Matt_S

Pins Mechanical and 16-Bit are open til 2:30AM, if you want to get your game on while you drink. Tappers arcade bar in Fletcher Place also open til 1AM. Nine Irish Brothers on Mass Ave also stays open until 2AM. Has a robust food menu, though kitchen closes at 11.

Ha, I tried to access this on my work computer and your site got blocked for being in the category of "alcohol". I do follow you on Untappd, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. 🍻

For me, this year's show has been a refreshing return to the style of 5-10 years ago, when I was vibing the most with what this corps was putting out. Their staff's ability to source different music and adapt those selections to the field has long been second to none. I've just found the shows since '19 to have been overproduced, not quite for me. This year feels stripped back and the corps shines through. Technical demand is through the roof, between the timing and the listening environments, though I'm not sure if I enjoy the show as much as I'm impressed by it. It's juicy bait, but I'm not on the hook just yet. Haven't seen this live, so maybe this weekend in Indy is when I'll be fully reeled in.

My favorite corps has changed several times in the 25 years I've been following this activity. Cavaliers, Phantom, Madison Scouts, Crown, Bluecoats. All have had their ups and downs for me. Blue Devils introduced me to the activity - with their stage production in 1999 - and seemingly every other year or so since they put out a show I count among the very best from that season. Like Andy Dwyer discovering butter is his favorite food, one day you look up and realize *gasp* maybe the Blue Devils are my favorite corps. Haven't seen the show yet this year, but I know I'm going to get a good product. Nobody produces a sound quite like BD, their chords are distinct from everybody else. Can't wait to smash against that wall this weekend in Indy.

Popping in to say I adore this show. It was fun when I saw it in Muncie, and what they've added over season has been remarkable. The ending with the Conquest hits has me beaming. I'm going to be pulling hard for this show when I see it in Indy. What a treat.

This just makes me so sad, even purely from a preservation standpoint. Drum corps performances exist for a summer only. When that season is done, all the shows go away too, never to be experienced live again. The DVDs/Blu-rays are the only (official) visual record, for an art form designed to be viewed by spectators. Think of all the great visual moments captured over the years: the death of Spartacus, the Z pull, Star's crosses, the diamond cutter, all of Babylon. Now those moments will be lost to time, wholly dependent on whatever bootleg economy can spring up and evade copyright claims. Enjoy every moment of every show you get to see live. There's no guarantee you'll ever get to see that performance again.

I was surprised and a touch disappointed when I got to Finals and couldn't get a program. I would always flip to the next performing corps and read about the upcoming show. I confess, though, I rarely if ever went back to the program after that night. In that regard it's probably a smart cost-cutting measure. But when combined with what I've read on here that there will not be any video from this year's championships, it does prompt some questions about the financial health of the organization.

Apologies as I haven't read all the pages, but how much was the corps affected by their hit with COVID early on? I imagine that could limit not just how much they were able to practice, but also how much change you can make to a show during the season.

I had no issues getting in the building, but I definitely relate to this complaint. All night long we had young people in lanyards - ostensibly marching members and staff - who would pop in to the section looking for an available seat. And because those would be hard to find, they'd stay standing right up until the start of the show and until someone had to ask them forcefully to leave. My section is a popular one, and tickets go for $150 each. Any empty seat is going to belong to someone, and is only open because they're late arriving, or at concessions or the restroom. Which ensures a confrontation when they get there and someone is in their seat. This is poor policy, and something for which I directly blame DCI. I get why staff and performers should be allowed in without having to purchase a ticket. But there needs to be a section set aside for that purpose, or some other plan in place that doesn't promote scavenging.

Given that, I'm surprised Inferno finished in second because Kinetic Noise was the better show. Yes I will die on this hill.

One of my great memories as a fan is being in the stands when Phantom won in 2008. That moment when Brandt announced Blue Devils in second was pure chaos. Fans were thrilled that Phantom won, proving that competition absolutely matters. But someone wins every year and we don't see a reaction like that. It also mattered that fans had an emotional connection to the art Phantom had created on the field. Competition has been a part of this activity from the start. Certainly I watch scores each day during the season, to see who's up and who's down. But when the season is done, those placements only matter in determining which track I need to skip to on the CD when I want to listen to my favorite shows in the car. So yeah, I completely agree with your post. But I strongly push back on that silly gatekeeping idea that art cannot be created in setting where competition is present.

We got in line about 5:30, on the east of the stadium. Took about ten minutes to get in. I was surprised to get on here and read about it taking an hour for some. It did seem fewer gates were open than in the past, especially when leaving at the end of the night.

Just last year we had a DCI season without any scoring. Corps still designed and rehearsed shows, and performed them for appreciative fans, who in turn felt an emotional response. Competition is a motive in this activity, to be sure. But the flaw in your position is the premise that competition is the primary motive, or even a necessary one. My favorite Bluecoats show is 2015, not the show next year when they won a championship.

Checking in, excited to see some live drum corps for the first time since 2019 Finals. Got seats in Section 238, row 8. Let's do this!

The above was posted an hour ago and there are already several more pages to the thread, so apologies if the discussion has moved on. I left this site back in 2010, because I thought BD had a pretty neat show and didn't want to come back to all the inevitable complaints. But 2012 I say close to the field for Finals, and that really drove home the difference between BD and everyone else. Obviously their talent is always through the roof. What I really noticed that year, though, was the total lack of filler. Every moment of the show was filled with an idea, and the design consistently drew your eyes to the next thing. There's no wasted movement, every action contributes to the flow of the show. It's a cohesion of design that no other corps ever consistently achieves. When they do, you notice it, like Vanguard in 18 or Bloo in 16. I've been a fan for almost 25 years, and I used to be among those who were happy when anyone other than BD won. But man, sometimes it's okay just to enjoy excellence. I'm going to my first live show since 2019 tonight, and one of the highlights is going to be hearing that great wall of brass sound from BD. No one layers a chord quite like they do, and it's a treat.