Colts will traverse through changing landscapes with “On Fields”

Life is filled with moments that shape and define a person. Some of those moments may occur in a childhood home, on a trip, or even at a place of work. 

As Colts plan to share with audiences across the DCI Tour, many of those cherished seconds occur on some type of field.

Those vast areas, and the memories they create, are the inspiration for the corps’ 2024 production, “On Fields.”

 

“So much of life happens beneath our feet in places where we share our common experiences — the field,” publicity materials for the corps’ show concept read. “From the playground to the harvest, much joy is shared, and hard work rewarded, on the fields where we soak in the riches of life.” 

“On Fields'' will traverse through four distinct settings that are designed to transport audience members back to a moment in their life. The football fields Colts will perform on throughout the 2024 DCI Tour serve as the tapestry that weaves all these areas together.

“The premise of this whole production is to create fields the audience can relate to and trigger a memory,” program director Don Click said. 

As much as “On Fields” is about connecting with the audience through the different pastures of life, it is also an homage to the marching arts. 

Similarly to Colts’ 2023 production, “Where the Heart Is,” this year’s production will feature nuggets rooted in the history of drum corps, like the show’s opener, Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park.” It’s a piece perhaps best remembered as part of the Madison Scouts’ 1975 World Championship-winning production.  

As Click described, the corps’ repertoire features an equal mix of music prominently featured throughout drum corps history, as well as music that drum corps fans may not have heard on the football field. 

“Some people know about our activity, some people don’t,” Click said. “We have to be able to relate and entertain all those different audiences.” 

Another featured selection in Colts’ 2023 production, Pat Matheny’s “First Circle” has been performed by an array of drum corps, from the Crossmen to the Blue Devils among many others.

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ON FIELDS REPERTOIRE

FIELD DAY

Fields of Joy
by The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble

MacArthur Park
by Jimmy Webb

HARVEST

Fields of Gold
by Sting

Autumn Leaves
by Joseph Kosma

BATTLEFIELD

Original Composition
by CJ Barrow, Josh Nelson and Michael J. Miller

SEEDS OF LOVE

First Circle
by Pat Metheny

Strawberry Fields Forever
by John Lennon

Sowing the Seeds of Love
by Tears For Fears

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When the show begins, audiences can expect the corps to recreate the excitement of a field day at school. The field of performance will be lined with the very jump ropes and hula hoops young kids are used to seeing when they rush outside for recess. 

As the show progresses, audiences will be taken through the gathering fields of a harvest, followed by the trials and tribulations of a battlefield. The final field Colts will explore is one filled with flowers, which Click says will emulate the feeling of joy. 

“It’s a rebirth after you go through those struggles of battle,” Click said. “The closer is all about just planting the seeds of regrowth after any kind of turmoil that you go through.” 

 

As Click described, the show’s closer, “First Circle,” is also the moment he’s most excited for drum corps fans to see, especially those who will know the tune from the song’s identifiable hand claps. 

“When that starts up, I have a feeling the audience is going to go crazy,” Click said. “Those drum corps fans who have been around for a long time are going to recognize that, and I feel like they are going to jump for joy.” 

Colts will look to make the audience leap out of their seats with excitement when the Iowa-based corps begins its 2024 season June 26 at the DCI Midwest Premiere in Rockford, Michigan. 

View the 2024 DCI Tour Schedule