Drum Corps International returns to Rio Rancho

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho Ram Stadium typically sees football players and cheer squads under the bright white lights, but that was not the case Tuesday, when Drum Corps International performed a two-hour show in front of spectators.

Drummers, brass musicians and color guards from seven western states played as part of the 2025 Summer Tour, an opportunity for high school and college-age students to compete in more than 80 events nationwide before the World Championship, scheduled for Aug. 8, in Indianapolis, where DCI is based.

Tuesday’s performance marked the first time in close to 20 years the DCI, a promotion and production company, hosted a performance in Rio Rancho, according to Eric Hjellming, Drum Corps director of events.

“It was great bringing an event back to Rio Rancho and the state of New Mexico,” Hjellming said, noting that the Albuquerque area has a growing marching band market.

Founded in 1971, DCI hosts musician ensembles that perform nationwide every summer. The ensembles, each with their own name and identity, perform in front of a live audience and receive a score or rating from judges at the end of each event.

“Spawning from military drill formations and excellence in precision over the last 53 years, we spun into very modern designs and linear shapes and telling stories through 11-minute productions,” Hjellming said.

Tuesday’s event included six teams. The Seattle Cascades came in fifth place; The Academy of Tempe, Arizona, came in fourth place; Pacific Crest of the City of Industry, California, came in third place; the Blue Knights of Denver, Colorado, came in second place; and the Mandarins of Sacramento, California, came in first place. The sixth team, called Arsenal, of El Paso, Texas, received a Silver rating as opposed to a score because the team is part of a DCI program meant to lower the barrier of entry into the tour, according to Hjellming.

Regardless of how the teams placed, their members carried out performances that impressed the crowd, if their cheering was any indication. Team members took to the field in uniforms, which ranged from the seemingly traditional-looking marching band attire — with sequins — to tight orange collarless shirts with a copper pipe decal.

Although each team had its share of drums and brass instrument players that are typical of marching bands, the show brought a modern feel through other players equipped with keyboards, synthesizers and microphones. The almost dance club-like rhythms saw team members at times performing their own parts as if they were characters in a film.

The Blue Knights’ performance was called “Drip,” with its music and choreography suggesting, “the small things just slip by and go unnoticed and, eventually, lead up and cause big problems,” said Isaac Fletcher, a member of the Blue Knights, following the event.

Fletcher, 21, and his teammate, Adrian Hein, 17, told the Observer that Tuesday was like homecoming. Hein is a 2025 graduate of Cleveland High School, and Fletcher, who is also from Rio Rancho, graduated in 2022 from nex+Gen Academy High School in Albuquerque. Both play the euphonium for the Blue Knights.

“It’s really incredible. I love the crowd. I love getting the audience on their feet, and I love to execute a good performance,” Fletcher said, noting the team has traveled for two months. “Every time we have a show, (it’s a) reward for that really long buildup.”

He said Tuesday’s performance felt different because he could see his father in the stadium stands.

Hein noted the joy in performing for family and friends. But more than that, “I like connecting with every single audience,” he said.

Mark Arnold, a decades-long director of the Blue Knights, watched Tuesday’s performance from the field. He said his 165 team members share an “extreme” experience over the summer, living with one another and performing the same activity repeatedly. Rehearsals, oftentimes in the sun, can last hours.

“By the end of the summer, the level of perfection and performance is beyond imagination,” Arnold said.

He hopes that attendees of Tuesday’s event not only felt uplifted by the arts but sensed “the exuberance of youth.”

“When you watch these shows, you can’t help but feel a sense of real amazement, hope and joy that young people are willing to give so much of themselves to help entertain you,” Arnold said.