Table for Three, Please

 Western Corps Connection

Friday, July 10, 2026

Mount San Antonio College - Hillmer Lodge Stadium

Walnut, CA

Second day in a row for some drum corps goodness!  Bro and Dodie met at my house, and I drove us to Mt. SAC.  We had our money ready again this year, but nobody asked for it.  Well, OK, then.  You know the one time I don't bring money, they'll ask for parking fees.  In cash.  I followed directions this time and Dodie laughed as I still complained about last year's parking.  We took the tunnel to walk across the street, and checked out the souvenirs, some of which we hadn't seen at the previous show.  We looked through the discount bins, but again I didn't find anything I wanted.  Bro had already received his food by the time Dodie and I were done shopping, and I got a Cucumber Lime flavored Gatorade, which is a new one to me.  Ooh, it was good!  

Our seats were on the right 45-yard line, section 7, row JJ, seats 17-19, on the aisle.   I like having individual seats and cup holders, but I would trade them both for a seat with a desk!  

Dodie's wearing her new PC shirt 

The Star-Spangled Banner was a recording.  Boo.  Then the announcer went into the same spiel that I've already heard twice.  I don't usually mind, but the spiel is way too effing long.  Bro took a recording of it to prove it, and there was just too much time taken from our lives.

BLUE DEVILS B

They sounded much better today, and the color guard made much fewer drops.  They have fire flags during the cooking segment, then the pink one has a covered dish, then I forgot to pay attention after that.  Oh wait.  That was the B corps?  No wonder they sounded better.  I'm so confused.

Sorry about the shadows, but that guy just tossed up his tray.
Pretty sure they frown upon that in the fancy restaurants.

BLUE DEVILS C

Nice baritone solo on "Nothing Else Matters".  I like that the trombone soloist already has that BD strut going on.  I love the pose by the drummers after their feature.

The sleeves are copper, right?

Those unappetizing swirly flags

Um, your pyramids fell down.

GOLDEN EMPIRE

The balls are wrinnkly.  Dodie had me singing "Silver Bells" but with the word "balls" instead.  Soon it will be Christmas Day!  It took me until the 3rd show to figure out that the first flags were depicting a ball in motion.

Flags with ball in motion on them

I love this action shot of the color guard ponytails.

GOLD

Oh, never mind.  The flautist does not also spin a saber.  I thought I saw her pick one up at the previous show, but she actually hides as another person near her picks up a saber.  Such trickery!  they never did anything with the big screens.  They need to be shinier so they glimmer to fit the "Luminous" theme.

Such a pretty flag.  Peekaboo!

What are those silver screens?  
The holes at the top are too high for Academy-like tricks.

IMPULSE

Repertoire: "Around the Table" -- Uno by P. Connell; Breathe (from "In the Heights") by 

L-M Miranda; Sorry by J. Bieber, M. Tucker, S. Moore, J. Tranter & J. Michaels; I Could Use a Boost (from 'The Wild Robot") by K. Bowers

I like this show!  It's about board games, and they start with some people playing cards, seated at a table.  Yes, more tables.  Maybe there was a sale on furniture this year.   At first, I was missing their "!" trademark, then I saw their pants.  Yay!   I like the Uno flags, and they do drill according to the Draw 4, Reverse, and Wild cards.  They also played "Sorry", and when I first saw the show online, it reminded me of a game night with my friends when I was in what I called "Snow White Hell".  Cool unfolding of the game board on top of the table, with one person of each color as game pieces standing on top.  

Those are some big cards.
But not as big as the cards on "Card Sharks".

She's so cute!

The exclamation point on their pants!
The Sorry slide on their tops!
LOVE. IT.

Game Board and Human Game Tokens

<Intermission>

I could see the color guard from the remaining corps practicing their flag routines, so I stopped for a while and watched them.

Vanguard Color Guard warmup

Bro and I talked to Ray from the SCV board, with whom we made friends at the 50th gala.  I always like seeing him.  He told us about all the confusion trying to find an entrance ramp for his partner in a wheelchair.  Come on, Mt. SAC, do better, please.

SEATTLE CASCADES

Repertoire: "Against the Grain" -- Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana; Man in the Box by Alice in Chains; Rite of Spring by I. Stravinsky; Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

You know what props they have?  TABLES.  Well, I guess when all of the corps run out of room to eat in the parking lots, they can just pull up one their props and use them to hold their food.  OK, I guess those tables are actually tree stumps.  I love their plaid dresses.   They took them off and used them as props! Is that a campfire?  I like the Rite of Spring mixed with Nirvana.  Cascades are embracing their Grunge Era roots and I'm here for it.  I could do without the extra instruments, but I really like this show!

The Dress I Like

Bass Drum Feature

Dress converts to a poncho.
When you're in Seattle, you get creative for rain.

Plaidness

ACADEMY

They were having issues with their sound system, and decided to start without amplification.  The non-amplified alto sax playing with the full corps shows woodwinds should not be on the field with DCI.  They just can't hold their own and can only do so with microphones, which annoys me.  That connected ring prop looks like it's half of that plastic thing that holds a six-pack of soda. 

Cymbal Cartwheel

Tilt those tenors!

SHINY!!

PACIFIC CREST

I like this show more and more with every viewing.  I watched the marimbas during "Moonlight Sonata" this time and they do that well with the piano.  We're not sure if they're forming their logo when the chrysalis opens.  Maybe we'll be able to see it when we're up higher.

I Like That Pose

Big and Pretty Purple!

Getting Ready to Open

BLUECOATS

Lady behind me:  "This looks like the circus is about to perform."

Me: "No, that was the Academy."

Man behind me:  "They are not wearing blue, nor are they wearing coats."

I liked their show more today.  The way they use their musical dynamics is just so good!  And that ballad.  When it starts, I don't really care about it, but by the end, it's just gorgeous.  

I like the flare of their pants.

Are your eyes dizzy yet?

VANGUARD

The drum major's salute is cool with the twirling of the chains.  BEAT THOSE DRUMS!!!  I like the decrescendo from the soprano trio after they blast us with those high notes.  Oh, somebody jumps rope and tumbles on the stage.  Neato.

Drum Majors Ready to Take the Field

Drum Major Salute

One of the 4 poses during the contra feature

Dance Break

BLUE DEVILS

Nice job, BD!  I really like the skill of their flag tosses.  Their unison is so good!  Dodie just figured out the giant wings from the last huge prop.  It's OK, Dodie.  It took me a minute, too.  

Wake up, BD!

They must have some strong abs

Mmmmm.....Pantssss

You thought I'd forget to mention that, didn't you?  

Scores

OPEN CLASS

5) 62.250 -- Blue Devils C

4) 63.500 -- Golden Empire

3) 65.500 -- Impulse

2) 67.800 -- Gold

1) 69.300 -- Blue Devils B

WORLD CLASS

6) 68.850 -- Seattle Cascades

5) 73.300 -- The Academy

4) 74.100 -- Pacific Crest

3) 83.700 -- Santa Clara Vanguard

2) 85.250 -- Blue Devils

1) 86.750 -- Bluecoats

We left before scores were announced, because I wanted to see if I could get photos of the Bluecoats truck, but they were too far away, so we went home instead.  

Next up:  Corps at the Crest - Rose Bowl