July 27, 2024 – Nashville International Airport
After two days of love in the south and the spirit of Music City, alas, I must leave. I am seated at C13 at the Nashville airport with plenty of time to catch up while I wait for my flight to Charlotte, North Carolina. I am meeting up with drum corps brother, Tim, family, and friends. We will head to Winston Salem on Sunday for NightBEAT, one of the best drum corps shows on the planet. Tim is a Carolina Crown Hall of Fame and former board member. He will attend a celebration to honor others before the show. It is a privilege to know many of the founders and supporters of the very popular drum corps. Now, let’s talk drum corps.
Last evening was magical in the sold-out Johny Red Floyd Stadium at Middle Tenessee State University in Murfreesboro (MTSU) for the DCI Summer Music Games. Mother Nature cooperated with calm winds and no rain. The heat and humidity were another matter. If we were sticky in the stands, the corps members were drenched in perspiration at the end of their performance. All nine DCI World Class drum and bugle corps performed their well-exercised hearts out, beginning with Music City, Leave it to the River. The corps put it all out there on the field to the very appreciative local crowd. Once again, The Cavaliers showed us what is underneath their armor. My first viewing of the Mandarins show was highly entertaining. Clearly a crowd favorite, Phantom Regiment blew off the stadium roof. I have become a Phan. Carolina Crown revealed their signature drill to the adoring crowd to finish out the first six corps before intermission.
After a pause in the continuous onslaught of stimulation, the fans returned to the stands to witness the final three corps of the evening. Boston Crusaders took the field and took the breath away from the audience. I heard multiple gasps, oohs, and aahs during the many blips in the program’s EKG. BAC has carved out an identity of firing on all cylinders with top scores in percussion and color guard captions in the World Class. During the intermission, I had the chance to catch the corps arriving at the stadium from afar with all of the regalia. As they circled up just outside the gate for some inspiring words from Chris Holland and Mike Woodall, I paused to record. They sang the corps song, Giant, and then went through a series of chants and shouts before entering the field. I ran back to my seat.
Earlier in the day, I had the pleasure of popping into the stadium and catching the run-through of the Romantics by the Blue Devils. My first showing was at the end of a long, hot afternoon of rehearsal. I did not quite know what to think. Seeing later that night in full uniform under the lights was captivating. Oh, that BD sound and the wizardry of the drills performed by the highly energetic members. What could be better? Just wait.
Bluecoats (not blue) finished the evening, and indeed, we were saved the best for last. I learned that they were encamped at a high school nearby, so my first stop of the day was to check out their morning rehearsal. Alas, but not. According to D, they were sleeping in due to arriving at 5:00 am. I wanted to see the magic that goes on behind the scense on this highly unique, inventive, creative, and just downright crazy show. Change is Everything keeps getting more of the above each time I see it. At this level of performance quality, it is hard to say which of the corps has the best horns. The unique rhythms and juxtapositions of the horns on the field, arranged and designed by the Bluecoats, provide an unparalleled sound experience.
After fully massaging the thalamus gland (that which resides inside the brain that process pleasure and links us to the universe) with another fine outdoor drum corps show, southern style, I headed back to the car, slightly staggering from the overwhelming stimulation. I did not wait for the scores. I measured the crowd reactions to formulate my ranking. As I drove back to the hotel in Mt. Juliet, I had three corps tied for first, two corps tied for 4th and then the rest. Of course the judges had a more granular approach. For the first time in the history of the World, BAC bested BD. Another upset was Phantom Regiment upped Carolina Crown. More shows to come, and it all comes down to the last Saturday night. Next for me is NightBEAT. Peace out for now.