The 2018 Drum Corps International Tour brought us so many great musical memories. These five special moments are bound to be remembered for years to come.
1 Blue Devils
Carole King’s classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” was magic caught in a bottle. Intense, beautiful, spellbinding, and LOUD! It’s everything we ever wanted from the Devils and classic pop tunes. Much like the corps’ 1992 rendition of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” fans will no doubt be humming this tune long into the distant future.
Listen to “Dreams & Nighthawks” — CD | Digital Download | iTunes| Amazon Music
2 Bluecoats
Bluecoats’ “Session 44” had loads of great brass moments, but the wickedly complex trumpet riff in “Bird and Bela in B-flat” was special. It was one of those “Did I really just hear that?” moments no matter how many times is was experienced live.
Listen to “Session 44” — CD | Digital Download | iTunes| Amazon Music
3 Carolina Crown
Not to take anything away from the sheer impact of Carolina Crown’s show-opening brass blast of Bruckner’s “Symphony No. 8,” but the beginning of the lovely “If I Fell” wrapped itself around fans like a warm blanket. The unique warmth came from using 44 trombones, creating one of the most beautiful brass moments witnessed on the football field in years.
Listen to “Beast” — CD | Digital Download | iTunes| Amazon Music
4 Phantom Regiment
For fans of powerful brass, nothing says “Phantom Regiment” better than the full-throated sounds of the corps’ legendary “Buicks,” which is the nickname of the corps’ euphonium section. When the Buicks burst forth in unrestrained glory, both bones and eyeglasses are at a risk of rattling.
Listen to “This New World” — CD | Digital Download | iTunes| Amazon Music
5 Spirit of Atlanta
The furious pacing of the jazz riffs in Spirit of Atlanta’s performance of “Rattletrap” could peel the paint off a school bus. The barnburner Bill Evans piece allowed the horns to cut loose and let old-time fans conjure up favorite memories of the awesome Jim Ott brass lines of the late 1970s.
Listen to “Knock!” — CD | Digital Download | iTunes| Amazon Music
