Staff Reports
Tractor trailers packed with drums, brass instruments and ornate uniforms will be rolling into Western New York along with charter buses full of some of the world’s most talented musical athletes to perform in the 13th annual Drums Along the Waterfront.
The event will once again fill the skies with thundering drum beats and beautiful brass rhythms at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 2 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.
A kick-off event, “Rhythm at the Rapids” was held Tuesday at Goat Island with a world-class drum and bugle corps showcasing the power and precision of their musical athleticism with one of the word’s natural wonders serving as a backdrop.
Though Tuesday’s performers are not involved in next month’s event, Drums Along the Waterfront will feature a lineup that has a total of 20 World Championship titles between the competing corps, making it one of the best competitions in North America this year.
The event will feature eight of the world’s best drum and bugle corps, including the world-renowned Blue Devils from Concord, Calif., who will make their first appearance at the competition. The famous corps has finished in the top five for the last 27 years in the world and has won the DCI World Championships an unprecedented 12 times.
Other corps competing in the event include: six-time DCI World Champion Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, Calif.), 2008 DATW champion Bluecoats (Canton, Ohio), Boston Crusaders (Boston, Mass.), crowd favorite Madison Scouts (Madison, Wis.), Pacific Crest (Diamond Bar, Calif.), The Academy (Tempe, Ariz.) and Cascades (Seattle).
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the Ralph Wilson Stadium Box Office or at any Ticketmaster.com location. For information visit www.drumsalongthewaterfront.org.
