my dad continued to go to shows (often without me, as I went with friends and they went by themselves), buy souvies from their favorite shows, etc. It was really special that my age-out year of marching we performed in "my" local show, in the stadium that was not only my 1st introduction to live drum corps, but also my mom's. Even after I aged-out and moved across the country, she continued to go to the local drum corps show just for fun. She doesn't attend anymore, but every summer she always asks me a few times how things are going competitively with corps. She still can't believe that Carolina Crown (a corps that was Div. 2 or 3 and smallish compared to Cavaliers, SCV, and Scouts) is contending for a World Championship.

I feel confident that even though my mom's interest in drum corps has wained in the years since I age-out 15 years ago, she would still go to the local show if I was in town to go with her (FWIW her interests didn't cool off because of any ideological reason, just she has a bunch of other interests and doesn't really follow the activity any more).

[luv4corps]

My husband, daughter and I were at Indy for the first time. When some of the more upper level corps performed, we kept noticing an older man, alone, standing up and doing this punching the air motion when the big brass blasts hit, or amazing drill was knocking our socks off. He would punch the air with both fists and the overall impression we got was that he was totally lost in the drum corps stratosphere and in another world. My daughter and I loved watching him and probably watched him as much as the corps! And then..... when my son's corps was performing their send-off show before leaving for tour this year, I got lost in drum corps myself and without realizing it, did the same thing! I punched the air with both fists.

My husband stared at me with a big grin... He knew i too had entered the drum corps stratosphere and was momentarily lost in another world.

Edited July 28, 2013 by luv4corps

[Tim K]

1994 DCI Championship in Foxboro. A close friend of mine has two younger brothers who are about ten years younger than he is. He was home from college for the summer and started dating. He was about 19 or 20 at the time so he didn't have a curfew. Naturally since the younger brothers were only about 10 and 11, they did not think it was fair. The older brother was supposed to attend DCI with me, but he had to work and the younger brothers begged me to take them, so I did. paid $80 for each ticket, fed them dinner, got them snacks and souvenirs and they were bored stiff. There were great shows that year: BD "My Spanish Heart," Glassmen played Moody Blues tunes, Colts had an audience friendly show, Madison played "Malaga" and Phantom "Claire de Lune." I later learned the only reason they went was because they knew it would go late at night and they wanted t get home later than their brother!

I did get my revenge, without knowing it. I got so excited with "Once more in 94" by 27th Lancers I embarrassed them. They still remember that part today.

All three attended another show with me in 1999 at manning Bowl in Lynn. That was the year of Madison playing "Jesus Christ Superstar" at a show hosted by BAC the year it was pretty certain they would make finals which they did. They are now semi-regulars at drum corps shows.