Darkness!

Corps at the Crest -- San Diego

El Camino High School  Herb Meyer Stadium

Oceanside, CA

Friday, June 26, 2015

Bro and I encountered a bunch of traffic on our way to pick up Rudy, so the three of us didn't get there in time to park in the lot.  Or maybe we needed VIP tickets to do that.  Whatevs.  We parked on a nearby residential street, and it wasn't very much of a walk, so we were fine with that.  We had time to peruse the souvie stands and get something to eat before sitting down.  Our seats were on the right side of the 45-yard line, top row (backs against a wall (Section C, Row S, Seats 18-20).  Bro left seat 19 for me because he knows better than to take that one. Thanks, Bro!  Rudy has been watching DCI shows since we brought him to Riverside in 2003.  He cried when he watched Phregiment's "Harmonic Journey", and he will never ever live it down.  Love you, Roo!

We didn't hear the Star-Spangled Banner, so we must have missed it while we were shopping or getting food.  Sorry.  I don't like to miss that, especially on a day wherein a major Supreme Court decision was announced.  I would have loved to pay tribute to our country on this day.

The first group we heard was in exhibition for Sound Sport.

SCORPIONS MUSIC ENSEMBLE

Repertoire:  "Imagine" (written by J. Mapes & I. Grom for Box Six)

They are from Glendale, AZ, so I wonder how many of them will be in The Academy next year. Rudy was freaking out that they didn't have a drum major.  He was also freaked out by the woodwinds.  I'm just glad they're keeping them out of the drum corps.  The pit wore Mardi Gras masks and their marimbas were decorated with fringe.  They played "Pure Imagination".  I told Rudy that I never really liked that song until this year (Because Vanguard).

Mardi Gras on the Field

INCOGNITO

Nice contra solo for "Jupiter".  They have 7 horns and 9 in the battery.  Drum-heavy, anyone?  I can hear the field judges from our seats.  They didn't enter the field with that syncopated drum beat, but they did exit with it.  I still don't think they should use that for marching.

Incognito Beginning

IMPULSE

Looks like the brass caption head was a Trooper or something, because he was wearing that type of hat, but with the Impulse "!" logo.  He was also wearing a yellow bandanna.  This confused me.  I like how that percussion feature incorporated the main theme from "The Red Violin".  Those shiny lavender flags are pretty.  Actually, they're doubly pretty because they hold 2 at a time.  I love double flags.

WATCHMEN

Repertoire:  "Influenced": original music by R. Sabastian, A. Mendoza & H. Hutchins

Are the drum majors related?  They have the same last name.  They ruined the no-narration streak.  Sigh.  They have pretty blue/white long flags.  The percussion feature reminds me of "Devil's Staircase".

GOLDEN EMPIRE

They painted their screens to look like a city scape.  Bro and I liked it better with just the blue.  Now they have orange/black striped flags.  So...pink panther...Tony the Tiger...some other cat that's multi-colored.  Rum Tum Tugger?  Yeah, I'm losing it and throwing out "CATS" references.  Good solos throughout.  Great job by the trumpet ensemble during whatever that song is that sounds like stripper music.  Nice equipment catch after the percussion feature.  What a fun show!

Golden Empire Cats

GOLD

Now they have a tarp.  This does not make it better for me, especially when it reminds me of a vagina.  I'm sorry.  The drum major yelled out to the corps:  "POP STARS, ARE YOU READY?!"  A contra player's mother was sitting in front of us, so I refrained from talking about the tarp.  The pas de deux is clumsy, and I feel like he's going to drop her every time he lifts her.  Plus, the dancing is just messy.  The people kicking the tarp made me nervous.  The only part I really liked was the horn players dancing during the percussion feature, and that's mostly because it reminds me of BD's GOT7 portion of tihss year's show.  At least I can hear the brass over the electric guitar now.  I am still not enjoying this show, and yes, these are their uniforms, I guess.  Ugh.

Tarp

<INTERMISSION>

Rudy and I bought stuff.  Yeah, I said I was done.  It's not for me!  But I did see something else for me.  I just didn't buy it.  Yet.

MANDARINS

The color guard has their uniforms, and I like them!  Their backs look like they have a tattoo of the Resurrection character.  They still have not used that ball nor the dolls, and now Bro is asking me about what looks like a trampoline in another corner of the field.  I don't think it was theirs, though, because it was there for the rest of the evening.  The quintet was much better today.  I had told Rudy that he would like this show, and I was right.  I like when I'm right about that kind of stuff.

Back of Color Guard Uniforms

THE ACADEMY

Repertoire:  "A Step In Time" -- I. Introduction: Chim Chim Cher-ee; A Shooting Star; II. Practically Perfect: A Spoonful of sugar; Practically Perfect; Galop (from "Masquerade Suite" by A. Khachaturian); III. Step in Time; IV. Feed the Birds; V. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious all by R. Sherman and R. Sherman except "Galop"

Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh!  This is a toned-down reaction to seeing the shirts at the souvie trailer before the show, because I had no idea what their show was going to be this year.  Mary Frickin' Poppins!  I love it.  So I guess they'll be British again this year.  :)  This is now Bro's favorite bass drum EVER.  It's electric blue, but changes color in the light, and it's just very very cool.  Rooftop screens!  Chimneys!  The umbrella from last year!  Out of the gate, they are off and running.  SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS was spelled by the flags!  OMG.  I freaked OUT.  I'd rather that the coat was red, though.  Beautiful white flags during "Feed the Birds".  Bro said that the CG is fantastic.  The trumpets made me give out a guttural scream with delight.  They didn't need the narration, but it's not that bad.

Mary and her corps

PACIFIC CREST

Now, darkness.  You know LEGO Batman's song during The LEGO Movie?  "Darkness!  No parents!  Opposite of light!"  I love that too much.  Anyway, the contrast from Academy's show to this one reminds me of this song.  Actually PC's show in general reminds me of the song.    The cube is on the field, people.  But it is only painted, not yet covered in cloth, and no lights yet.  Sigh.  At least they moved it around so that we could understand where the focus should be.  We were kind of confused before as to why they were playing to certain directions of the field before.  I told Bro that it reminded me of Pandora's box from the Cascades show, which Bro calls "a bad show".  This will be nothing like that show, so we'll be fine.  They need to clean up the "Enjoy the Silence" solo, though.  Maybe it's nerves.

Naked Catalyst

BLUE KNIGHTS

They have their drums!  I can't tell if they're blue or green, though.  Maybe they're green.  "Go, Ryan!" the lady next to Bro yelled.  I'm going to yell out his name at Finals.  Maybe even tomorrow.   I love their opening.  Judge above us:  "Tremendously great sound."  We agree.   You have got to be kidding me!  The show is still not done!  I love Rudy's expressions of joy when he hears or sees something brilliant, like in a lot of moments in this show.

BK New Drums

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

Rudy hit me REALLY hard during the trumpet feature.  I mean, I said "OW!" out loud and everything.  I even thought I'd have a bruise today, but I don't.  The electronics popped out during the drum feature.  In a show about electricity.  Uh oh.  They got them back on, though.  Bro and I don't think that show is finished quite yet.  The CG uniforms at the end make them look like the coils.  What is Brandt Crocker doing, riding the SCV pit vehicle?  He must be touring with them this year.

Beginning of SCV Show

PHANTOM REGIMENT

The big French flag at the beginning had a little one on top of it in error, and it fell onto the field.  This distracted me for a long time until a CG member took it away.  The lead CG now holds sunflowers.  Oh, that's what's on thier flags!  Bro said that their transitions are better now.  There are just way too many red feather left on the field, and Bro is wondering why they don't get penalized.  Rudy loves the formation of the Phregiment crest.

Sunflower

No encore.  Gypped again!

SCORES

Open Class

5) 34.75 -- Incognito

4) 43.85 -- Impulse

3) 44.55 -- Watchmen

2) 49.60 -- Gold

1) 50.70 -- Golden Empire

World Class

6) 61.25 -- Mandarins

5) 63.20 -- PC

4) 65.45 -- Academy

3) 71.90 -- BK

2) 72.10 -- Phregiment

1) 75.95 -- SCV

Next Up:  Corps at the Crest / Los Angeles