August 7, 2024 – Indianapolis, Indiana
The long and not-so-winding road across Central Ohio into Central Indiana was adventurous and tedious. Not having a plan can bring unexpected rewards. Wanting to avoid the copious amount of trucks on the interstates, we chose to take the B route, which provided a constant cruise across the pastoral countryside, intermittently interrupted by the occasional cities and towns. One such city, Bucyrus, OH, was one that provided an unexpected reward. My fascination with the Lincoln Highway, the original paved road across the US was the magnet. “Hey Siri, search diners nearby.” The Lincoln Diner, just off US 30 on the old route of the Lincoln Highway outside of Bucyrus, popped up. Bingo! I often find diners to be a great source of local intel. The chef and waitress were eager to promote a visit to downtown to see the new murals commissioned by the city. Backtracking is always a concern, but it was well worth the experience to view the large-scale realism. The Great American Crossroads Mural, painted by muralist Eric Grohe, in the center of town, depicts the streetscape of the past. The other, just down the street, featured Lady Liberty under an arch structure with columns that had the faces of all of the fallen soldiers of the city. A kiosk with a roster of names with identifying numbers is present, as the painter used photos of the faces to render them realistically and accurately. Cool and impressive.
Back on the road, we cruised across the countryside on the old Lincoln Highway for a stretch before getting back on the 4-lane Route 30 that replaced it. Once again, I was in the open landscape of the Midwest, zipping along the one-square-mile grid of fields and farms. Eschewing the interstates and avoiding the constant convoy of trucks was welcome. The Silver Bullet has been purring along with no issues. It enjoyed the peace and serenity as we did. With no particular plan yet, we headed toward Marion, Indiana, to meet up with fellow drum corps travelers who were at the DCI Open Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University. Why not? There is no such thing as too much drum corps.
Not having a ticket for the show allowed me to roam the lot and hang out beyond the fence at the back of the stadium for a rare view from the backfield. What I noticed immediately was the sound that was bouncing off the stands back at the members. A high brick wall at the bottom of the stadium was directly in front of the corps’ speakers and ensemble, causing the cacophony of sound to echo back. This must have made it difficult for the marchers. I have found that the best stadiums for sound are ones that are surrounded by trees and other softer, non-flat surfaces. For the fans in the stands, this stadium must not have been the best audio experience. I suppose if it were a football game, it would not be a problem. I am dreading three days of drum corps inside the monstrous tin can of Lucas Oil Stadium.
Sound generation is an element of drum corps that has evolved. I am not an expert on this by any means. In fact, I am also hearing impaired. I require hearing aids to hear the kid’s voices in school. When I first got them, I thought I would be fine without them at a show, thinking drum corps was loud enough. Boy, was I surprised when I did wear them, hearing all of the sounds emanating from the pit and audio system completely for the first time. I wonder what percentage of sound is actually pre-recorded. I know that the intense low-frequency sounds are not all coming from the contrabass. Where I am in the stands makes a big difference. If I am low and near one of the large speaker towers, I hear the majority of the sound through that speaker only. The soloist might be 80 yards away, and I cannot locate the player on the field. Also, amplified pit sounds can overpower the unmic’d marchers. Figuring out all the variables of recording and broadcasting drum corps must keep the sound engineers up at night.
Spontaneity and serendipity are at play in my life while on my drum corps tours. Once again, I found myself at the right place and time to meet another soul of significance, Robin Orr. He is a retired music teacher on a mission. His mission is the art of percussion practice pads, inventing some really cool pads. Founder of Ram Pad, Robin, takes his prototype pads to shows mounted on his roving bicycle cart. This is a great place for drummers to converge and share their cool stuff with each other. Kudos to Robin for his passion for music education.
I have to say that I was very impressed by the Open Class Corps. The Spartans from Nashua, New Hampshire, took the show’s top honors. This is the third championship in four years for this solid drum corps. Blue Devils B took the field with a vengeance, and their show was world-class-worthy, but they scored in second place. This venerable organization is primed to have many more championships in the coming years. Gold from San Diego, California, took the bronze. Everyone in all of the corps performed their hearts out under not-so-nice conditions, including the sound feedback from the stands, occasional rain showers, and the dreaded wind, the bane of the color guard. What a great experience they all must have had this summer, ready to go back to middle and high school and share their stories with friends. Many of these kids will move on to a World Class Corps next year.
Attending this event was a fitting end to our pilgrimage to Indy. We drove the remaining miles to our comfortable home away from home here at this hotel. Tonight, there will be a DCI party at the Crown Plaza Conference Center. This is the home of that lovely Kawai piano on Track 10. I hope to hit the keys again. Meanwhile, it is time to enjoy a rehearsal and catch up with some friends. I will try to keep you posted.