Drum Corps Days
Last Saturday, August 13, Drum Corps International held its World Championships in Foxboro, Mass. As was pretty much expected, the Cadets took the title, with the Cavaliers placing 2nd, and Weidenfeld family favorite Phantom Regiment placing 3rd. The corps I once marched in, long, long ago (1987 & 1988), the Blue Knights placed a respectable 10th place.
In my opinion, the 1990's were a desolate decade as far as drum corps was concerned. Things peaked in the late 80's, with classic shows from so many corps in 1987 (Santa Clara Vanguard's Russian show) and 1988 (Madison Scouts' "Malaguena"), but the 90's were less than memorable.
It seems that things are looking up in the world of drum corps, though, as the shows are showing more creativity, and the activity is gaining some notoriety (ESPN2 will broadcast this year's championships on Sept. 6th). For the last two years, amplification has been allowed on the field, and corps are using some narration as well as 'quieter' instruments with microphones.
I had the chance to see the DCI quarterfinals live via satellite at a movie theater in San Deigo, along with several hundred other drum corps geeks. The picture quality was pretty lousy, but the sound was amazing, and it was nice to see it on such a huge screen. Hopefully they will figure a way to use HD in the future, and it will really be something to see.
In my opinion, the 1990's were a desolate decade as far as drum corps was concerned. Things peaked in the late 80's, with classic shows from so many corps in 1987 (Santa Clara Vanguard's Russian show) and 1988 (Madison Scouts' "Malaguena"), but the 90's were less than memorable.
It seems that things are looking up in the world of drum corps, though, as the shows are showing more creativity, and the activity is gaining some notoriety (ESPN2 will broadcast this year's championships on Sept. 6th). For the last two years, amplification has been allowed on the field, and corps are using some narration as well as 'quieter' instruments with microphones.
I had the chance to see the DCI quarterfinals live via satellite at a movie theater in San Deigo, along with several hundred other drum corps geeks. The picture quality was pretty lousy, but the sound was amazing, and it was nice to see it on such a huge screen. Hopefully they will figure a way to use HD in the future, and it will really be something to see.
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