DrumManTx

I think I'm insane, just added on San Antonio this summer. lol My schedule from July 10th - 20th. 10th - Leave for Denver. Family vacation and going to Drums Along the Rockies. 12th - Drums Along the Rockies. 16th - Get back from family vacation. 17th - Get up, drive 6 hours to Denton, go to the show with my two best friends from high school, sleep overnight. 18th - Drive back 6 hours to the Panhandle, hop in my friends car, drive 9 hours down to San Antonio. 19th - DCI Southwestern with my good college friends. 20th - Ride with my friend back to Panhandle. Gonna be fun, I've only gone to one show a year since 2010, kicking that up for sure. lol

I would be a liar if I said that I don't disagree with a lot of what you say on here. I just watched it on youtube. Oh my God. I absolutely agree with you here, that's NOT Madison. Someone tell me Madison doing a silent ending is not wrong? Eek. That closer goes absolutely nowhere.

I thought it would be fun to revisit this thread, see who I was really excited about, and see how accurate I was in who I saw potential in for me to really enjoy.: 1) Blue Stars - They absolutely delivered, not my favorite show of the year, but I'm connecting to it a lot more than last year, really neat emotional show that I'm sure will develop into something really special. 2) Carolina Crown - Overall, they delivered, in most aspects. Musically it's what I was expecting, and will morph into something special come finals. Visually, there's some things I'm still not a fan of, but we'll see if they make changes that change my mind. Overall, a great show that will get MANY listens. 3) Bluecoats - Do I even have to say it? Favorite show of the year, maybe all time by finals. 4) Cavaliers - Love this show! They're back. A solid, fun show. Ballad is amazing, and Danse Macabre is phenomenal, not just the Marimba feature. 5) Blue Devils - Overall, I really enjoy it. The visual design leaves me a little flat, but musically I could listen to it all day long. 6) Phantom Regiment - Most of these shows were hits, so far this is a miss. We'll see, I've got a feeling they can make some changes to really make me enjoy it. 7) Spirit of Atlanta - This might surprise most people, but they delivered. Some absolutely beautiful moments, especially the closer, one of my favorites of the year. This is my favorite Spirit show early season since I've started following. I think they just came out of the gate a little weak, but it's already cleaning up nicely. 8) Pacific Crest - Fun show, closer is a gas. Overall, I wouldn't have it in my top 12 favorites. Fun show though. Not really a miss, but not really a hit. 9) Boston Crusaders - Absolute hit with me, they're out for blood, and if that insanely hard program pays off or not, I don't care. Their balls are gigantic. 10) Santa Clara Vanguard - Visually, hit, musically, miss, as an overall production, leaves me a little flat right now, we'll see how it evolves. It has moments, that's for sure. 11) Madison Scouts - A miss for me, visually especially. Music's not bad, but just not for me. 12) The Academy - An absolute hit. They're dirty as hell right now, but I really don't care, the show is a blast. They have over a week of rehearsal days, so this should clean up nicely. If I had to add 4 shows in to sub for the 4 misses, they'd be: The Cadets - Not going to be my favorite show, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Blue Knights - I know this is a love or hate show, and I love it. Huge emotional content, just wish they'd get the closer on the field. Troopers - The closer alone is reason enough, great solid show that I can see in the top 12. Oregon Crusaders - I've only seen 8 minutes, but I've seen 8 minutes enough. WOW. I can tell I'm gonna love it. If I had to rank my enjoyability this year, early season: Bluecoats Boston Crusaders Blue Stars The Cavaliers Carolina Crown Oregon Crusaders Blue Devils The Academy Blue Knights Spirit of Atlanta Troopers The Cadets Really excited to see what Jersey Surf and The Cascades have to offer, very oddly especially Cascades, I'm getting a good vibe from their postings on Facebook.

The drill leading up to the ballad, starting with the collapsing and unfolding triangles into the company front into the moving block to the endzone is absolutely ridiculously hard and will be ####### awesome when it's clean. DAYUMN. I would not be scared to say that's the hardest visual program in the top 12.

Yes. They opened with a 52.4 on June 28th last year, so very impressive for them.

Show should either be over or finishing up.

Everything I said has been said, won't even go there. Have a nice day.

I have to say, that closer had me a little misty eyed, beautiful, that's the most touched I've been by Spirit in awhile.

I've always found Oregon's consistent, slow and steady progress in placement, show design, and performance level very interesting: 2007 - 11th in Div. 2/3 (when combined with Division 2 Finalists) 2008 - 4th Place Open Class 2009 - 8th Place Open Class (A lot of current staff implemented if I remember correctly) 2010 - 2nd Place Open Class 2011 - 2nd Place Open Class (Higher Score, higher show design quality), 22nd World Class Prelims 2012 - 1st Place Open Class, 19th World Class Prelims 2013 - 17th Place World Class I think the a little more demand, a little more show depth, a few more members approach is the way to go, and I think they waited to go World until they had consistent success in Open class. I'll disagree about last year, I thought that was a wonderfully complex show for a non-finalist to take on that by finals week was getting scary close to Colts and Pacific Crest. I don't know about finals this year, but I don't think that 15th is out of the question, it'd be hard to top Troopers, Crossmen, or Spirit, in my opinion the corps vying for 12th place, but honestly I don't think that topping Colts, Pacific Crest, Mandarins, The Academy, Jersey Surf, ect. by seasons end is out of the question. If I had to pick my next new finalist, it's Oregon in my eyes, I thought The Academy after 2011 would do it, but I think they've got a couple years to get back to that quality. Oregon is just consistently creeping up the rankings, nobody will see them coming until they're sitting at 13th or 14th in the next few years or so that they're not another previous Open Class phenom that's stuck in a rut, I think they're for real, and being really smart and methodical in their ascension, not trying to do too much in one year. Also as an organization, they just seem stupid smart and I can't wait to see that pay off.

I am HUGELY impressed with Golden Empire, holy cow! Watch out for them in the future.

That's how I like it. I can watch drill when I get home, I always sit right up front.

Didn't realize I was gonna get to see them twice this year live, sweet. Missed them last year because of one of the idiots I went to San Antonio with. Oh well, not an issue this year.

I should know that after taking strings class this past semester. :p

No, it was not posted for the purpose of starting a fight. I just wanted to gain some insight on what keeps everyone around, even those who don't like what it has turned into. I think you should read this part of my original posting again: I have the utmost respect for everyone that's marched whatever their time period and whatever their thoughts are on what has changed. I'm just interested, that's all. Not insecure, I didn't disagree anywhere with anything anyone has said in the past, I'm just asking a simple question, and you did answer that in the second half of your post, so I thank you for that. And to answer your counter question, I never stated I was put off or even disagree with what anyone has said on this board, I was just interested into gaining some insight on what keeps everyone around despite what their views on the activity may be, just to get a little different perspective than my own, I never meant to insult anyone. No ill intent or hidden meanings here, just a curious youngin that wants some insight.

edit. Not as knowledgeable as Mr. hostrauser.

I know it may not be popular opinion, at all, in here, but strings in the marching setting is something I LOVE. There's a high school band in New Mexico I've seen twice live that used a Violin soloist one year, and a cello soloist the next year, and it was absolutely gorgeous, I thought it added a whole new sound and texture to the typical marching arts sound that was refreshing, cool, and very enhancing. They were used in one section as a soloist, and that's it, in both cases all the way through the impact points at that given moment in the show, and I thought it was an amazing addition. Love what Oregon is doing here, they sound great, love the show so far!

Just checked out The Academy on the FN from last night, it's dirty as hell, but I LOVE that show! One of my favorites of the year for sure, should clean up really nice. Get to see them twice this year.

Woo hoo Blue Stars!

Very nice scores for Spirit, not just tonight either, they've been making some nice progress in the scores, perhaps just took a week or so to get some traction.

Will be nice to see these on the Fan Network as VOD.

This show should be on the Fan Network at some point.

They posted this on Facebook today: "Cascades finish off the day with a run through backed by an excited and supportive audience of family, friends, and staff! We're excited to blow the house down at ‪#‎DCISeattle‬ in Renton on July 5th!‪#‎FillTheStadiumWithGreen‬" Nice to see the color guard with some size after having less than 8 last year. I've always really enjoyed the Cascades, love the colors of the sideboards and props, they will look really neat with their awesome corps uniform. Excited to see where they are headed with the admin. changes this year, lots of positive stuff on Facebook from them during spring training!

Or maybe they just wanna sit and enjoy the show with their friends and family? As much as I love posting on here, it was nice last year in San Antonio to just relax between corps and take it all in with my college buds rather than, like the years before, furiously type on my too small phone frantically between corps and feel like I had to pick out every little detail.

lol I was about to say REALLY?

WHAT THE HELL?