Tuesday, June 29, 2004
(10:59 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
Band Geeks of the World, Unite!
I just returned from the Drum Corps International show in Frankfort, Ill. I have turned down opportunities to go to DCI shows before, despite having been a pretty serious band geek myself in high school (symphonic band, marching band, jazz band, treasurer of the band...), and now I feel like a total jackass, because it was really great. There were a couple mediocre bands at the beginning, but once the big bands started coming out, it was a non-stop display of some amazing musicianship and athleticism -- playing to a pretty good-sized high school stadium that was completely packed out.
My personal favorite, and the obvious audience favorite, was the Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio, who had a very impressive color guard and a fun show overall. On a technical level, their drill wasn't as challenging as the Madison Scouts or the Cavaliers, but I just didn't feel right about those two because they were all-male groups; there was something anachronistic and maybe a little sad about that in my mind. This is not to say that they weren't very impressive in their own way. The Scouts performed a brilliantly executed "whole band in one big line" move, or what I like to call the "balls out" move, and the Cavaliers' drill and music were both incredibly complex and well-executed. There was just an enthusiasm in the Bluecoats' performance that was missing in the other two "name" bands.
I highly recommend that everyone attend the next DCI show in their area. They do occasionally show them on PBS, but a TV broadcast does not even begin to do justice to seeing it live.
