Light Em Up Up Up

Drum Corps International

Prelims

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Lucas Oil Stadium

Indianapolis, IN

I woke up on Wednesday morning and was dilly dallying so much that I thought I'd be late to catch the right FlyAway bus.  While I raced to Van Nuys, though, a truck on the freeway made me feel at ease, like the universe was telling me that everything was OK.  What kind of truck was it?  An FFE truck, of course!  I giggled and relaxed, got to the FlyAway, and made it to LAX exactly 1 hour before my flight was scheduled to depart.

While looking for a seat on the plane, I was about to sit down when a gentleman at the window pointed to my "Do You Hear The People Sing" SCV shirt, and asked if I was with the Vanguard.  I told him that I wasn't with them, but I'm a big fan.  Turns out that he's an alum from The Cavaliers!  We were talking so much that I decided to just take the middle seat so as not to annoy whomever got stuck between us.  Tim and I talked pretty much until we got in the air, and I didn't want to bother him with more questions.  He didn't get on this flight to talk to me!  We landed in Dallas  but didn't get off of the plane.  A guy was also waiting who had what seemed like horns on his shirt.  They weren't drum corps, though, and he didn't even know what DCI was when we asked him if he was going.  APPARENTLY, he was never in marching band, even though he plays the drums and went to Center Grove.  I don't know how that happened, but he was nice.  He was also hungry.  I offered to give him some Green Tea Kit Kat, but that sounded too weird to him.  We all changed seats at that point, so I got my own window seat.  The flight was a little bit bumpy, and the pilot apologized to us because he wasn't able to get away from it.  Just get us there, safely, Captain!  When I landed, I waited about an hour for V and Bro to arrive.  They were all relaxed from their fancy First Class seats.  We decided to take the IndyGo shuttle, and met a guy whom said that you could track the shuttle on your phone.  Isn't technology amazing?!  We checked into our cool trendy boutique hotel and had some spa water and candy before going to dinner at O'Reilly's bar.  We walked around a bit to find a place we might like to eat, and were happy to find this place.  I ordered a Toasted Irishman, which I had to tell them how to make, and an Irish Meatloaf.  Do you know that "Champs" are mashed potatoes mixed with butter and scallions?  Now you do.

This morning, after I woke up and took a shower, Bro took a shower, and while he was in there, I needed to go downstairs.  I took the key card, which was in the thing that keeps the lights on.  So Bro was taking a shower in the dark until he got out to get his key.  Sorry, Bro!  We went to Starbucks for breakfast and said hi to Steve Rondinaro, then made our way to Lucas Oil Stadium.  We bought some stuff, and realized that we could have just eaten breakfast at the stadium instead of walking all over the place in the rain.  Bro got a cool Limited Edition shirt from The Academy that was orange/blue (not my happy color combination), that said "SupercalAcademysticexpialidocious".  He was very happy.  We then went to our seats:  Section 388, Row 4, Seats 8-10.  We were on the right 30-yard line, and had nobody in back of us, except for people trying to get to their seats.  Bro changed about 3 times because he wasn't sure which shirt to wear:  the one he came in, or one of his 2 new shirts.

Look how happy he is!  

There was a presentation from the city (maybe for the news) and Dan Acheson to announce that DCI Finals will take place in Lucas Oil Stadium through 2028.  I think we need to buy a summer home out here or something.

The Star-Spangled Banner was played by a trumpet soloist named Derek.  He did a great job.  I would have probably enjoyed it even more if some soprano vocalist didn't decide to show off and sing at the same time, like she was having her own personal concert with the cool acoustics in the stadium.

Scores were announced at each intermission.  Top 25 advance to Semifinals, and are marked with *.


BLUE SAINTS -- 46.75
Repertoire: "Demon of Seville" -  Barber of Seville by G. Rossini; Ballad of Sweeney Todd  by S. Sondheim; Not While I'm Around (from Sweeney Todd) by S. Sondheim; Moonlight Sonata by L. van Beethoven

Nice duet.  I like the soloist that did "Demon of Seville".  Well, she really killed him with that huge straight razor, because he stayed dead until they left the field.

Big Ass Comb

RACINE SCOUTS -- 49.45
Repertoire: "Behind the Brush Strokes… A journey through the mind of Vincent van Gogh" - Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) by D. McLean; Ritual Fire Dance (from El Amor Brujo) by M. de Falla; Music of Eric Morales; Music of Philip Glass  

She drew that picture during the show!  Those Van Gogh flags are beautiful!  Nice "Vincent" solos.  That Philip Glass just makes me want to watch SCV.

Van Gogh Flags

LES STENTORS -- 52.975
Repertoire: "Tale of the Tales" - Selections from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by D. Elfman; Selections from Alice in Wonderland by D. Elfman; Santorini by J.Y. Christopher; Carmina Burana by C. Orff; Romeo and Juliet by S. Prokofiev

Each color guard member was carrying a flag with a fairy tale character's name on it, which is also the way they are dressed.  Ursula!  The music didn't match who they were spotlighting, though, nor did it match the pages they showed.  I was confused.  

Les Stentors

RAIDERS -- 56.675
Repertoire: "From the Ashes" - Olympiada by S. Hazo; Fanfare - A Vision and A Dream by R. Nowlin; Our Yesterdays Lengthen Like Shadows by S. Hazo; Into The Light by J. Bocook

Bro wants Crown to rise from the ashes next year from this year's Inferno show.  The narration was unnecessary.  They changed their sashes from silver to bright orange during the show.  There was no Firebird during this show, which I thought would happen from the title.

Firebird on Flag, not in music

COLT CADETS -- 57.15
Repertoire: "Fire & Ice" - The Inferno (from The Divine Comedy) by R.W. Smith; Firebird Suite by I. Stravinsky; Cuban Fire Suite by J. Richards; Ice Dance (from Edward Scissorhands) by D. Elfman; Russian Christmas Music by A. Reed

Oh, THERE'S a Firebird!  I like the effect of the uniform change to blue for the ice portion.


<Intermission>



CHIEN KUO -- 60.875
Repertoire:  "Void" -- Orawa by W. Kilar; Layers by R. Saucedo
Balls.  Lots of them.  Candence would like this show.  Cadence is Bro's dog, whom is obsessed with balls.  Circles!  Bro likes their black Aussies.  First we hear "Canyon", then this one has "Pathways"...it's all Vanguard!  Also, the Aussies!  

Balls.  Big and Small.

GITA SUROSOWAN BANTEN -- 61.275
Repertoire: "Sound of Surosowan"
Neato drum thingie, which is surrounding the player as she sits cross-legged on the stage.  Nice drum major uniform!  I also like the salute and the bow.  Bro feels welcome to the show because of the open-armed salute.  Very colorful show!  Aw...they didn't play the drums on those other stages.  Standing ovation.  Ooh, scimitars.
This is the kind of conversation that Bro and I have during a full day of drum corps.  
Bro:  "He's Taiwanese.  He's Thai."
Sherry to Bro:  "Chun is Taiwanese, but he is not Thai.  Like, we're Filipino, but not Philippian."

Drum Thingie

RIVER CITY RHYTHM -- 62.45
Repertoire: "And the River Flows On" --  The River Flows Through You by Yiruma; The River by Yiruma; Shenandoah (Traditional); The Water is Wide (Traditional); Wait/Fantasy by A. Gonzales, J. Meldal-Johnsen, Y. Gonzales, M. Kibby, and B. Laner

She slides down the hill, she leaves a river of blue cloth.  I think it looks like she's leaking.  Uh-oh.  Narration.  The hymns would have been better if they were in tune.  The river died, and they had a funeral for it.  Sadness.  Part of the river did not want to stay dead and got caught on the mutli-tenor.  


GOLD -- 60.525
She looks naked at one point.  Why is she kissing the drum major?  The snare drummer got caught on the tarp and everyone had to go around him.  Also, the tarp was way dirty.  So it's a dirty vagina.  Yeah, I went there.

Bro wants this one

JUBAL -- 65.575
Repertoire: "Beyond" -- Stay (from Interstellar) by H. Zimmer; The Attic (from The Journey) by A. Lockington; Hands of Fate Part 1 (from SIGNS) by J.N. Howard; Central Park (from King Kong) by J.N. Howard; Septimus (from Stardust) by I. Eshkeri; Shooting Star (from Stardust) by I. Eshkeri

The pyramids join together at the end, and are laid out flat to form a big silver triangle.  Congratulations to the 2015 International Champions!  They played well. I didn't notice the half-tux tail on their uniform until late.

Tents

MUSIC CITY -- 69.625
Repertoire: "In the Stars" - Music from The Planets: Mars; Venus; Jupiter by G. Holst

The drum majors saluted together.  Planets.  Happiness.  It got "Toxic" out of my head.  Bro wanted more sforzando legato, not the staccato arrangement.  The rings had a nice effect.  That's not the "Venus" that Cindy requested.

Rings

<Intermission>
V's here!  I ordered a Wings of the World basket with Teriyaki sauce.  We saw the guys that we always see at Western Corps Connection.  A guy in line at concessions asked if I was from CA because of my SCV shirt.  He said that his son is in Newport Beach and is not happy that he's here without him.


7TH REGIMENT -- 70.675
Repertoire: "The Labyrinth" - Rue's Whistle Song (from The Hunger Games) by J.N. Howard; Rue's Farewell (from The Hunger Games) by J.N. Howard; Long, Long Time Ago (from Pan’s Labyrinth) by J. Navarette; The Power Plant (from The Matrix) by D. Davis; Burly Brawl (from The Matrix Reloaded) by B. Watkins & D. Davis; Battle Music by D. Holsinger

Nice sound!  They had little bass drum inside frames, and rolled them around.  Bro asked if you could go from one end of the maze to the other, but I saw a dead end on the right side immediately, so...no.

7th Regiment

LEGENDS -- 70.75*
Repertoire: "The Climb" - Ascend (From Everest) by K. Poulan, P. Rennick & S. Rennick;  The Mountain (from The Bucket List) by M. Shaiman; Avalanche (from Vertical Limit) by J.N. Howard;  The Climb by J. Mabe & J. Alexander

The cymbal players got to dance with the color guard.  Neato!  Very good sound.  nice effect when they reveal the flags with the neon.  They climb on top of the color guard.  Nice floor movement by the sopranos during the last song, because they went quickly and seemed difficult.  I really like this show.


GENESIS -- 73.45*
Repertoire: "Phantom Revisited" - Phantom of the Opera by A.Lloyd Webber

I thought they wore green.  So did Bro.  Death by Flag Strangulation.  Nice solos for "Think of Me" and "All I Ask of You".  They sang "Christine, I love you."  She holds up a mask at the end.  I like the company front of "Music of the Night".  V wanted the songs to last longer.

Star Flags

SPARTANS -- 71.775*
Repertoire: "Spartans... At The Gates!" - Prelude to War by K. Poulan, M. Moore & M. McGuire; To Victory (from 300) by T. Banks; Toccata con Fuoco (from Piano Concerto No. 1) by K. Emerson; Empyrean Mercenaries by Immediate Music; The Battle (from Gladiator) by H. Zimmer & L. Gerrard; Lauds Praise High Day by R. Nelson

There's going to be a battle.  Those elaborate gates are pretty.  The color guard died.  I've always loved the Spartan CG.  I may not like their uniforms, though.  This is that time.

At the Gates

BLUE DEVILS B -- 77.05*
The pylons light up now.  Great drum feature!  Their drum heads look like the flags they use at the end.

BDB's Drums

VANGUARD CADETS -- 78.425*
Beautiful!!!  Yay, Brandon!  I don't remember the ladders having a black border, but they look nice.

On Cloud 9

<Intermission>

PIONEER -- 66.175
Repertoire:  "Divide the Sea, Unite the People" - Theme from Exodus by E. Gold; Selections from The Ten Commandments by E. Bernstein; Selections from Man of Steel by H. Zimmer

I like the CG's long, braided ponytails.  Tambourines!  I like the music.

Beginning of Pioneer's Show

JERSEY SURF -- 68.75
Repertoire: "Sun Surfing" - Here Comes The Sun by G. Harrison; Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by E. John & B. Taupin; Wipeout by B. Berryhill, P.Connolly, J. Fuller & R. Wilson, Ron; Good Vibrations by B. Wilson & M. Love

That is a LOT of orange.  It's going to burn my retinas or cause permanent damage to my camera.  That guy was still wearing his poncho when everyone else wasn't.  My favorite part was "Good Vibrations".  

Surf Drums

CASCADES -- 71.1*
Repertoire: "Intergalactic" - Mars (from The Planets) by G. Holst; Enterprising Young Men (from Star Trek) by A. Courage; Short Ride on a Fast Machine by J. Adams; Black Hole Sun by C. Cornell; Venus (from The Planets) by G. Holst; Mercury (from The Planets) by G. Holst; Jupiter (from The Planets) by G. Holst; Intergalactic by M. Diamond, A. Yauch, A. Horovitz, & M. Caldato: Theme from Star Trek by A. Courage

They're blue now?  Big Earth and silver stars.  Intergalactic Dance Break!  And now I want to hear Vanguard again.  

Cascades in Blue?

PACIFIC CREST -- 74.175*
I thought I was told that the catalyst would have lights.  I guess they couldn't get them to work.  Good music, though.


MANDARINS -- 77.025*
Oh, that sphere thing is covered!  What is it?   A big ball of clay?  A big wadded up piece of paper?  What?!  Finally, the soldiers are on the field...and my battery died.  ACK!  Great job, drums!

I DID get it!

OREGON CRUSADERS -- 78.3*
Repertoire: "The Midnight Garden" - Cinderella Suite (No. 1, I. Introduction: No 1, III. Quarrel: No 1, VII. Cinderella's Waltz) by S. Prokofiev; Who Is She (from Cinderella) by P. Doyle; Pumpkin Pursuit (from Cinderella) by P. Doyle

Statues.  I'm glad they don't appear to be naked.  The cymbal players get to be statues, too. The clock changes time.  "Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly..."  Those aren't lavender flowers on those flags.  Pretty music.

Cymbal Statues

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA -- 77.95*
Repertoire: "Out of the Ashes" - Tara's Theme (from Gone with the Wind) by M. Steiner; Southern Harmony by D. Grantham; Full Pull and Cage Match by S. McAllister; Wild Nights (from Harmonium) by J. Adams; Original Music by W. Pitts, B. Pyles, & G. Tsaliki

I think they burned down their Magnolia tree, and they are in recovery.  Nice soprano solo for Tara's Theme.

Spirit Delta

<Intermission>
I think I'm done buying drum corps stuff for the season now.  SCV had better not add something really cool tomorrow.

Big, Loud & Live 12 cinema broadcast begins
Hi, y'all in the theaters!


THE ACADEMY -- 81.1*
They form a bird, as well as a house.  I teared up during "Feed the Birds".  Oh, there's a shirt of that, too!  V got it later.  They colored their tap shoes orange, and now Mary's umbrella has a white trim.

Academy Drums

TROOPERS -- 83.575*
Repertoire: "Wild Horses" - Theme from Dreamer by J. Debney; Open Spaces by R. W. Smith; Wild Horses by N. Bedingfield, A. Frampton & W. Wilkins;  Adrenaline City by A. Gorb

She has a beautiful voice, but I could have done without the singing.  I like when the corps does horse mannerisms.  They have bright orange lassos.  One of the formations is a horse's head, and then the horses run.  They also run off of the field at the end.  That's because they're wild.

Horsie

COLTS -- 82.75*
Repertoire: "...And A Shot Rings Out: A Johnny Staccato Murder Mystery" - The Man With The Golden Arm by E. Bernstein; Lex (from Metropolis Symphony) by M. Daugherty; Science Fiction by C. McBride; Moanin' by C. Mingus; Audrey's Dance (from Twin Peaks) by A. Badalamenti; Original music by C. Naffier & C. Nelson; Lay Me Down by S. Smith, C. Naffier & E. Smith; Scherzo (from Fire Water Paper: The Vietnam Oratorio) by E. Goldenthal

Dear The Colts:  I really thought that this year's show HAD to be better this year.  Not so much.  Still a lot of talking!  I have now been disappointed 2 years in a row.  I hope it gets better next year, or I'm just going to give up on you. 


Sincerely,

Sherry

Also, there was singing, and the song was inappropriate for the period of the piece.  I did like the chalk outline formations.  I guess we were supposed to "Boo" when they spelled it.  Most of us did not.

He's Dead, Jim.

CROSSMEN -- 84.4*
Repertoire: "Above and Beyond" - Fly to Paradise by E. Whitacre; Jubal Step by W. Marsalis; One Day I'll Fly Away (from Moulin Rouge) by W. Jennings & J. Sample; Ascent by A. Markworth; Butterfly by M. Makaroff

Where is Bones?  Where is the Maltese Cross formation?  I feel like I"m missing out.  What is with all of the unnecessary singing this year?  Great brass sound as usual, especially during "Someday I'll Fly Away".  Nice soprano ensemble solo.

V wanted them to throw these.

BLUE STARS -- 85.45*
Repertoire: "Side Show" - Entrance of the Gladiators by J. Fucik ; The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze by G. Lyle & A. Lee ; I Will Never Leave You (from Side Show) by H. Krieger & B. Russell; Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music) by S. Sondheim; Carnivale Theme by J. Beal; Original Music by R. Saucedo

That guy was juggling 4 things at a time.  They form a star.  That makes me happy, because it's in their name!  I want to hear "Clowns" for real now.

Side Show Star

BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 86.2*
Repertoire: "Conquest" - Game of Thrones by R. Djawadi; Conquest (from Captain from Castille) by A. Newman; Palladio by K. Jenkins; Take What is Ours (from Assassin's Creed 4) by B. Tyler; Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by R. Vaughn Williams; The Battle (from Gladiator) by H. Zimmer; Original Music R. George & E. Hampton

Is this Harry Potter?  I see the 4 houses.  Game of Thrones?  That singing didn't really need to happen for most of the show, but when she sang the high note and stabbed the other girl, it had a really cool effect, and it was accompanied by red streamers being thrown to symbolize the blood.  I know the hymn, but ordinarily we don't see swordfights in church when we sing it.  Red wins!

She's Dead, Too.

<Intermission>

MADISON SCOUTS -- 88.15*
Repertoire: "78th & Madison" - N.Y.C. (from Annie) by C. Strouse & M. Charnin; Gotta Dance (from Singin' in the Rain) by N.H. Brown ; Good Morning (from Singin' in the Rain) by N.H. Brown; I Got Rhythm (from An American in Paris) by G. Gershwin; Moses Supposes (from Singin' in the Rain) by R. Eden, B. Comden, & A. Green; The Boy Next Door (from Meet Me in St. Louis) by H. Martin & R. Blaine; Traffic Jammin' (from New York Cityscape for Wind Ensemble) by J. Tyzik; Get Happy (from Summer Stock) by H. Arlen & T. Koehler; Happy Days are Here Again by M. Ager & J. Yellin

They start out with an "M" formation, and yes, there is a fleur-de-lis, but not for long.  They also start out with the sound of the MGM Lion's roar.  Yay, Leo!  They dance on huge luggage trunks.  They also dance with girl silhouettes, but not on the luggage.  I love all of the fun that they're clearly having.

Mmmmm..Madison

THE CAVALIERS -- 88.075*
Repertoire: "Game On" --  Fetes (from Nocturnes) by C. Debussy; Macrotus (from Batman Begins) by H. Zimmer & J.N. Howard; Fantasie Brillante (from On The Shoulders of Giants) by P. Graham; Run Boy Run by Y. Lemoine; Finale from Symphony No. 8 by A. Bruckner

I love the bright tone of their horns.  Break that wall!  I was hoping that this would be more about video gaming, and not so much about boxing.  They do cool boxing moves in the corps, though.  They jump over people.  Classic Cavies.  Love it.

Cavies Drums

PHANTOM REGIMENT -- 89.525*
A snare player lost their helmet.  A soprano player picked it up and played one-handed, holding it behind his/her back for a while before throwing it behind a screen.  They now do the Chevron at the end.

Chevron

BLUE KNIGHTS -- 90.55*
Ooh, I love those big flower flags!  Such a pretty show.  Those blue/orange hypnotic things are just for show at the souvie booth now, I guess, because I didn't see any during the show.  

Flower Flags

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD -- 93.3*
So I ask Bro how we're going to see them light up if it's so bright here in the stadium.  He looks at me like, "Shut up!  I haven't told V!"  Oops.  She thought I was talking about the fact that everyone had their phone lights on, though, to cheer on SCV.  I was annoyed by the guy in front of me because he had his up in front of my face and I wanted to take pictures of the corps.  He brought it down when they started, though.  I hope he's not sitting in front of me tomorrow.  The lights are awesome:  little ones on the guard's wrists, on the Tesla coils, on the flag poles, on the bass drums, on the pit,  and on the uniforms.  VERY COOL!

Light Em Up

BLUECOATS -- 95.425*
Repertoire: "Kinetic Noise" -- Shaker Loops by J. Adams & J. Anderson; Electric Counterpoint by S. Reich; Woods by J. Vernon; Gene Takes a Drink by M. Gordon; An Animated Description of Mr. Maps by N. Zammuto & P. de Jong; Dense by D. Denis

Too much electronic stuff, and I can't tell when the horns actually play, unless I'm looking closely.  Those hamster balls are cool, though.  I like that they're (mostly) constantly moving.  Not as close as Moto Perpetuo, though.  See?  I really want to see more Vanguard.

More Balls

CAROLINA CROWN -- 96.475*
Repertoire:  "Inferno" --  Gates of Hell by T. Hannum & T. Nunez; Dies Irae (from Verdi's Requiem) by G. Verdi ; Symphony for Organ and Orchestra by A. Copland; Adagio in G minor R. Giazotto; Symphony No. 9 by L. van Beethoven

Imagine you're in hell and you can't get out.  Wait.  Wrong show.  "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."  Those are Big Ass Flags.  I just can't not like this horn line!  I can, however, not like the pants, or the hats.  Rifles!  You could have killed each other!  Craziness.  They cover the horn line in red opaque silk, while they're trying to escape, but keep getting pulled back in.  But then later, someone arises out of the white silk.  There was no fire in the show, though.  There are considerably less props on the field than last year, and this makes me happy.

Let Me Out!

CADETS -- 96.475*
Repertoire: "The Power of 10" -- Symphonic Movement by V. Nehlybel; Symphony No. 10 by D. Shostakovich; Diane and Camilla (from Mulholland Drive) by A. Badalamenti

They made a 10 at all of the yard markers.  They must have been told in advance about the 50 being gold-colored, so that SOMEBODY wouldn't get all upset and insist on intermissions every 30 minutes.  That horn line.  Yes.  Z Pull!  There is so much black on the field now with their new uniforms.  Hmmm...french horns.  They are not as loud.  I would prefer mellophones for that sound.  Like, use, I don't know, DYNAMICS.

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 

BLUE DEVILS -- 95.35*
Did they steal a child?  She wasn't in the show before.  Rumor has it that she's the lead from BD-C.  I guess she's not too old, so that's OK.  They use Big Ass Calligraphy Pens.  There's also Big Ass Litter on the ground.  The low score is due to a 0.5 penalty.  Well, that makes sense.  

Write it Down, it'll last longer

Exhibition: Calgary Stampede Show Band 
Repertoire included Shake It Off, Bang Bang, Uptown Funk, and You Can Call Me Al

V didn't want to hear more than one "WHOO!!!" from that one woman.  They were fun, though.  I like those red shoes.  I remember them from the Rose Parade.


Last scores announced and we went back to the hotel, now in dryness, thank goodness.  I took pictures of some of the cool art in our trendy artsy hotel, and we watched The LEGO Movie while getting ready for bed.  

That was a long but fun day of drum corps.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow, except for all of the singing...and I'm a singer.  Sad, huh?

Next Up:  Semifinals