Surrealist Corps = Victory

DCI Prelims

Thursday, August 9-10, 2023

Travel Day and Lucas Oil Stadium

Indianapolis, IN

This year, I opted to fly out of Burbank because the fares were pretty comparable to LAX and it's closer to my home.  As I was getting ready, I saw that there was a big accident on the freeway that I use.  Luckily for me, I had woken up in time to get to the airport very early, so the traffic didn't make me nervous about making my flight.  Oh, yes, I had a little bit of anxiety, but not as much as when I'm at my normal get-out-of-the-door-just-in-time state.  It started to sprinkle a little bit as I approached the parking lot, which ended up being a harbinger of things to come, at least for that day.  

While waiting at the airport gate, a man with a newly-groomed Shihtzu named Coco asked me if it was my first time going to Phoenix, and when I told him that it was just a stop, he said I was lucky because he just moved there last year and it was hot and miserable.  He was very nice and talked about acquiring Coco.

At PHX, I sat across from a couple of people, and one of them was wearing a Blue Devils shirt.  I told her that I was rooting for BD.  Her daughter, Madison, is in Color Guard and before this year, she was in Mandarins.  We talked for the whole hour or so that we were waiting there, and I promised to cheer for Madison, whom is ready to cut her hair after the season is over.  Like, RIGHT AFTER.  You know that I had to ask about the hair!  Hope you have a great Finals, Madison!  We also met a guy whose son is in his first year of drum corps, playing contra for The Academy.  I hope this is the first of many drum corps years for you, Brennan!

On the plane, I sat by a family that also had a member in the BD guard, named Shelby.  Shelby is a 3rd generation Blue Devil, and one of her relatives is in the DCI Hall of Fame.  When we landed, they facetimed with her, and they showed her the person that is a fan and would be cheering for her.  Yup.  Me.  Have a great Finals, Shelby!

Both Madison and Shelby are age-outs, so I hope that their last Finals weekend becomes a happy memory for them, as I do for first-timer Brennan. 

Upon landing at IND, I bought a pretzel from Ben's, and would have been happier if it was a pizza flavor, but they didn't have that, so I had to settle, but it was freshly made and tasty.  It was huge, though.  At baggage claim, I watched my bag go around the carousel at least 3 times before I realized it was mine.  I was looking for a feature that was on my old bag.  No, not the color.  I could have let it ride the carousel for a lot longer anyway, because the flight that Bro and V were riding was delayed from LAX, and then they had to wait for a gate to open upon arrival.  We went outside to get transportation.  It was raining, and we were sheltered, but it was still getting us a little bit wet.  I called the Hilton Garden Inn, and they said that their next shuttle was due to arrive at 7:45 pm.  That was only about 20 minutes wait, so we waited.  And waited.  No shuttle arrived.  I asked Bro to call because I needed confirmation that a shuttle was coming.  Well, no, Sherry.  Not from YOUR Hilton Garden Inn.  I had called the airport location, not the downtown location.  OMG, Sher.  DUH.  So Bro called for an Uber, and the ride was pleasant enough until the guy made a u-turn to get to the front of the hotel and almost hit a pedestrian.  

I wasn't able to get the upgrade that I tried for, and I wonder if that room would have been as dimly lit as this one.  Also, V hilariously told us that the toilet paper was way too far to reach from the actual toilet, so I took it off of the holder and set the TP roll on the tank.  We were all hungry, and ended up at The Eagle, where they are known for their fried chicken.  Bro had it on top of mac and cheese, as suggested by the hostess.  I ordered a Carolina pulled pork sandwich, and V ordered a bunch of sides. We enjoyed our food and drinks, and hey, we were happy that they were open because most establishments had closed at 9:00.  The only bummer was that we had to walk in the rain a couple of blocks to get there.  So we wondered how dry our shoes would be for the next day, and tried to air out as much of our stuff as we could.

Bro's hugigant punch bowl

My Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich

The next morning, my shoes weren't completely dry yet, so I used my flip-flops as we walked down the block to Yolk, which is located inside the Salesforce building.  They only had carry-out available, but we were able to eat at the tables right outside the restaurant.  I enjoyed my Banana Bread French Toast, as well as some of Bro's Western Crepe.  We rested for about an hour or so before Bro and I walked to Lucas Oil, our August Happy Place.  Thankfully, it was a sunny day, but not too hot.  There is a lot of construction going on in the area, though, so that wasn't pretty.  I don't know how they're going to handle this big tourist weekend with DCI and a big race at the track, but oh well.  

It turns out that DCI has renewed their contract with Lucas Oil Stadium for another 10 years, so it will be our Happy Place for quite a while.  Yes, I get tired of coming to Indianapolis, but the venue was literally built with this activity in mind, so it's really the best place.  Bro and I would love for them to come to SoFi, but it is quite a financial burden for the folks in the East to get to us, and we don't need more corps experiencing financial hardships.

Yes, I miss SCV very, very much this year.  So I'm representing them by wearing something Vanguard every day.  Actually, I wear something Vanguard permanently, but that's for another post.

Bro and I did some shopping at the DCI Marketplace, and I bought a Mandarins tank hoodie.  Bro found last year's Academy show shirt in his size for $5.00, so he was happy.  I also bought my traditional DCI Orange Cone, as well as a holographic sticker of the same, which got bent before the evening, so whatever.

This tribute to Tom Float made me teary.

Our seats were in the Pacific Crest section, Section 438, row 9, seats 1-3, on the right 30-yard line.  I sat in seat 1, so I had lots of leg room.  We were at the top of the section, so I could stand to take pictures without all of the glass around us.  I was also happy to have a desk behind me.  A guy seated nearby came over to talk to us.  He said that last year, he made the bad life decision of coming to Finals to see it live.  This has ruined him for seeing it online, so he will be coming to Finals from now on.  Congrats on your bad life decision, dude!

Dan Potter announced the corps performing tonight, and the missing corps made me feel sad.

The Star-Spangled Banner was performed by Harry Mead, trumpet soloist for the Blue Devils 2012 show, which I call "Dada".   Thank you, Harry!

Corps marked with * advance to Semfinals.

LES STENTORS -- 65.5

Repertoire: "At the End of the Day" -- Selections from "Les Miserables" by A. Boublil & C-M Schonberg: Castle on a Cloud; At the End of the Day; In My Life; Look Down; The Attack on Rue Plumet

When I saw the title of the show, I hoped that the show would be Les Miz, so this made me very happy.  "In My Life" was sung in French ("En Ma Vie"), and I was crying, it was so beautifully sung.  The guy singing Gavroche's part was very passionate, too.  I was also crying a little because it reminded me of how much I loved SCV's Les Miz show. The extension cord just kinda laying in the backfield made Bro crazy.  I like the muted French flags.  I also like the big flags with "Egalite" written on them.  They also had some long red, white, and blue flags.  I could watch this all day.  I'm sorry that I could only see it live one time.

Gavroche
Can you see the yellow extension cord in back?

Egalite

Vive le France

RAIDERS -- 67.175

Repertoire: "Circus Reversus" -- Blazes and Thunder by J. Fučík; Trip to the Circus / Clowns the in Send by S. Sondheim; From Now On (from The Greatest Showman) by B. Pasek & J. Paul

There were clown sounds as they entered the field, like the clown horns.  Bro likes that the pit is on the side and not blocking stuff.  There is a tarp of a clock in front of the pit, and it distracted me when the judge was standing on it.  The podiums had stars on them.  Oh, the drum major is the bearded lady!  Nice opening duet.  I also like that trumpet solo in the second song.  Interesting arrangement of "Send In the Clowns" also made me tear up as I missed SCV and thought to myself, "Well, maybe next year."  One of the cymbal players spun one of his cymbals on his finger, like a plate.  I like the uniform change to ringleaders.  "The Greatest Show on Turf!"

Raider Ringleaders

COLT CADETS -- 68.55

Repertoire: "Classical Innovations" - Moonlight Sonata by L. van Beethoven; Golden Hour by J. Lawson & Z. Lawson; Until The Scar by J. Mackey

Why is that staff guy a cowboy?  Because of Colts?  Bro said that's just the way he dresses.  Music was well played.  I like the simplicty of the uniforms and I like the first flags, but I don't know why they couldn't keep their traditional red.  The screens in the front changed during the show to set the different moods of the music.

Colts Cadets Delta

7TH REGIMENT -- 70.075

Repertoire:  "“MNML” (Minimal) - 1000 Airplanes On the Roof by P. Glass; On the Nature of Daylight by M. Richter; Halcyon Hearts by K. Copley

Is this about Tetris?  They made "L" with their arm positions.  I had serious Vanguard vibes listening to the Philip Glass piece.  I mean, even their green flags had a V on them!  I know that all of these shows were designed before SCV announced they wouldn't be performing this year, but it's so crazy how much I see elements of them everywhere, as if they were paying homage to them.

Tetris

See the "V"?  Not my sis-in-law.

 

RIVER CITY RHYTHM -- 71.175

Repertoire: "Falling" -- Such Great Heights by B. Gibbard & J. Tamborello; Can't Help Falling in Love by E. Presley; New Born by M. Bellamy; Balancing Act by W. Miller, B. Hoover & P. Weber

Ladders and ramps, and what look like table leaves.  They slid down the ramps, and balanced on those table leaves.  I like when the drummers were using them.

Slide!

GUARDIANS -- 74.575

Repertoire: "i know the end." -- Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes / X. Adjuah (I Own The Night) by Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (C. Scott); Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead; Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance; Original Music by B. Hylton, M. Penland & T. Sammons

"I think..." was stated several times during the show, and at the end the voice said, "I know."  So this seemed to be about a person dying in a hospital as we heard the beeps of the EKG.  Wait.  So did he flatline at the 6-minute mark of the show?  Because he said he had 6 more minutes to live.  I like the gray flags with the eye.  I am not a fan of the synthesizer solo, though.  It made me think of Huey Lewis' character in "Back to the Future": "I'm afraid you're just too darn loud."

I like that purple

THE BATTALION -- 74.725

Repertoire:  "In Our Element" - Unstoppable by S. Furler & C. Braide; Ouroboros by Z. Rosendahl; Hypercub by O. Waespi

Bodies in a cage.  I like how they opened the show with them all stepping out of the cage holding hands, like a chain of elements.  I knew it!  The flags had molecules / elements on them!  It's a chemistry show!

Element Flag

COLUMBIANS -- 76.088*
Repertoire: "Face Everything and Rise - F-E-A-R by J. Chambers, S. Hovik, T. Mitchell, & E. Olaiya; Once More Unto the Breach  by S. Mellillo; Come Home  by J. A. Grush & T. Stewart; The Fear by N. Ormandy, S. Solomon, E. C. Dover, & E. A. Ramirez Jr;  Appalachian Morning by P. Halley; Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)  by M. Crocker, J. Houston, & S. Ligthelm

They spelled out "FEAR" in formation.  The big prop pieces did not make a puzzle, as Bro hoped they would.  Big sound, good job!  The color combination was exactly right for a FEAR show, at least for me.  They made the shape of their logo, which is also printed on the drum major platform.  This competition is fierce.  Ordinarily, I would expect this show to medal in Open Class. 

Throw those chains away

<Intermission>

I was trying to choose between salad and a hot dog...and got a cheeseburger.  V arrived, now that her work stuff was done for the day.

SOUTHWIND -- 77.438*

Repertoire: "Cowboys of the Sky" -- Rhapsody in Blue by G. Gershwin ; Our Town by A. Copland; Urban Light by J. M. David; On Golden Pond by D. Grusin

Oh, they're constructing a building, like in "Fantasia 2000"!  The Empire State building -- "and I'll say to my son, look what we built", and adjacent to the prop was the corps in formation of the NY skyline.  Very cool.  Music was great, especially the baritone duet.  Ooh, double rifles! V wanted them to toss the high beams, but they were kind of too big for that.

Could you throw these?

GOLD -- 79.25*

No more dolls on the strings.  Maybe they were toooooo creepy.  "Separate Ways" trumpet duo was very strong.  Great sound!  I like how shiny her gold dress is.  The masks at the end are gold now.  Were they white before?

Start of Gold Show

Gold Masks

SPARTANS -- 81.913*

Repertoire: "Surreal" -- Zambra by Ojos de Brujo; Redemption for the Pain Endured by The Dear Hunter; Fables of Faubus by C. Mingus; Playing God by Polyphia; Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt

Eyeballs!  Did they get Selma Hayek to do their corps intro?  It sounded so much like her with the Spanish accent.  My fave part is "Tragic Kingdom".  I like that guitar solo!  Look how far your music has come, Gwen Stefani!  Like full circle.  I can see how they got that Open Class World Champion gold medal.

Dali Props

Eyeballs

JERSEY SURF -- 76.238*

Repertoire: "Express Yourself" -- Church of the Poison Mind by M. E. Craig, G. A. O'Dowd, R. E. Hay, & J. A. Moss;True Colors by T. Kelly & B. Steinberg; Express Yourself by S. Bray & M. L. Ciccone; Born This Way by S. Germanotta & J. Laursen

Ooh, I like those colorful drums!  I couldn't really recognize "Express Yourself", though.   It would have been fun if they spelled out "GAGA" in formation.

Born This Way

SEATTLE CASCADES -- 76.050*

Repertoire: "REVIVAL: The Resurgence of a Drum Corps" -- Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Ritual; Stained Glass by D. Gillingham; Angels in the Architecture by F. Ticheli; I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie; Revival (Interlude) by Eminem

Welcome back, Cascades!  "Stained Glass" trumpet solo very nice.  Now let's have a whole corps do it.  Oh. Wait.  Bro asked if I yelled, but then I'd need to yell "CASCADES!!!!" instead of "VANGUARD!!!!", which I guess, would also have been fun, since they do have their own yell like that.  "This is our revival."   Awwww, nice.

Cascades!

GENESIS -- 79.088*

Repertoire: "Symbio.sys" -- The Firebird Suite by I. Stravinsky; Firebird Suite by I. Tomita; Hide and Seek by I. Heap; Asphalt Cocktail by J. Mackey; Original Music by Key Poulan & Mike Huestis

"Hey, PhoenixGPT..."  Funny narration with PGPT, and the corps showing the evolution of drum corps in stages:

We'll talk about Everyone's favorite topic: Electronics!

1) Opening -- Establish the theme

2) A strange transition for purpose of the story

3) The Drum Break

4) The Ballad.  Slow.  It.  Down.

5) The technical portion.  Play lots of notes to get the audience ready for the big ending.  

"WE. ARE. GENESIS!!!!"  Enjoyable!  I like the lit up marimbas.   IYKYK.

Helix

Lit up marimbas

I  said "IYKYK" to V, and had to tell her what it means. Ironic, no?   She tried it as "IFYKYK", but I didn't know why she needed to spell out the first word.  There was much giggling.  

MUSIC CITY -- 82.588*

Repertoire: "Violent Delights: A Rose and its Thorns" -- Paint It Black by M. Jagger & K. Richards; Rite of Spring by I. Stravinsky; Any Other Name by T. Newman; Go, Lovely Rose by E. Whitacre; Violent Delights by C.J. Barrow

Ohhh.  Rose and Thorns.  Because when they took the field, I thought they were Munchkins in a "Wizard of Oz" show.  They made a couple of rose formations.  I like the pink sparkly portion of the back of their uniforms.  

Rose and Stem of Thorns

Pink Rose

MADISON SCOUTS -- 83.525*

Repertoire: "The Sound Garden" -- Rusty Cage by C. Cornell (Soundgarden); La Mer by C. Debussy; Hold Music by J. Mann; Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden; 23 Degrees North, 82 Degrees West by B. Russo & S. Kenton

Typical Madison with their screaming sopranos.  Not that it's a bad thing.  I'm still trying to figure out why that big ball was there.  They only formed half a fleur-de-lis.  Bro said they've only been doing that for about 7 years.  Is that why I haven't been excited about a Scouts show for such a long time?

Just half

ACADEMY -- 82.588*

Go, Brennan!!!  There's a tarp on the stage now, and it is changed to an eclipse at the end.  Very nice music.  I like when they're kneeling for the ballad, and the fabric from their sleeve drops as they reach out to the soloist.

Tarp on Stage

Sleeves down

Eclipse

<Intermission>

I did not have time for the slowness of the smoothie makers, but it's open!  I got a hot dog for later instead.

Yay!  Brandt Crocker is here for the Big, Loud, Live broadcast!

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA -- 84.838*

Repertoire: "Up Down and All Around" -- Route 12 by T. Newman; What Goes Up by A. Parsons; Metroliner by E. A. Hirsch; Stuff We Did by R. Newman; My Human Heart by Coldplay & J. Collier

Aw, they had Brandt record their intro, too!  The "Up" music made V cry.  Toward the end of the show, Brandt's recording said, "Back on the field, Spirit of Atlanta!"  Very pretty music.

That's a lot of benches.

CROSSMEN -- 86.338*

Repertoire: "Meetings at the Edge" -- The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles; Meetings Along the Edge P. Glass & R. Shankar; Letter From Home by P. Metheny; The Windup by K. Jarrett / The Yellow Jacket by S. Martin

Well done, Xmen!  Great music, and a nice, simple design.  Hi, Bones!  The cymbals are on their knees toward the end, banging away.  Love it!

The Long and Winding Road

BONES!

PACIFIC CREST -- 85.00*

Yay!  Great job, PC!  The music is so much better now, and I like it much more than before.  The big beach tarp looks great on this field.  Really nice solo.

Pacific Crest Logo

I like these blue flags. 
 They look like water when they're being spun.

Another Crest

BLUE KNIGHTS -- 86.650*

V doesn't like what the narrator is saying for most of the show.  I miss ethereal BK.

Bang that gong!

COLTS -- 90.175*

Repertoire: "Where the Heart Is" -- Home Sweet Home by Mötley Crüe; Minuano (Six-Eight) by Pat Metheny Group; To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra & P. Watson; Feels Like Home by R. Newman; Classical Gas by M. Williams

Great brass feature with the triple tonguing!  "Dome Sweet Dome" looked kind of weird that way so it looks like "Dome Dome Sweet".  I don't like their uniforms:  too much red, maybe, with the red props?  Or maybe that pink hue?  I mean, at least they're wearing their corps colors and I can recognize them right away, unlike most of the other corps.  I like the multiple-colored double flags.  Those spiral phone cords -- do these kids even know what those are?

TROOPERS -- 89.163*

Repertoire: "To Lasso the Sun" -- L’ultima diligenza di Red Rock (from The Hateful Eight) by E. Morricone; Harrison's Dream by P. Graham; Jesu, meine Freude by J. S. Bach; Theme (from Once Upon a Time in the West) by E. Morricone; As if a Voice Were in Them by O. Waespi; Final Duel (from Once Upon a Time in the West) by E/ Morricone

The theme is set immediately as they enter the stadium.  That sun is mesmerizing.  What a beautiful harmonica / trumpet duet!   I like the old school snare rolls during the ballad. Great fancy footwork in the horn block.    I love the way it ends with someone in the traditional drum major uniform lassoing the sun.   I'm going to get a shirt!  I saw one that I liked before the show, but wanted to see the show before buying it.

How am I not supposed to look at it?!

Sun Formation

Sunburst

Lassoing the Sun

<Intermission>

 
BLUE STARS -- 89.363*

Repertoire: "In Absintheia" -- Avrio by Everfish; Green by M. Torke; Let Me Drown by O. Peck; Such Letting Go Is Love by The Symbion Project & M. R. Kaplan; In Absintheia by J.  Wunderlich

Ah, there is the black pipe that Bro told me about sometime yesterday.  They have much fewer props than in the recent past.  And then she slid down a spoon.  I see you changing your clothes!  I was sleepy at the start of this show, but they woke me up.  Good job with that, Blue Stars!

Spoon and Straws

Cubes

THE CAVALIERS -- 91.788*

Repertoire: "...Where You’ll Find Me" -- Gloria - Allegro Vivace by J. Rutter; Groove 75 by R. Saucedo, M. McIntosh, C. Walker & M. Black; Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) by H. Arlen & E.Y. Harburg; Softly As I Leave You by M. Monroe

SPLOOIEEEEEE!!!  

Bro: Here comes the Percussion Award.

I like that show, bringing back lots music cues from other years.  Oooh, that drum feature!  The snares are killing it with their ensemble solo.  Plumes!  I like the mirrors on the big plume props.  

Reflection

THE CADETS -- 93.688*
Repertoire: "Atlas Rising" -- What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving The World (from Man of Steel) by H. Zimmer; Immortal by P. Lovatt-Cooper; Defeat by L. Beddis & A. Monteiro; Corynorhinus (from Batman Begins) by H. Zimmer

At the start of the show, they pose in push-up position, with one foot on another person's shoulder.  Superman!  Nice trumpet ensemble work during that last piece!

I guess I forgot to take pictures during this show.

PHANTOM REGIMENT -- 92.675*

Repertoire: "Exogenesis" -- The 2nd Law: Isolated System & Supremacy by Muse; As If A Voice Were In Them by O. Waespi; to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem by A. Akiho; Piano Concerto No. 2 by S. Rachmaninoff; For I Have Fought the Good Fight by S. Melillo

The drum major has a Phregiment chevron tattoo, cool hair, and she starts the show conducting with just one arm.  She is FIRE.  That's the ballad work that I expect from Phregiment.  Cool trombone ensemble, and the soloist is cute, too!  Cool props because they are versatile from being arches to other positions.  They made an orchestra pit tarp.  There were a lot of tarps, actually.

Orchestra Pit

Lots of tarps

MANDARINS -- 93.363*

Yay!  Great to see that "Spinnerman" ending live!  Do they have to take Dramamine before the show?  I like that show A LOT.

Red vs. White

Upside Down

"Hold my hat, would ya?"

"...I gotta get on this spinny thing."

CAROLINA CROWN -- 96.975*

Repertoire: "The Round Table: Echoes of Camelot" -- The Night Window by T. Newman; Bachelorette by Björk; String Quartet No. 2, Mvt. 2 by B. Bartók; Requiem in D-Minor (Lacrimosa) by W. A. Mozart; Stampede (from Australia) by D. Hirschfelder; All is Full of Love by Björk; Tristan and Isolde by R. Wagner; Manifest 3 by E. Goldenthal; The Wounded King by M. Klesch, M. Martin, K. Shah & M. Jackson; Dido's Lament by H. Purcell

Is that a dart board?  I wonder what the Mandarins think when they see so many circular stages in other shows this year.  I love that brass section.  Interesting sound having trumpets with mutes versus the heralder trumpets.  I just wish the colors were more, I don't know, vibrant or distinct or something with oomph.  You can't have a show about royalty without a crown formation, so I'm glad they added that late in the season to punch up their GE.

Game of Sword Darts, anyone?

Crown logo

What's this underneath?

CROWN

BLUECOATS -- 96.688*

Repertoire: "The Garden of Love" -- Eleven by yMusic; The Woods by C. Corea; The Garden of Love by Jacob TV; Finding and Believing by P. Metheny; 45 by Bon Iver; Bump by A. Meredith; So Many Layers of Colour Become a Deep Purple Heart by E. Magnason

They've got Scooby-Doo vibes.  Do they know that I can't see them with that light green uniform on the green field?  Music was veRy good and they are very talented, but the spoken word poetry throughout the show makes me roll my eyes a lot.  If they weren't so deep into the program, they would have been my hot dog corps.  I like the butterflies, though.

We've got some work to do now

Butterflies!

BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 96.300

Repertoire: "White Whale" -- Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, arranged by R. V. Williams;  Out to Sea by R. George, C. McNutt, I. Moyer & M. Zellers; The Whale by C. McNutt, I. Moyer & M. Zellers; Swallowtail Jig (Traditional); The Wellerman (Traditional); Show Me the Way to Go Home by J. Campbell & R. Connelly; Shipping Up To Boston by Dropkick Murphys; On the Waterfront by L. Bernstein

Gotta love a drum corps sea shanty and some "Show Me The Way to Go Home" happening with some double rifle work.  V likes the big blue sheer silk.  APPARENTLY, I missed the "I. AM. SPARTACUS!" moment with the whale being harpooned.  So did V.  Bro even said those words and we didn't hear him.  I also didn't see the dock situation along the front of the field until the middle of the show.  I like this show!  

Whale Tail

White Whale Tail

Sheer Blue Water

Trident?

BLUE DEVILS -- 97.688*

GO, MADISON!  GO SHELBY!  I think I found Madison, but had trouble finding Shelby.  The ballad has grown on me.  I like the formations at the end to create the Matisse starts.  

Dance Break

Paisley / Tear Drop

Star

We walked a different way home, and it was a much better atmosphere with all of the other drum corps folks around us.  The hotel gave us complimentary water, which was nice and cold.  We were all very tired and I didn't want to type yet, so I started blogging this the next day.  

Next up:  SEMIFINALS