Saturday, June 20, 2020

Back to Babylon


Well, it's June 20, 2020.  Do you know where I had plans to be on this day before the pandemic hit?

 Yup.  The first weekend of drum corps.

 DCI canceled its season this year, and I'm OK with the reason for it, because when I was watching the "On The Road Again" videos from the 80s, I saw people sharing water bottles and all sleeping on the gym floors, and having fun in the buses, and I was, like, "Oh, hell no, that would have been an absolute disaster!"  I mean, I knew they did all these things before, but seeing it on video after a few months of cringing whenever people get close to each other on TV without masks made me all germophobic.

 So what's a blogger to do when she has no shows to write about?  She writes about old shows.

 Today would have been my first blogging day after a wonderful early dinner in Fresno at Limon and an opening day of seeing shows for the very first time.  I miss my road trip with Bro.  I miss that restaurant.  I miss writing about the crazy things we say.  But most of all, I miss watching Vanguard in a stadium.

 I'm happy to share with you this video of someone watching 2018 SCV's show, "Babylon".  Below the video, you can read my reaction to the show as it progressed through the season, with links to the blog post from that day, if you want to read about the other stuff that happened that day, too.

 I'm so glad that she liked all of the stuff that the folks familiar with drum corps cheer about, like the snap, and the music, and the movement, and the creativity.  BTW, I teared up again today.

 I think I've hit on what I'll do this season: show you old stuff, maybe through Courtney's eyes, maybe through other means.

 For now, enjoy seeing someone react to Vanguard.  Maybe you will react a little bit, too.






First show: MidCal Champions Showcase
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
Repertoire: "Babylon" -- My Body is A Cage by P. Gabriel; Journey to the Center of the Earth by P. Graham; Metropolis 1927 by P. Graham; Apology by Z. M. di la Riva; Club Sound by Gent and Jawns

I guess the reason SCV has not given any sneak previews of their uniforms on social media is that they have not received them yet.  Or they will continue to wear what look like pajamas on the field: white with a V on the torso that looks like a check mark.  They use big platforms that look like they are building the Tower of Babel, but they use them in an innovative way, with the shorter platforms fitting under the taller ones.  All of that movement had me mesmerized  I worry when the different people do the acrobatic stuff on top, because I'm afraid they'll fall.  I'm a worrier.  The gymnastics are impressive.  Whoa...that snare ensemble solo!  I hope that their actual uniforms will stay on sufficiently so that they do not have to pull up their pants after the all-corps dance segment.  The horns sound great.  I love this show!

Second show:  DCI West
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
The color guard has uniforms now.  Are the drum majors ninjas? The pit members have their mouths covered by the same type of thing as the drum majors, to show the theme of Babylon, wherein the storyline is for the corps members to find another way to communicate since they do not all speak the same language.  Bro figured that the horn players couldn't wear the same thing since they need to actually play their instruments.  They're playing and getting spun around on their towers, and...wow.  Those snares!  Bro wants Miss O to learn the dance so he can post it.  He said this show looks really good in the big stadium.  Show is not yet finished, and they didn't play the closing number at all.

Not since 2007 has SCV scored higher than BD.  We are happy Vanguard fans today!

When we got back to the hotel, Bro saw that SCV's uniforms are, indeed, cream-colored, although they are different from what we saw yesterday.  I'm not sure we saw the new uniform today because we were far from the field.  

The recaps show that this is going to be a close competition between BD and SCV, and they have the top two scores nationwide from all of the shows last night.  Way to go, WEST!

Third show:  Moonlight Classic
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
#checkmarkband.  Bro and I were laughing at twitter earlier, because the Cadets were calling themselves the zebra cake band because of their uniforms, and people are calling SCV by the aforementioned hashtag.  That girl leaped off of the platform and was caught by the other corps members.  This show gets more amazing every day.  It also gets more dangerous, and I'm glad that DCI's current campaign on the health and safety of its performers not only includes their psychological health, but also their physical health due to the increasing number of props and gymnastics in the shows.

This year is going to be interesting between SCV and BD.  Mandarins look promising to make finals.  It's gonna be a fun season, folks!  I'm looking forward to what Pacific Crest brings when they get into the mix of competition next week.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
How high is that note?!?  Jeepers!  I didn't realize that the people playing that note were on the right side of the field, using mic stands.  This show gets more amazing every day, and they still have only done their closer at a stand still.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
That baritone duet leading to the full corps during "My Body Is A Cage" is just awesome!  How often does that happen that the baritones get so much solo work?  That trio of trumpets, too.  WOW.
Rudy:  THAT IS INSANE!  WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!!?  
He was laughing happily through the whole show.  They did the closer drill!  It's very cool, and I look forward to how it's going to develop until Finals.  The ending right now is of a color guard member on each of two tall towers, coming together.

Looking forward to seeing that SCV closer again in Pasadena!  I can't get enough of that show.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
I just cannot describe this show, except with superlatives, because GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!  Love the decrescendo in the first piece as the horns kneel and face the right side. Their dynamics are more prominent now.  My whole party went bananas when they saw this show, which made me very happy.  

As predicted by Bro, SCV wins in the bigger stadium.  We are happy Vanguard fans!

The consensus of those of us in the car:  favorites of the night were Mandarins and SCV.  Because my friends have excellent taste.

Seventh show:  Western Corps Connection
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
I tried to see if the color guard guy also does something acrobatic during the other guy's back flip, but he doesn't.  That's OK. This show is still amazeballs.

Two nights in a row over BD, and in a smaller stadium, no less.  YAY!

Eighth viewing:  DCI Prelims
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD -- 96.8*
They keep rolling off of the cages and it's freaking me out because I think they're falling.  I. LOVE. THIS. SHOW. TOO. MUCH.  It makes me nervous, but I love it.

Ninth viewing: DCI Semifinals
SCV -- 98.263*
That. Was.  SPECTACULAR.  Don't fall!  All of us in the Vanguard section went apeshit crazy.  My throat was sore from all of the screaming.  

Tenth viewing: DCI Finals
SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
I saw them waiting in the tunnel entrance during BD's show and got all excited.  Go, George!  He is the backfield drum major, and my seat neighbor's son.  I don't remember hearing the recording of the different languages at the beginning of the show before.   ACK! Leo's mic!  Then the guy got hit by the prop.  Oh, geez.  VAAAANNNNNGUAAAAAARRRRRRD!!!!!   

Our section went bananas.  I think I stood up 3 times during the show.  I could barely contain myself from the moment they started.  AAAAHHHH, I LOVE THIS SHOW!  I would like to see that again tonight, please.  PLEASE!!!

Scores

And now, the scores.  (Big exhale).  Caption awards are based on the best average from Prelims, Semifinals, and Finals nights.

World Class Corps Director of the Year:  Shaun Gallant of SCV!!!!!
YAY, SEAN!!!!!  He's awesome.

John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award:  SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

Jim Ott Best Brass Performance Award:  SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance Award: SANTA CLARA VANGUARD
(That's the 3rd year in a row for SCV.  YES!!!)

Donald Angelica Best General Effect Award:  SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

3) 96.95 -- BLUECOATS
2) 97.35 -- BLUE DEVILS
1) 98.625 -- SANTA CLARA VANGUARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Congratulations to all the corps.  Santa Clara Vanguard, the field is yours."

OK, after a week of debriefing this in my head, I have tears in my eyes as I typed that last quote from Brandt Crocker.

The crowd went insane.  We were happy, happy, happy, and I almost lost my voice from the screaming every time Brandt announced SCV's name.  It's been 19 long years since their last title, and they shared it in a tie with BD.  It's an SCV Sweep, y'all.  Both SCVC and SCV won the gold!

Eleventh viewing:  Finals Champion Encore
I went to the restroom because I knew it would take a while to clear the field.  I heard the announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, we need to clear the field...the field belongs to Santa Clara Vanguard."  That's RIGHT, it does!!!!!


Well, would ya look at that?


Encore

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD

  • 2018 production:  "Babylon"




I'm looking forward to seeing all of the Go Pro videos
from this encore performance!

Here are links to some of the headcam footage from that victory run (warning: you might get a little dizzy):

Mello Claw Cam  "We did it!"

Contra Cam  "We just won band!"

Center Snare Cam "Let's keep it clean"

Compilation Cam  Wait.  Somebody is singing?






After we all calmed down from watching that amazing victory performance one more time, Brandt said, "There's one more song that needs to be played."  ACK, I'm crying again.

I'm pretty sure Gail Royer was beaming with pride while watching this from his seat up in heaven.

We went to the lot to see if SCV was going to do anything special before letting everyone leave, but they must have said whatever they needed to say back in the stadium tunnel.  So we took pictures of each other before returning to the hotel.


Happy Vanguard Fans

Happy Sibs

From the other side of the cage

Our bodies are by a cage

Thank you, SCV, for this awesome season.  Congratulations on your seventh gold.

One of the DCI.org article opening lines was, "It started with Stanford."  Indeed.  SCV had one loss since Stanford in June, and dominated all season, despite the thoughts of the East Coast fans that the West Coast scores were inflated.  People, we happen to have the best corps out West, so deal with it.  I am proud of this corps.  They had some hiccups during this year's tour, with their food truck getting in an accident (rendering it a total loss and having to rent a temporary one), their souvie trailer also having issues, and the rained-out Allentown show.  Yet through it all, they persevered, they worked hard, they kept up the classy and positive attitude for which they are famous, and they did it!  They won!  19 years ago, when they last won the title, Bro and I attended our first DCI Finals, and we've been hooked ever since.  This feeling of pride in our favorite corps has never wavered, even through the lower-ranked years.  It feels so awesome to see SCV win again, with such an amazing show that will be talked about with superlatives for years and years.  With the Vanguard Cadets winning, too, I am just thrilled for the organization.  There's No Place Like Santa Clara.  

Next up:  Not SCV
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