INDIANAPOLIS — A pair of Open Class competitors made historic noise at Thursday’s DCI World Championship Prelims.
As the 24th- and 25th-place finishers in the Thursday event, Memphis Blues and River City Rhythm both earned landmark positions in Friday’s DCI World Championship Semifinals.
Memphis Blues — which made its first appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium after re-emerging as a SoundSport team in 2023 — has made significant waves this season, including a fourth-place finish at the DCI Open Class World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, earlier in the week.
That momentum, and the opportunity to make history in an iconic venue, sparked a memorable performance of the corps’ production, “The Unforgettable Songbook.”
“I thought the crowd was amazing. I think we really fed off of their energy. It was one of our best performances, and we’re just really happy to be here,” Memphis Blues drum major Ethan West said. “It’s our first time in Indianapolis, emotions were really high, and I think that really fueled the show.”
Much of Memphis Blues’ competitive success this season has come from Visual captions, and that was no exception Thursday. The Tennessee corps outscored The Battalion in Color Guard, and found more than a point of its lead over River City Rhythm in overall Visual.
Now, the Tennessee corps can celebrate its accomplishment with another performance opportunity Friday afternoon.
“This is my fourth year, we have a lot of returning members who have been here since the very beginning when we restarted in 2023, so it’s kind of a full circle moment for a lot of us,” West said. “We just have amazing staff that have helped push us to this point.”
According to West, his hope is that this won’t be a one-time experience for Memphis Blues.
“We like to say that this is the new baseline, so this is the standard, and we never want to be below here,” West said. “So we got fourth place this year (at Open Class Finals). We never want to be under fourth place again and we hope to keep continuing setting records.”
River City Rhythm’s wait to debut in the Semifinals competition was longer than Memphis Blues.’ The corps celebrated its 10th anniversary last season with an inaugural Top 25 finish. Now, RCR has officially started a streak, replicating its placement from 2025.
“We had a lot of energy, but this was completely different. Being in Lucas Oil Stadium was a completely different vibe,” River City Rhythm drum major Abigail Alvarez said. “The crowd responded completely different, which was amazing. So it was a very, very great run.”
Alvarez applauded her corps’ ability to remain focused down the stretch of the summer and hopes — much like the sentiments of those at Memphis Blues — that River City Rhythm’s accomplishment is a continued sign of positive things to come.
“An amazing feeling coming off of the field, just having this amazing grind,” Alvarez said. “I think it just shows consistency and the drive that the members of the corps have, and how determined we are to keep going and get bigger and do better.”
Other Open Class corps to advance as Top 25 Semifinalists include Gold, The Battalion and Blue Devils B.
