We Can All Use A Laugh
Even with the excitement of drum corps happening, the world is still a stressful place right now. We could all use a laugh. In this spirit, I thought I’d share one of my favorite drum corps memories with you.
Picture it: Atlanta Georgia, 1984 at DCI Finals. I’m sitting at Georgia Tech in great seats in the upper deck near the 50 yard line. It’s a hot, muggy summer night in the south (though nothing like that sauna in Jackson, Mississippi years later.). The show is working toward that miraculous Cadets “West Side Story” production that was awarded the gold medal, and it’s a great year for drum corps. Once the lights came on, the air up there in the upper deck was filled with flying insects of all kinds, but it didn’t detract from the excitement of the performances.
Fairly late in the evening, the Phantom Regiment comes on the field and I’m excited to see their production that launched with Prokofiev’s “Scythian Suite.” It was a daring choice for an opener, in a show full of surprises like butterfly nets and 1812 streamers. Plus their production of “Armenian Dances” is still one of my Regiment favorites. As a Regiment alum, I couldn’t have been more excited.
Just as the show was getting underway, a giant insect as big as your hand swooped down and landed in a woman’s hair two rows in front of me. Pandemonium erupted! She screams, everyone jumps up, arms fly around trying to help her. It was a crazy scene. Needless to say, I missed the first minute of the Regiment show! Happily the giant attacking bug flew off and things settled down.
I was really excited to get my copy of Drum Corps World after Finals that year, as this was the best way to get reviews and insider information about the corps. I loved that the person who reviewed the show that night told the same story of sitting in that upper deck and being in the middle of the chaos as a woman was attacked by an infant-sized arachnid. Good times!
Have a favorite funny drum corps story? Share it with a friend and share a laugh! Even when things get stressful, find time to laugh each day. Talk with friends, read a funny book or article, watch a comedy on TV or movie, and lighten the mood. And definitely get out there and support drum corps by attending a show. Just watch out for flying insects, and perhaps wear a cap.
Tim Hinton
July 22, 2021
