Leaderboard

Heading to the lone star state with my big bro. We head down every summer for the Texas swing. It's hot and a part of tour that we like to lend our support to the kids. Plenty of ice, gatorade and treats for the kids. We love Crusader stadium and the corps has a great relationship with Mary Hardin University. 3 days in the stadium, sleeping in air-conditioned dorms, ice machine delivered for the week, special Board & Alumni shaved ice event after the show tonight, a Texas sized BBQ put on by the families of members from Texas tomorrow, and then on to a 4th place seeding in the Alamo Dome. Have not seen them live since Florida - Burn Em Up Boston!

I just love BAC. It's wildly entertaining. The brassline kicks ###. The drumline is topshelf, the pit is beautiful, and the guard is fabulous. A beautifully conceived program. My hats off to you!

This shows you what can happen if you are committed to excellence as an organization and are committed to treating kids with love and respect. Everything I have heard from Boston from the road this season has been glowing. Kudos to all the leaders who have slogged and slugged it out so many years, trying to make finals. Boston is set to be a heavyweight, and I couldn't be more excited for them. That is one hell of a show on every level.

Luckily, despite all the talk on here, morale is high. The kids are excited to do their show which THEY love and appreciate as something different from the rest of the top 12. They will continue to clean, reach new heights, and work their A$$ES off in hopefully what could be one of the best summers of their lives. The staff is getting along too, btw. Man I swear when this show starts to place well and people start to praise it again I'll just be sitting here laughing... Sometimes, you really do need to trust the process and let these kids and the staff show what they can do. You might actually end up liking what they come with.

Boston lives up to the hype!!

Boston is really, really good! Um, they are great! They have made major progress with this show and they are cleaning nicely. Ballad is wonderful. The whole show now has more musical phrasing and when they need to they can hit you with some serious sound. Bravo!

Who said so? I don't think it is incumbent upon the Cadets or Boston to educate anyone. Neither corps has claimed this. It is entertainment. Period.

You have the best brassline in the world...I'll say no more. I just get in trouble.

Boston Strong. OMG Guard. Brass is killing it. Percussion doesn't have a speck of dust and the pit is very good. This is literally looking more like 5th instead of 6th.

Attended the Guardians preview show last night (kiddo is marching there - I might have mentioned that once or twice). It's a work in progress, but this one is a big step up from last year, especially visually. The guard seems very strong so far, and there are a lot of moments, especially in the first half of the show, where there's a lot going on at once. The third/final movement is my favorite, after the ballad, when they metaphorically let their hair down. The members are soooo excited to finally get on tour. They've spent the last month in move ins, watching everyone else compete. I'm just glad it's finally here! If you're going to be there, please give them some extra applause. Mike

Heading to the lone star state with my big bro. We head down every summer for the Texas swing. It's hot and a part of tour that we like to lend our support to the kids. Plenty of ice, gatorade and treats for the kids. We love Crusader stadium and the corps has a great relationship with Mary Hardin University. 3 days in the stadium, sleeping in air-conditioned dorms, ice machine delivered for the week, special Board & Alumni shaved ice event after the show tonight, a Texas sized BBQ put on by the families of members from Texas tomorrow, and then on to a 4th place seeding in the Alamo Dome. Have not seen them live since Florida - Burn Em Up Boston!

Crown with sub par guard, Devils with sub par percussion. That's what could make for a strange final four.

Mandarins beat Scouts!!!!!! Yes!!!!! Go Mandarins!!!!!!

George, I trust you, and so I am choosing to believe that you know what he meant to say. But that is not what he said. Regardless, it is at best counterproductive and at worst very unprofessional to be criticizing your members or your staff on Facebook. Can we not jus have one season without this drama? Why do Cadets alums put up with this? No other corps allows this.

Boston came to play.

Boston wants you to never ever doubt them making finals again. That's my favorite show of the season so far.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cadets are going to have a rough time "hanging" with this!

My prediction...Boston takes the Cavaliers in Indy, if not before.

More French horn solos in DCI, please.

She's good as in #### good.

Kill the wabbit.

Personally I don't think the narration is necessary AT ALL in their production I like the choir and between all the visual stuff, as you note, it is very obvious what is going on

The use of the some or all of the narration is certainly a judgement call - just as everything else in the hours long composition they are pulling from to create a 13 minute drum corps show I think what we are discovering is things that seem "theatrical" and appropriate in a theater/concert hall setting come across as unexpected and out of place in a football stadium setting. Being "preached to" at a drum corps show isn't the intent. So they are editing the role of the "celebrant" down to the necessary bits and removing things that seem overly preachy or divisive. Keeping things more approachable and general I personally think less narration is better. So let us pray. Instead of let us pray... Let us Pray!!!!!!!!

So I saw the show Tuesday night at the TOC Broken Arrow show (Which was awesome, I hope they do one there again). This show is an absolute monster. Just completely insane, in the best way possible. I am hopeful they don't change the ending because the Psychopop reprise at the end is pure joy. Between that unison statement on the 50 (I was sitting second row on the 45, and I was just about blasted out of my seat), and the #### contras running full speed down that ramp the ending is just awesome. But more than that, you can tell the kids and having fun and the show is just a joy. The ballad and the Prelude work really well in person than on stream. Plus the new effects work really well, during the solos. The whole show is great. This is a medalist show, its my favorite show of the year. Whatever they are doing in Canton, they need to keep doing it.

So reading through my review of last night I feel like I was overtly harsh on Carolina Crown........was SUPER tired and kinda all over the map. Pretentious and gimmicks were way way way too strong words to use. 5 Things I Liked: As soon as I heard the first note, knew we had the best brass line of the night. The clarity and control they play with is unreal. Choreography in the Ives was super clever with the members falling/stumbling around on the disassembled yard lines, perhaps a play on the tune it sounds like we all know? I effing love that No One to Know One quote going into the ballad. I played and loved bass for nine years through HS/college, the bass line was off the hook in the closer, and building on that...... Much much much more interesting integration of the percussion this year, and they're playing incredibly strong most of time. They're the one show I get to see three times live this week so I should have a pretty good idea where I stand come Sunday on the way home.

Just want to give it up to FloMarching for a much better and more stable broadcast tonight of the DCI Central Texas show. That was more like it, and if future shows are like that then the service is worth the money. You can do it. :)

I think Boston wants to make a statement after that Finals scare last year.

wow Mandarins... WOW!!!! big congrats.

At what point does it become a disadvantage to have beaten BAC last year and get a performance order where you have to go on after that?

That is one heck of a show. Wow what a brass line and guard is outrageous. Boston has a legit shot at fifth.

Wow. That is a hell of corps doing a great show.

Public criticism of MMs from corps director is probably worse than from DCP randos

that was the best mic'd french horn solo ever in DCI history!!!

Man, that's a great horn solo.

Old people shouldn't be on Facebook. GH I'm lookin' at you..

Got me a show shirt in Belton, the tree one. Super cool.

They had me droolling Tuesday night.

Played by a fantastic percussion section.

Exactly. If one is looking for" historical accuracy " as a Catholic ( as lapsed as I may be at times ) I have NEVER once in my life ever heard a Catholic cleric say in an angry and loud tone to the Parishioners.. " LET US PRAY !!! "... and then repeat that LOUD and ANGRY tone again to the Parishioners " LET US PRAY !!!". This is a Cadets thread. George Dixon here should have left Boston today out of this thread today. But this quest to solve what is currently ailing the Cadets show at the moment, by bringing in Boston to this thread, and then asking for more historical accuracy is silly. There is virtually NO" historical accuracy" in the Cadets show portrayal of a Catholic Cleric's usual solemn and respectful plea to " let us pray " to parishioners either. Catholic Clerics don't speak to their Parishioners at Mass in such a loud and angry tone of voice.. But so what ? Besides, artists, producers, writers often take liberties in a work of art or music... just as Leonard Bernstein did in his religious themed music composition here. We all accept that these are ALL Drum Corps show too. Except those handful of fans that are a bit jaded or whatever at the moment, and have a craven need for 100% pure " historical accuracy " in all movies, shows, theatre, art museums, etc that they go to. Then, they'll miss the whole point of the artists work found there. Now... back to the discussion of The Cadets........

yeah - it's important to share weather updates from the field during performance - there might be some interesting traffic behind the stadium like there was on Tuesday night too! ;)

To each his own. I hope you get some enjoyment out of somebody's show this year. I don't attend DCI shows to get an education, I go to enjoy the noise and movement, and hope in a few years my daughter and son can take part in this amazing activity. Please don't judge them when they do.

Again, I would suggest corps should avoid any concepts that require narration, and then only add it if it adds to the idea. Same with singing. I know this is not a popular suggestion with the band world right now, but if you need narration so people understand what you are saying, then perhaps you are not doing a very good job in show design. Blue Knights' That One Second is a great example of a show that needed a narrator and it was brilliant. For me that show was a rare exception. Again, jmho.

Is it too much to hope that Flo has their #### together tonight?

I have many many many things to say when I get back to my room. 99% positive. Blue Stars encore up close and personal with that brass was absolutely incredible. Ran into some MMS on the way back to my car and told them they did an amazing job.

Great job, BAC. Enjoy your day off tomorrow...you've earned it.

This is the 3rd time I’ve seen Crossmen’s show and it is growing on me. Really, really like the musical selections, just great ear candy. And they sound like a very mature group with just occasional dirty spots, nothing that can’t be cleaned. Love the percussion! Also enjoying the look of this show more and more.

I think they came out slow and are slowly gaining ground. Wont count then out of top 12 yet. They are starting to sell the performance and with fun bubbly shows you have to or it comes across awkward.

Agreed. That reprise is pure joy. My single favorite musical moment this year.