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2007 Show-Me Drum Corps Classic
A Review.
On July 26, I woke up and announced to the family, “Happy DCI Day!” I’m not crazy. The “sport” I love only comes to town only once a year. I’ve been looking forward to this DCI show since the drive home from the show last year.
A DCI, Drum Corps International, event is always exciting. Last night’s show consisted of five drum corps: Boston Crusaders, The Academy, The Madison Scouts, Southwind and Pioneer. The corps placed in this same order, with Boston Crusaders taking the gold.
There was camaraderie in the air, even in the stands. Anticipation built long before the show. Fans sporting shirts of their favorite corps sparked conversations throughout the stadium. Some corps members’ mothers were in the stands, beaming and chatting. The bleachers were abuzz with music teachers, high school band members and former marchers. The fan base is as diverse as music taste. High school hipsters to elderly jazz fans made the trip.
Though The Madison Scouts, from Madison WI, scored third place, they were the honeys of the night, drawing hoots and shouts of encouragement from the audience. They even performed the encore, to the delight of the crowd.
Southwind, from Lexington, KY, also was represented strongly by their fans. While not quite as loud as the Madison fans, Southwind supporters could be spotted by their yellow and black “SW” apparel.
The most “out there” performance had to be from Boston Crusaders. Their show gave tribute to Picasso’s life. The color guard accompanied Latin music with art easels and square frames. This show could have easily gone awry, but Boston Crusaders pulled it off powerfully.
Before the final scoring, a mixture of Madison Scouts and Southwind members followed Southwind drum major, Kelsey Hippen’s, direction while performing America, the Beautiful.
I was disappointed that only one corps “trooped the stands.” (Marching in condensed parade formation in front of the stands, while saluting the audience). This is another chance for the corps to soak up some love from the fans. I wish they all would have done it last night.
This was the first DCI show I’ve seen in St. Peters. We usually make the trip to Alton, Illinois out of habit. Since Alton is no longer hosting DCI, I hope it becomes tradition in St. Peters.
Some words about drum corps: I’ve enjoyed drum corps since the late 70’s. I’ve smiled through many corps’ versions of West Side Story and remember fondly the unfolding rainbow prop spanning from 30 yard line to 30 yard line of one corps. That rainbow must have been expensive, because they worked it into their show several years in a row.
Drum Corps has come a long way since then. The shows are innovative and captivating. Rarely, in Division 1 (the top corps), do you notice mistakes in music or form. The audience is kept on the edge of their seats.
I encourage everyone to take a new look at drum corps. If you are an athlete, you’ll appreciate the fitness level accomplished by these troops. If you remember marching band in high school as playing Louie Louie in a parade and fight music at football games, you’ll be amazed at how far this activity has progressed! Be sure to check out www.dci.org.
Hope to see you next year on DCI Day!
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