1989 Santa Clara Vanguard

When Phantom Regiment was announced in 2nd place at the 1989 DCI World Championship Finals with a 98.40, the corps had tied the highest score always awarded to a World Form Champion up to that point. That tape score only held for about a minute, when Santa Clara Vanguard was announced with a 98.fourscore, capping a virtually undefeated season only marred by a mid-July loss to the Blue Devils. SCV'south score would remain a tape for more than than a decade until 2002. 1989 was Drum Corps International'south second year in a row at Kansas Urban center'southward Arrowhead Stadium, a World Championship that witnessed Crossmen returning to the Finals afterward a four-year absenteeism and Freelancers making information technology back in later going inactive in 1986. Some of the nigh memorable moments included the Cavaliers' barbarically loud drumheads on hoops, Cadets' slow-motility "strobe lite" drill formation effect and Suncoast Sound'south 2d accept at the all-original "Florida Suite," with more often than not new selections. Santa Clara Vanguard won with a revamped, second-year edition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera." For many fans, the production was everything they wanted from pulsate corps, and for that reason, it has long been a fan-favorite. Information technology was voted the number one finalist performance ever by fans who selected the shows to exist presented during DCI's 2007 Classic Inaugural theater event. Subsequently a cursory and mysterious introduction, the brass section spilling from an upfront block formation during the title track, more than made the ears perk upwards. The eyes noticed the contumely players and percussionists all wearing white masks over half their face, just equally the championship grapheme did in the Broadway production. Large sets of the same design were propped upwards across the dorsum and down the sidelines, looking quite ominous. "Angel of Music," though a ballad, was delivered with a forceful passion that matched the "Phantom of the Opera" selection that bookended it. "Masquerade" was interpreted with big flags of middle masks and large whimsical masquerade ball masks on the members of the front ensemble. Equally loud as the music was, i tin hear the fans erupt in frequent cheers. This was a show that kept on delivering thrilling moments from the beginning through to the end. The masked Phantom appeared at the terminate of the work, threatening all and running to the dorsum as the corps went into "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again."

The appearance of a big cake of black see-through scrim flags glistening off the sequined black and white color guard costumes was i of many moments that just patently worked, although it'southward almost incommunicable to quantify why. The martial persistence of the drums and lower brass in "Rail Downward the Murderer" set the stage for tensions to rise, culminating in a cyclonic musical outbreak that ended in anguish and an eardrum ringing smash of unresolved fury. Out of this, a music box effect from the front ensemble led into the beginning of "Music of the Night," a tender ballad that built up into a loud resolution with the horns and drums all facing backfield. This allowed the reverb off the dorsum stands to create an awesome repeat that haunted those in the front end stands. It was here that the Phantom fabricated an appearance, playing the melody on a baritone bugle. A huge arc of corps members coalesced into a company front end that pushed toward the front end with a glorious book, nevertheless even that didn't drown out the screams of the audience on the recording. Role of the special effect was due to a one step hesitation just earlier the step-off, on count v of what usually would take been a typical 4/4 measure. This fabricated the forepart appear to lurch frontward, as if rocketed by a slingshot. As this happened, the Phantom's throne was prepared by members of the color guard. The Phantom was covered up in a white shroud and the horn players quickly dispersed around the field, to be swallowed upwards by various large pieces of blackness fabric, including one with a giant image of the mask that snuck up behind the Phantom'southward throne. The shroud over the Phantom was removed and revealed that he had disappeared into the ether, like a ghost evaporating into the crevices of i'south imagination. 14 of the mask props were spread in 2 arc forms across the back, and as the fabric emblazoned with the mask chop-chop moved away, one of the masks appeared from underneath. This effect was saved for Finals and served to further drive the audience into delirium. For this week only, y'all can save on the Legacy Drove DVD that contains this consummate Santa Clara Vanguard performance, along with all finalists from the 1989 DCI World Championships. Purchase the 1989 Legacy Collection DVD. (Available this week only for $28. Regular price: $35.)

1989 Overview

Discount DVD offer ends Mon, Jan 7 at eight:30 a.m. ET.

Michael Boo was a member of the Cavaliers from 1975-1977. He has written almost the drum corps activity for more than a quarter century and serves as a staff writer for diverse Pulsate Corps International projects. Boo has written for numerous other publications and has published an honors-winning book on the history of figure skating. As an achieved composer, Boo holds a available's degree in music educational activity and a master'southward caste in music theory and composition. He resides in Chesterton, Ind.