< PreviousThe Bluecoats (left, Tom Siegfried) never seem to run out of ideas that are fresh, innovative and filled with great music. This year they’ve filled the field with chairs . . . all kinds includes ones that perhaps suggest Legos. The music is jazzy, the costumes are unique to each person and the contract between sections is stark.The pit looks like beatniks, complete with black shirts and colored glasses the brass dress like they from the 1920s with many different patterns of pants and jackets and the guard is garbed in many shades of purple and lavender. I particularly like the hats that have never before made an appearance as drum corps headgear. The young lady who sings is outstanding, sounding she just stepped out of a 1960s New York city coffeehouse. This program is destined to challenge for perhaps the top spot on Saturday night in Indianapolis!Carolina Crown (above right, Pat Chagnon) has once again produced an out-of-the-ordinary production, this time call “The Beast.” Their colors this year feature not only black, but orange on the “breastplate” and a quite unusual band on their “hats” that runs down their backs like a “tail.” The irradescent drum coverings go right along with the interesting theme and there is a marked improvement in the percussion performance over previous seasons.This is another corps that can’t be counted out for being in contention at the DCI Championships, as they continually amaze the judges and audience with their approach to challenging presentations. And that horn line . . . it’s simply one of the best!Blue Devils (left, John Mtter) have again put an incredible program on the field, with very appropriate props, brilliant soloists and touches of familar tunes from their past as well as a few other corps’ tunes thrown in.They’re in the hunt for another DCI title, but are receiving challenges from four or five of their fellow competitors this time. n n nJuly 14, 2018 -- Denver, CO . . . Every summer, the Rocky Mountain region eagerly anticipates the spectacle, showmanship and night of pageantry that returns to the field at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. “Drums Along the Rockies” has established itself as an elite competition at the end of the West Coast swing and for many corps, this is their first opportunity of the year to perform in a large venue. Thousands of fans filled the stands and braved the hot weather to witness some of the nation’s finest drum corps and performing ensembles. The 95-degree heat did little to deter the corps’ enthusiasm, but the slight breeze did provide a test for some of the guards later in the night. This year was the 55th iteration of the “DATR” show, one of the longest-running in the country, and was filled with moments of celebration. The host corps from Denver, the Blue Knights, are celebrating their 60th anniversary this year and many in the stands could be seen decked out in blue and white. The pre-show entertainment was provided by local high school students who spent the day participating in the BKXperience clinic. This talented group had the fortunate opportunity to perform alongside the Broncos Brass and the Broncos Stampede drum line. You could see the beaming smiles from these students who were able to learn from drum corps members and later step out onto an NFL field in performance. Starting off the show was the Open Class representative, from Salt Lake City, UT, was The Battalion (right, Donny Helvey) and they had no problem going on first and warming up the crowd. In only its third touring season, this young group has grown exponentially and is putting a delightful product out on the field. You can sense the performer’s confidence from the opening hit and the explosion of sound is accompanied by images of volcanic eruptions. Soft depictions of roses and hearts in the ballad are interrupted by the drum line “piercing” like an arrow and leading to an adrenalin- filled closer. A permeating heartbeat is heard throughout the show and I liked the nice touch of the heartbeat continuing to pulse after the final impact note is heard.Leading off the groups from World Class were the Seattle Cascades (left, Donny Helvey). Their 2018 program, “What Comes Around,” features multiple rotating platforms with microphone stands. They use these props nicely to create moments such as an eerie trumpet echo from front field to back. The tubas have an excellent feature in the early minutes of the show, showcasing the low brass ability. Near the end of the program, the corps has a uniform change, removing their tops to reveal bright blue colors. The front ensemble handles the bulk of the melody through the change and bridges the transition into the corps’ closing minute.The stands were almost full and the crowd was Blue Knights host Mile High 60th anniversary at annual “DATR” event by Jared Westerbergbuzzing with excitement as we entered the world of Hollywood. Pacific Crest (left, Donny Helvey) dazzled on the field with lampposts, stars and even the Hollywood sign printed onto the color guard flags. These flags in particular popped against the dark uniforms of the corps and the solid pastels of the color guard. The lovely ballad from “La La Land” highlighted a lush low brass line with a subtle piano motif underneath. The entire corps pushed into the exciting closer with palpable confidence in the fast-paced drill.Also celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, the Troopers (below, John Matter) have designed a show that celebrates their heritage, while looking forward to the western future. They enter the field in a traditional block from the back corner, complete with flag presentation and tilted snare. However, they set the tradition aside for the positively modern opener and showcase a few brass and guard soloists. The show progresses westward, changing compass props from East to West and white to yellow. The mellophones came alive in the second movement, their note-filled runs eliciting great cheers from the audience. Just like the brightly- colored props, the corps sheds their dark jackets for tops of bright yellow. All of this yellow alludes to the coming of the “sunburst” formation near the end of their show, a culminating magical moment for all present. The Oregon Crusaders (left, Russell Tanakaya) entered the field next with an exciting production based on Stephen King’s novel, “The Shining.” The corps proper is adorned in colorful uniforms with an abstract rendering of Jack Nicholson’s face, while the color guard costume resembles the twins from the motion picture adaptation. This show has some great moments, including a snare feature leading into a percussion break and a red axe formed on the field near the conclusion of the performance. The Crusaders do a great job of creating visual contrast with the colors on the fronts and backs of the uniforms and giant red flags in the closer.The audience was transported to the classroom with The Academy (top of next page, Donny Helvey) and this year’s production titled “Academic.” The field is covered with clear chalkboards and benches that ingeniously hide many of the flags used by the color guard. After a great introduction by the front ensemble, the opening impact bursts in from silence, accented by white flags. While the battery isn’t playing during the ballad, they are cleverly staged to be writing on the chalkboards. After a trumpet duet, the corps moves into a diamond shape and performs visual movements that appeared reminiscent of the 2002 Cavaliers show “Frameworks.” The production ends with the drill showing the corps’ logo from corner to corner.As the sun set over Broncos Stadium, the pace of the show did not slow down and the audience seemed more energized with each corps’ performance. Giant metal boxes were rolled onto the field and Santa Clara Vanguard (below, Chris Maher) climbed onto the sides of them to begin their show. These unique props had multiple platforms that could slide out in various positions to create stairs, ramps and virtual mountains for the performing corps members. The corps is doing a fantastic job this year creating huge effect moments. The physicality of the members was on display during a dance sequence after the ballad, wall-sitting duos that rotated while playing and one brave soul who hurled himself into back flips across the front of the field. As this activity continues to evolve, the ingenuity of the designers and composers continues to impress me.Blue Knights (below, Chris Maher) entered the field as the last competitor of the night for their home show. They presented a new interpretation of a drum corps classic, “The Rite of Spring.” This corps always finds unique ways to incorporate color in their show and this year was no different. The pyramid-shaped props rotate to reflect the light in different shades. The brass showcased their proficiency in the opener with a series of crisp, staccato attacks. Later in the program, the corps introduced a new texture with a row of trombones at the front of the field. The final scene is of the corps facing backward to present the yellow backing of their jackets.The night’s finale was a special presentation by the Blue Knights Alumni Corps (below, Chris Maher). Celebrating 60 years as a corps, the show included past favorites such as Trittico and 1st Suite in E Flat. This brought the crowd to their feet, and they remained there through the encore. The current corps joined with the alumni corps in a rousing performance of Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You. All in all, a great night for drum corps, and a great night to celebrate the history and future of this activity. n n nJuly 14, 2018 -- Clifton, NJ . . . I am standing on the 50 yard at Clifton Stadium awaiting for the start of the Hawthorne Caballeros’ 50th “Grand Prix” DCA contest. Just a few short days ago I was here covering the event for Drum Corps World.Nothing has really changed much around the stadium, just the corps as this Saturday DCA is in town. A little road construction project is taking place on New Jersey Route 46 that runs right in front of the school. With the ongoing construction, corps members, their buses and the fans needed to find a new way to get to the stadium for parking. Tonight's show had three exhibition corps before the beginning of the competition segment of the show. First was Encorps (left, Raymond Fudge) and this was my fourth time seeing this fine young corps in the last few weeks. Each time I have had the pleasure of photographing them I have seen vast improvements in their drill and music. These boys and girls have solidified and become a corps in just a few short months of being together.Encorps has a young drummer of 10 on a trap set in the pit and his name is Vedanth Gopi. This will be his only year with Encorps since the corps originally started as a SoundSport ensemble and that DCI division has no age limit. Encorps plans to enter DCI’s Open Class next year.The next corps needs no introduction, just that they come from the City of Port Chester, NY, and they are an exhibition and parade corps that does a lot of appearances throughout the year. The Saints Brigade’s (above, Raymond Fudge) corps director, Frank Barchella, announced that the corps has an application to march in the Rose Bowl Parade in 2020. Right after that announcement, he let everyone in the stadium know that the group has also been invited to march in London, England, for DCA’s finest gather at “Grand Prix” for mid-season all-age corps showdownby Larry Eckert, Drum Corps World staff (mrcymbals@aol.com)the 2021 New Year’s Day Parade. I've had the pleasure of seeing this corps from their first season to now. All I can say is WOW and have a great time in Pasadena, CA, and London.Tonight's musical book consisted of Empire State of Mind, Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor, When A Man Loves A Woman and closing with Shining Star. If you get a chance to see this corps sit back and enjoy their excellent performance!,Coming off a short week off, the New York Skyliners Alumni (bottom of previous page, Pat Chagnon) were last week in Landisville, PA. Tonight's performance for Sky was somewhat difficult for the corps. I'm sure that the HEAT had a lot to do with it, as it was close to triple digits and the humidity was well over 68%. At times the corps brass line struggled through their numbers. But with Sky's tradition, they never say die, they just suck it in as Garbarina always does.When Sky's performance concluded, there were members that required medical attention. The alumni movement right now has not had the involvement from younger former members of most corps. They need the involvement to keep all the alumni groups going! Members of the alumni corps were on the side ine to watch the first corps of the competition section, their own namesake, the Skyliners (above, Raymond Fudge) from Scranton, PA. This was their first performance of the 2018 season and many of us who wondered if the corps could weather the storm of the winter season and a change of management. A little bit smaller this year has moved Sky to a more challenging Class A. This will allow the corps to compete with corps of similar size.Their show is called “TOTALITY-everything Changes,” and they use five movements taking fans through the stages of a solar eclipse. The musical book consists of Hymn to the Sun with the Beat of Mother Earth into a percussion solo called Song of Joy by the 1970s popular Captain and Tennille. George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun is next and then closing their 2018 show with Elton John's Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.They may be small this year, but don't tell them that! Sky put out a very lovable and mostly recognizable musical program that people can hum as the show leave the stadium. Walk tall Sky!The thunder from the Connecticut Valley was about to take the field and the corps is much larger and shows that there is a lot more maturity within the membership. The Connecticut Hurricanes (left, Pat Chagnon) also have come out with a new uniform this year to go along with the trend. With a lime green twist and turning design that goes down the left side of the uniform and a sliver stripe on the right side of the jacket, the whole uniform is a very dark green. This is a much cleaner and much improved uniform for the corps, along with new shakos that are the same color green as the plumes. Just one thing from a photographer’ viewpoint -- bring in something more to break up the large black spot on the left side. Love the new color of green on the tops. Their percussion line also has the same design and color on their drums. The guard was wearing a light cream-colored body suit with gold lace,giving them the look of Greek Goddesses. This was my first time seeing the Hurricanes in 2018. I have to say WOW, the Hurcs have just about doubled from last year, giving them the size and talent to make it back into the top 10 of DCA. This is one of their most interesting shows in some time.It is based on Greek mythology and the many wonderful stories about the Gods, heroes and rituals. There are four movements -- the first is about the induction of Cronus who becomes King of the Titans after the overthrow of his father, the king.Movement two focuses on the God of the Sea, Poseidon. You will get the sense of seeing and hearing blue ocean waves, galloping horses, whirling winds throughout this set. The next movement features Hades, the God of the Dead and all of the underworld, where the members of the corps are sucked into the dark underworld and then they find it hard to find their way out. In this movement the Hurricanes utilize a large green see thru curtain to hide the corps as they descend to the dark underworld. Movement four is about Zeus, the supreme Greek God and ruler of all Olympus. He is considered the most important of all of the Ancient world who has the ability to throw lightning bolts at those who defied him or displeased him. This show is one of the best shows that the Connecticut corps has produced in some time. Let the Thunder sound be loud and lighting bolt strike bright!Coming in from the Long Island, N,Y, the Sunrisers (above, Raymond Fudge) this year having gone to a white pullover blouse with blue gears imprinted on it for the body of the corps. The guard has a white body suit with the black and gray gears, one with a little orange to accent the suits. If you look throughout the corps, you will see a number of members who are wearing hairdo's that are straight out of the late 1960s . This year's show is titled “The Outside In -- The Phenomenon of Worry” and it is based on how our emotions guide our perceptions. Musical sections consist of A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics from the soundtrack of the movie "A Beautiful Mind" into Always on my Mind. Fly to Paradise is the next production number, then On My Mind by Ryan Reed. Closing their show tonight, the Sunrisers played Samuel Barber’s Medea’s Dance of Vengeance, OP. 23. On the perimeter of the field, Sun has backdrops of a man’s head that has gears either coming out of the head or the head is filled with gears. Tonight the Bushwackers left, Larry Eckert) were able to present their full show, “Pablo.” It has become a one of my favorite shows. The corps has added colored boxes and the many colors used within the guards outfits makes it quite a colorful show. It uses such numbers as The Canyon by Phillip Glass to Grace Slick’s White Rabbit. Closing their show with Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez, the corps has a color guard with one of the brightest costumes this year and they blend into their show to give that blazing color that Bush is presenting. With Fusion Core (below, Raymond Fudge) I thought that I was looking at a new corps coming out to the field. Showcasing their new tops and the guard has new costumes. I’m not sure I like the change of tops. It seems to be the year of new outfits for most of the competitive corps in DCI and DCA.Their tops consist of a light purple with a cream white and light blue trim on the sleeves. The guard costumes give a whole different look and feel from the side lines. I don’t know what the judges thought, but I thought it looks more consistent and gives a much bolder impact.I’ve got to say, I am always awaiting the intro of those few notes from the movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." They need a person from the corps to yell out “BLONDIE!” For those who grew up with that movie, they will know what “BLONDIE” means.Reading Buccaneers (left, Raymond Fudge) -- what can you say that has not been said before. This is one top-notch corps that may be on the verge of winning another DCA Championship. Those blades of grass that are out on the field as backdrops seem to be getting taller as the season goes on. Please Mr. Groundskeeper, please don’t cut the field yet! Or will Reading pull a rabbit out of their hat to eat the blades of grass or will it be a giant ant to crawl onto their giant red, white and pink table cloth on the left side of the field that is tucked nicely under the flags that have stenciles on them all the food trimmings for a day out in the park.Cadets2 (left, Larry Eckert) have a production that is about the rise and fall of steel production and the rebirth of Allentown. I have to say that this is a powerful story told out on the field about how the city or any city in America that has fallen on hard times and now is on the verge of a new dawn of technology and a better economy. This is one production that has seen steady growth of the performers along with the many add-ons like new plumes for the tar buckets consisting of the color of hot molted steel with in the black plumes of copper, bronze and zinc for their sashss. Gone are the blue 55 gallon drums and they have been replaced with sliver 55 gallon drums.If any corps can and may do so, C2may be able to cut those blades of grass from Reading, and take home the championships in September.The Hawthorne Caballeros (below left, Pat Chagnon) were the fan’s favorite tonight. They also again have a show that showcases some great brass players. I must say, the new top the corps is wearing now makes a very enjoyable contrast. It comes close to the magic suit that we all love, but it also gives an up-to-date look for the corps. This year's production is called “Dual.” It has many meanings such as pairings, voices, ideas, melodies and visuals that explore the idea that is it better to have two than just one.As the Caballero family considers Clifton Stadium a sort of hollowed ground because so many past members have marched there over the many years that the “Grand Prix” has been held at this site. With the sound of the Call to the Bulls and the four bangs of the base drum, a thousand Caballeros ghosts appear who had at one time or another wore the magic suit and they began to take the field with their brothers and sisters of today's alumni corps for the one show of the year, Hawthorne's Grand Prix.When the Hawthorne Alumni (below, Raymond Fudge) set up for the company front or as us old timers would say “the push,” you can look out onto the field as that company front is coming forward, marching across that field playing Flamenco Cha-Cha and if you’re in line doing that company front you can almost feel the presence of our fallen brothers and sisters next to you. As one who has marched with Hawthorne Caballeros family, I always look forward to the annual “Grand Prix” contest to renew old acquaintances and converse with members who I haven’t seen for years. It happened to me this year as I was able to catch up with someone who I marched with almost 45 years ago from a little town called Walden, NY.Looking forward to next year and next week I’ll be in Nazareth, PA, for the next DCA show. n n nHave you always wanted to watch the DCI World Championships in the comfort of luxury suite? Here’s your chance to assist the Madison corps in the organization’s equipment trailer replacement campaign. The Scouts SuiteStakes give you an opportunity to win a “VIP Experience” at the 2018 DCI World Championships while supporting the Scouts.Enter to win a chance for you and a guest to enjoy the DCI World Championships from a luxury suite at Lucas Oil Stadium. These excellent mid-field seats offer an incredible VIP experience, with full food and beverage service. There will be up to four prize winners, including:4 Two Luxury Suite Tickets to the DCI World Championships Finals -- Grand Prize winner will receive two luxury suite tickets in Lucas Oil Stadium for the finals on Saturday, August 11, 2018), including food and beverage. Prize value = $800.4 Two Luxury Suite Tickets to the DCI World Championships Semifinals -- First Runner-Up Prize winner will receive two luxury suite tickets in Lucas Oil Stadium for the semi-finals on Friday, August 10, 2018, including food and beverage. Prize value = $700.4 Two Luxury Suite Tickets to the DCI World Championships Quarterfinals -- Second Runner-Up Prize winner will receive two luxury suite tickets in Lucas Oil Stadium for the prelims on Thursday, August 9, 2018, including food and beverage. Prize value = $600.4 Two “Friends of DCI” tickets to the DCI World Championships Finals plus dinner -- Third Runner-Up Prize winner will receive two “Friends of DCI”-level tickets in Lucas Oil Stadium for the finals on Saturday, August 11, 2018 and a $50 gift card to the Yardhouse Restaurant. Prize value = $350.Winners will be drawn July 30. Enter as often as you like. Your entry supports the Madison Scouts and Forward Performing Arts, Inc.! The donation link: https://go.rallyup.com/madisonscouts.Tickets can only be purchased on-line. For each dollar donated, you receive one entry into the sweepstakes. Even if you are not interested participating in the sweepstakes, please make a donation! n n nScouts offer unique “Suitestakes” VIP experience at Lucas Oil StadiumNext >