Hot sounds and sizzling sights will fill the night at the on Friday, Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. The Drum Corps International tour is arriving for the “Shoremen Brass Classic” drum and bugle corps show.
Seven “high stepping, high-volume bands," the Oregon Crusaders (Portland); Vanguard Cadets of Santa Clara, CA; the 7th Regiment of New London, CT; Music City of Nashville, TN; Raiders of Wayne, NJ; and the Blue Saints of Sudbury, ON will perform at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium.
The evening is presented by the Avon Lake High School Band Aids booster organization.
Jonathan Waters, Director of the Ohio State University Marching Band, will direct the Buckeye All-Star Band in the National Anthem to open the show. A select group of high school students from across northeast Ohio are coming together to form the Buckeye All-Star Band for the event. To get an idea of what a performance looks like, check out the accompanying videos.
That The Drum Corps International (DCI) tour is even playing in Avon Lake, is a fortuitous stroke of luck.
Avon Lake band director Dave Eddleman said the performance was initially scheduled for a fourth annual performance in the Dayton area but the scheduled venue had to drop the show due to construction.
Eddleman works part-time for DCI and offered to run the show past the school administration and the band boosters. He received a resounding “yes” from both and the show was on.
“These students come from all over the place,” Eddleman said. “They’re 2/3 high school kids and 1/3 college.”
The students, who are traveling the country, will stay overnight at high schools.
“Some will stay overnight in the (Avon Lake) building, two groups will stay at Firelands (High School), two at Elyria High School and two in Sandusky,” Eddleman said.
The day after the Avon Lake performance, the tour will leave for performances in Michigan.
The drum corps will be critiqued by eight judges in various categories under General Effect, Visual, and Music as each corps strives for a perfect score of 100.
Drum Corps International is celebrating its 40th anniversary season with this spectacular tour in which over 44 drum and bugle corps will stop in 44 states and perform 101 shows this summer.
According to Shoremenbrassclassic.com, visitors can expect to see more than drummers.
“The term ‘Drum Corps’ is short for ‘Drum and Bugle Corps,’” The site said. “Most drum corps have a full line of brass instruments, an ensemble in the front of the field playing percussion instruments that cannot march (like marimbas and xylophones), and even dancers that spin flags and any number of other kinds of equipment.”
This is in addition to some of the most high tech drums in the history of music.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $15 for reserved seating. They can be purchased at the door or by visiting www.dci.org. Gates open at 6 p.m. This show is perfect for the whole family.
Any Avon Lake student wearing a school or team shirt, or a Girl Scout or Boy Scout uniform gets in free if accompanied by an adult with a paid general admission ticket. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the Avon Lake City Schools band program.
Firelands HS (Blue Saints, 7th Regiment), Elyria HS (Music City, Vanguard Cadets), Perkins HS (Raiders), and Avon Lake (Oegon Crusaders). Corps are mostly arriving tonight and a few tomorrow night.
Of course, I'll be out of Ohio when the show happens, though.