2008 Citations | "The Razor's Edge"
6th Place, 92.450
Marking the Burlington, Massachusetts corps’ second to last year in Drum Corps International competition, Citations tackled music from Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” in their 2008 production, “The Razor’s Edge.”
Citations had one of the corps’ best seasons ever in 2008, finishing in sixth place in DCI’s newly organized Open Class that combined Division II & III corps under one competitive banner.
“The last few years with the Citations have been years of growth,” Citations drum major Mike Rawding said after the corps’ Open Class Finals performance at Indiana University in Bloomington that year. “We've been adding members, staff, and new equipment, and it felt really good to get all the way to the Finals this year. It's the first time we have been there since 1986."
2008 Citations
Competitively the corps particularly excelled in color guard, taking home the caption award at the Open Class Finals for the highest-scoring section, an impressive feat for a corps that finished three spots below a medalist position.
Debuting new uniforms in 2008, Citations members wore an entirely black ensemble except for red detailing on the gauntlets and an upper band on the uniform top stretching from shoulder to shoulder. The corps’ logo provided another red accent on the left breast while headwear of black shakos and black plumage featured silver accents.
Color guard costuming included two-tone red pants with black, red and gray tops in various cuts. A swath of gray and white striping on the front of the top served as a consistent design element.
With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” opened on Broadway in 1979, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. Interest in the work may have been high in 2008 after the release of the Tim Burton-directed film version in December of 2007. In addition to Citations, the Blue Devils also featured the main theme as part of their silver medal-winning production, “Constantly Risking Absurdity.”
“The Razor’s Edge” didn’t follow a chronological order of pieces from the musical. Starting the production in a formation akin to a partially-opened straight edge barber’s razor, the corps kicked things off with the almost ballad-like “Pretty Women.” After a jaunty opening, the piece transitioned into a more lyrical segment that allowed the 21-person color guard to visually emphasize the music with their flag work.
A baritone soloist helped transition the production into the main theme of the musical, “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd.” The full horn line gradually built to the musical statement that contains perhaps the most notable lyrics from the piece, “Swing your razor wide, Sweeney! / Hold it to the skies!”
2008 Citations
Citations briefly ventured outside of their “Sweeney Todd” repertoire mold, next featuring American rock band Evanescence’s “My Immortal.” The power ballad gave the members of the 30-person horn line, who throughout the DCI Tour were lauded for their big and bold sound, a chance to flex their muscle.
“I’m astounded by the power and quality of this corps’ horn line,” DCI.org columnist Michael Boo reported during the Open Class Finals competition. “They’re small but very, very mighty. You have to open your eyes to remember you’re not listening to a much larger group.”
Driven by the percussion section and stabbing brass chords, Citations brought “The Razor’s Edge” to a conclusion with the anxiety-inducing “Epiphany” which falls near the end of Act I of the musical.
Race for the color guard caption award
Citations and Jersey Surf traded victories in the color guard caption during the 2008 Open Class World Championships.
When predicting caption award winners summer to summer, one would undoubtedly look to the top two corps to see who would have the upper hand across the board.
Citations bucked that trend when it came to color guard during the 2008 DCI World Championships. The sixth-place corps had a neck-and-neck race on the scoresheets with Jersey Surf who would ultimately finish with a bronze medal overall.
Spotlight of the Week: 2008 Jersey Surf
At the Open Class Quarterfinals, held at Michigan City’s Ames Field, Jersey Surf managed to finish with the top color guard score, a sizeable three tenths of a point ahead of Citations, 19.3 to 19.0 out of 20 points.
As competition headed south to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington for the Semifinals competition, however, Citations snuck past Jersey Surf by a mere tenth of a point 19.2 to 19.1.
Citations expanded that lead another tenth in Finals, besting Surf 19.7 to 19.5 to take home the caption award.
Compared to the gold and silver medalists, Vanguard Cadets and Blue Devils B, Citations held an impressive lead, topping Vanguard’s color guard by a full point and Blue Devils B by nine tenths. The two west coast corps took home all other caption awards.