Blue Devils finish on top at DCI World Class Quarterfinals

The Blue Devils, Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment, and Carolina Crown retained their statuses Thursday as the top four drum and bugle corps at the World Class Quarterfinals of the Drum Corps International World Championships.

With a total score of 97.375, the Blue Devils, the 2007 champions, finished the evening in first place after their performance of “Constantly Risking Absurdity,” a program featuring music by Danny Elfman, Michel Legrand and Ennio Morricone.  

“I thought we had lots of energy,” said Blue Devils’ Joe Gibson, moments before their score announcement rippled over the field.

Citing issues of tempo and ensemble, fellow member Matt Petterson added, “It was a great show, but there were some minor flaws that we’ll work out in the next couple days.”

Finishing up right behind The Blue Devils were The Cavaliers with a score of 97.050, Phantom Regiment with 96.575 and Carolina Crown with 96.075. The other 13 corps selected to proceed to Friday’s semifinals were Pacific Crest, Troopers, Spirit, Colts, Crossmen, Madison Scouts, Glassmen, Boston Crusaders, Blue Stars, Blue Knights, Bluecoats, Santa Clara Vanguard and The Cadets.   

Out of 17 semifinalists, 12 will make it to the finals Saturday. There, the highest scorer of the evening will be crowned the world champion drum corps of 2008.  

“I thought it was an excellent, excellent show,” said Dickie England of the Carolina Crowns’ presentation of “Finis,” a compilation of enduring classics by the likes of Debussy, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven.

Meanwhile, Carolina Crowns members were pleased with the crowd’s response to their show, and further rewarded by a backstage ovation.

“It was fantastic,” said Carolina Crowns’ Tabatha Cooper. “When your staff stands up before everyone else, you know you’re good.”