After serving as the host corps for Saturday’s Drum Corps at the Rose Bowl event in Pasadena, Pacific Crest is departing California with eyes set on making waves in Texas.
“I think we had one of the best [performances] that we’ve had all season, and this run, especially with our home show, felt very electric and very different,” said drum major Justine Nava. “The support we had tonight made it one of our best.”
Rose Bowl Stadium is one of the most iconic in the sports and events world. With a capacity of almost 90,000 fans, the stadium is known for its namesake College Football Playoff game. The historic venue has hosted five Super Bowls, several FIFA World Cup matches, multiple Olympic competitions, and, of course, years’ worth of DCI Tour events including the 2007 DCI World Championships.
At Saturday’s DCI Tour event, fans were able to watch Soundsport, Open Class, and World Class groups perform as the sun set over the Southern California hills.
In the afterglow of the marquee event, Nava spoke to the energy of performing in the stadium in front of nearly 12,000 drum corps fans.
Crusaders top Rose Bowl leaderboard to cap off unbeaten California tour
“I heard the crowd on every single impact we had,” Nava said. “You feel it here, and it just fuels everyone. You can’t do anything but just smile, and it’s just a great feeling to feel at home.”
As part of its “home show” festivities, the southern California corps also hosted a contingent of its alumni Saturday night. The former members were invited onto the field for an up-close look at the corps as it performed an encore as well as the corps’ theme song.
The night as a whole — the venue, the audience, and the alumni — capped off a season-opening swing of more than two weeks of California events in a special way. Pacific Crest members were nothing short of grateful for the experience and being able to call Rose Bowl Stadium “home.”
“The turnout tonight was the biggest we’ve ever had, ” Nava said. “It’s such a privilege to host the show and call this one home. There’s no better send off for our national tour.”
Pacific Crest will have four performances across Texas during the next week. This handful of appearances will be headlined by the DCI Southwestern Championship presented by Fred J. Miller Inc., in San Antonio on Saturday, July 19.
And as the season takes off toward Texas, the mindset for Pacific Crest this season remains rather simple — set new standards with every performance.
“The last couple years, we’ve wanted to push,” Nava said. “Every run [of our show] we want to be the best run to date. We want to push to see how far it can get and to see how much history we could make this year.”
