What's Your Favorite Drum Corps Soft Ending?

[N.E. Brigand]

No doubt: '87 Cadets and '89 SCV

I notice that the ending of Santa Clara's 1989 "Phantom of the Opera" show got about three times as many votes as the ending of their 1988 show. What makes the second ending better than the first?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Link to discussion threads for all 2013 World Class corps

[Galen]

Any of the SCV ones, really.

[N.E. Brigand]

I never did note my own selections, for which my prime criterion was dramatic effectiveness: Sky Ryder '87 and Santa Clara Vanguard '04, with the latter as my top choice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Link to discussion threads for all 2013 World Class corps

Edited August 16, 2013 by N.E. Brigand

[N.E. Brigand]

Last call to vote in this poll before I tabulate question 1 vs. question 2 to determine the final results.

[fsubone]

I notice that the ending of Santa Clara's 1989 "Phantom of the Opera" show got about three times as many votes as the ending of their 1988 show. What makes the second ending better than the first?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Link to discussion threads for all 2013 World Class corps

In '89, they added the large Phantom tarp that everyone hid under, while the Phantom disappeared from the chair in the middle of the field. GE through the roof for that one! Also, Music of the Night

[N.E. Brigand]

Here are the final results:

Top Ten Soft Endings

1. Garfield Cadets '87 "Selections from Appalachian Spring" -- 24.5 votes

2. Phantom Regiment '10 "Into the Light" -- 18.5 votes

3. Santa Clara Vanguard '09 "Ballet for Martha" -- 13.5 votes

4. Santa Clara Vanguard '89 "Phantom of the Opera" (second version) -- 13 votes

5. Crossmen '92 "Songs for the Planet Earth" -- 9 votes

5. Santa Clara Vanguard '00 "The Age of Reverence" -- 9 votes

7. Santa Clara Vanguard '04 "Attraction: The Music of Scheherazade" -- 8 votes

8. Santa Clara Vanguard '88 "Phantom of the Opera" (first version) -- 6 votes

8. Santa Clara Vanguard '90 "Carmen" -- 6 votes

10. Santa Clara Vanguard '84 (no title; ends with "The Promise of Living") -- 5 votes

Runners-up

11. Blue Devils '97 "As Time Goes By" -- 4 votes

11. Cavaliers '03 "Spin Cycle" -- 4 votes

11. Blue Devils '04 "The Summer Train Blues Mix" -- 4 votes

14. Santa Clara Vanguard '12 "Music of the Starry Night" -- 3.5 votes

15. Blue Devils '94 "My Spanish Heart" -- 3 votes

15. Blue Stars '08 "Le Tour ... Every Second Counts" -- 3 votes

15. Cadets '13 "Side x Side" -- 3 votes

15. Crossmen '13 "Protest" -- 3 votes

19. Blue Devils '88 (no title; ends with "Since I Fell for You") -- 2 votes

19. Santa Clara Vanguard '93 "A Walton Trilogy" -- 2 votes

Half votes were possible because nineteen people couldn't decide between their two selections.

[ibexpercussion]

Crossmen 1992
Ending with the question mark form.
This was the first show that absolutely made me want to be involved in drum corps.

Edited September 16, 2014 by ibexpercussion

[hostrauser]

Crossmen 1992

Ending with the question mark form.

This was the first show that absolutely made me want to be involved in corps.

I'm still not sure I've ever seen that ending, because I can't help but jump around like an excited baboon for a full five minutes after that ridiculous, off-the-charts, through-the-roof percussion feature. One of the best DCI drum lines ever, probably THE best from a corps not in the Top 5 (though SCV 93 and Phantom 2010 were great, too).

[fsubone]

SCV takes 7 of the Top 10 spots in the poll. Guess we now know who does the best soft endings in drum corps.

[N.E. Brigand]

Here are the final results:

Top Ten Soft Endings

1. Garfield Cadets '87 "Selections from Appalachian Spring" -- 24.5 votes

Who here (like me) only knows this show from the video and never saw it live? It was most interesting to learn this week (from Michael Boo) that the Blu-Ray version was able to bring out the sound of the soprano solo at the end, which is inaudible on the DVD or Fan Network recordings due to the crowd noise.