oldguard Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Reflecting on the past season, the following are the Top 10 most memorable moments for me: 1) the look on my grandson's face when he put his arm around my back as we stood on the top row of the lower deck in Madison watching the stadium slowly empty and I looked down at him and he said, "Thanks, Grandpa.", 2) Phantom Regiment's Finals performance, 3) Spartans' Finals performance, 4) the Madison Alumni Corps' performances, 5) the Nashua Show with my granchildren for their first drum corps experience, 6) the Bridgeport Show with my grandson and his buddies, 7) Crown's Finals performance 8) Jersey Surf's ballad at Finals 9) watching my grandson watch Scout's "Primal Forces" Show (he loved that show) 10) Spartans playing "Fire of Eternal Glory" for themselves after the crowd was gone in CT ... and a few Honorable Mentions in no particular order ... the Allentown Show with my old buddies; the amazing and masterful performance of the Cavaliers at Finals; Bluecoat's ballad; playing "Name That Corps" from all my many drum corps cd's with my grandson on the long ride to and from Madison; Oregon Crusaders; "Take the A' Train"; taking a break on I&E Day to go play at the waterpark with my grandson only to have him talk a family of five from Iowa who had never heard of drum corps into attending the Div II/III FInals on Saturday (they had a great time); discovering Spokane Thunder; Jubal; playing duets on my old horns with my grandson around a campfire in the wilds after Madison; Citations making Div II/III SemiFinals; seeing Academy for the first time; going through all my old drum corps stuff in the attic with my grandson on that last rainy afternoon before I brought him home; reading some of the messages from corps members after a show review ... I could go on forever ... Thanks, everyone, for a really good summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumCorpsRadio Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I'm surprised I'm the first to post in response. Thanks for sharing these memories. It's important, especially for the current DCI members, to realize that in the long run, these stories are much more valuable than remembering scores and placements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguard Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) This is true ... although I have discovered that many current marching members have learned this and a great many of them choose to march Div II and III. More Honorable Mentions ... those beautiful poignant horn statements in Boston Crusader's show, Crossmen's ballad, St John's neon drums, Blue Stars return to Div I, Yamato's water element, Old Man River, my grandson standing in awed attention everytime a uniformned corps passed by ... Edited October 1, 2006 by oldguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguard Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 In response to a private question: Please excuse me for posting the response to a private message on the public forum. I would feel uncomfortable exchanging private communications with a young person over the internet. About your ballad ... It is all about heart. Your ballad was the heart of your show and a few measures into it, you connected as a corps and your hearts were wide open and the resulting performance was truly memorable. At the risk of seeming pretentious I am going to quote myself in case you missed this previous post of mine. Shortly after returning from Madison I wrote the following on the Div II/III boards: 'Passion … Jersey Surf … You put your heart and soul into this one and it was simply beautiful. You worked so hard and came so far. At the finals you played the best ballad I heard all year … in any division. Your flags were … you know I’ve forgotten if they’re green or they’re blue. Anyway, the thing is what I really mean is yours was the sweetest show that I saw in Div II this year. And you can tell everybody this was your song. And now that it’s done, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve put down into words … how wonderful life is when you’re in the show.' A month later I can still sit here and recall vividly that feeling. Near the end of the show I was watching your guard in the front of the field as they turned and danced out for the closer. The joy you felt in performing was clear on your faces and in every movement; it was clear in your music, too. That kind of passionate commitment to performance reaches out and touches the people in the stands. I suspect you already know this and are just looking for validation that someone in the audience felt it, too. It is why I write reviews. To say thank you for your gift of performance. May you always feel that passionate commitment to excellence on the field and in all areas of your life. Best wishes to you and to your corps for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Great memories, man. Every season, a new and precious memory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguard Posted September 30, 2006 Author Share Posted September 30, 2006 ... Every season, a new and precious memory. Absolutely! Each season and every memory is pretty much what you chose to make it. Of course, having such a high level of performance on the field that we all saw last summer makes it pretty easy to ensure it will be a good one. I have found that giving each individual show the attention it merits never fails to make it memorable in some way. More Memorable Moments: Blue Saints "wedding favors" and lively entertainment ... the Carmen Sandiago show(one of the only things that perturbed my even-keeled grandson is that he only got to see this show once ... he had a hard time with the elimination process in the prelims and semis ... he kept asking me WHY couldn't everyone have one last shot in the finals) ... the beautifully painted scenes on the front screens in the Raiders show (after those beige things had annoyed me all summer) really added something to their wonderful show ... the impact and presentation of Southwind's light/dark theme (after all these months I still have a photo clear picture in my head of how their opening formation looked in the bright and dark shadows on the setting sun in the trees behind them in the Nashua Show) ... that great cymbal spinner in the alumni corps at the Bridgeport show, wow, just an old school thrill ... Oregon Crusaders bass line ... Revolution's Bulgarian dance music (my personal favorite "dance" uniforms and sequence of the year) ... standing in the crowd outside the stadium one time and listening to my grandson rave on and on to three guys (he'll talk to anybody who will listen, something my daughter gets really concerned about, I had to promise numerous times not to lose him ... yeeech, I never lost her) about the Madison Alumni corps and tradition and their awesomeness and the grins just kept getting bigger and when he finally wound down they told him they were alumni Scouts and he asked to shake their hands ... okay ... so he's a little like me ... I will type on and on to anyone who will read ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StTheresaWRox Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Keep on keepin' on...I'm listening...and enjoying. Judy :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted October 4, 2006 Share Posted October 4, 2006 Dutch Boy staff for taking a chance with a show like South Park: The Movie !!! It was done tastefully and I know a lot of drum corps fans loved the show. I commend this past years corps for their committment and passion for this show, as an ALUMN, you have done all of us OLD PHARTS proud !! THANKS. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguard Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 (edited) It was done tastefully and I know a lot of drum corps fans loved the show... ... and I was one of them! Another thing I enjoyed was seeing the new uniforms this year. Somehow they combined both the contemporary look of sleek and long black legs that appears to be so popular at the moment and yet they also gave a nod to tradition. The neckline definately said "Dutch Boy" and "proud of it". :) Edited October 7, 2006 by oldguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldguard Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 Keep on keepin' on...I'm listening...and enjoying.Judy :) Thanks. More Memorable Moments ... The way Memphis Sound can really evoke a color ... it was a cool and smoky blue ... particularly the Brubeck and Joni Mitchell ... they have their own style and sound and they are careful with those important little details ... from the soft fedoras to the blue and orange rifles that matched their blue and orange flags in that nice guard ... to the subtle and nicely done visuals ... very effective ... and what a stylish cymbal line ...nice hornline sound this year and cool runs in the pit ... oh, I have a "story" about this corps ... courtesy of the family from Iowa. I'm still shaking my head about the way my grandson actually talked these nice people into making time in their vacation plans to meet us in Madison to share his newest passion. Since he was alone with me and they had a son his age, with twin older sisters who were probably thirteen/fourteen, both boys were in need of someone to hang and play with at the waterpark. The boys just hit it off well and I understand both families are permitting them to stay in touch via internet correspondence ... anyway ... They all came to see the Division II/III Finals on Saturday knowing nothing about drum corps. The girls, being young teenage girls, were enjoying all those tanned, handsome teenage boys in uniform and they started keeping some elaborate personal ranking system when Memphis came on the field ... to decide which guard they wanted to join. Well, when all was said and done, they decided that "Memphis ruled." I figured they were just passing the time. But my grandson told me when I visited recently that, according to their brother's emails, both girls joined the colorguard at their high school this year and that they are still saying they want to join Memphis Sound someday. more memories later ... must get some work done ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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