retreats...

[Malibu]

My favorite was '87 DCI Finals in Madison.  A not too happy SCV, after winning for much of the year, ends up 2nd to Garfield in finals.  They play Russian Christmas Music during retreat gradually breaking formation until they are right in Garfield's face.  Russian Christmas Music is one of my all-time favorite drum corps pieces, especially that SCV arragnement, and it sounded all the better blasted and echoing off the side of the fieldhouse.  Awesome!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that was a year either could have taken top honors. I loved both shows, but SCV playing Russian made Crossmen alumnus stand and cheer!

[jms4681]

It is my opinion the "playing off" during retreat was simply an offshoot of how all Military Ceremonies end. There was the march-on, the elements of the ceremony and then at the end the formal "pass in rieview" with the Band playing and being the final unit to troop pas the the brass. Besides Drum Corps I was in an Army Band for 10 years and I always understood the Drum Corps retreats simply duplicated how the formal Military Ceremonies were done.

[jms4681]

with all this uproar over eliminated retreats at smaller shows, i'm curious about this "playing off the field" thing all the older vets keep talking about. i wanna know how it was done.... they went one corps at a time? playing what? i've just never seen or heard it before. are there any Legacy DVDs that include that part of retreat?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Back in the 1960's there was a full retreat for almost every show. Unlike the Olympic format used today at the big DCI shows each Corps would march onto the field in parade formation one after another until they were all lined up. Usually it was the host corps or a designated corps that provided the music or drumming for the corps marching on the field. The Corps did not play coming back onto the field. After the scores the command was given to "pass in review". Each corps would then troop the stands playing a song from the far left of the the field, by the judges who would salute the colors and then exit the field to the right. As each Corps did this everyone else would "move right" to be in the same position (far left end-zone) when it was their turn to pass in review. This would continue until the final Corps (winning score) would finish the process.

[mgailp]

I remember 4th of July retreats being a good time. In 1978 all the corps sat and watched the fireworks above Soldier's Field in Chicago.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which is why the reason I was given when I asked about the loss doesn't make sense. I was told, by someone I had marched with who was then on staff with a top 12 corps, that this way, the kids could talk with others from different corps and form cross corps friendships. (Yes, he did not believe it at the time, either.)

BTW, this tradition is not totally lost.  Just like back in the day, at the CorpsVets home show in Rockmart, GA, corps still play themselves off the field at retreat. ^OO^

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good for them! Keep it up & bring it back!

Edit: 2nd year we were allowed to play cadence onto the field for retreat, inspite of the fact that we had @ 75 members and were the 3rd smallest in that competition. I was so proud I took up more than a page in my journal proseing on about it. We were told later that someone had paid attention durring the parade earlier in the day and liked our cadence. It had a section with a strange off beat pattern and then went into several bars of Giligan's Island in the bass drums.

Edited May 11, 2005 by mgailp

[Russellrks]

I had always thought retreats were eliminated due to the extra time it consumed, giving the corps a chance to get down the road a little earlier and get more "Floor Time" as well as rehearsal time.

With shows having fewer corps in competition now days, as well as shorter performances, one would think there would be more time for retreats, but I think it's a part of history now that will never come back.

[Walter]

Yes I used to love to hear Madison playing "You'll Never Walk Alone", and loved the tradition of saluting the corps winning with playing the corps song. One year that was the only time I got to play "Danny Boy" except in parades...when we didn't play it our last year in the closer.

wow, I'm surprised that some didn't know the tradition of retreats. Did they not teach them that?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Every body knows they don't teach TRADITION anymore!!!

That's because they've done away with one of the greatest parts of a drum corps show!!

TRADITION, I'm glad that I was part of it!!

I've said it once and I'll say it again "If you don't have a past, you don't have much of a future!! B)

[oldbaritone]

It is my opinion the "playing off" during retreat was simply an offshoot of how all Military Ceremonies end.  There was the march-on, the elements of the ceremony and then at the end the formal "pass in rieview" with the Band playing and being the final unit to troop pas the the brass.  Besides Drum Corps I was in an Army Band for 10 years and I always understood the Drum Corps retreats simply duplicated how the formal Military Ceremonies were done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's pretty accurate, I think, considering that drum corps contests were originated by the AL and VFW after WWI. One of my earliest memories is of a senior contest in 1948 and I remember the retreat (Hackensack won that one by the way). I have the 2 volume History of Drum Corps and I don't know if it addresses retreats but it sure does have some really interesting in it, especially the evolution of the bugle. B)

[apoch003]

I can't believe retreats are going! The amazing pagaentry of seeing all the corps on the field, the drum major saluting the winner... TRADITION is the name of the game here. And now its gone. Sniff sniff!

[PJS53]

I had always thought retreats were eliminated due to the extra time it consumed, giving the corps a chance to get down the road a little earlier and get more "Floor Time" as well as rehearsal time.

With shows having fewer corps in competition now days, as well as shorter performances, one would think there would be more time for retreats, but I think it's a part of history now that will never come back.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You know, I really don't think it took any longer than the group dismissal (I was going to use the term cluster####) that I've seen in recent years. Each corps knew they had to keep things moving and they left in an orderly fashion to get out of Dodge. I guess we didn't do a whole lot of running around to find and hug friends in other corps back then. Wait a minute, I'm not sure we had any friends in other corps

[bd5times]

Great post Trooper!

Go here to see what trooping the corps was like...click on "Retreat":

1982 Blue Devils Alumni Page

I always enjoyed hearing the other corps play themselves off the field, because as Trooper says, we rarely got the oppurtunity to see/hear anybody. Particular highlights were:

• Madison playing "You'll Never Walk Alone" about 2 feet from the hornline.
  
• SCV playing "Send in the Clowns" about 2 feet from the horn line...at at DCI Retreat, from within their arc...deafening.
  
• Two Seven and Danny Boy
  
• Who can forget Spirit with Georgia!
  We used to just laugh at the balls these guys/gals had. Most corps would troop the winners and be done. Spirit would kick off Georgia, troop the winning corps, stop on the track, face the stands and just CRANK OUT THAT TUNE AT CLOSE RANGE! From our vantage point, the stands would always erupt when they were treated to a full on Spirit barrage. Everybody that followed, well, kind of like following Madison, you're not going to top the excitement and volume. The crowd wants what Spirit dished out, not another corps just cruising past the champs.
  
• Sky Ryders - gorgeous sounding hornline with "Over the Rainbow"