August 4, 2024 – Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
I’m finally catching up with you on Allentown Saturday while enjoying a nice ale and lunch at the Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, with my co-traveler, Chuck. We are now two wild and crazy guys traversing the landscape in the Silver Bullet. This is a break from my usual solo touring when the only one to worry about is me. Now, with Chuck on board, there are two brains, two stomachs, and two bladders to consider. But lo and behold, we have both found our mutual rhythm here at the VBC, enjoying a HopDevil IPA and a great burger while we pontificate about all matters and I fire off some thoughts here.
Well, it was a rainout for marching in Allentown on the second night. It is always a disappointment when Mother Nature decides to intervene with drum corps. I have been so lucky this season and in previous Allentown adventures with perfect weather. I suppose last night was payback when balance and karma are considered. The consensus among my entourage was to return to the dry hotel and watch them on Flo instead of waiting around and sitting in the wet stands waiting for a decision. Alas, I should have stayed. Seven of the scheduled drum corps performed at a standstill once the inclement weather passed around 9:00 p.m. Instead, we watched the Olympics Opening Ceremony on TV. Proud Americans in colorful uniforms paraded, performed, and rejoiced as we whiled away the evening in our crowded hotel room in front of the large retina screen instead of another exciting night in the J. Birney Crum Stadium. A fitting consolation, maybe not. I brooded in my corner nursing a Heady Topper and was mostly bored. I threw out my television 36 years ago. The three-second rule of TV (no image lasts more than 3 seconds) is too draining, so I hit the sheets early.
Eyes closed and hearing aids plugged into the charger, I pondered about my unusually strong interest in DCI. I thought of Ed Cook, the drummer in my father’s band who taught me the rudiments when I was a teenager. I remembered the shows that I went to in Rochester, New York, back in the early 70s with my brother, the talented soprano bugle player, who passed away at a young age. I recalled the first video that I watched when I rediscovered drum corps back in 2012 while thinking of him. When I typed in a few keywords, up popped Space Chords, the horn line warm-up of the Blue Devils. Of course, this blue me away, so I dove in deep and learned about DCI and the evolution of the activity over the past 40 years. I joined the DCI fan network and consumed hours of recorded shows before they were taken down.
While I laid in the hotel bed trying to ignore the merriment of the TV watchers, I recalled my first Allentown and the shows from 2012. It was my first time experiencing the Bluecoats with their program Unmasked. I recognized the musical theme, but it took me a while to learn that it was from the Phantom of the Opera. The adaptation to the theme of the Bluecoats 2012 show really struck a chord with me. It was the show that revealed a more personal side of drum corps and evoked a more profound visceral response. These kids had faces and emotions! Drum corps had come a long way in 40 years since I had paid attention to it. Now, after 12 years (minus 1) of my annual summertime musical journeys, the transformation has been even greater. And Bluecoats, a leader of this transformation, is currently undefeated. Change is Everything.
Chuck stayed for the standstill performances last night in Allentown. He related that he was disappointed not to see the Boston Crusaders, who decided to bail out for the safety and wellness of their members. Reports were that Carolina Crown stole the hearts of the fans with additional pieces at a standstill and an impromptu performance on the roadway outside the stadium following the formal presentation. Bravo Crown. Class and spirit were exemplified. I’m sorry that I missed it.
We’ve taken up this table long enough. Time to clam up the Mac for now. Chuck researched a nature preserve nearby for our daily walk. Later this afternoon, we will attend Big Sound in Motion, the combined All-Age and Junior DCI corps performance here. Performing are DCI All-Age Corps: The Bushwackers, Hawthorn Caballeros, and Reading Buccaneers, as well as four World Class DCI Corps: Jersey Surf, Madison Scouts, Carolina Crown, and Boston Crusaders. I’ll try to catch up with you later, after the show.
Big Sound in Motion
9:50 PM – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
After an hour’s drive from the show in Downingtown, the six drum corps fanatics caravaning westward toward Indianapolis are in a comfortable suite in Lancaster. The drive at night over the rolling hills of Pennsylvania required caution and focus to avoid the horse-drawn carriages and white-tailed deer. With a just-opened can of HopDevil IPA, it’s time to report on the Big Sound in Motion show. Let me just say one word: Wow! Just, simply, Wow!
The combined show of DCI All-Ages and Junior Corps was a real treat, especially after last night’s marching rainout. We arrived just as the Caballeros Alumni Corps was taking the field in exposition. The sombreros, bright red sashes, and inserts in the bell-bottom trousers enhanced the strong nostalgic feeling. This was the look that our local corps where my brother and I marched in central New York back in the early seventies mimicked. That eased us into a beautiful night of entertainment under the summertime blue sky. What impressed me the most was the quality of the all-age corps. Each performer exhibited esprit de corps as they presented shows with great design and repertoires. This was much to the liking of the local drum corps fans, who gave back the love in spades. These marchers are the weekenders who have real lives and real jobs that otherwise keep them busy. The All-Age Corps attract age-outs and have entry-level opportunities for younger members who feed into a DCI Junior Corps in open or world class. We were well primed for the second half of the evening.
The first corps after the fold, the Boston Crusaders, were catching babies thrown from the stands following their performance. Glitch is a hit everywhere I see it. Many obvious and subtle glitches are either new or that I missed before. Though it is unfortunate that they did not perform in Allentown, seeing their true colors combine tonight to the adoring Pennsylvania audience was wonderful. Glitch was the crowd favorite, and the judges agreed. Next up, Madison Scouts kept up the pace with that championship level of sound and motion and their tradition of pushing hard in the late season. Since seeing them in the Midwest early in the season, I can tell that they have been. Carolina Crown closed out the evening with its satisfying display of musical talent and sublime drills. The color scheme pleases the eyes. The very intricate John Makey piece, as the program closes, has been growing on me all season.
Tomorrow, the traveling vagabonds of unaffiliated, non-credentialed drum corps fans that I am touring with will attend the final outdoor show of the season in Canton, Ohio. Chuck and I plan to take the Lincoln Highway (Rt. 30) for much of the way to avoid the crowded interstate and see some of the Pennsylvania heartland. The Bluecoats home show, Innovation in Brass, is the highlight of the year for me because it is the final outdoor performance with a lineup equal to NightBEAT. The weather forecast is for a chance of thunderstorms. I have been rained on there in the past. I have my fingers crossed. Following that, we will have two days to kill before the Preliminary Finals on Thursday. The DCI Open-Class Championships are in play, too. After finals, Chuck will fly home while I head to Michigan for a late summer adventure with the North Country Trail folks. There are many miles ahead for the good old Volvo, but it has never been happier. Peace out for now.