The Ones With All of the Xylophones

Western Corps Connection

Sunday, June 30, 2019

San Bernardino Valley College

San Bernardino, CA

I attended church in the morning, but didn't have much of a voice due to all of the hotting and hollering I did the night before.  I was also hungry, so I was happy that they were selling Filipino breakfast as a fundraiser, and bought brunch for my parents and myself.  Bro and Dodie arrived later on and we stopped at Miguel's Jr. for lunch.  Yummy!  I tried to eat carefully because Bro had vacuumed the car AGAIN after the break-in.  He might have vacuumed it three times this weekend, I don't remember.

The WCC was at a different venue this year, but we don't know the reason.  The college is very nice, but the lot we parked in was gravel, and I was glad that I had decided not to wear my flip flops.  Bro wanted to watch some of the lot activities, so he took his Miguel's Jr food to watch them, while Dodie and I finished up ours in the car.  We parked right next to Glenn because we had followed him into the lot after dealing with corps buses that didn't know what they were doing.  New venue, new stuff to encounter!  After we ate, Dodie and I went shopping, and, unsurprisingly, I bought more stuff: a sleeveless hoodie from the Mandarins and a tank top on clearance from Blue Knights.  I also talked to a lady whom was making jewelry for Pacific Crest fans, and I want to go to her website, but my phone didn't save her QR code, so I guess I'll deal with that when I get to Finals.

It took a while to get into the stadium, so we heard Kim Lovett sing the Star-Spangled Banner while we stood in line.  She was wearing a blue dress with stars like the American flag.  We saw her earlier.  

Our seats were in Section 3, Row T, 12-16, on the right 35-40 yard line.  Rudy's group of tickets was in row S.  But Rudy wasn't there yet.  Double N and his mom were already in their seats by the time we arrived, because we didn't make it to see the exhibition show from the group from Calgary.

WATCHMEN

Their drum major is energetic, as well as the second drum major.  Some intonation issues today, maybe I can hear them more because we're sitting closer to them than in other shows.

Energy!

IMPULSE

Is there a hero in Tetris that I don't know about?  I think the blocks will be in Tetris colors by the end of their season.  Much better rifle work today, but still a few drops.

DM Salute

I can see you behind that coat rack tree

Pow! Bam! flags

VESSEL

Oh, I get it!  The arrows on their uniforms and drums are pointing "Here, There, and Everywhere"!  It only took me three days.  Nice solo high rifle toss and catch!  Also nice solos performed on the platforms.  The ramps store flags/equipment in them.  Cool!  Glenn told me that the CG must have borrowed their uniforms from the Bluecoats 2016 show.  I told him that I said that to Bro the day before and he just shrugged at me.

Sitting on our ramp / storage space

Kinda Bluecoats-ish

It was around this point when I started being concerned about Rudy's whereabouts, because he usually doesn't miss much of the show.  So I texted him and asked if he was in the lot with Bro, hoping that he wasn't at old venue RCC.  No, he was just coming back from Long Beach, and was on his way to RCC, but was able to change his direction, thanks to my text.  I'm pretty sure I told him that the venue was in a new place when I asked who wanted to go to the show.  And when I bought the tickets.  And when we saw him last week.  And on the envelope that I gave him with the tickets in it.  And on the actual tickets.  

Meanwhile, Bro was having fun in the lot, witnessing some drumming and stretching, and losing his hearing from the loudness.  Thank you, Mandarins, for warming up right in front of him when he was just standing there.  He enjoyed it!

INCOGNITO

I like the pre-show with the color guard setting the mood.  Double N noticed that the snare player also plays bass.  You need to know more than one thing in these small corps.

Mood Setters

Banana

I needed to use the facilities, so I wasn't able to watch the next corps.

GOLDEN EMPIRE

Sounded good from what I could hear, and I got a little peek at my feather flags.  :)

GOLD

Double N:  "Big sound."

Dodie:  Trying not to laugh out loud.

That last piece is loud.  No wonder V couldn't hear the last words of the narration.  I think they're saying something like "It's in me."

Gold Drums

Money and Diamonds

<Intermission>

I took my purchases to the car because they made my bag big, and saw Rudy on the way into the gate.  He just walked up to me and smiled.  I told him I had a wristband, and he needed to wait with the other latecomers that didn't know where to go.  OK, I didn't tell him that.

As the next corps entered the field, the woman in back of me said, "Look at all of the xylophones!  Oh, I remember them.  Remember the one with the xylophones?"  Hmmm...

GENESIS

I didn't see the first appearance of the kitchen sink this time, but I did see one of the front ensemble members banging on a trash can.  Are these part of the nature ==> industry theme?  Thank you for coming to California, Genesis!

Snares on Ladders

Trash Can Tunes

I'll hold on to you with the back of my knee

Kitchen Sink Kraziness

Bro finally joined us in the stands.

PACIFIC CREST

There was too much sunlight for the glow effects to be seen.  What happened to the other 3 cymbal players?   There will only six of them this time, and I saw the holes in the formations where they would have stood.  I like the several short crescendos.  (Crescendi? Oh, both are OK!).

PC Horns

Love those blue flags

TROOPERS

Great rifle work.  Drum Judge Christiansen looks like he wants to go out onto the field.  I mean, why not?  They don't have any big props, so I think he should be allowed to do it.  Or maybe that might be unfair in the scoring if he could hear some better because he could get closer to them.

Troop Drums and Drum Judge

Tarp Boundaries

ACADEMY

Horns sounded a little bit muddy today.  "Troubled Water" soloist had mic issues, so it's a good thing we were in a smaller stadium and could hear anyway.  At one point, a girl is lifted up by two people, and a flag person walks underneath this bridge.  Nice.

Are those two towers by the pit just placeholders?

End of Academy Show

MANDARINS

The DM salute is kinda scary.  Bro said that he would get arrested if he did something like that on the street.  The intruder guy dancing the pas de deux is different from the one that the DM pushes off of the DM stand.  I saw the changeover this time.  

Flags Looking Like Fire

BLUE KNIGHTS

Bro said that BK is getting higher scores in GE over the Mandarins because their flags move with their music perfectly.  Rudy appreciated the show tonight more than he did on Friday, as did Bro.  I like this show.

We go upside down, too!

BK Drums

Reflections

CAVALIERS

Go, Guard!  Awesome green firework from somewhere in the neighborhood at the show's climax.  Double N's mom thought that was done on purpose. She probably wasn't the only one.   SPLOOIEEEEE!  See you in about a month, Cavies!  Thank you for coming back to California!

I met this guy back when he was just a fan of the Cavaliers,
and now he's one of them!

Waiting to cause some trouble

Marimba Madness
or Xylophone Zaniness?

We don't need these rifles anymore

SCV

On FIRE!  The color guard hasn't had their spotlight yet, so I think that's what they'll add next.  All of those crazy solos were well done.  Wow.  I tried to focus on the battery this time.  I love the way they get to start the show, and the way they rock out at the end.

Trombonist Leo

Sousaphonist Getting Down and Funky

Chillin' Leo

D R U M S !!!!!

BLUE DEVILS

Eek!  Four rifle drops at the beginning as they opened the doors.  I got worried when one of the boards wasn't pushed down all the way after the shoe dance, then somebody stepped hard on it and I felt better.  That could have been tragic.  Bro noticed that their final flags have the same color scheme as SCV's final flags.

Tuba Entrance

BD Battery

Running up and down walls

Encore

Blue Devils and United Sound (students with special needs and their mentors) played an original composition by John Meehan.

Scores

OPEN CLASS

6) 42.05 -- Incognito

5) 42.90 -- Impulse

4) 46.30 -- Watchmen

3) 51.35 -- Vessel

2) 53.70 -- Golden Empire

1) 57.15 -- Gold

WORLD CLASS

9) 59.80 -- Genesis

8) 63.30 -- Pacific Crest

7) 64.90 -- Troopers

6) 67.55 -- Academy

5) 71.95 -- Mandarins

4) 73.30 -- Blue Knights

3) 75.90 -- Cavaliers

2) 78.55 -- Santa Clara Vanguard

1) 78.60 -- Blue Devils

BD edging out SCV by 0.05. Whoa.  We're just going to be thinking positively for our SCV as they go up against the other contenders in their defense of their world title until we get to Finals week.

See you in 6 weeks, DCI!

Withdrawal starts NOW