I grew up in marching band; I played snare drum for the “Fire of the Dragon” of Chelsea High School. A mildly anemic, waifish lad of 120 pounds, I carried my 15-pound snare drum around the football field like a maternity practicant, boinging from one hash-mark to the next, delighting (and usually sweating) in the strict discipline of the field: marking time with my feet, composing my torso in a way that appropriately exhibited “Dragon Pride,” such as it was, and paying rapt attention to football games, so as to be ready to start a song on a moment’s notice. For my last two years, I was the drum section leader: Marching band gave me music, but it also gave me responsibility.
So I tend to get very excited when Drum Corps International (DCI) comes around. For the uninitiated, DCI is a competitive marching band circuit that includes around 50 bands from across the country, whose marchers are age-limited to 21. The main corps divisions are Open Class (think Minor Leagues) and World Class (think Major Leagues).
Imagine, if you will, a high school band with a budget. No, no, stay with me. That’s impossible!, you’ll think, and in many ways you’re right. But DCI corps are just that: bigger, bolder, more intense high school marching bands with resources (Props! Platforms! Gizmos!) that allow them to tour and compete like a sports league. Anyone who meets the age requirement can apply, and marchers from across the country flock each year to the host cities for weeks of training.
And this year, Zephyrus, Tulsa’s only corps, moved from the SoundSport Division of DCI, where they launched in 2022, into the Open Class. That’s like a baseball team moving from a sandlot league into the Minors. While Zephyrus isn’t Tulsa’s first DCI drum corps (that accolade belongs to Black Gold, which ran in Tulsa from 1987 to 1993 and now operates in Dallas), it’s the first in 29 years.
With their movement into the Open Class, Zephyrus can now march with the big dogs in the World Class Corps. Last Tuesday, they played their 2025 show “Boundless” to a raving hometown crowd at Broken Arrow Tiger Memorial Stadium, as the opening act for seven World Class corps, including some of the top 10.
Even as someone who grew up playing in and enjoys marching band, I was stunned by the turnout. Parking lots were thronged with excited teenagers and parents running to catch the hometown team’s performance. “Boundless” is a medley of four tunes: “Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’” (Rodgers & Hammerstein), “Them Changes” (Thundercat), “In A Landscape” (John Cage), and “I’m Wide Awake” (Katy Perry). While Perry’s song felt like an odd choice among other tasteful and interesting selections, the finale’s reprise of “Oh What A Beautiful Mornin’” tied the show together with a bow that only Rodgers & Hammerstein could make.
As the only Open Class corps marching that night, Zephyrus received first place in its division. The World Class corps kicked a ton of ass, my favorite being Phantom Regiment out of Rockford, Illinois, which ranked third for the night. Phantom Regiment’s untitled show, with its minimalist white curtains on rolling platforms, outperformed the competition, in my opinion. Regardless, they placed behind Fort Mill, South Carolina’s Carolina Crown in second place and Canton, Ohio’s Bluecoats (the #1 ranked corps in the country as of this writing) in first.
The event itself was well put together, with plenty of concession stands, and merch tables for the larger corps. It felt like a high school football game. When the intermission bell rang (the stands are closed for entry and exit during the performances), the crowd ran to get back to their seats.
It felt great, as someone with marching band blood in his veins, to watch these kids execute these precisely-timed maneuvers, while creating beautiful sounds and sights with their instruments and flags. Zephyrus’ ascent into the Open Class of DCI is a major step for Tulsa’s musical pedigree; if it continues, it will bring talented and ambitious young musicians, as well as crowds, here for a long time. Broken Arrow’s yearly hosting of a DCI competition was already a strong statement for Tulsa’s place in the drum corps world. Zephyrus just took an even bigger step forward.
