mfrontz Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) DCI 1993. A year of great changes, portending much drama and angst in the years to come. Steve Brubaker, Gail Royer, and George Zingali passed away, all of them far too soon. If I'm not mistaken, there was a new executive director of DCI, whose name I can't remember. This was also the year that I destroyed my parents' phone bill calling 1-900-CAN-DRUM to get scores. The only 900 number I ever called. (If you remember calling that number, congratulations, you're old.) I decided not to participate in what would have been my age-out. Made a good decision as the church camp I was a counselor at was a great experience as well, but of course I will always wonder about what would have happened had I marched 'Songs for the Planet Earth, Part II.' I'm not sure the three-year cycle was a great idea. It was a good show, but the novelty had worn off, and the drumline had lost some members and had others get sick or injured pre-season. The meteoric rise to the top that some expected didn't happen, but the Crossmen would remain a consistent finals corps until 2005. In 1993 the Cadets of Bergen County came roaring out of the gate with something to prove. Their show was head and shoulders above the DCE competition. Phantom had a much improved production over the last year, and who can forget 'Fire of Eternal Glory?' Blue Devils really wowed people with 'A Don Ellis Portrait.' For many, 1993 remains their best hornline. I saw the Hershey Spectacular and DCI East finals. East was memorable because of the rainstorm that opened up in the middle of the Cavies show. I remember the water bouncing off the timpani during the ending of 'Heroes, Lost and Fallen.' They still won the show over the Blue Devils by .1, if I remember correctly without checking the scores. Glassmen made finals, directed by some guy named Dan. Perhaps more surprisingly, so did the Colts with a charming 'Four Seasons' show. Madison performed in the rain. And Star of Indiana, in their swan song, performed what is still one of the most talked-about shows in DCI history. Ground-breaking on so many levels. Should they have won? The only group that could have beaten them did, as Cadets of Bergen County had polished to a high sheen their blinding-speed production of David Holsinger's wind ensemble music. Let's talk about 1993, shall we? Edited April 28, 2020 by mfrontz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrontz Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) 1993 Shows Cadets of Bergen County - Victory Concert DCI Southwest, DCI Finals part one, DCI Finals part two, Victory Run Star of Indiana - DCI Finals, DCI Finals High-Cam, Retreat Performance to Cadets Phantom Regiment - DCI Finals Blue Devils - Long Beach CA, Early Season Victory Concert, DCI Finals (part one), (part two - last snippet of Niner-Two) Cavaliers - Long Beach CA, DCI Finals Madison Scouts - DCI Finals Santa Clara Vanguard - Finals Week Rehearsal Run Crossmen - Finals Week Rehearsal - show segments Bluecoats Blue Knights Glassmen Colts - 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' Velvet Knights - DCI Semifinals Boston Crusaders Freelancers - DCI Quarterfinals Magic of Orlando Spirit of Georgia Dutch Boy - DCI Quarterfinals Troopers - Show Run - Finals Week Sky Ryders Carolina Crown - Carnival from La Fiesta Mexicana Southwind - DCI Quarterfinals Marauders Northern Aurora - Tournament of Drums, Cedar Rapids IA Vanguard Cadets - More to come! Edited April 28, 2020 by mfrontz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) Here are the score recaps from Finals in 1993 - for comparison and discussion GE GE GE Total Brass Perc. Visual GE Cadets of BC 14.8 10.0 14.5 39.3 Star of Indiana 14.9 9.8 14.4 39.1 Phantom Regiment 14.6 9.6 14.7 38.9 Blue Devils 14.7 9.4 14.2 38.3 Cavaliers 14.4 9.7 13.9 38.0 Madison Scouts 14.2 9.0 13.8 37.0 Santa Clara Vanguard 14.0 9.1 13.4 36.5 Crossmen 14.1 9.3 13.3 36.7 Bluecoats 13.8 8.9 12.8 35.5 Blue Knights 12.9 8.7 12.2 33.8 Glassmen 12.8 8.4 12.4 33.6 Colts 13.0 8.0 12.6 33.6 Field Ensemble Total Brass Brass Brass Cadets of BC 9.6 9.7 19.3 Star of Indiana 9.7 9.9 19.6 Phantom Regiment 9.6 9.6 19.2 Blue Devils 9.8 9.8 19.6 Cavaliers 9.4 9.2 18.6 Madison Scouts 9.4 9.4 18.8 Santa Clara Vanguard 9.3 8.7 18.0 Crossmen 8.7 8.9 17.6 Bluecoats 9.0 9.0 18.0 Blue Knights 8.8 8.6 17.4 Glassmen 8.3 8.3 16.6 Colts 8.0 8.4 16.4 Field Ensemble Total Perc. Perc. Perc. Cadets of BC 9.5 9.7 19.2 Star of Indiana 9.6 9.8 19.4 Phantom Regiment 9.2 9.6 18.8 Blue Devils 9.1 9.2 18.3 Cavaliers 9.3 9.5 18.8 Madison Scouts 8.7 9.2 17.9 Santa Clara Vanguard 9.4 9.1 18.5 Crossmen 8.9 8.6 17.5 Bluecoats 8.4 8.8 17.2 Blue Knights 8.6 8.7 17.3 Glassmen 7.9 8.3 16.2 Colts 7.7 8.4 16.1 Field Ensemble Total Visual Visual Visual Cadets of BC 9.7 9.9 19.6 Star of Indiana 9.4 9.8 19.2 Phantom Regiment 9.8 9.5 19.3 Blue Devils 9.3 9.6 18.9 Cavaliers 9.5 9.1 18.6 Madison Scouts 9.0 9.2 18.2 Santa Clara Vanguard 8.6 8.8 17.4 Crossmen 8.8 9.0 17.8 Bluecoats 8.2 8.3 16.5 Blue Knights 8.3 8.2 16.5 Glassmen 8.0 8.4 16.4 Colts 7.8 7.7 15.5 * SUMMARY * Total Total Total Total Final GE Brass Perc. Visual Score Cadets of BC 39.3 19.3 19.2 19.6 97.4 Star of Indiana 39.1 19.6 19.4 19.2 97.3 Phantom Regiment 38.9 19.2 18.8 19.3 96.2 Blue Devils 38.3 19.6 18.3 18.9 95.1 Cavaliers 38.0 18.6 18.8 18.6 94.0 Madison Scouts 37.0 18.8 17.9 18.2 91.9 Santa Clara Vanguard 36.5 18.0 18.5 17.4 90.4 Crossmen 36.7 17.6 17.5 17.8 89.6 Bluecoats 35.5 18.0 17.2 16.5 87.2 Blue Knights 33.8 17.4 17.3 16.5 85.0 Glassmen 33.6 16.6 16.2 16.4 82.8 Colts 33.6 16.4 16.1 15.5 81.6 Edited April 27, 2020 by jwillis35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 A full list of the repertoire from the top 25 The Cadets 1 97.400 In the Spring, At the Time When Kings Go Off to War - In the Spring, at the Time When Kings Go Off to War * Ballet Sacra * On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss Star of Indiana 2 97.300 The Music of Barber and Bartok - Parados (from Medea) * Kantikos Agonias (from Medea) * Allegro (from Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste) * Dance of Vengence (from Medea) Phantom Regiment 3 96.200 The Modern Imagination - The Landworkers (From Estancia Ballet) * The Wheat Dance (From Estancia Ballet) * Danza Final (From Estancia Ballet) * The Fire of Eternal Glory (from Novorossisk Chimes) * Death Hunt (from On Dangerous Ground) Blue Devils 4 95.100 A Don Ellis Portrait - Open Wide * Great Divide * Chain Reaction * Strawberry Soup * Niner Two The Cavaliers 5 94.000 Heroes, A Symphonic Trilogy (Journey..Conflict.. Triumph) - The Symphonic Cantata * Heroes, Lost and Fallen * Morning Alleluias (for the Winter Solstice) Madison Scouts 6 91.900 Reflection and Evolution - Numero Uno * Strawberry Soup * Encore Santa Clara Vanguard 7 90.400 A Walton Trilogy - Johannesburg Festival Overture * Richard III * Agincourt Song (from Henry V) Crossmen 8 89.600 Songs for the Planet Earth Part II: A Celebration of Humanity - Fanfare for the Common Man * Myth America * Koto Song * River Music * Freda * Anthem for Humanity Bluecoats 9 87.200 Standards in Blue - A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie - All the Things You Are * 'Round Midnight * A Night in Tunisia Blue Knights 10 85.000 The Next Generation - Battle in the Mutara Nebula (from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) * Clear All Moorings (From Star Trek VI) * Star Trek VI Suite * Little Green Men Glassmen 11 82.800 A Voyage Through Imagination - Overture * Morning Sun on the Sails * The Lion's Breath * The North Wind * Sailing Colts 12 81.600 The Four Seasons - Winter * A Thousand Summers * Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) * The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter * Reprise Velvet Knights 13 83.100 Kartoon Klassics - The Storm (from William Tell) * The Marriage of Figaro * William Tell Overture * Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 Boston Crusaders 14 82.400 Russian Easter Overture * Scheherazade: The Prince and the Princess * Scheherazade: Festival in Baghdad Freelancers 15 79.600 The Music of Bill Chase - Open Up Wide * Invitation to a River * Two Minds Meet * Stay * Paint it Sad * Get It On Magic of Orlando 16 78.500 Cirque De Magique - Cirque Fanfare and Procession * Rideau * Eclipse (from Nouvelle Experience) * Shango: Chant to the Goddess of Fire Spirit of Atlanta 17 77.900 A Soulful Celebration - Why do the Nations so Furiously Rage? * David and Goliath * Do Not Pass Me By * So Much 2 Say * Let the Words * Better Watch Your Behavior Dutch Boy 18 78.300 Las Vegas Fever - Big Spender (from Sweet Charity) * Fever Pitch * In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning * Luck Be A Lady (from Guys and Dolls) * Come Back to Me (from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever) Troopers 19 77.100 The Last Crossing - East Moves West - Ashokan Farewell * Cheyennes (from How The West Was Won) * Western Overture * Charles County Overture * Battle Hymn of the Republic Sky Ryders 20 74.300 Connotations * Second Symphony, Fourth Movement Carolina Crown 21 74.200 Aztec Dance (from La Fiesta Mexicana) * Mass (from La Fiesta Mexicana) * Carnival (from La Fiesta Mexicana) Southwind 22 73.000 Far and Away - Joseph's Dream (from Far and Away) * Life in Ireland (from Far and Away) * The American Way (from Far and Away) * Reunion (from Far and Away) * The Land Race (from Far and Away) Marauders 23 71.100 Symphonic Portraits of Mexico - El Salon Mexico * Mass (from La Fiesta Mexicana) * Carnival (from La Fiesta Mexicana) * Aztec Dance (from La Fiesta Mexicana) Northern Aurora 24 70.000 The Best of Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son * Play the Game Tonight * Dust in the Wind * Magnum Opus Vanguard Cadets 25 69.300 Selections from Far and Away - Land Race (from Far and Away) * Oklahoma Territory (from Far and Away) * Blowing Off Steam (from Far and Away) * The Big Match (from Far and Away) * Race to the River (from Far and Away) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopers1 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Phantom '93 Star '93 Cavies '93 What a great year for the midwest! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 As I alluded to in 1992, for me this is the Year that DCI Got Weird. Funny personal story - after returning from basic training, I had totally forgotten that DCI was on and stumbled across it on PBS mid-performance. I had no clue what I was watching or hearing, and when they were done and announced "Star of Indiana," my face probably told it all. Then the Cadets came out with their angry, chaotic Holsinger show, and I was scratching my head ever more. Felt like I was taking crazy pills. It wasn't until I got the CD's for Christmas that I found out what any of the other corps had done. Cadets went Dark in '93, completely unlike anything they had shown anyone before. We're looking at it with 30 years of hindsight, but they managed to completely reinvent themselves seemingly overnight. The drumline is just towering, legendary, whatever you want to call it. That said, Star should have won. Silence as a weapon had never been used in DCI before, and the Bill Cook quote from the '92 thread said it best when he said they designed a show with no break point for the audience to exhale and applaud. In 2020 that's called Monday, but at the time it was a novel concept. Angular minimal drill, angular minimal uniforms, liberal use of body movement and an off-the-charts musical demand combined for a revolutionary program for what it represented. Phantom reinvented themselves in '93 while still staying (mostly) true to their roots. The Ginastera arrangements are way less '80's' than their previous few years, and Fire of Eternal Glory brought the house down. Death Hunt was a great closer, if not classical in the slightest. (I personally liked the '94 version better.) Blue Devils went nuts with the Don Ellis musical program. Odd meters, massive hornline runs... it was a technician's paradise. As we know, it was also the end of the "Blue Devils" nightclub look. Not a total reinvention yet, but you could feel it was definitely coming. Cavaliers put together a show that harkened back to their previous years' championship in overall effect, but the music wasn't nearly as seamless. Or, to be honest, as good. You could see what they were going for, for sure, but this does not appear in my Cavaliers Pantheon. Awesomely cool guard uniforms, though. Madison Scouts put on a pretty messy show in a rainstorm. Definitely not as tight as the 92 production, and the finale (custom composition) didn't wow me. Another one I tend to skip over, especially considering what they do the next few years. Yeah, for Santa Clara Vanguard, read Lee Rudnicki's book. It felt very much like a revolution against their populist musical/opera image and a commitment to modernizing their classical music focus. It definitely felt modern, but like Cavaliers and Madison, they didn't strike paydirt until later (years later, in their case). Crossmen tried to deliver a conceptual successor to their wildly successful 1992 show, but couldn't capture the same magic. The drum feature stands out in this show for it's take-no-prisoners approach. Bluecoats managed to rebound from their fuzzy 1992 Beatles show with a more straightforward set of tunes. Round Midnight was very cool, and the Night in Tunisia tag was neat, but Bluecoats were not in the business of capturing your minds yet - just your hearts. Blue Knights jumped head-first into ... well... no idea, actually. I actually dig the Star Trek charts, but the drum feature (though famous on a technical level) didn't fit at all and for me kind of ruined the flow of the show. Glassmen's uniforms... capture the spirit of this year, for sure. The music itself was really nice, and Sailing is a beautiful song (ended up using the source music in my wedding - thanks, Glassmen!) Finally, Colts put on a fairly tame show by '93 standards, with a mostly conventional set of jazz tunes that, while not blowing anyone out of the water, definitely felt Finals-worthy in quality. The horns in particular are very solid. (Honorable mention - not sure who I would have put them over, but Boston should have made their first Finals this year! Russian Easter Overture was awesome. VK's William Tell is one of my favorite drum features of the '90's, and Freelancer's hornline delivered the most legendary opener you've likely never heard or seen.) I realize I'm being way less wordy for this season, and that's because overall, especially considering where DCI ended up going, '93 was a definite transition year that in many ways missed the mark for me. It just felt like an 'off' year where designers exploded out of the box so hard that it merely left a mess dripping down the walls. Things evolved again in '94, and I think lessons learned from '93 might have helped with subsequent years' programming. Mike 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) Some initial reflections in 1993 I did not attend DCI Finals in 93 or 94. I may have attended 4 or 5 shows in 1993. I need to double check the schedule and some notes (I used to compile a log in the 80s and 90s from the many shows I attended in those days). I have not done that in a long while, but I still have the log book and still try to update things when I can. I know I saw Star of Indiana early in a town near Indy and my head exploded. They were truly amazing and were giving us a glimpse into the future. A very modern show. I saw Cadets in late June or early July. They were up against Madison, Bluecoats, and Glassmen. For some reason they had to go on first after intermission. Not sure of the reason (maybe they were in exhibition -- which I think is the case). I remember sitting near a family who had only seen a few corps in their short time of attending shows (their kid was now in the local HS marching band). I had attended the show with my best friend. I think the show lineup after intermission was Cadets, Glassmen, Bluecoats, and then Madison. As Cadets began marching into the stadium looking supremely confident, and that guard in those amazing outfits, we both looked at each other and said "here comes danger." You could just sense it. The family next to us had asked if this group was any good and we both looked at them and jokingly said something to the effect of "they're just a little bit good." The family could tell we were joking and got very excited. After the opening of the show and the first big hit, that family was screaming throughout the entire show. I've seen Cadets many times, but after the first two sections of the show I think our jaws were on the ground. I wasn't sure if Cadets were as good as Star just yet, but both corps were bringing the heat in very different, yet exciting, ways. I saw Phantom Regiment in Port Clinton, OH that year and they also blew me away. What a brass line and what absolutely great music. Initially I did not think they could compete with Star of Cadets in terms of overall show design, but I had a feeling they would be top 5 and maybe top 3. After seeing DCI North I strongly felt Phantom was the only corps that could keep up with Star and Cadets. It was nice to see Phantom back to being the professional, symphonic monster that could reel-in the crowd and be competitive. The demise of late 1992 was a distant memory once you saw this show. --------------------------------- Quick reflection of the top 3 from my perspective (a satellite broadcast from a H.S. in the Pittsburgh area...I think it was North Allegheny): The Cadets won in a close battle with Star. This will be argued forever. Both corps were fantastic during that season and were the clear favorites from literally day one. The Cadets were giving us another extension of the visual concepts and thematic ideas from 1992. To Tame The Perilous Skies was not a story but a visual impression of flight with a soundscape of music composed by David Holsinger. He had initially written the music for one of the Air Force bands. Their 1993 show was similar. With "In The Spring: When Kings Go Off To War" they give us images of the Christian Crusades with music (also by David Holsinger) that tries to capture the pomp and circumstance of the Kings and the angry nature of the many battles they would endure. The show is truly masterful, although there was one thing I didn't care for, and that was the ending. The last 20 to 30 seconds feels like a run-on sentence to me. Even then I felt the show needed a more regal ending with a somewhat slower push to the finish line. It's a minor complaint. Otherwise there is not much to gripe about. They did not march particularly well on Finals night, and neither did Star. The rain earlier that evening definitely hurt, but I think the extreme heat (until Finals night) caused problems for most of the corps. I had Cadets in 1st after seeing the telecast, but in hindsight I might have put them in 2nd. It's close. Star of Indiana gave us a reversal from their 1992 show with "The Music of Barber and Bartok." Where the Cadets were more a continuation of their 92 show, along with styles they had employed in the late 80s and 90s, Star was giving us a glimpse into the future of DCI. Star's show was truly modern, cutting edge, daring and very risky. The transparent brass writing was a huge risk and placed big demands on the performers. Mistakes would stick-out like a sore thumb as would quality of sound, balance, and intonation. They used body movement to a level we had not seen yet. The guard, with those poles, was cutting edge. They were sporting a killer percussion section (as were Cadets). Looking back on this show I am often less concerned with the who should have won argument, or whether the show was the most cutting edge show ever in DCI. I often find myself wondering just how long it took them to program this beast and the process used. I would have loved to be a "fly on the wall" in those programming sessions. I actually found the show to be quite entertaining, even at the time. I am very fond of it and I do consider 1993 Star of Indiana to be one of the most advanced shows of its time. I like 1991 Star better, but 93 is clearly a step in a direction we had not seen at that time. Say what you want about Phantom Regiment in 1992, but in 1993 Phantom came with their BIG BOY (and GIRL) pants and gave fans one of the most exciting shows of the season. Phantom was strong start to finish, and, in fact, they received the biggest ovations of the night in Jackson, MS. As amazing as Star and Cadets were, it was Phantom Regiment who, I believe, provided the audience with two of the signature moments of the evening: 1) The crab step by the brass line with the 360 spin and pull, and 2) the Fire of Eternal Glory, a moment that jump-started everyone's hearts while they were crying and cheering at the same time. The Regiment was spectacular at Finals and closed the gap some with Star and Cadets. I dare say that with today's judging system (where being clean matters a bit more than just having lots of demand) that performance by Phantom may well have won. If not it would have been very close. Plenty of other great shows that year which I will try to reflect on later. Edited April 27, 2020 by jwillis35 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Don-O Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) 1993 was the year DCI experimented with closed circuit broadcasts of Finals. I remember the senior corps I was marching with rented a hotel ballroom for the night and hooked up a large screen and projector for the show. It was like a precursor of the cinema productions they now do. As was the case back then, if you weren't wealthy enough to travel a lot there were usually a number of corps you didn't get a chance to see before finals because they had toured a different region of the country. In '93 that included Star for us. The first viewing we had of that show was Finals night. We just weren't ready for it. I clearly recall during one of the extended quiet sections of the show someone in the back of the room shouting "Play something!" and everyone cracking up. In hindsight of course we recognize the genius of that show, but at the time it was very controversial and we just didn't know what to make of it. Edited April 27, 2020 by Super Don-O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECJ94 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 My most memorable thing about 1993 (my rookie year) was doing the Drum Corps South tour for two weeks in early July with Star (still in their 1992 red uniforms, minus the add-ons), and then the total shock when I saw them again in Jackson and they had a whole new look. The show presented very differently in the reds vs. the creams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdaddy Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Hashtag greatest season 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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