Last night, we went to the astonishingly ornate Fox Theatre and saw a show I've wanted to see for a while: "Blast".

Since high school, I've thought that drum corps was pretty cool. I can't say I enjoyed every moment of participating in marching band, but the musical, athletic, and visual extravagance of drum corps has always impressed me. It's harder than it looks, and it looks pretty hard.

"Blast" is like marching band, but rockin', and indoors, and with much better costumes. And no fight songs. And everyone thinks the performers are really cool. It's like an alternate universe from my days slopping around a football field with a trombone.

I got the distinct impression that many of the people in the audience were past, present, or future band nerds like me. There were also people there who had never seen anything like it. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I'm glad that the world has room for a show like "Blast", where live musicians actually playing traditional wind instruments are appreciated. Much better than, say, "American Idol."

I wonder when "Blast 2: Shockwave" will be coming to town...