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Ok, something everyone liked from each show, and go: Carolina Crowns opener sounds amazeballs. Bluecoats ballad in this sitting was magical, if they can match that on the field it's gonna be amazing. Cavaliers hornline sounds the best it has in years, opener was awesome. Boston Crusaders show on every level musically sounds organic and cohesive down to how the voiceovers lay. And how their singer is orchestrated/layered into the brass shows a vocal soloist can work in drum corps. Blue Stars brass on a fundemental level is what my ideal marching brass sound is. Amazingly balanced, controlled, in tune, low supported, and just AWESOME. Madison Scouts show had the intensity and emotion that it was missing in the first video I saw. That opening fanfare was awesome, if they can match that intensity on the field they're set to return to the top 12. Troopers whole show is a musical treat, front ensemble is SUPER tasty, and Nessun Dorma is gonna be a musical highlight of the summer for me. Pioneer is playing music we all know with their own unique fun twist. Great singer. Music City has a very strong show for OC, ballad was a big highlight for me.

I'm scoring tonight's standstill Bloo just earned a 99.85

Bluecoats I have no words. I would highly expect we are listening to our 2017 champions. The swag level is just off the charts, only outdone by the level of talent across all sections. Just amazing

My take aways on the night.... 1) Really glad I turned around 30 minutes into a 3 hour drive to Muncie (and 3 back) 2) I think Madison made some very brave decisions...and they're going to pay off. 3) Boston is already so far past 12th place they can't even see it in their rear view mirrors. 4) Troops "Nessun Dorma" works inside/outside/on the bus/in a mall/in a gym. 5) A standstill after a rainout sure beats NO STANDSTILL...Allentown nods affirmative. 6) Good job FloMarching and....................I really like Bluecoats

Seriously...who doesn't think that :Zombie Wolf" isn't one of the best, most fun tunes you'll hear a corps play this year???

Here is how you use a singer.

Bluecoats prove they are NOT just a GE corps...could, for second year in a row also take 1st in Music. Drumline certainly a Sanford contender. 17 visual program is stronger than 16....then there's that GE!!!!

In a nutshell, this music book kicks some serious @$$!

Well, while we're waiting... posted from the DrumScorps app

Attended rehearsals Wednesday and last night, and the vocals are very nicely integrated. The early simple trumpet solo is nice too. So much warm sound with some powerful movements thrown in...unlike any Cadets stuff I've heard in a while. I'm loving where this show is going. Going up tonight for the real thing....as long as the boomers stay north of Allentown! I heard Genesis had some housing issues last night and the show order is shaken up. Genesis last, right after Cadets. We'll see!

Morphing each day. Last night's rehearsal (?)

After hearing this show live this week, I am becoming a bit obsessed with the choir. There are times when they are just absolutely mesmerizing. I love it. The "Almighty Father" section, especially, gives me goosebumps. I would have never believed that a choral group in drum corps could make me feel this way. They really are making me look at things in an entirely different way.

If I understand my brother's gibberish as he excitedly described, he's judging music at this show. He's been judging for USBands for a number of years but this is his first DCI gig. He's pretty excited, and "scared to death" at the same time. So, if there's some wacky scores that come out of this show, don't look to me. I don't know the guy. "John-who?" Way to go, bro. Dang proud of you. On with the show talk.

Props to DCI, the corps and FloMarching for taking a crappy situation and turning it into a great night of entertainment :) posted from the DrumScorps app

If the discussion turns to singer soloists, I thought Pioneer had a very good one tonite as a matter of fact.

Another takeaway on Bluecoats is that underneath the props and electronics there is some extremely solid drum corps going on.

Did we listen to the same thing? I love hearing just brass sound come through, they sounded absolutely amazing.

Bloo is a monster. A Zomby Woof

Again. Bloo is laying to rest the notion that they use electronics as a crutch in any way. Whether they're using them too much in a way that covers this rather than augments this is another matter. But it's not a crutch at all.

Woof!! Woof!! I'm buying everything they are selling!

This performance is for all the people who say Bluecoats hide behind their sound equipment.......though that was more last year.

I like them. They give a clean and simple look that provides a visual theme with the Fosse inspired viz. Id like to see a Venn diagram of the people who seem to twist over the uniforms and the people who say "remember when shows were just four good tunes played well and none of this theme stuff?"

Fidget tenors.

Maybe Bloo will give us The Boxer as a bonus? That'd deafen everyone for 24 hours.

Vocals done right (from the Hamilton show) posted from the DrumScorps app

Best singer in DCI coming up

The 2015 Muncie stand still feed sold me on this concept. Everyone was saying that Bloo was masking brass weakness with electronics for Kinetic Noise and then they did it sans electronics in Emens auditorium and it was...amazing. I like the idea of having a music judged stand still show somewhere in the season just for the wow factor of focusing on the music. As much as the activity IS relying a lot on visual stuff to convey the spectacle of shows, the musical books and talent is still thrilling.

Brass can be improved once the "getting to your dots" phase is over. The good thing is the GE/Guard should be stronger than it's been in a while and that's a huge boost.

Very true. Back when I went to Boston to become a Crusader I was young and naive. I had a chance after my 2nd year with Boston to join a corps that was in the top 3. Just because I knew someone (more than one) on staff at that corps. I was a nobody pretty much I was never able to make it to winter camps due the distance I lived from Boston, something like 1500 miles. So I was only able to afford 1 trip a year. But I turned down the chance because I felt like I would have been letting my fellow brothers and sisters down. I looked and look at Boston as a family. Even if I feel like in many ways I had much more to give them. I sure hope the BAC upholds those same things for the young adults who join now. Boston Crusaders was the best thing that could have happened to me. Not many of them knew that before I came there at the age of 17 my father had passed away the year before after 4 years battling lung cancer. I was Super Poor and Boston never paid it no mind. I became one of them a Giant. It was not easy to be accepted as an outsider because during those times not many kids came from outside of the Boston / New England area. So thankful to that organization and a few particular people. Geaux BAC..... bigidiebigidie bago. Winnebago

It's having slides and stairs and being able to run around like kids in a playground.

I've been a classically trained musician for the last 30 years (piano & trombone). Understanding musical performance, styles, effects, etc., has been rather easy whether I cared for the music or not. Understandung visual design hasn't always been as easy (other than cleanliness and multiple responsibilities). I finally got what was considered excellent in guard in the last ten years. However, it's been difficult for me to know what's good in visual design the last couple of years. Standing still while playing a difficult passage, scatter drill, and body movements seem to do well. So...what is visual excellence currently? How does one know it when we see it?

I was just thinking... Coats are a tough act to follow.

Gonna have to throw the BS flag on this one.

I'm wearing my bowler. Bring. It. On.

Zappa is SMOKING.

Oh.... I want a recording of this ballad just like this.

Still thoroughly enjoyable without the front ensemble.

People who get caught up on these uniforms make me laugh, this show is about as easy/enjoyable to listen to as anything I've heard on the field as of late.

Blooo! Going up to rehearsal tomorrow! Woot!

I could listen to Blue Stars play encore tunes all night. Their baritones especially sound SO good.

This show is SO well constructed musically, everything down to the little quotes of Beethoven throughout to how the narration lies with the music is so organic and cohesive. Absolutely blew me away tonight. The improvement that drumline has made since that first standstill video is bonkers, they sounded AMAZING tonight, incredibly aggressive and in your face when it needs to be and incredibly tasteful and ridiculously musical when it needs to take a back seat. And that front ensemble is absolutely beautiful, the musicality and expression throughout but especially the beginning of the show is fantastic. Colin and Ian really outdid themselves and the rest of the instructional staff as well. And the hornline was SUPER tight. I cannot wait to see the visual program with this in Belton/San Antonio. The way the singer lies with the brass in the ballad is SUPER well done, she's killing it but the arranging is setting her up for success to really make it work within the context of the show. Mr. George really killed it this year, shows you what good direction with programming can do, night and day from last year. Fantastic show this year BAC, LOVE it.

Building a Champion, indeed. Boston is on the rise.

I'm buying what you're selling Troopers.

Screamer gets the crowd going!

Music City does a great job writing an entertaining book at the right level for their membership. Very educationally sound, but at the same time FUN

If you're going to deny the audience a face-peeling climax to your ballad that is craved by many in favor of a backfield climax into mics, it has to be done exquisitely and with perfect execution with regards to sound design. Don't foget, this is the crew that pulled off Electric Counterpoint in '15 and the pitch bend in '14 so I trust they know what they're doing and will make this wonderful. I think ultimately this will 'grow' into a special and memorable moment.

If a person doesn't feel at least some positive emotion from that section, I question their humanity.

When Bluecoats were first working on this section in Spring Training, the effect was stunning. The playing level of the brass, the muffled drums under the stage, the choreography of the guard, the selection of types of mics and the levels of the amps all combined to make an effect that literally brought tears to my eyes. It was that good. I am not sure what happened but I have not had that kind of visceral experience since about the fourth or fifth week of Spring Training. Something happened, but I am not sure what exactly. That said, I am confident the staff will fix it.

Good luck to Jersey Surf for their season opener tonight!

This is a corps that is very young, but has been retaining its members, and for those that haven't been paying attention... they have been markedly improved year on year for about 4 years now. Underestimate this corps at your peril. Can't wait to see what they come out with!