“Underwater dread.”

Initially, that’s all Legends had for a concept. That was the starting point for 2019.

From there, as all show designs do, ideas spawned and grew. Eventually, a multi-layered storyline — one that still encompassed the initial feeling depicted — evolved. “Song of the Siren” was the result.

Legends’ 2019 production utilizes visual imagery, characterization and plenty of intriguing audio effects to tell the story of the sirens, greek mythological creatures that were said to have lured sailors into shipwreck with seductive songs.

“There are characters, and there is a storyline,” program coordinator John McFarland said. “The color guard are the sirens, and the corps proper — the percussion and the brass — are the sailors who get lured into the rocks. In our telling of the story, the color guard actually pulls the members underwater.”

The question therein lies, on a single-planed surface such as a football field, how does one create the effect of being pulled underwater?

According to visual designer Lindsey Scheuller, that’ll be achieved with stage sets. Legends’ show will feature an array of multi-use platforms, which can be flipped to reveal underwater imagery at the correct point in the story’s evolution.

To further create the aesthetic of an underwater setting, McFarland added that a series of speaker stacks will encapsulate the marching members, creating a sort of surround-sound on the field.

The result of that audio design choice, according to McFarland, is two-fold. Not only does it give the audience a more immersive feeling, but it envelops the members and only helps further develop their character.

“Our sound design team, they’re a bunch of mad scientists,” McFarland said. “They’ve got something like two miles of cable going through and surrounding the corps.”



Beyond the effects, musically-speaking, Legends’ show plays on plenty of notable works in order to tell the story of the sirens.

A running thread through the production, “Song of the Siren” will open with the lyrics from “Pure Imagination” — the words “come with me” serve as the seductive song of the siren character.

As the show develops, Legends will also feature a diverse repertoire, featuring the likes of Claude Debussy’s “La Mer,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle,” and music by Alan Silvestri from the 1989 film, “The Abyss.”

“Genie in a Bottle” certainly provides one of the show’s more enjoyable moments for members and audiences alike, according to both Scheuller and McFarland.

Hinging on the song’s lyric, “If you wanna be with me, baby there's a price to pay,” Legends’ use of the now 20-year-old pop song typifies the interplay between the color guard’s siren character and the “sailors,” played by the corps at-large.

“It seems like they’re having a great time with it,” Scheuller said. “The guard is really getting into that character. They’re really starting to understand what their role is. Their performance of all of it is just very energetic. The musicians are doing an absolutely fantastic job, so I’m really impressed with how they’re growing with everything, and it seems like they’re very much bought in.”

And in the eyes of McFarland, from top to bottom, this show has the chance to be quite memorable. As such, its July 5 debut in Lisle, Illinois, is certainly highly-anticipated.

“I honestly can say that this is the best year I’ve been a part of the corps,” he said. “I’m honestly excited. The show is really cool, the members are working hard, they’re buying into the show, and it’s going to be a fun process.”

View Legends' 2019 Tour Schedule