DCI Semifinals
Friday, August 11, 2023
Lucas Oil Stadium
Indianapolis, IN
When we checked in the other night, the woman at the front desk had suggested a couple of restaurants that were open. Actually, one of them was a coffee shop that she said was recommended by the Jonas Brothers. We tried to Google it and couldn't find it, so maybe I heard her wrong, but she isn't really good at making suggestions. I mean, she's the one that offered, or I would have just looked on Yelp. So we didn't go to either place. There really isn't much around here that suited all of us, not even Wild Eggs (which we all saw on our walk in the rain and mentioned to each other as if the others hadn't said it before). So we ate breakfast at the hotel. I ate from the buffet, as did Bro. V got a Belgian waffle with the Hilton logo on it. I dropped a grape and told the server because I didn't want anyone to be caught off guard, and she told us a funny story about slipping on a grape at this restaurant. I'm glad I warned her! I wanted to take some photos in the lobby because there was a Brickyard NASCAR race this weekend, too.
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| When is the last time you saw random tires in your hotel lobby? |
V had a virtual meeting to attend, so Bro and I rested until she was ready to go. But wait! V is about to be on TV! She's kinda famous.
When we got to the stadium, I wanted to get a photo of Peyton Manning's statue. I thought it was new, but apparently, it's been there since 2017.
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| Peyton's was the first jersey retired by the Indianapolis Colts. |
I tried to get through the gate with my 2022 semifinals ticket because I'm dumb. I bought the Troopers shirt that I wanted, and while I was in line, V texted me that there was a dinosaur with a trumpet heading my way.
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| I shall play you a tune and then I shall eat you. |
We had seen shirts at the Phregiment booth with dinosaurs on them, and I didn't understand. This guy did not help with my understanding, either, but he's sure cute! Apparently, the story is that when Phregiment posted photos of their show earlier this season, they didn't want to show their props, so they replaced them with dinosaurs in their picture. Then people started thinking that there were dinosaurs in the show and since it was the anniversary of Jurassic Park, the show was about that, but that was wrong, too. Although they did release a youth size version of the shirt on the anniversary of the movie. It's just one of those inside jokes now that has evolved into something else. As we know, "Life finds a way."
Our seats were in section 141, row 5, seats 1-3, on the left 30-yard line. I liked that Bro put me on the aisle so that I would have less obstruction for my pictures. I was just annoyed that some folks were not following the rules of only going to /leaving from their seats between shows. Because we were up close, we got to see the faces of the performers, and V would start to cry whenever she saw them cry. I tried to get video of all of the drum majors saluting as my own little challenge this year. I hope to edit them together someday for an Instagram reel, and will post it here sometime next week, since there will be enough photos to take this page forever to load anyway. :)
The Star-Spangled Banner was performed on solo trumpet, but I didn't get the guy's name. Good job, guy!
Bro started to eat his hamburger and realized that he had two bun tops. I told him he was eating V's food.
EAR-asers in my ears, I'm good to go!
Corps marked with * advance to Finals.
SEATTLE CASCADES -- 73.925
I'm not crying, V is crying. OK, I'm crying, because the corps is! I said that when they wear blue, it makes sense because of water cascading. It didn't make sense to me that their main color was green. Bro educated me and told me that their name was based on the green Cascades Mountain Range near Seattle. He had tried to get my attention yesterday to take a picture of their mountain range formation, but that didn't work. Their drum major was very energetic, and I tried to get a shot of him jumping up and down as he conducted, but that didn't happen either. I've been watching so many dog videos that I thought that the shako with the plume on the ground was a dog watching drum corps. It's not a dog, Sher.
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| Trumpet Soloist |
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| The "dog" is to the lower left of the date. |
COLUMBIANS -- 74.600
That guy in the pit is VERY expressive. I love him. I tried not to watch him the whole time because that's creepy, but it was really difficult for me. Very nice solo as well as the dance right next to them.
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| Emote! |
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| F.E.A.R. |
JERSEY SURF -- 75.488
I love watching them have so much fun! Now I understand their uniform: it's like the Bridgemen uniform, but in black! That drum major changed his clothes right in front of us, while facing the audience. I guess he didn't want to do that for the corps?
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| Don't forget your hat! |
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| True Colors |
SOUTHWIND -- 77.450
I told V to show them how to toss the construction beams. I like that iconic last shot.
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| We made that. |
GENESIS -- 78.775
I like the shout-out from PhoenixGPT to Competition Director Tony Di Carlo. Her drum corps joke for the day:
"What is the difference between Top 12 and Bottom 12?"
"It doesn't matter. Blue Devils will probably win anyway."
Hahahahaha. It's funny because it's true. :)
That position that they do with their hands: is it their Phoenix logo? I didn't get a picture of it to show y'all, though. I yelled with them: "We. Are. GENESIS!!!!"
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| Lit-up Marimbas |
GOLD -- 79.913
None of us ever noticed the thumbprint on their uniforms before. The thumbprint does make sense. V thinks the new puppetmaster was the other one's appprentice. Also makes sense.
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| Brass Ensemble |
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| Apprentice and Master |
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| New Puppetmaster - not the former apprentice |
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| Creepy Creeps |
SPARTANS -- 81.275
Oh, fish!! That's not a hot dog. It's a raft. Oh, the clock ticking at the end while the entire corps falls asleep: that's the melting watches! Clever.
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| Melted Corps |
<Intermission>
Me, at the top of the stairs of our section: "My thighs hurt."
V, from behind me: "You should close them at specific parts of the show."
Me: "What? I said, 'My THIGHS hurt.'"
V: "Oh, I thought you said EYES!"
Me: "I was, like, 'that's something my mother would say: CLOSE YOUR THIGHS!'"
Much laughter ensued.
V and I went to get smoothies. Bro didn't get one because they didn't have a mango flavor. I got peach. It was yummy. We walked around a little bit so that she could see the uniforms that the different uniform companies had on display. Our favorite was the Troopers uniform.
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| There's that tribute to Tom Float that almost made me cry when I saw it the previous day. |
ACADEMY -- 82.500
Fantastic final run, Academy! Soloist got those high notes really well and everything.
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| One of these guys is Brennan. |
MUSIC CITY -- 82.875
I love that last song. Great horn feature, too. I don't know why the petals have to turn black, though. Why did it die?
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| Munchkin Thorns |
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| Roses and Thorns |
MADISON -- 82.988
They are wearing tattoo sleeves (with fleur de lis) and fake black jeans. Oh, those are speakers on the ball, and they take their scarves out from the speakers. The bass drums are speakers, too. Kick ass, Madison! That was fun.
SPIRIT -- 83.625
The drum major winked during his salute. I tried to get a picture of him jumping at the end, but missed it. I love when the DMs get emotional. The electronics went out and the color guard continued doing their show, just with silence except for the captain counting out the beats. So cool! They never did get their electronics to turn back on, and it was still a good show.
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| That's a lot of benches |
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| Playing a silvery star chime thing |
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| Spirit Percussion |
PACIFIC CREST -- 85.050
I like how the flags are the same design throughout, with a just a change in color. Awesome job, PC! Get it, Guard! They were sooo good today. Thanks for making me enjoy the show! Congrats on a great season.
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| Blue Flag |
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| Trombones |
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| Red Flags |
CROSSMEN -- 86.138
That pit was having a good time! V likes how they can do so much of a show with just two props. Me, too.
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| Flag Toss |
BLUE KNIGHTS -- 87.088*
I like all of the lavender. They use things hanging on the obelisk for percussion, like pots.
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| Percussion Pots |
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| Gong Banging |
TROOPERS -- 88.725*
Bro asked if the guy with the harmonica was the same guy as the one in the old school uniform yesterday. I didn't think so. He definitely wasn't today. I love the way they elevate them to reach out to the sun. I love everything about the show, even when I'm sleepy.
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| Lifting Contraption |
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| Harmonica Soloist |
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| View of Duo and Sun |
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| Fancy Footwork |
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| TROOP!!! |
BLUE STARS -- 88.550*
Spoons + Cubes + Straws. V did not fall asleep during this show. Progress! I almost fell asleep, though. They can toss at the top of the slide and catch at the bottom. Very cool.
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| Spooned |
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| Didn't realize that I captured this moment. |
<Intermission>
We watched the Old Guard perform in their traditional George Washington uniforms. I miss traditional uniforms.
V and I left our seats, and as we got to the top of the steps, I said to V: "My thighs hurt."
V: "You should close them during select shows."
S: "What? I said my THIGHS hurt."
V: "Oh, I thought you said EYES!"
S: "That sounds like something my mother would say to me. 'CLOSE YOUR THIGHS!'"
Much laughter ensued.
We decided to get smoothies. Bro only wanted one if they had a mango flavor, but they didn't, so we walked around and I showed V the different uniforms on display at the uniform company booths. Our favorite was the Troopers, so we somehow took a selfie with it while not spilling our smoothies all over the place.
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| Selfie Smoothie! |
COLTS -- 90.038*
That's an energetic show. They totally deserved that first 90 in corps history yesterday. I like the guard work when they work as a team with the throwing / catching.
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| Playing with phone cords |
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| Big Double Flags |
CAVALIERS -- 92.038*
Ah, all 4 corners had elements from different Cavaliers shows, like masks (from when they did "Smile"), rope (from the Ascent show), Frames (from Frameworks), and balls (the Chicago show). That pit is incredible during the last piece. WOW. Percussion is so good all around.
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| Mirror, Mirror |
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| Gear on Flag for Green Machine |
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| Tip the Hat |
PHANTOM REGIMENT -- 93.163*
V thinks the tarp is dinosaur bones, like the ribs. She hates their hats, though. I think I have a girl crush on that drum major. I tried not to watch her conduct the whole time.
Dan Potter afterward: "I think I speak for everyone who's watching this year: Phantom's Back, Baby!"
Oh, yes! I haven't truly enjoyed a Phregiment show in a long time, and I love this one.
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| Phregiment Brass |
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| Arch |
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| Flag on Top |
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| My Girl Crush |
MANDARINS -- 93.350*
This show! There's so much love for it.
Dan Potter said that like everyone else, he wanted to know what it would be like to spin in one of those props. So they let him! And they had video! It was so awesome. He interviewed the main Sinnerman, Jason Huber, after that, and he said it felt like he was in there for 20 minutes, but Jason said that it was about 45 seconds of spinning. Jason also informed us all that "No one's gotten sick yet. We're all trained professionals here." Dan called him "Sinnerman Spinnerman" and I think he just designed the next shirt that I want.
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| Robed |
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| Whip It |
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| Drums |
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| Brass |
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| Repent! |
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| Spinnerman |
CADETS -- 93.613*
Those horns are so good! There isn't really much to take pictures of because they're not very exciting props, though. Also, they move FAST.
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| Show Start |
So this guy tried to go to his seat in our row at this point. He didn't know his seat number, just knew that someone in our row was seating in his seats, but nobody would admit to sitting in the wrong seat. I stood up so that he could get to his place, and he thought that I was going to get out. I said that no, this was my actual seat, and I was just letting him in. He said that his wife had the seat numbers, but she wasn't with him. So, text her, maybe? Maybe if you had come earlier to watch the show, other people would not be in your seats right now and you wouldn't have anyone to kick out of your seats. Also, we're at the LAST FOUR CORPS out of 25 today. I have no sympathy for you because you're late and your seats are in a very popular section for people going in / out of the rows for certain corps, which irritates me, but I know that's what happens and I try to deal with my irritation. The guy sat down in an empty seat of the front row because Boston was about to start.
BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 96.738*
Uh oh. Electronics issues. They might get a timing penalty, which is so not good for tonight (they did not). He used his rifle as a telescope. The color guard is soooo good! Oh, there he is harpooning the whale. I think that V and I were staring at the big silks at that point last night, which is why we missed it. Neither of us were happy about the whale's death, but I do see what Bro is saying about the "I AM SPARTACUS!" moment.
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| Rifle Toss Behind Brass |
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| He looks so happy! |
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| Atop the boat |
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| White Whale Leaping |
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| Harpooned |
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| Poor White Whale |
Special Presentation: World Class Corps Director of the Year
Congratulations to the Mandarins' J. W. Koester!!!
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| JW Koester in signed Sinnerman hat with DCI CEO Dan Acheson |
The guy's wife finally came down to the seats. They sat down and told the others to leave. Then she left again. For reals. Da fuq?!
BLUECOATS -- 96.988*
I only like the part with the butterflies. Bro and V said that I need to listen to the source music for that piece. They had me listen to it later on, and it's really cool. It's the same artist that composed music that they used in last year's show: Anna Meredith. They played that for me, too, and I remember that it was during the part that the corps is a car. Too much "chapel, chapel". Bro told us that the electronics went out for the last couple of minutes, which is why it sounded weird. What is going on with the electronics today? Maybe they should just play without any from now on. I know I ask for too much.
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| I don't understand these creepy ladies |
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| Butterflies |
CAROLINA CROWN -- 96.950*
So ... he loses the girl, but gets the crown, but gets injured in battle, but he lives. Later that night, Bro and V informed me that this was the story of "Camelot". I'm kind of an idiot. I saw the sword. I saw the round table. I saw Guinevere and Lancelot. I saw the crown. I cut and paste and edited the show info on my blog. But it did not dawn on me that this was Camelot the entire time I watched it. I'm chalking it up to: Sherry was sleepy and not paying attention. Such good music, and the color guard was on fire tonight!
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| Arthur and Guin |
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| Brass in front of one of the pieces of the round table |
BLUE DEVILS -- 98.275*
Nice way to test the electronics with the electric guitar! He got us in the mood. The guy behind us, whom had been explaining a bunch of stuff to his seat partner all night, said that he can't explain this one to him except that it was like a rock concert, it's so loud. He's not wrong.
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| Dance Break |
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| Duet |
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| Color Guard |
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| Color Guard 2 |
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| End Flags |
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| End with Judge |
Exhibition Performance
The Spartans performed their show again, this time wearing their medals. OMG, those huge long-ass mallets! We hadn't noticed them before. The performers are so happy and cute!
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| Gold Medal Winners |
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| Open Class Champions Trophy |
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| Electric Bass and Long-ass Mallets |
Scholarship winners were announced, as well as the Volunteer of the Year: Yvonne Moss from Blue Devils.
In Memoriam
Tributes were done for Tom Float and Stephanie Lynde. Tom Float is familiar to me because he was the leader / founder of the Trash Can Trio at Disneyland. I think that he was also in Magic Kingdom Korps. I loved watching him perform, and I thank him for all of the smiles he put on my face through his drumming.
DCI Hall of Fame Inductees
Gino Cipriani - Boston Crusaders Brass Instructor and Caption Head
Dave Glyde - Blue Devils Music Director, Composer, and Arranger
TROOPERS LEGACY CORPS
Tonight's corps was made up of not just Troopers, but other volunteers as well. Also, a dog. Yes, an actual dog, not a shako with a plume. What is with those huge-ass cymbals?!!?!? They played their iconic songs, like "Midway", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", and the theme from "The Magnificent Seven". They did their signature Sunburst formation during the Mag 7 piece. It was really cool. They also performed their corps song with the present Troopers members: "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
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| Troopers Take the Field |
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| Color Guard |
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| Current Troopers watching Legacy Corps |
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| Dude with Hugigant Cymbals |
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| Hat Formation |
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| Sunburst |
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| Battle Hymn |
Representatives from each of the corps from Drum Corps Associates were present to celebrate DCI's acquisition / merger with them.
Then they had the Age-Out Ceremony. Oh, it's like the Olympics with a representative holding a sign with their corps name! Some of them were silly as they exchanged their signs. Thank you for your dedication to drum corps, y'all!
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| Hey! That's the wrong sign. |
I was tired and didn't want to wait for scores to be announced, so we walked home and got them from the website instead.
Next up: FINALS
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