DrumManTx Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Most Surprising: Spirit - These guys absolutely shocked me when I saw the first video of them on the fan-network. Holy cow. Early season when they were beating Bluecoats in GE visual and such, I was wondering what the heck was going on, then I saw the video. Awesome stuff. Most Crowd Pleasing: Phantom Regiment - In San Antonio and at finals, they seemed to get the biggest crowd reaction, with that show, it's impossible not to. (CLOSE 2nd to Madison) Best 12th - 17th place battles EVER: The top 3 traded all season, but that pack from Spirit to Crossmen was going ALL over the place early season, didn't know who to pick. Best 11th place show ever: I know lots of people didn't like the show design as much for the Blue Stars, but for an eleventh place corps, that drumline, guard, and hornline were just ridiculous. (Still liked that show) Best Openers - Bluecoats, Phantom Regiment, and The Academy. Three different styles that all just worked like no other, if The Academy's and Bluecoats shows were up to the level of their openers, wow, coulda made already amazing shows......more amazing? Best Ballads: The Cadets, Phantom Regiment, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Blue Stars, Santa Clara Vanguard - Cadets and Phantom were just classic, The Bluecoats gutsy choice with quadrophonic sound was pretty well pulled off I think, Bostons bari soloist, Blue Stars goregeous ballad, and SCV's amazing one made for some beautiful music. Best Closers: The Cadets, Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, and Boston Crusaders - The Cadets and Bostons were just classic, grand, and high energy finishes. Phantom ends the greatest love story of all time the way it should, and Vanguards had just that right mix of beauty, but mystic feel that you had just escaped something bad, but it still is a little with you. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellophonium Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Most unnecessary use of body movement: Bluecoats 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterA Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Most improved over the course of the season, Carolina Crown. I thought this show was awful when I saw it in the theater. I thought there was no way it should have been a top 6 show. By the end of the season I thought it was easily a top 3 show(personally thought maybe it should have beaten Blue Devils) Most surprised it didn't win, Cavaliers. I really thought this show was a little underscored. Performance level was on par with Cadets, both well written, and both very well performed. But I personally thought the edge would have gone to Cavaliers. I think the deciding factor was how much improved the Cadets show writing was compared to the last 5 years. For the first time the Cadets had the crowd behind them. Most improved from years past, Spirit, what a wonderful show this was. Most surprised that I liked their show, Teal Sound. When I first saw their show I really wasn't sure I liked it at all, but by the end of the season, it really began to grow on me, and I have actually watched it many times. There are so many things about this show I shouldn't like, but somehow they really made it work. Most disappointing season, Pioneer, I feel really bad saying this, but after all the improvement the previous season, I was really expecting big things from them. They performed very well, but with the lack of members just weren't quite able to build on the great things happening the season before. I hope more of their members stay for next season, and help put Pioneer back where they were in the mid to late 90's. Most gimmicks, Cavaliers, but it really worked for them well. Most creative arrangements, Carolina Crown and Teal Sound. Most annoying thing this year, the judges. At finals, the top 4 corps shouldn't have been much more than a point in spreads. And even the corps in 4th(which I thought should have been BD) should have been at least 3-4 points ahead of 5th and 6th place(PR and SCV) Also was a joke the whole season with the close ranges of 12-17th placements. Spirit, Glassmen and Academy should have been in contention for 12th-14th, with another gap between them and Colts, Troopers and Crossmen. But I think the judging has been more reflective of lack of interest, so they are making close races and anything goes to get more fans. Just my opinion, but the judging has been extremely annoying the last 4 seasons. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wadep66 Posted December 23, 2011 Share Posted December 23, 2011 Most improved crowd-accessibility: Blue Devils Most innovative: Cadets Most interesting body movement: Bluecoats Most testosterone: Cavaliers Most entertaining/fun: Carolina Crown Most pleasing placement: Spirit of Atlanta Most disappointing top 12 show: Blue Stars (sorry-- I love them-- but this show.....meh) Most passion: Phantom Regiment Most complex concept that was pulled off almost perfectly (and from what I saw the most improved show of the season): SCV Most surprising repertoire: Blue Knights Most 80's musical-like: Boston 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsubone Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Most surprising: Blue Devils- coming from their crazy '10 program, this one was really a gift for the audience. Burt Bacharach, presented with that amazing hornline, was really a treat Most underwhelming: Blue Stars- after their last couple of years of great musical programs, this one just kind of fell flat for me, it sounded like the same piece for 11 minutes Best new uniforms: Academy, hands down Most Hyped: Madison Could have been cleaner: SCV- this was a great show, but was just so hard, that it could never really get cleaned up by Finals Most innovative- Crown- mixing rock and classical, it was just a fun show all around Most consistent: Pioneer- now before anyone jumps to the negatives, bear with me. I always feel that Pioneer is the most consistent corps every year. They have the most consistent mission statement, "Better Every Day". That doesn't always mean high competitive placement, but just getting better every day, and giving the kids that join the best experience they can. They bring in kids who probably wouldn't have had the chance to march, and provide them with the opportunity to experience drum corps. People that bemoan the loss of local drum corps should really look to Pioneer. Can't wait to see them come out every year and show the world what they have. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunchbox Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Most "welcome back to being the corps some of us really missed you being": The Cadets! That show was fresh, it was basic, it was entertaining, it was engaging, it was fun, it was thrilling; all the things the Cadets used to be brought back to a new age! Pretty much this, but with the Crossmen 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps8294 Posted December 25, 2011 Share Posted December 25, 2011 Pretty much this, but with the Crossmen Cheers to that, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azul Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I know I posted earlier but after watchig videos on the fannetwork I had to do another one. Most emotionally connecting show(s) that really opened the flood gates: Troopers and Crossmen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielray Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 (edited) Star of Indiana started this in 1992. Just a random interjection here... Star 92 is probably the most underrated drum corps of all time. That hornline was unreal, and the things they were doing visually were actually more revolutionary than 93, as 93 just built on this. People are often dismissive of this show, simply because of the flash, but they were killing it until quarters... but the judges just didn't get the movement... and dumped them in visual. They were running their ##### off almost the whole show, had killer feet and doing all this crazy innovative stuff... while we stood on dice, wandered around a bit, and just sort of stolled through the last tune.... and we beat them in visual by 4 tenths??? Go back and watch Star 92... look at the recaps again... you'll see how little sense it makes. I'd say 92 is why Star left drum corps... not 93. Edited December 26, 2011 by danielray 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan9 Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Just a random interjection here... Star 92 is probably the most underrated drum corps of all time. That hornline was unreal, and the things they were doing visually were actually more revolutionary than 93, as 93 just built on this. People are often dismissive of this show, simply because of the flash, but they were killing it until quarters... but the judges just didn't get the movement... and dumped them in visual. They were running their ##### off almost the whole show, had killer feet and doing all this crazy innovative stuff... while we stood on dice, wandered around a bit, and just sort of stolled through the last tune.... and we beat them in visual by 4 tenths??? Go back and watch Star 92... look at the recaps again... you'll see how little sense it makes. I'd say 92 is why Star left drum corps... not 93. I think this is mostly accurate. But there was much more at play here than meets the eye (and ear) having mostly to do with the politics of judged events seen through the eyes of drum corps traditions that are slow to change. The last 3 years of SOI's DCI existance were laced with nuances that grinded the gears of the traditionalists and had them sitting on their hands (and worse). Their performance level (and of course their genius designs) made it so that they could not be ignored in the numbers...which drove the nay sayers even more crazy. Upstarts! Why should they be so rewarded without having gone through the decades of "the gauntlet" (or at least a respectable amount of CI)? Then as we look back, we wonder what was so freightening...what was so threatening...should we really see change as destructive rather than constructive? Viewing this thread, there is a repetitive theme that says to me that we (or DCP at least) are just as resistant to change as always. The overwhelming number of figurative "most" awards for BD in this thread have to do with DCPs collective pleasure at their "return to normal" or using the infamous buzz word...a "more fan-friendly" show in 2011. That makes me positively bilious! The self-gratifying flavor of the comments infer ..."thank you BD, for returning to the stuff we liked you for...please don't do that weird stuff any more, you know the stuff that isn't normal....please behave and we'll continue to like you again! Who cares that you accomplished a ridiculous undefeated run and scored your two highest scores in your history and the 2nd highest in DCI history. What matters is that you listened to us and stopped all of that! See...it wasn't so hard." That's the kind of encouragement that makes 91-93 Star and 08-10 BD so difficult...but perhaps (in a strange way) it also makes it necessary! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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