Drum corps for the Pennsylvania and Connecticut primaries

I wrote "The next installment of this series should be next Tuesday, when I'll feature corps from Connecticut and Pennsylvania" in the conclusion to Drum corps for the New York primary.  It's "next Tuesday," so it's time to follow through on that promise.

I expected Trump and Clinton to win their primaries last week in New York and both did by convincing margins, Trump winning 60% and Clinton winning 58%, ending the streak of Sanders and Cruz victories in Utah, Idaho, Wisconsin, and other states ending in Wyoming.  New York didn't turn out to be another Michigan.  As I wrote, "As a Sanders supporter, I'd say I would be disappointed, if not surprised, but I don't even have high enough hopes for Sanders to really be disappointed."  Instead, I had my low expectations for his performance confirmed.

Both Clinton and Trump appear set to repeat their victories in tonight's states, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.  Of those, only Rhode Island looks favorable to Sanders, as it holds a "semi-closed" primary that allows independents to vote for one of the major parties, while the rest hold purely closed primaries.  Even so, both Clinton and Trump are leading in the most recent poll of the Ocean State.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that neither has a majority and there are lots of undecideds; Sanders and Kasich could still win the state.

Enough about the politics.  Time for my readers to enjoy the drum corps while they are waiting for the results.  I begin with The Cadets, who have hailed from Allentown, Pennsylvania since 2003.*  Here's a clip from their 2015 show, The Power of 10.

"The Power of 10" turned every yard line into a 10-yard line, and if you count up each of the number sequences in the corps’ “Mulholland Drive” ballad, you’ll come up with the number 10. Check out the Periodic Table of Elements to learn why the color guard was clad in neon colors. And any Romans in the audience had to be giddy every time there was an “X” prominently displayed in the drill formations. The entire production was goose bump inducing to the factor of … well, you know.

That wasn't even the most buzzworthy part of the show; this was: The Cadets 2015 Horn Feature.


It's been a long time since French horn bugles were in drum corps, so having actual French horns makes up for it.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the corps from the states involved in today's primary.

Pennsylvania also has great senior corps, including the units that finished first and second last year at the senior championships (DCA).  The first place finisher was the Buccaneers.  Unfortunately, I don't have a video of them from 2015 in uniform.  The best I can do is this rehearsal run through at a band clinic the weekend of championships.

The Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps visited Irondequoit, NY over Labor Day weekend to perform their 2015 production, "Twist It!" to area New York State Field Band Conference (NYSFBC) marching band students. The Reading Buccaneers are the defending DCA World Champions.

I have to go back to DCA in 2001 for a performance in uniform from a stationary camera on YouTube.

Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps 2001

The second place corps at last year's DCA was Cadets 2, showing I wasn't done with the Cadets organization.  Here is their performance from Allentown.


Now on to Connecticut, which is known for a senior corps and a junior corps.  Here's the senior corps, the Connecticut Hurricanes, from an early season performance last year.


Now the junior corps, the 7th Regiment, performing their 2014 show, Alexander's Legacy.


That's it for today's musical entertainment.  I might do this again next week for the Indiana primary, in which case I'll feature the Indiana and Purdue University marching bands in addition to the Star United minicorps.  I'll definitely be back for the June 7th primary, when I plan to feature the corps of California and New Jersey.  Stay tuned.

*I'm still think of them as a New Jersey corps; I'm just not used to them being from Pennsylvania.  I'm a little more accepting that the Crossmen are now a Texas corps instead of a Pennsylvania one.