Open Class finalists in the late afternoon sun in Marion.
August 5, 2025 – Fort Wayne, IN
It takes a lot of miles traveled to enjoy this unique American youth activity. We have logged well over 1,000 miles so far in pursuit of those precious moments of being in front of such amazing performance in person. To make the days of travel more interesting, I have always built in some time to experience other sites and activities. On our way through Ohio, we stopped in Bucyrus again for another gaze at the incredible murals, realistic depictions of the downtown during the turn of the 20th Century. Yes, we deviated from the main road to travel portions of the old Lincoln Highway. We are now in Fort Wayne, IN, visiting Sweetwater, a large online retailer of musical instruments and equipment. I had discovered this company while shopping for percussion equipment for my band room. Sweetwater has outstanding customer service. Visiting the gigantic showroom and talking to a few of the technicians on the floor was a treat. Sales engineer Jeffrey Reckis noticed the DCI logo on my jacket, and we exchanged stories about each other’s drum corps credentials, his podcast, and my blog. Blue Knights alumnus Jeffrey exemplifies the spirit of drum corps in his music, words, and work here at Sweetwater. Later, I spent a few minutes in the piano room to test out a half dozen pianos. Now, while lounging in the cafe, I have time to update you on Innovation in Brass.
Sweetwater guitars.
Innovation in Brass
The Trooper takes a bullet in the Hall of Fame.
On Monday afternoon, after three hundred and seventy-five miles of twisty-turny Pennsylvania and Ohio Turnpikes, up and down, and boom, we made it to Canton to attend Innovation in Brass, the home show of the Bluecoats. This DCI show features an impressive lineup of World-Class DCI Corps, including five of the top six-ranked corps: Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Blue Devils, Phantom Regiment, and Carolina Crown, in addition to the Troopers, Colts, Blue Knights, Pacific Crest, and Madison Scouts, who led us off before intermission. The final score placements reflect this order. This was the last show of the regular season. Each of the corps pushed themselves to a high performance level under the cooling late summer sky, and under our watchful eyes and expectant ears, looking and listening for subtle changes. The Troopers timed their performance perfectly as the summer sun was retiring below the horizon.
Excitement can be suppressed by wonder. Partly mesmerized by the show concepts, we can be challenged to stay riveted, watching, listening, and wondering, but no less impressed. This is true of the Bluecoats’ show, The Observer Effect. I swear they turned up the volume at Innovation and Brass, both the performers and the techs. Their performance, informed by how we viewed it, was enough to earn the highest score, largely due to their strong musical, highly visual, and generally effective approach, which swept all three major categories.
The Blue Knights oboist drowns out the brass.
That same pattern of scoring would play out for the top three. Blue Devils have painted the palette reflecting their moniker, soft and pleasing to the eye, at their gatherings across the continent. Variations on a Gatheringis a show that I have seen often, beginning with my California tour. It continues to hit my pleasure button. The reed is welcomed by my ears. My uncle Gary, a Berkeley graduate, played all the saxophone and clarinet instruments during his career performing in my grandfather’s Dixieland jazz and swing band, Russell’s Tom Cats, and later in a popular area rock band, Blue Moon. Like my brother, the brass player, he was the most talented member of his family. They both died young. My tours and these words are a tribute to my grandfather, father, uncle, and brother. I digress.
Pacific Crest, a fitting start to the final outdoor show.
A scramble for fifth place in the rankings between Carolina Crown and Phantom Regiment is ensuing, with PR picking up a point and a half since Allentown. Both shows exemplify top DCI prowess and medal-worthy performances. Following the show, friends and travelers pontificated on Boston’s second-place finish ad nauseam as we whiled away the late evening hours out on the hotel patio. I choose not to get too into the debate about anomalies in scoring categories, biased judges, or other theories of reasoning for the resulting scores. What I know is that both Bluecoats and Boston, as well as all of the other World Class DCI corps, have highly entertaining shows performed at the very highest level. For the top six corps, with such a difference in design and concept, it seems impossible to me that mere humans can subjectively compare them with mere numbers. I loved all of the shows, and they were all winners last night.
The soprano sax is a welcome guest at this gathering.
BAC Pit Masters.
BAC mellophones focus on Wes as the atoms are reconfingered.
My time is up at this very cool pit stop. Our next stop is a relatively short drive to Marion, IN, for the Open Class Championships later this evening. We do not have tickets, but plan to reunite with our traveling companions before we head to Indy.
The pitch benders bloo us away.
Bluecoats CG in solidarity during the best encore of the season.
8:30 PM – Wesleyan University, Marion Indiana
I’m sitting here with the seasoned alumni of the unaffiliated, undefeated, undeterred, indefatiguable drum corps in a quiet place in the lot of Wesleyan University. Tonight is the DCI Open Class Championships. Some in our party plan to attend the championships, some plan to sit and let the miles traveled, the shows, and experiences wash over us with words and laughs. Of course, this entourage is like a magnet for others to join in the parking-lot merriment; some innocently get pulled in. One such person is Scott, a composer and arranger for the Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. Instantaneously, names were dropped, and stories were shared. Gold, from San Diego, CA, is on an upward trajectory in DCI Open Class. My walks around the campus of Wesleyan University provide this seasoned fan the opportunity to be immersed in the spirit of drum corps, among more youthful members. Many of these kids will go on to audition for the World Class corps in the coming years.
August 7, 2025 – Indianapolis, Indiana
After roughly fifteen hundred miles, traveling from my humble home along the Mill Brook to Boston, Allentown, Downingtown, Canton, and Marion for six drum corps shows in as many days, I am now in Indianapolis. Whew! With caffeine, cruise control, and rock n’ roll, traveling at breakneck speed, driver Chuck and I sped along the high side of the left lane most of the way here, arriving mid-day yesterday. After dropping off the rental we had ridden hard, we began our role as pedestrians. Indianapolis is a very walkable city. We arrived in time to settle into the hotel and then head out for dinner at Kilroy’s. On the way back, Chuck, John, Marcia, and I stopped into the Crown Plaza Converence Center for a visit with K. Kawai. This is my same-time-next-year relationship while in Indy. She is black and white and gives back love when touched. I returned later for a more intimate session, stroking her 88 keys with emotion compiled over the summer-long drum corps tours.
It was great to meet up with many folks that I see every year at the Hall of Fame celebration, and some new ones. One such person is Blake, an alum of the Velvet Knights and a sponsor of DCI. Earlier in the day, we met another alum who had given us a rubber ducky painted as a shark. Knowing that this little momento meant more to an alum, I handed it to Blake as he was wearing a Velvet Knights jacket. Boom! Another drum corps friendship is born. Blake runs a company called WeScanFiles.com supporting DCI and Drum Corps World magazine.
My drum corps friends and colleagues are growing each year, providing little time for anything else but socializing. These gatherings, as depicted by the Blue Devils, are mini-annual reunions of a sort. Some folks are not with us any longer. One such person is Donny Allen, a drum corps legend, and music teacher extraordinaire. Donny’s passing from the raveges of cancer is a sad overlay of the otherwise happy times among those still here. I have had the privilege of knowing Donny for the past few years and have enjoyed his presence next to me in the stands in Allentown. He called me out of the blue just before heading on tour. I had a ticket for him. He is missed.
Today is a show day. Day one of the DCI World Championships. It’s time to clam up this computer for now and prepare for the assault next door in the giant brick fortress of sound.
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