Jeff Ream Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 +++++++ I'm going to edit this to take back some of my enthusiastic pluses, but only a few. The BD show rocked, I absolutely loved it. But Phantom sucked all of the oxygen out of the stadium that night. And from a fan perspective event PR '08 - in THAT stadium, in THAT competition - hits solidly in my top-5 ever, for life, most exciting drum corps moments. Phantom was a train that started chugging down the tracks in Atlanta, and the planets aligned by finals night. hell I predicted them to win at Allentown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornTeacher Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 An off-topic response that in many, many ways isn't really all that off-topic... 1980 -- Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama In the words of our own Michael Boo (from the "DVD Spotlight of the Week: 1980 Spirit of Atlanta"): At the DCI World Championships Prelims in Birmingham, a few weeks after Jim Ott’s untimely and shocking death, fans in the upper deck of the back stands, utilizing the different color of the stadium seat bottoms compared to the seat backs, spelled out messages of support for individual corps. The messages changed for just about every corps. Then a group spelled out “JIM OTT.” That tribute stayed up there for the entire remainder of the Prelims, and it was still up there when fans returned for the Finals competition. As fans left the stadium, the sign remained, reminding all that the memory of Jim Ott—for whom the brass caption award trophy is now named—would remain in the hearts of drum corps fans for decades to come. Maybe this doesn't fit the OP's implied intent of performance-based moments...but in terms of highlights, I think this ocurrence speaks volumns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Stepping back now several years from the actual events and being no fan of 'booing" in most circumstances....plus not taking anything away from the energy that Phantom Regiment's performance generated in 2008, I wonder if a sociologist and an anthropologist looking at 2007 and 2008 would conclude that the negative energy BD (and fans) might have felt in 2008 was partially in response to how the California fans treated performers in Pasadena, the hash-gate year!?!? I'm not saying that 2008 was a direct retribution for the failure of 2007 but that it helped to set a mood and context for what followed.. Besides everyone cheers an underdog, especially when David slays Goliath. That Pasadena episode of "booing" was probably one of the lowest points of DCI history. The Cali crowd was brutal to the Cadets in 2007. I was happy to see fate turn in 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rifuarian Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Only booing I ever heard in 08 came from a gentleman in a BD jacket making an ### of himself as the corps were slowly meandering off the field. I can understand why the crowd reaction to second place would have stung, but IMO it can mostly be attributed to surprise at the result. I know I was shocked. It had been decades since the semifinals winner had not also won finals night, and I honestly never expected to see any movement in the top spot at finals. Combine the surprise with the Phantom's unforgettable performance, and there you have it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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