7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, Nampa High School Bulldog Stadium, 203 Lake Lowell Ave. $12 advance, available at Blue Rider Music, Dorsey Music, Dunkley Music, Greif's Music, Welch Music and by calling 426-1846. $15 at the gate.
The name remains the same, but this year's "Thunder in Boise" is - if you want to be picky about geography - inaccurately titled.
With construction ongoing at Bronco Stadium, the annual drum and bugle corps competition hosted by Boise State's Keith Stein Blue Thunder Marching Band needed a temporary home.
Nampa High School, where "Thunder" will boom on Wednesday, July 9, happily opened its doors.
The 4,000-capacity Bulldog Stadium may feel small in comparison to BSU's cavernous Bronco Stadium, but the format for "Thunder in Boise" has not changed.
If anything, it will give spectators a closer look at this aptly-titled event, which features marches and routines by some of the finest drum and bugle corps talent from across the country.
"Thunder in Boise is one of many stops along the tour for Drum Corps International," said Catherine Tuisku, an administrative assistant for Boise State's Blue Thunder Marching Band who is helping organize the event. "The corps are used to performing at different venues every night, so they must learn to be flexible."
The corps in attendance will include 2007 Drum Corps International World Champions the Blue Devils (Concord, Calif.) as well as the Phantom Regiment (Rockford, Ill.), the Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, Calif.), the Spokane Thunder (Spokane), the Oregon Crusaders (Portland) and the Velvet Knights (Pasadena, Calif.).
Organizers sold 3,100 tickets to last year's event, and they are hoping the event will grow despite the venue change, so they suggest getting tickets - and getting to the venue - early.
There's limited parking at the school, but street parking is available in the area in addition to several other parking lots near the school.
Despite the venue change, the performing corps still will bring the thunder.
"Nampa High School has an excellent facility, and we feel that it's a great temporary location for this event," Tuisku said.
Chad Dryden: 672-6734
