|
Music Under the Stars – Hornell DCI Show It was a gorgeous night for a drum corps show and the long wait had finally come for MSJ to perform our first field show of 2008. We had practiced long and hard (in alumni terms) for this night and now it was our turn to let it out for the reasonably full house. After we all finally found our right starting places on the field it was time to get it on. I couldn’t help notice the new Irish flags infiltrating the horn line with the help of our ‘A’ guard to set up the drill formations and also our dedicated working guard out in front ready to show off their long hours of work (for real) to the drum corps world. Thanks Barb Fitch and Gary Richardson for doing such a great job with these two sections. So off the line we went (36H, 18P, 5WG, 8’A’G, 2B, 2DM) and the crowd seemed to pick-up on it right away. They had just been treated to several DCI corps that didn’t give them any breaks during their shows to get off their hands and seats to clap and stand. Believe me, we do. Those breaks aren’t only for them to show their appreciation; it’s also a chance for us to catch our breath so that we can continue. As we stepped out to do the drum solo I realized that it was time to get it right. We had been struggling with this solo for most of the year and even during practice right before the show. But this time we did a pretty good job. The crowd appreciated our efforts and that sure helps. They were standing and cheering during the color-pre, another piece the junior corps didn’t offer. And then from the ‘Rumps’ in Temptation, through Georgia and the trooping of the stands they were rocking, clapping, stomping and standing right along with us and our beat. It turned out to be another pretty good 1st show for the corps again. Here are a couple of quotes from the local paper about the corps: Gold for ‘biking’ Blue Stars (Hornell Gazette) 1-While scores were being tallied, Mighty St. Joe's Alumni Corps from LeRoy took the field, treating the fans to a stand-still performance of classic drum corps songs including “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (???), “Georgia On My Mind,” “New York Minute” and others. 2-He (Hornell Mayor Shawn Hogan) also said St. Joe’s, a perennial favorite at the show, brought the crowd to its feet. Watkins Glen Again, another perfect day for a parade. Not the usual 90 degrees, just perfect. And being dressed down to the Hawaiian uniform really helped. BUT this was not one of MSJ better showings for 2008 or for Bernie Riley’s home town. We were so small that we were limited to what we could play including parade tunes but we were still entertaining and the people enjoyed us. Sully decided that we would not play a concert in the park afterwards. His initial reason was because no one was around to listen but I believe he was being gracious to the corps for all that was going on this weekend. This is a drum corps town and area, probably a place we could recruit from. I spoke with an Appleknocker alumni afterwards and he seemed interested but was concerned with the size of the corps. I assured him that this was not the norm and we had added this parade to the schedule. A few of us did stay around and played a little ‘Georgia’ to the very appreciative crowd at the beer tent. Although this may seem trivial, here is a quote about the parade in a local fish wrapper and the only unit mentioned was MSJ: Italian-American Festival Returns (Corning Leader) The parade will feature 70 units, including the St. Joe’s Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps of Leroy, a popular attraction, according to parade organizers. Drums Along the Waterfront – Buffalo DCI Show The week came to an end at Ralph Wilson Stadium with our second field show of the year and the weekend. The show was delayed because of an issue with the field and that put us on at near 10:00 P.M. This certainly made for a longer day than initially planned and you could see this wearing on many. The feeling just seemed not to be as upbeat in my opinion as the Hornell show. We were missing a few horns and it had already been a long weekend. We did do a lot of work in the practice area before the show and I’m sure that assured us that this would be another good night. And as we entered the stadium through the tunnel and were exposed to the bright lights, the big crowd and the aura of The Ralph, it was time to give them all we had. After seeing the spectators’ response during and after the show and listening to the recording of the show, the fans got what they were expecting. It’s obvious no matter how big we are or how perfect our drill may be, drum corps fans wait in anticipation show after show, year after year, for Mighty St. Joe’s to “take the field in exhibition”. A note from Commander71-DCP (Bruce Lindsay) “….and Mighty St. Joe's lit the place up with their in-your-face finale of "Georgia". Dana, sorry if we embarrassed you but WE LOVE YOU MAN!” Bluecoats tops (The Buffalo News)Roughly 5,500 to 6,000 fans watched the annual drum and bugle corps competition.
SORRY BUT THERE’S MORE, HAVE BEEN LAX AT WRITING THESE REVIEWS AT A REGULAR BASIS……
Off to Philadelphia – Reilly Raiders Show
As Curt has already said in the MSJ Member Update:
St Joes Batavia- Mighty Saint Joes! Wow... what a sound! In my opinion the best brass of the evening with the exception of the Marines. If percussion can come around and keep pace with the horn line, this will truly be one of the best regardless of size! (Tony Perez – DCP – alumni of “The Commandant’s Own, U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps) (28 H, 16 P, 3 AG, 2 DM)
As usual Temptation got ‘em up, Rio had ‘em dancin’ and Georgia took ‘em over the top. Nice job Ace! And they were still clapping and stomping while the curtains were being closed to the sound of the infamous MSJ Street Beat.
I heard that the bus had its own personal escort but I won’t mention any names. None of us seemed to know where we were going the entire weekend. But it sure is a good thing there are cell phones and all of those different types of GPS gizmos or some of us may still be lost somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Sorry the bus had to leave. For the most part the party fizzled right after that. It was a long day for those that stayed and I’m certain a longer bus ride home for those who had to go.
One specifically that was told to me as we had just finished our performance by a gentleman in a Marine Corps shirt was “I don’t have to hear any more of the corps, you guys win”. Well, that’s it for now. Just a few more events left for 2008. It certainly has been another great year for the corps but we’re not quite finished yet. This Sunday is our last full practice before DCA and Sunday night will be our final dress rehearsal for the Alumni Spectacular. For all of us that are able please be sure to get there on time so that we can fit any of those who don’t know the drill into it. It certainly is simple enough to learn so that we can come off the line with a big sound on Labor Day Weekend. Even though the strength of MSJ’s show is in our musical abilities, the crowd is usually in awe of that OTL BLAST! Hope to see you all this Sunday for another day of fun in the sun. Hope you enjoy this over-due review but as it turns out I get to roll a lot of info into one short bathroom read. This is like writing for the Reader’s Digest. Hope it’s interesting enough. See ya soon!.... Bob W.
|
