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I am looking to purchase 4 tickets to Friday night semifinals. Hoping for something on the club level. Bringing the family to watch the show, and of course the Santa Clara Vanguard Alumni Corps! Thanks!

Does anyone have a use for some Finals VHS tapes? I'm willing to give them away. I would just ask to have shipping covered. If anyone has a way for them to encourage kids to march, I'll send the whole bundle and cover the shipping. I have tapes from: 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Also: 1999 SCV Tour SCV: Tradition Madison Scouts History (3 Tapes) A few others Let me know if you're interested

Overall, I think it was a great day, and I hope DCI continues to participate annually. A few things: I wish the corps would have been warming up closer to the stadium. I'm sure they would have drawn a crowd, even from the "potential" corps fans. Having the BD drumline inside was cool. No "Vanguard" Yell, but during Pacific Crest show in a moment of silence I heard "Kettle Korn!" I was dismayed to see Pacific Crest setup for their encore completely facing the end zone. So much for the DCI preferred seating. While the rest of the corps performed to the front right corner, its not the same as receiving the sound head-on of course. However, I am sure this was done to try to keep the fireworks crowd entertained until the "real" show. The mass performance of "America the Beautiful" still sounded pretty dang good at an angle. I took a low quality video of it. One might find it on a popular video site if they were to search for "July 4th DCI Rose Bowl Mass Performance"

Make that 8 different corps that have won.

Answering a few questions: The crowd picture was from Saturday night, though Thursday and Friday looked similar. This was the first year retreat was organized in the manner it was. They were placed in order, alternating side 1 and 2 as PeeWee described. Pretty good idea actually. Perhaps the only good change to retreat in the last 10 years. Laura - Behind me for 3 nights and I never met you! That is what happens when I sit with family and friends (10 seats). One of the most fun parts about attending all three nights is meeting new people, making new friends.

Wonderful review! I agreed with you about Blue Stars, Spirit, Boston....heck just about everything. Your seating issues sound a lot like my experience. Let's hope 2008 allows us to get the seats we want! Thanks for writing.

This was the 11th Finals week for myself and the wife, our first coming in 1997. Typically we will make a vacation out of it and visit the surrounding area. I took a vacation instead to the Baseball Hall of Fame to see Tony Gwynn inducted. This year Finals week was a little different. On Monday, I went to work. Tuesday….work. On Wednesday, we drove 40 miles from home to Pasadena for I&E. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing I&E show we’ve seen. Not the performances, but the lack of participants. No one from Phantom Regiment, Crown, Bluecoats, Glassmen, Blue Stars? I think there was only one bass drum ensemble. Large gaps in the schedule meant lots of waiting around. The performances were spread out in four locations across several blocks which made room jumping difficult. There were no printed schedules to carry around. When I got back to the hotel, I saw DCI had posted the map and schedule online at 1:09pm Wednesday. How is this of any use when I&E started at Noon? Is there any reason this could not have been posted 1 day earlier? Just one of many DCI dropped balls this week in my opinion. On the positive side, some cool performances, my favorite being a trumpet trio from the Cavaliers. They played Bugler’s Holiday, but worked in little snippets of past Cavies show music. Other favorites included Academy Tubas and Pacific Crest cymbals. PC cymbals played Bohemian Rhapsody if you can believe it. I saw a camera filming some performances which I realize seemed to be missing in past years. They used to show highlights on the broadcast back in the early 90’s. Do kids even know I&E goes on before they join corps? We stayed at the Sheraton in Pasadena, and walked to and from the Rose Bowl each day. It is about 2 miles, and the walk was much better than sitting in traffic after each show. The weather was identical for all three days: perfect. For southern California, you might say it was a little warm, but there was always a breeze, and not one cloud all week. A welcome change from passing storms and humidity. The stands looked very full for all three nights, and I understand there were record crowds this week. So, perfect weather, record crowds….why didn’t DCI come here sooner? Oh yeah. The Rose Bowl. I will not say it is an awful venue for drum corps, but the worst we’ve been to for Finals. I do not think there is a perfect seat in the place. If you are high enough to get a decent view of drill, you are very far from the field. We opted to sit closer for sound, sacrificing top view visual. We would glance at the video screen occasionally to see some forms. The next issue was the section numbers. This began on Thursday and was a problem all the way through Saturday. Nobody seemed to know which section was which. When you came down the tunnel marked 18, you did not know if 18 was left or right. The clueless Rose Bowl security/ushers gave two different answers. I finally hiked out to DCI ticket booth for an explanation, which I got. Section 18 begins halfway through one section, crossing the stairway, and ending halfway through the next. This division is completely invisible, and was not marked in any way. VERY confusing, and in no way marked or designated. Even a quick announcement would have cleared it up. Therefore, I was very disappointed with our seats. I ordered Super 3 tickets the very first day I received the form, and my seats were on the 35. Hard to blame DCI for this, but if they had sold tickets they way they had for 10 years, we could have had this explained and hand picked our seats. How will ticket sales be handled for 2008? Anyone? DCI? Lots of people wondering this weekend with silence from DCI. A public announcement saying they are working on it would be better than silence. We arrived at Quarterfinals On Thursday to a LONG line waiting to enter. Security was checking bags, but they were pretty lax. Took in a small gym bag with bottles of water, sandwiches and snacks. Only visited concessions once, for a couple frozen lemonades. Poked around DCI marketplace and got some free Mentos. Not sure why they would be sponsoring drum corps, but thanks. My wife got a poster from the Marine Corps (they always give her free stuff). I usually buy a shirt from the corps with my favorite show each year, so I have Phantom Regiment shirts from the last 2 years. One thing we did not see was a DCI update. Usually there is a 3-4 page newsletter each day with the lineup for the day, and a few articles telling about Div II/III competition or other news. Not until after the first 3 corps did we see copies of a 1 page sheet of paper circulating around the seats. Not only was this sheet pretty cheap, and late, the lineup was wrong. Several corps’ came out in a different order. Couldn’t this have been done in the morning and handed out at the gate? I don’t think that is too much to ask. After figuring out the seating issue, it was finally time to sit down and see what turned out to be the bright spot of the week: the amazing collection of shows! Yokohama Scouts (Exhibition) – I was surprised this was the only international drum corps here. Didn’t we have multiple corps from Japan, and corps from Taiwan, Korea, Holland etc? Scouts were all alone in the international division. They were good, and reminded me of Yamato – tight and clean. Pioneer – Yes it is more Irish music, and yes I still enjoy it. I saw the show in San Diego last week and liked it then. When they marched off, they trooped the stands with the horns playing to the crowd. Awesome! Can’t remember the last time I saw that. The show is played with energy and it goes a long way toward selling the show. Met the drum major, who aged-out, at IHOP around 3am on Friday night – very nice guy. Mandarins – Saw this show several times this year, and I never grew to like it too much. I have enjoyed their shows more over the last few years than ever before, just not this one. I certainly do not like the new uniforms. Met the parents of a member Saturday at The Gamble House in Pasadena. They were completely new to the activity, and had no idea what their son had signed up for. They were quite blown away by the whole activity. Troopers – Just like others have said all season, great to see them out there! They were a good sized corps, and their unique look serves them well. Several people commented the drum major still has the best uniform, and I must agree. The horns produced quality sound, if not very loud. Everyone around seemed to enjoy the music. I really wish someone would play music like this consistently besides Troopers. The starburst was cool and got us to our feet. Southwind - I missed this show while talking to DCI ticket booth. Cascades - I missed this show while talking to DCI ticket booth. Pacific Crest – I have seen this show probably six times this season, and it didn’t change much, except to get better. I described it to my mom as a little cheesy, but very likeable. I think recognizable music with a fun concept and energy is a winning combination. I would like it MUCH more without the little narration snippets that do not add to the show. This is such an obvious concept, the words were unnecessary. Conversely, the theme could have been demonstrated in other ways, showing the audience not telling. The colorguard in showgirl costumes? I remember Ryan Turner suggesting several ideas too, that would have really pushed the show to the limits. I did love the little things like the drum major smiling with the chime. The opening music was one of my favorites all year. I had it in my head every night I saw the show. Overall a fun, enjoyable show and seeing PC do more of the same would be a good thing. Crossmen – One of the groups that had a pre-show during the warmup and it was cool. Brass and colorguard all with capes in a tight circle spiraling out to the edge of the field. Like many have said, the music consists of small samples of music, with not enough full tunes. My wife heard some Pat Metheney and said “oh I like this song”, then it was gone a few seconds later. They started out in 15th, but deserved to be passed by Madison. Madison Scouts – Heard a lot of comments while Madison marched on like “why are they so early” and “what happened to Madison?” Well, speaking for myself, I was not disappointed one bit with their show. The opening was very unique, and I loved it. It built the suspense slowly as they form a straight line that moves 10 yards looking perfectly straight. The make a couple Fleur-de-lis forms and several half versions. The ending was different even since San Diego, and way better. It capped off the show properly. Very entertaining. That being said, it was clear to all that they would not move up. Blue Stars – The Blue Stars represented one of those clear jumps up in quality, and seemed finals worthy in my mind. Wonderful hornline, and the music was recognizable, including one of the several renditions of Firebird Suite. The uniforms and special two-tone shoes seemed to me not worth the effect they generated. I liked how the horns would turn to one side or the other to change the color, but it just didn’t make me say “wow”. Keep it up Blue Stars, and hopefully Finals next year. Academy – I loved this show in Riverside, and I loved it even more in Long Beach. For some reason, I liked it less in Pasadena. I thought Blue Stars were better, but it was very close. Apparently the colorguard was their weakness, though I did not see it. At Quarterfinals the corps was 13th while the guard was 21st. The show was exciting and fast paced in the beginning and end. Nice double-tonguing by the trumpets. Good brass and drums. Maybe finals next year? So many good corps! Spirit of JSU – Quality level was worthy of 12th place, but I just never got interested in the show. I liked it less each night, not sure why. My mom enjoyed it a lot. I would have voted for Blue Stars or Academy to take this spot, but it didn’t happen. The new uniforms look nice, but for Spirit I prefer the previous version. Glassmen – This show makes two years in a row I have enjoyed their show. Another corps with a pre-show, where they add one percussion instrument after another building into the start of the show. Cool. The opening was Capriccio Espagnol, a very under-used piece of music as one friend put it. The clapping from the guard was also nice. It was a fun show to watch all three nights, and I hope Glassmen keep up the interesting shows. Colts – Wonderful brass sound with some cool drill. I liked this show all the way through and it was nice to see them not only in Finals, but hit the top 10. We thought this was their highest placement ever. I like the uniforms, and don’t think the red is overwhelming. Boston Crusaders – A significant jump in score, but not as noticeable in my opinion. The hornline sounded a little louder than past years, but the music arrangements sounded like Boston. I could have had my eyes closed and known it was them playing. The easels seemed to be a waste of time and effort, as I hardly noticed them except the very beginning and the very end. Speaking of the end, I did not like it. I am all for soft endings, but after the hornline forms in the end zone, they play one note, and it does not seem to resolve the show well. Blue Knights – I was one that did not enjoy their show much last year, but I am a big fan of this show. I love shows with a lot of things going on, and BK does not disappoint. I recognized the opener from their ’98 show and I love it. Lots of visuals from the brass, a treat to watch anywhere you look. My favorite show from them in 10 years. Bluecoats – Every year my wife and I smile because we hear someone near us ask “Why are they booing?” I had to laugh when my mom, looking concerned, turns and asks the same question. I prefer the old uniforms by far. This show was my wife’s favorite this season. Right from the start with the theft of the briefcase the show keeps you engaged. Of the 4 or 5 narration comments, I enjoyed two: “Drop your weapons” and “Right to remain silent….anything you play can and will be used against you”. Clever. We noticed the colorguard, who began in prison suits, had chains on their hands, and even spun flags with the chains on. We liked the laser dodge by the guard, and my wife thought it was based on the movie Entrapment. Likewise, I thought there was a reference to the movie Thomas Crown Affair, as multiple brief cases appear at the end to confuse authorities. On Saturday night, instead of a different guard member, someone wearing the old Coats uniform got away with the briefcase. Not sure why they dropped to 7th, but I think it had more to do with Crown and SCV getting better, not Bluecoats performing poorly. Carolina Crown – For the third year in a row I exclaim “Hornline!” The sound Crown is getting from the brass is unique and solid. Rich. Deep. Long chord at the opening got me on my feet yelling. The horse theme is evident throughout the show, portrayed by hornline movements and colorguard hair. (Extensions for the girls, Mohawks for the guys). The horse race at the end set to William Tell Overture was brilliant. Another clever use of narration, though we could have understood what was going on without it. We laughed though as the announcer called the horses “Holy Garfield”, “Devil in Blue” and “Green Machine”. Excellent show, appealing to all. From the 2nd half of 2004 show until now, one of my favorite corps. Santa Clara Vanguard – After seeing this show on Thursday, I decided I didn’t care much for the music, and 7th place was fair. But Friday night was a different story. Maybe they sold it better or something, but I was really digging it. Lots of cool stuff, including the cymbals of course. The drill seemed very clean, and it is not easy drill. The ending was different than early season, and I liked it. The brass volume could not match Crown or Phantom, but it did generate an impact within the show, in my opinion. We noticed very few age-outs in the corps indicating a younger group? Hopefully they can continue to build on this success. Phantom Regiment – They were staying 1 mile from my house this week, so I got to watch rehearsals twice. I loved the show, though not as much as 2005 or 2006. The opening is great, building suspense and teasing you until the big hit. Low brass did not seem as strong as last year, but still one of the best. Maybe like taking a bath in sugar-free chocolate? The flugelhorn solo was gorgeous and sounded flawless on Saturday. Nice job. Excellent solo opening Firebird as well. Being a mellophone player, I was blown away by the PR line. Loved the “never-ending mello note” in the closer. Three years straight with Phantom putting out one of my favorite shows. I could have seen this moving up one spot, but Cavies came out strong. Cavaliers – I did not know what to expect from this show, and I ended up loving it. As usual, many cool visual things going. I enjoyed the “rolling on the ground” from the hornline. The brass volume did not match Phantom, but was solid and they used dynamics well to make the brass seem loud at the right spots. I enjoyed the music, even though I recognized only about a third of it. I think their drill was the only drill on par with SCV. I want to see the DVD top camera and take it all in. Cadets – I came up with the Barry Bonds analogy while watching this show. They are so good that you want to like them and root for them. But every time they open their mouth you despise them. That is Cadets 2007 show. Equal parts awe and annoyance. What loud solid hornline as expected and great drums. I could not appreciate the narration on any level. Parts of it changed each night, but it did not improve anything. I would expect to see this show at a band competition, not here. I guess that makes me close-minded. Well, I didn’t like 2005 or 2006 either, so I guess I can just hope for something different on 2008. I have not looked yet, but I’m sure the hash-mark debacle from Thursday has been well dissected and discussed. I suppose it was OK for Mr. Hopkins to ask for the re-painting, I just can’t imagine any other corps doing what he did. You should have seen him going after Dan Acheson after the penalty score was announced. It looked like Billy Martin going after an umpire. I am curious what they did for the theater broadcast while the field was lined. I have to say, I was rooting for the Blue Devils partially because I did not want Cadets to win. The last thing I want is three more shows trying to copy this because it won. Blue Devils – I liked this show, but I didn’t love it. One of my complaints over the last five years with BD is that they do not play very much. That is not an issue in 2007 as this hornline wails most of the show. The drums were also on fire and I think they won the title. Colorguard had been an issue early in the week, but they must have done well enough Saturday. Big ovation from the semi-hometown crowd. Hate to think what would happened if Cadets had won instead. The Pasadena riots of 2007? Retreat – This year the corps' were lined up to have the top corps in the center instead of at the end. I guess that is cool, just different. Spotted Cavies doing some machine moves in their block; Crown had their fences out there; saw SCV do their snake ripple. No surprises during scores, with only Glassmen and Colts flipping. The corps all played a new arrangement of America the Beautiful, which seemed to begin with Auld Lang Syne. What was wrong with the arrangement that was used in the late 90’s? I never heard anyone say anything bad about it. This version was OK, and it’s always cool to hear that many horns together, but I like the old version. BD did their encore performance, with a chord progression to the audience first. Quick clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_mjWJEpZPs. The encore was good, but not much different than the official show in my opinion. United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corps – They performed before Finals on Saturday, and we never miss them. This was a treat as always. Highlights included “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and a James Bond medley. Of course the finale was “Stars and Stripes Forever” which brings you to your feet clapping in time. If you ever get the chance, see them in Washington DC at Arlington Cemetery during the summer. Kingsmen Alumni Corps – Performed after Semi-Finals on Friday, and brought the house down. I saw this show a few weeks before, and it was MUCH improved since then. 286 members, average age of 49. The inevitable comparison to Madison Alumni came up, and I would say I enjoyed both equally, though Madison drill was a little more polished. Marching tympanis, a concert piece, and the most hardcore colorguard I have ever seen. By the time the opener was done, the crowd on their feet. Multiple standing ovations throughout. A real treat for us, and I hope the crowd made it worth all the practice for these performers. Not For the Faint of Heart – This was a book I read last month and was lucky enough to meet the author, Jeremy “Spike” Van Wert, in DCI Marketplace on Saturday. This book recounts Spike’s “journey to manhood” in the Santa Clara Vanguard. 3 years in the drumline of SCV and how it shaped his life. I cannot express what a treat it was to read this book. For anyone who did, does or will march drum corps, this book must be read. You can check it out at: http://www.wildridepublications.com/index.htm 2008 Finals – New city, new stadium, new ticket process. I have no idea what to expect, but we will be there. I can’t say we will go to Indianapolis for 10 years, but we’ll go for one.

Playing the full show in standstill, as well as "Over the Rainbow" is a "non-core"? What exactly were you hoping for? While it always nice to hear a suprise tune, I am grateful to any corps that takes time to give us fans a special treat after the official show is done.

Links removed--LM

Ditto.

I have used '89 SCV as well as 2000 Cadets. For 2006, I would probably say SCV or Cavies....and I would make sure they didn't accidentally see the Cadets.

I received a tracking number from DCI, and mine are supposed to arrive Monday, 8/28 in California.

Yes! Funny that I can tell what part you mean just by reading "Da Daaaaahhh". I can't tell you how many times I have listened to those chords, then hit rewind and listened again, just soaking it in. Awesome sound. Can't wait to hear more of Crown's brass this year...when the CD's arrive....

Thanks for the information / review! I have done the following: 1. Read your post. 2. Ordered CD from the website. 3. Setup a folding chair by the mailbox to wait.