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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มิ.ย. 2022
- I am sure you know Star of Indiana evolved into the Broadway show, Blast.
But what about before that?
What did Star of Indiana do between 1994 and 1998?!!?
This short documentary fills in the gap! Enjoy the EVOLUTION of Star of Indiana!
Source Material:
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tinyurl.com/2wr6b8km - บันเทิง
side note, After Blast! The production company tried a second show called Shockwave. It when a step more toward Marching Band and farther from drum crop. They included woodwinds and did a lot more movements and not just marching drill. I have a distinct memory of the saxophones bopping up and down on Pogo balls during the upbeat section of Blue Rondo a la Turk. I was at Umass Amherst at the time, because of Thom Hannums relationship will Star, Brass Theater and Blast! we got a test audience of a finished production. They chose to not tour the show
They did tour the show. All I can remember was Blue Rondo and Good Vibrations (trombones ftw to reproduce Theremin effect). Maybe Amazing Grace? I remember something with Jim Moore snaking through some playground-est pipe prop.
I realize just how far ahead Star of Indiana was in the activity. They did indoor winds 20 years before WGI did it.
Yes they were but man imagine how they would have been if they still were a drum and bugle Corps. Also I wish blast was still a viable thing that is still consistently shown every year
WGI winds is bad. Come to think of it Blast was bad.
2014, huh?
True, and there’s segments of Blast like Lemon Techno and the Battery Battle that feel exactly like a WGI show.
Pretty cool to see a corps branch out like this, bringing the spirit of DCI to other mediums. It obviously wouldn't work if every corp did this, but it's a nice one-off venture that we probably won't see, at least for a really long time
Why wouldn't it work? With so many more outlets and platforms, it's more possible than ever. I would love to see more of what Vanguard did in 2021.
If any corps could do it, it would be the Blue Devils. From a business standpoint they’re one of the biggest organizations in DCI. Idk the specifics of their financials but they could potentially do it alongside their other operations, without leaving competition like Star did.
I miss Star, but venturing out as musicians is what we all do as Corps vets. I was like, look, a Broadway show I would have actually watched. I'm glad it worked for them though.
No matter where Star goes, Medea must follow
I got to see Blast three times... Kennedy Center in DC, NYC, and Hershey, PA. It was an AMAZING show, and I wish it kept developing! That said, I also wish they kept Star of Indiana alive as a "feeder corps" to the Broadway production, ALWAYS loved their performances!
I marched Magic that season well over 100 degrees when we went on for semi-finals and quarter-finals that summer was fire.
I was there competing in 93 they were sick so was Phantom they had a very distinct drum cadence that utilized aux percussion it was truly awesome.
Thanks for upload this video!!
Young Matt Harloff at center frame 3:42
And the band he directs just won BOA and State with Pictures at an Exhibition.
I would love another tour. To see it live would be amazing
But the thing is this is not a consistent thing. You'll see blast pop up every 5 years or so. This isn't like a Blue Man Group. That is what is sad about it. I think it was brilliant for star of Indiana to Branch out to become this thing but I hate that they got rid of that organization. Imagine what star would be like today if it was that Innovative back then. Shows like blast should be a mainstay across the world. I always think it is such a shame that marching percussionist and color guard folks and Brass people take a long time to develop this skill only to the age of 21 (or 22 maybe 23 in WGI) we just now have to drop it. There should be other avenues to really utilize these skills at a high level other than teaching. Not everybody wants to go into teaching
Totally agree! Star had something going on, and I could only imagine (given what happened with the Blast project) what that corps could have achieved! I wish they kept a parallel between the "stage" and "field" versions....But I got to see both over the years, (Hell Blast three times) and LOVED every minute of it!
@@benbarletta2927 MAAAAAAN!!!!! Agreed! I guess Crown is our Star
Blast also opened at a terrible time for Broadway, 9/11 had an impact on almost everything on Broadway.
I remember the Brass Theater on PBS but I thought it was recorded in Branson. Lucky to have seen blast in Buffalo and Philly but missed it in Nashville due to 9/11 complications.
@3:39 I know he conducted them in 93-94, but I believe this is a Matt Harloff sighting playing trumpet.
I saw star of Indiana live at dci finals in 1991. Fantastic. Wanted star to remain a corps, but when I saw blast live I enjoyed it very much!
Bass stacks at the end... impressive
@Sforzando you should do a mello rips video
Star should had stayed a corps, many young people never had a chance to play in a corps, today there are so few !
My brother and I played with the Kenosha WI Kingsmen for many years
No mention of Blast 2? Was that not associated with star anymore? I remember seeing it in high school back in about 2005 or so and it was definitely a departure from the original Blast but still super entertaining.
I was in the band at Marian Catholic from 1996-00, one of our mellophones did Blast in the summer of 97, he came back just in time for his senior year at Marian, we won boa grand nationals that fall.
There was also MiX: Music In Xtreme, and Blast: the Music of Disney, which was exclusive to Japan. They also did a 30 minute version of the original show called “The Power of Blast” at Disneyland.
I find it funny that Bill Cook said he wanted more for his kids than 10 minutes of music and marching. As of lately, they’re getting ZERO minutes of each because they aren’t doing this anymore as far as I know?!?! Another great drum corps gone forever😡
Covid put a hit on many touring shows but the production has been alive and well in Japan. Their recent tour was incorporating the music of Disney. Bill Cook was a wonderful person we are all grateful for! 🙏🏼
were you aware that there used to be 16,000+ drum and bugle corps in the United States? that is an average of around 300 or so in each "STATE"??
Can you cite that?
Thanks Bill cook
because the ground work was laid back in 1972 by the moron Directors (businessmen) that thought they knew better than everyone else and we went from 16,000 drum corps in the U.S to maybe 100 now?? not sure
the final scores in 1993 revealed pretty much everything I needed to know about DCI the organization.
And what might that be?🙄
What happened to STAR was that they had such great success so fast that they didn't learn how not to be sore losers when they lost in '93!
So does anyone happen to know how much money DCI charges each drum corps to be a member each season of DCI???
Ranges from $3000 to $5400 depending on the class (open or world) and the group. Blue devils might charge $5000 while a group like Guardians might charge $3000-$4000
Star was $250 per member. Another way it was different. They had Star travel business that helped support them.
Cool video. I'm gonna get flamed but I don't care... Blast was a fail. I saw it live in 99. Coming from the corps world I thought I'd see even better playing and technique but the guard, brass and drums were really dirty to be honest. I'd just rather listen to an orchestra indoors. 90s drum corps is what we are missing today, not indoor theater. This doesn't get at why they left DCI, which I won't rehash here. But even though we lost Star, you can say they live on with Crown cause they build shows exactly like Star's writers did. Which is why we have trampolines lol.
For the algorithm. ✊
LOL Blast was BAAAAAAAAAD
So they basically play the most popular DCI shows from 1987 onwards and call it Brass Theatre. Give them credit for innovating the medium, sure, but the music was totally copied.
Almost all music played in DCI is a cover.
DCI isn't original anymore. All these top corps steal ideas that were already done by marching bands, LOL
See kids, BOA, DCI, and Blast all have there own place. Please bring back DCI! Stop with the woodwinds, stages and other “band” items that do not belong in DCI. Please bring back the marching and playing, I stead of chairs (Blue Devils) or platforms (Bluecoats). Go back to 2 valves and let my kids feel the power without electricity from a wall.
Ok, boomer
@@Apollostowel what does that mean or have to do with what I said?
@@jeremyhodges6957 you want to roll back the clock on innovation because you’re scared of change. That’s Baby Boomer generation logic. No, sorry they’re not taking away from the instrumentation or the drill just because you don’t like change. Sorry that’s not how the world works.
@@Apollostowel wow have I learned nothing so far. Could you answer just one question to really teach me? What is the difference between BOA and DCI since 2009 to now, oh wise and worldly one?
@@jeremyhodges6957 well BOA is high school students, so sucks to be a woodwind if you wanna march world class and are no longer in high school. But that’s another discussion. There’s this whole world of orchestration just waiting for you outside the realm of two valve bugles. That attitude is why no one in a professional setting takes the drum corps snobs seriously. You don’t get better sound by lessening your horizons. My brother in Christ, that’s just basics of orchestration.
In terms of instrumentation and innovation, drum corps is doing just fine without the “Get off my lawn in my day we only had two valves!” nutjobs. It’s not a perfect world, but the kids are alright without you, boomer.
I was around for Star's first season. I watched them grow to be a deserving DCI champion in 1991. along the way, however, they developed a reputation for flash (and $$$) over substance. In 92 and 93 they thought they deserved to win and didn't. So they took their ball and went home. The pre-BLAST years were not impressive, imo. But I thought BLAST had merit as a concept. It was basically STOMP with brass instruments. But the take your ball and go home thing always left a sour taste in my mouth. "Well, if I can't always win, I'm not going to play your stupid game!"
BLAST! became diluted as time went on too. I saw 3 different casts and the 3rd one wasn’t any where near as good as the first cast I saw. That was the first cast on tour after London.
It’s sad that’s what you think happened. Star could never do anything right for anyone from 1985 onward. The speculation that they were the sole cause of several other corps’ demises (mostly 27th Lancers) by “poaching” staff and members dogged the organization early on, and that reputation stuck.
Their excellence from the start couldn’t be denied, though. Bill C. didn’t “take his ball and go home.” Star had accomplished everything they could accomplish as a competing corps inside of ten years. That staff didn’t care about scores or placement. The judges didn’t even know what to do with us in 1993. Medea was a parting shot, yes. But not for the false reasons you’ve posted here.
@@rodicus Since I never mentioned anything about killing other corps or poaching staff, I'm not sure what "reasons" you were attempting to refute.
I was never one of Star's "us" you refer to, so I have an audience members' perspective, which (contrary to current popular opinion) should actually matter - a lot. I saw every finals week performance in Star's history.
I don't think they accomplished everything that they could in less than a decade. They never accomplished developing an identity (nearly every year was a different identity - not just different music). They never accomplished overcoming adversity (they never had to scrimp $ as other corps did, and with constant success, never had to manage the normal ebb and flow of success other corps did). They never cultivated a nationwide fan base. The smarter fans respected them in their last few years, but almost no one (outside of friends and family) loved them the way people loved Scouts, Cavies, Devils, SCV, Cadets, Phantom, and others despite never having any direct connection with those corps.
There is no particular reason they couldn't have eventually managed all that. But they apparently didn't place much value in it. And in any case, weren't around long enough.
What a lot of people don't understand is how Star helped other corps. I marched Madison in '88 and '89 and we heard stories all the time about Star lending one corps their equipment for a show or helping to feed another corps. It was such a shame how the fans treated them, but it was equally a shame how Star's staff didn't understand that they were so new, so when a corps with the history and fanbase like the Cavaliers have wins DCI people are going to be overjoyed (I was) and cheer when you're announced in 3rd (I didn't). If Star were around today they'd have a fan base that rivaled Regiment, Madison, Cavies, Vanguard, etc...
@@rodicus That's a great point and it's bullshit. 27th Lancers were dead before Star was even formed. If you know the history of that corps you know it was only a matter of time once the 80s began. They ran themselves into the ground spending way more money than they had revenue to compete at the highest level. But, that's the problem with DCI itself. Almost everyone has to do that to win, and we've seen that with what's happened to Vanguard and the Cadets. I miss 27 and I miss a lot of corps. DCI is just a bunch of morons. The corps should not be running DCI. Clearly.
Not a fan, at all, of what that program became after 1994
Why not?
A resume:
Everyone loved their first year (1985). It was a safe, cute, fun, whimsical show that stepped on nobody’s toes (except 27th Lancers). Second year: throw money at it, and see if it sticks. Remember the 1st tour giant hamster wheels? Zingali and Sylvester were geniuses in their own way, but without Cesario’s programming and Hopkins refereeing, the space show was a mess. 1991 was a fabulous year, but Star got in the Cavaliers’ way (how can you win before them?). So came 1992. They were going to tug at our patriotic heartstrings. LOVE US! We screamed our lungs out when they fell to 3rd in Finals. Given that, 1993 was a FUCK YOU, AUDIENCE! production. All you millennials can judge its worthiness; I saw them 6 times before Jackson, and everybody fucking HATED it. The only thing that saved that show was the closing “Dance.” Somehow, they won prelims via GE. When the dust settled, they lost. Yes, lost to a more populist (and MUCH harder) show. So, they left. Fuck ‘em and their artistic tantrum. Everybody else who’s lost with grace over the years? You’re the heroes.
😂🤣
@@bochawa4295 I wasn’t trying to be funny.
@@ImVee10 yet you still were.
K buddy. Medea wasn’t an artistic tantrum. It was a Greek tragedy as interpreted by Samuel Barber, and they were true to their source material. They signed the contract with Canadian Brass before the 93 season even started, so no, they didn’t leave in a “tantrum”. 😂
@@ImVee10 You should have been trying to be funny because you're talking out of your ass. Clearly, you lack awareness and education. I'm not going to argue the merits of the 1993 Cadet show, because I love that show. Star's show was extremely difficult. The most difficult show ever put on the field. If you knew anything about marching and music you'd know that. The exposure in their brass book was off the charts. The tiniest error would have been heard at the back of the stands. There was so much nuance and detail in both the visual (including guard) and music book. The show was the single greatest designed show in history. Every detail meticulously thought out to perfection. You don't have to like the show, but clearly you have some beef that is clouding your judgement.
Yes, the 1992 show was chosen in an attempt to connect with the fans? Can you really blame them?
Medea was not a "fuck you" to the audience. Star wanted to show the drum corps community that a show could be sophisticated and didn't have to blow your face off to be entertaining and successful. And, they succeeded with flying colors. To me, it still remains as the single greatest show in DCI history.
It's disgusting how crowds reacted towards them. People who have no clue how much Star did for other corps when they were around. I marched Madison in '88 and '89 and we heard stories all the time about how Star was helping this corps and that corps. I met many a Star people in my day, and all of them were wonderful. I once criticized Jim Mason in his approach at Madison on Facebook and he actually wrote me a personal message that was so thoughtful and kind to explain his approach. And I got it. Instead of ignoring me or slamming me, he educated me kindly.
This promotional video from 1999 reveals how far drum corps has come. Granted, the quality of the ensemble in this Broadway production of Blast is incredible. Great musicianship and choreographic talent, and clean as a whistle. But look at its variety show format-- what is the meaning behind it? There isn't any. It's brainless cruise ship-level entertainment.
Blast's format is one unrelated tune after another, like a college fraternity talent night. Transitionless, arcless, and without thematic depth. For example, playing selections from West Side Story as if it's a variety show review is collegiate, at best. Marching to Barber's Medea without any relationship to the original ballet is kooky, artistically detached, naive and meritless.
Today's drum corps shows have an originality and sophistication that goes beyond the shallow variety show format. Compare Blast's jukebox format to the depth and originality of Bluecoats' 2023 show Riffs and Revelations, for example. Riffs was a playful and profound adaptation of Brad Mehldau's Taming the Dragon-- an avant garde jazz piece. So much more sophisticated, so much more authentic and unique than this stale, shallow Disney-at-Sea format.
Moreover,,, This is not opinion but fact: James Mason profits off a situation where there is reduced - or zero - competition.
The duped audience sees ideas from drum corp history, presented sloppily, regurgitated on a new plate, with nothing to compare it to. Because they have no idea of execution excellence, they assume Blast IS, by default. Because the audience knows little or anything of the Bayonne Bridgemen, they are wowed by - wait for it wait for it - blindfolds. Everyone who knows DCI history knows this is idea is crusty-nastalgia-dead-tried it twice over 30 plus years ago. Mason and the creative team AREN'T creative. Roughly 80% of their ideas are DCI-derivative, OR!,, outright stolen from creative folks over in DCI. But the audience doesn't know any better. The audience doesn't know it's getting DCI's seventh rate junk, hacked, less disciplined, but this time on a 'broadway stage' begging for prestige points... BUT. OOOOOOOooooo. BLACK LIGHTS.
[Terry Bozzio called. He'd like his enormous drum rack with poorly positioned cymbals back. He'd like to start over-compensating again.]
Fact. The audience doesn't know they've been had, their dollars fleeced. Why? Because the real geniuses at this art are creative decades ahead, but marching on football fields in another state in JuneJulyAugust.
You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but I am going to have to disagree with you on many fronts. James Mason, the former corps director, did seem to gain from the direction that Star was taken. However, you act as if he is the only corps director to gain from a corps success. I would say that most corps directors find that some type of tangible benefit comes their way when their corps is successful (see: Hopkins, George). As for the competitive aspect of drum corps, yes, Star obviously abandoned much of that. However, I would like to point something out that we often forget. Art (and by extension, music) is not supposed to be a zero sum game. You are not supposed to "win" at music. The reason for that is because music, like all art, is subjective, and should not always be the victim of a score sheets whims. Yes, competitions where one wins and others lose can be a good vehicle to progress an art form, but to think that it is either the only or the best vehicle, is, well, completely and utterly delusional. (see: every concert, recital, art exhibit, and music festival you've ever been to).
I agree that playing to the masses comes with inherent risks. One of the main risks of course is being reductive, and becoming stagnant. Then again, it seems as though we are still no where close to sick of composers like Bach, Mozart, and countless others that have been dead for hundreds of years, so maybe it's not so bad. One very positive thing that I think you are unfortunately overlooking is the reality that Blast! was the first encounter with anything that resembled a drum corps for countless people. DCI tours go through much of the country, but they sure as hell don't go to every state. But if you took a trip to NYC, you would have had the chance to see something that approximated it. No, not the real thing, and I can understand why many would say not as good. However, it would have been a taste. And then, maybe it would have sparked a curiosity. Maybe a friend or family member would have had the DVDs of past DCI seasons they would have loaned out. Or maybe it would have been when TH-cam came around and you could have searched out past shows. And a person who saw Blast! could have looked up the Cadets actually performing Appalachian Spring in 1987. And a person could have looked up the Scouts closing with Malaguena in 1988. Is it nostalgia? Hell yes it is. But I would argue that most people get hooked and invested into something by seeing the most popular, greatest hits first. Then they want more.
As far as being upset with these ideas being stolen, I think it's hard to be upset, only because so many corps have stolen from each other over the years. I mentioned the Cadets doing Appalachian Spring in 1987. And then SCV did it in 2009. I mentioned the Scouts doing Malaguena in 1988. And then literally everyone did it at least once. If the anger comes from the fact that they made greater profits off of it, I guess I can understand being mad, but it's not their fault they were more financially motivated then everyone else at the time. Speaking of being financially motivated, you do realize that we are all paying a subscription for the privilege of watching less than three months of drum corps, right? Considering the content of your post, I am assuming you remember when it was on PBS, and then ESPN, and it was FREE, so long as you had a TV, and later cable. You seem so concerned with the Blast! audience being fleeced for what they were getting, and yet...maybe we're the ones getting fleeced. Maybe we're the ones getting duped for paying for something that we used to watch for free. Maybe we're the ones who have been tricked by having something that used to be for the masses, that used to appeal to the masses, and now, unfortunately, only seems to appeal to the hyper-invested and the gatekeepers of the activity. I don't think you have to be reductive to appeal to the masses. However, I also don't believe we have to take ourselves quite so seriously all of the time. Once in a while, a final chorus of Malaguena or Simple Gifts is just perfect. Take care.
@@ButteryAftertaste Your statements are good points as well! Please know that I'm not angry. Disappointed, yes, that Cook and Mason - both immature and incomplete as adults - were not more concerned with the activity, or even the kids!! (who gave their time, talent, hearts and souls for less than free), than with profitability.
Another fact, not opinion...We all profit off of something. Don't get it twisted, music is a BUSINESS and there is nothing wrong with that. I should as hell hope James Mason would be compensated for the work and dedication he has invested in this show. Mason is also a wonderful person and has changed the lives of thousands of people through his work in this show and the activity. Mason Entertainment Group takes on tremendous risks every time they put this show together. That is probably why there isn't many other shows like it. Also, "drum corp history, presented sloppily, regurgitated" is an opinion, not a fact 👍🏼
Artists throughout history have borrowed ideas from one another. The Music of the Night, from The Phantom of the Opera, is a direct rip off from Puccini's Girl of the Golden West. Many classical music composers wrote successful variations on other composers works. The top drum corps today steal ideas directly from marching bands. Of course, BLAST was going to put in some of drum corps most popular moments. Why wouldn't they.
Mason is one of the kindest men in this activity. He's done so much for youth.
Thanks for this history.
🎼🎶🎵🪄💫✨⭐️🌟🤩