I present to you the 2012 Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, who are performing a show they call "12.25." It's easily the most accessible show they've done this century* and a lot of fun to watch and listen to. See how many Christmas-themed sets the corps forms during the show. I count at least two Christmas trees, a snowflake, a bow, a bell, and an ICHTHYS fish. How many do you see?I also warned my readers to watch it while they could.
Enjoy this while it lasts.** I expect it will be taken down before the end of August. If and when that happens, I have a backup video ready.It didn't even stay up on YouTube for the rest of the week. Both the video I embedded and my backup were taken down a few days later. I wasn't pessimistic enough!
I'm much more optimistic about these two videos. The first is a complete run-through from a rehearsal, which don't seem to be subject to the same level of copyright enforcement as show performances. The second is an official promo video of the finale of the show from the championship performance. If nothing else, the second should stay up as long as YouTube exists. Both are in HD, which means they're worth watching in full screen mode.
Enjoy the holiday music, everyone!
Lake Highlands HS, 7/23/2012
2012 The Cadets - 12.25
Follow over the jump for the footnotes.
* I've been following drum corps since 1975, wrote for Drum Corps World from 1996-2008, and judged marching from 2001-2006; I should know.I may be wishing you all a happy holiday, but this is still a blog about collapse. Be prepared for a lot of your favorite things, especially cultural institutions to go away, or to fight very hard to keep them.
** There is a double meaning to "this." Not only does it refer to the video, but the drum corps activity as well. I fully expect Peak Oil, economic decline, and social upheaval to end the national touring model, which has been around since 1971, by 2020. I started mourning in 2008, when I quit writing for Drum Corps World and stopped going to shows. This will be the fourth year I haven't seen a corps live.
As for drum corps' hopes, they rest on the one thing that makes Americans act, messing with their entertainment. Americans want their entertainment, and will do just about anything to keep it going.
It's called "bread & circus".
ReplyDeleteOh, you're right about that one, but The Hologram is doing much better on the circuses than the bread right now. Of course, that's exactly the kind of future portrayed in The Hunger Games. Speaking of which, did you know that the author of that series of books lives in the Sandy Hook neighborhood of Newtown, CT? Time for the Reynolds Wrap beanie!
DeleteThe Hologram? What's that?
DeleteYeah, you can't have enough tin foil around. ;)
I first described The Hologram in Joe Bageant is gone
Delete"Joe had many memorable posts, but I especially recommend this one: Escape from the Zombie Food Court. It's the one where he best explains "The Hologram"--the corporate-controlled media projection of reality that substitutes for the real thing and which has Americans in its thrall. Happy Reading."
Follow the link back to the entry and then follow the link back to the Bagaent post.