Bluecoats motor into 50th anniversary summer

A new year, new beginnings and a new look for what will be a historic summer celebrating Drum Corps International’s 50th anniversary.

Three years after corps last marched through the Motor City, six of Drum Corps International’s 2019 finalist corps were back at Ford Field on Tuesday to officially make their return to competition.

With the conclusion of spring training rehearsals now in the rearview mirror, corps are focused on the road ahead of them and eager to show audiences nationwide the excellence they’re already striving to achieve.

On the judges’ sheets, the Bluecoats took the top spot with a score of 71.700, bolstered by the corps’ marks in the general effect caption, which came in 1.2 points ahead of the nearest competition.

View all scores from the DCI Tour Premiere in Detroit

2022 is the fifth straight year that the Canton, Ohio corps has won the DCI Tour Premiere presented by DeMoulin Bros. & Co., and as has been their tradition in previous seasons, the group waited until nearly showtime to reveal the title and theme of their production, “Riffs & Revelations.”

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve been really excited to show the world what we’ve been working on under wraps,” said drum major Vic Lee. “Finally the time has come, and I’ve never been more happy.”

 

After narrowly falling behind the Green Machine during the 2019 DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, the Boston Crusaders (2nd, 69.450) powered ahead of The Cavaliers (3rd, 67.600) by nearly two points on Tuesday. As was echoed by performers across the board, much of the excitement of 2022’s debut for Boston Crusaders drum major Laura Dugan was getting back in front of a live audience.

“Just hearing the ring of the horns and the scream of the crowd was an indescribable feeling,” Dugan said. “An awesome way to put our first show on the field, and I’m really proud of what we laid down tonight.”

In the closest head-to-head finish between two World Class corps to date on the young 2022 season, Phantom Regiment took fourth place with a score of 65.750 to the Blue Stars’ 65.150.

The Rockford, Illinois corps’ Detroit placement is the first time they’ve finished ahead of their fellow Midwestern rival since the 2018 Drum Corps International Tour. Blue Stars, however, kept things close by earning top-three finishes in the brass and color guard captions.

Crossmen, debuting a unique and colorful program titled, “A Mobius Trip,” rounded out the Detroit lineup in sixth place with a score of 63.350. The San Antonio corps scored fifth in both percussion and brass.

“Today was our first day out and we wanted to show the world this is the Crossmen, and we’re here to get it,” said Jake English, a third-year member of the San Antonio corps. “This is a new Crossmen and I’m so excited for how this season is going to go.”

With the DCI Tour Premiere in the books — as well as a successful trio of Southern California events — Drum Corps International’s 50th anniversary summer is set to pick up steam entering July. The Indepence Day weekend kicks off with DCI Central Indiana presented by Music for All, July 1 in Muncie, Indiana, immediately followed by six events Saturday and Sunday.

View the 2022 DCI Tour Schedule

Watch a rebroadcast of the DCI Tour Premiere, Wednesday, June 29, via FloMarching

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