Let's Go, Clown Up!

MidCal Champions Showcase

Friday, June 21, 2019

Lamonica Stadium at Clovis High School

Clovis, CA

It's drum corps time y'all!!!!!  I'm typing this while I'm wearing an SCV shirt, of course!  

On Thursday night, I attended DCI Cinema's Tour Premiere, and I was blown away by Carolina Crown.  That hornline is crazy good.  They were my favorite of the night.

But Friday was the first live show of the season out west, and Bro and I headed out on the road to Clovis.  We only had a little bit of traffic to deal with, and we went straight to our favorite place in the Fresno area: Limon.

We usually order the same food here because we've waited all year to visit and we crave whatever, but this time, we changed it up a little bit.  We did not order the ceviche, so I missed out on my huge corn kernels.  We did order empanadas, veggie this time.  Bro ordered a pork chop because he was interested in the side of cabbage bacon mushroom hash.  I was thinking of ordering the arroz con marisco, but the server said that the mixed seafood included items that I don't enjoy, so I opted for the short rib dish.  We even changed up our drink orders, and I ordered a Chichatini, while Bro ordered the Peruvian Picasso.  Everything was delicious!  Bro commented that he's never been to a place that was this consistent, from drinks to appetizers, to service.  There's a reason we return here year after year.  

Happy to show off my Chichatini
Pisco Queirolo, Cointreau, lime juice, syrup,
 chicha morada (purple corn infusion)

Bro with his Peruvian Picasso:
Tito’s vodka, lime juice, syrup, passion fruit juice,
chicha morada ice cube

Veggie Empanadas
Sauteed mushrooms, choclo, and mixed veggies

Chuleton
Pan-roasted pork chop, over a mushroom-bacon-cabbage hash,
 white wine demi-glace

Adobo de Carne
Braised boneless beef short rib, in a cilantro-panca broth,
vegetables over mashed potatoes

The online menu says that the short rib is served over truffle mac and cheese.  I'm glad that I didn't see that until today, because I would have been disappointed to not get that.  I enjoyed my dish, though, so it's all good.  I had to quickly down about half of my cocktail because we needed to leave to go to a drum corps show.

This year's show was at a different venue.  We didn't know where we would park, but ended up in the premium parking section so that we could be close to the stadium, since Bro still had a long drive to get to our hotel after the show.  The elite corps had their own little mini DCI Marketplace, but every corps had cool banners at their booths.  One of these days I'll get a better picture of them so I can share here.

Fancy School Labeling

Our seats were in the top row, Row 21, seats 15 & 16, on the left 45 yard line.  We like having nobody behind us so that we can stand whenever we want.  Bro also likes to be at the top of the stairs so that he has nobody in front of him.  He chose seats well!

The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by Adrian Alcazar, a tuba player from Blue Devils.  That was cool!  I've never heard the SSB performed by a tuba player before.

BLUE DEVILS C

Repertoire: "California Dreaming" -- We Built This City by P. Wolfe, M. Page, D. Lambert, & B. Taupin; California Girls by B. Wilson & M Love; California Dreamin' by J. Phillips & M. Phillips; Axel F by H. Faltemeyer; Hooray for Hollywood by J. Mercer, R. Whiting, & G. Mercer

Hey, it's a camera from BD's "Fellinesque"!  Their props also include a Hollywood Sign and a Lifeguard Chair.  I like their drum heads, which have a picture of a beach with the silhouette of a lifeguard station.  Or is that a beach chair?  Nice job, soloists!  Especially the mellophone player during California Dreamin'.  The lone male color guard kid is really good and I'm predicting he will be a BD color guard (CG) captain someday.  The tiny cymbal player is cute!

GOLDEN EMPIRE

Repertoire: "Icarus" -- Movement I: Despair  -- Icarus and Daedalus Fantasy by K. Gates; Movement II: Escape -- The Firebird by I. Stravinsky; Movement III: Soaring -- Fly to Paradise by E. Whitacre; Movement IV: The Fall -- The Fall by E. Lanser; Movement V: Realization -- Verdi: Requiem, Aeternam by G. Verdi; Movement VI: Demise -- Verdi: Requiem Dies Irae by G. Verdi

I didn't hear them say "Icarus", so I didn't know what was going on.  The CG is wearing costumes, but the corps is not wearing their uniforms.  The show is not done, and they ended after the ballad.  It was like, "emotion, emotion EMOTION!" and then...nothing.  I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the show.  Hmmm...that music sounds familiar.  I don't know what corps played it or when, but I've heard it very recently on my drum corps playlist.

BLUE DEVILS B

Repertoire: "Re: Calling" -- 1000 Airplanes on the Roof by P. Glass; Hello by L. Richie; Phrygian Gates by J. Adams; Visionary by K. Froelich

We weren't looking in the program, and tried to guess what the show was about.  Bro said, "Messages" because it looked like Morse Code.  When the announcer said the title, I heard "Recliner", but I didn't see any sofas on the field, so that wasn't it.  Bro heard "Redialing", which was a lot closer.  Nice big sound at the opening!  The flag performers are doing well, especially the last portion when they are in triangle formation.  So are the rifles the dashes and the balls the dots of Morse Code?  Is that vocal percussion I hear?  Bro likes the "Hello" theme, but I didn't hear it.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD CADETS

Repertoire: "What About Us" -- Primacy of Number by P. Glass; Downside Up by P. Gabriel; What About Us by S. Mac, J. McDaid, & A. B. Moore

Aussies!  Oh, how I've missed those!   A woman yelled, and I thought she said, "LET'S GO, CLOWN UP!" OR "LET'S GO CLOWNS!"  We have decided that she was referring to "Send in the Clowns".  Or we just heard her incorrectly.  Wow.  Great sound!  It's going to be really loud here later when the World Class corps play.  Those props: are they ramps?  They're lying down on them at the beginning, but then later, one slides into the other, and suddenly they're chairs!  Cool.  Bro wants some.  They take off their Aussies later in the show.  They did a standstill performance for the last portion.  I like how the cymbals hold their plates up then set them down one by one along with the music.  I wish they were touring to Finals this year because I would love to see what they eventually do with this show.  I don't know if I can be at the Bellflower show, which will be their last one this year.

<Intermission>

TROOPERS

Repertoire: "Beyond Boundaries" -- Divertimento for Band Op. 42 by V. Persichetti; Enterprising Young Men by M. Giacchino; Wondrous Light by J. Estacio; To the Stars by R. Edelman; Chorale VI/Cantus - Song of Aeolus by K. Jenkins; Main Title (from The Orville) by B. Boughton; Krill Attack / Shuttle Escape (from The Orville) by B. Boughton

I love the ombre colors on the flags. I'm guessing that the last red one is for practice, because it doesn't really fit the rest of the theme.  Very nice ballad, especially the forte at the end.  I like that they kept the gray pants color of the traditional uniforms. That's a pretty blue in their uniform tops.

THE ACADEMY

Repertoire: "The Bridge Between" -- Dance: First Movement by O. Davis; Equilibrium by P. Lovatt-Cooper; Bridge Over Troubled Water by P. Simon; Horizons by P. Lovatt-Cooper

Their uniforms are like an amalgam of the white/black of Phregiment, the pinkish purple sleeve of BD, and a bit of drizzle like the Cadets' Zebra Cake uniform.  I love the effect of the lining inside their coattails when they kneel with one leg stretched out.  Beautiful "Bridge Over Troubled Water": so much better than what I heard from the Cadets on the cinema broadcast the previous night.  Bro said it was because Academy actually plays the whole song, and therefore we can hear the progression of the emotion in the piece.  Cute bit of "London Bridge is Falling Down" at the end.

MANDARINS

Repertoire: "subTerra" -- 1. Ritual and Discovery by K. Poulan & I. Jackson; 2. The Chase -- On the Shoulders of Giants by P. Graham; 3. Allure -- Truman Sleeps by P. Glass; 4. Capture -- Run Boy Run by A. Willsume & Yoann Lemoine; 5. Sacrifice by K. Poulan & I. Jackson

They have skull towers.  Creepy.  I love that they embrace the darkness of their show.  Nice throwback to the old school uniforms with the skirts on the corps.  The rifle moves are ambitious, and they'll need to really tone up that performance to be even more effective, because they had a lot of drops tonight.  I love the way the CG moves to the music.  Horns -- whoa.  Crazy, crazy!  (But not like 2017's crazy).

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

Repertoire: "Vox Eversio" -- Fraternity by T. Delreuyelle; Audivi Media Nocte by O. Wasespi; Nothing Else Matters by Metallica; Original Music by P. & S. Rennick

Their uniforms are a drab gray with a swirly V, and do nothing to show off the performers.  They have gone back in town and seem like they've built more Towers of Babel, and they've added climbing poles.  Is this a prequel to last year's show?  They won't need to play their horns up to the stands because they're already high up on the towers.  Wow, those soloists.  That high soprano with that really high note is the same one from last year.  That trombone!  Wow.  That sousaphone with their high note, too!  WHAT?!?!?  That was intense, man.  That hornline is so good I forgot how much I liked Crown the night before.  Also, it is clean, very clean.  The Metallica piece is just...INCREDIBLE because they try to replicate the guitar solo and they run with it.  I want Lars Ulrich to hear this!  So maybe the theme of Nothing Else Matters applies to the fact that it's all in the music, people.  I mean, we forgot what the CG did for the whole show, because we were so focused on the music.  It was awesome.  Bro is looking forward to when the Metallica piece comes back into the closer.  That's right, we're still looking forward to stuff, because the show isn't even done yet.  At first when the show started, I wondered if this would be an off year for Santa Clara.  But after about a minute and a half, I stopped wondering, and was very pleasantly surprised and awed by this corps yet again.

BLUE DEVILS

Repertoire: "Ghostlight" -- Cycle Song by I. Heap; Rhythm Song by P. Smadbeck; A True Passion by L. Balfe; Stroke of Genius by L. Balfe; Symphony No. 3 by A. Khachaturian; Ghostlight by D. Glyde; Circus by B. Spears

Those yellow sleeves remind us of last year's Troopers uniform.  I really like the effect of the yellow, though.  That's a big screen at the back of the field.  Wait, they're doors.  Wait, they're platforms.  Very cool use of that prop.  I like the ladders with the white at the top and a kind of ombre into black. Great job with the music and the drums, because, of course, this is BD.

THE CAVALIERS

Repertoire: "The Wrong Side of the Tracks" -- Part 1: Gorgon by C. Rouse; Bum's Rush by D. Grantham; Part 2: Rock Island (from "Road to Perdition") by T. Newman; Part 3: Original Music by M. McIntosh & C. Walker with assistance from M. Martin & A. Miller; Part 4: Cathedral (from "Road to Perdition") by T. Newman; Part 5: Gorgon

SPLOOIE!!!!  I've missed that.  Nobody tosses a flag like the Cavaliers CG.  Like the part when the rifle soloist catches a high toss in front of the barrel tower, and when he catches, a flag is tossed from behind the barrels, and falls just perfectly so we can see that the picture on the flag is of two people walking along a railroad track.  That's the Cavaliers brass sound that I love!  Bro predicts that the barrels will make an appearance at Finals Retreat.

Then Bro had to listen to a guy speaking to someone else about his thoughts on the placement tonight:  1) BD, 2) Cavaliers, 3) Mandarins, and no SCV in the top 3.  Because he was talking loudly, and acting like he knew everything.  He would soon find out how wrong he was, and I hope his friend stops listening to him.

SCORES

Open Class

4) 41.40 -- Blue Devils C

3) 49.65 -- Golden Empire

2) 54.90 -- Vanguard Cadets

1) 57.60 -- Blue Devils B

World Class

6) 60.45 -- Troopers

5) 64.60 -- Academy

4) 67.10 -- Mandarins

3) 70.20 -- Cavaliers

2) 71.70 -- Blue Devils

1) 72.35 -- Santa Clara Vanguard 

Yes, Vanguard won with an unfinished show, and beating everyone's score from the DCI Tour Premiere, as did BD.  SCV is still on a hot streak, folks!

We stopped at McDonald's for slushies and apple pies and Bro drove another couple of hours to our hotel of the trip.  Since we will be staying here for the entire trip, we were able to unpack and enjoy not living out of suitcases/duffel bags.

Next up:  DCI West