By Dave Marvin
1999
Creativity in design. Technical achievement. Astonishing entertainment. This was WGI Percussion, 1999. With designers realizing the sky was the limit, it is still the most talked about year in our short history.
Coast to coast, and across the classes, shows were filled with a masterful combination of skill and design. The Blue Knights took off with “ A Brief History of Flight.” Mystique brought the Serengeti to life. Franklin Central and Gateway changed the way we look at concert percussion forever. The Scholastic World groups broke the last barriers in what we could bring to the table. Dartmouth’s West Side Story; Ponderosa’s conveyor tenor solo; Mission Viejo’s “Time to Time”; and Northglenn’s “Life After Life.” Four shows separated by . 35 at Finals.
As the design element grew, the performers’ achievement was pushed far beyond what most thought possible for marching percussion. Players were asked to move at breakneck speed through impossible listening environments and do so with a confidence that is now the paradigm.
Finally, the entertainment. Hour after hour of programs that sent audiences through a remarkable range of emotions. Freethinking shows designed and performed at the highest level were rewarding for both competitors and audiences alike.
Creativity. Achievement. Entertainment. The Perfect Storm.
The exhilarating diversity of 1999 set the standard for WGI percussion.
