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It's really short. I'm glad there's going to be one. I have a kid that saw his first DCI show when he was 9 years old. He was hooked. And after 7 years of competitive Corps, he will be on the podium to salute the Cavaliers onto the field 28 days from now. Had there been no season this year, he would have had to age out and move on. I realize my perspective is biased. I don't care. I can't wait to see the 10 shows they will have, either live or on FloMarching. And I can't help but think that having these shows as unjudged exhibitions might produce an even more entertaining res

I guess I am just surprised that anyone is going to criticize any show this season. I have to admit that during the darkest days of the pandemic, I found myself at times wondering if I would ever see live drum corps ever again. Each corps has had to engage is some serious soul searching in the past 18 months to contemplate the way forward for their organizations. The fact that this corps is out there with what looks like a full corps to me and is performing an enjoyable show is commendable. Keep it up guys, and to heck with the keyboard commandos on dcp.

My son had the highest honor of conducting the corps playing “Rainbow” on Saturday in honor of a terminally ill Cavalier Alum who was right below the podium soaking it in via his wheelchair. I can guarantee that THESE moments and memories will live with him forever, and scores and contests simply won’t.

Bluecoats 2021 isn't a "new take" on a previous show (2019). It is a NEW show that just happens to be by the composers they used in 2019. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison wrote enough great music that several corps could do shows based on their library...without a need to repeat anything.

I heard they left one of the props out overnight and when they woke up they found someone had locked their bike to it.

this is a VERY different year - many corps are celebrating their past etc. Crown did, Genesis is, Cadets are, Regiment etc - entirely appropriate and frankly SMART. I'll just chalk your thoughts up to perhaps you are unaware of the outright mess this organization (and the Cadets) were left in after 2019 ... only to then head into a shutdown. We are all very lucky they are on the field and in such good shape. THIS they can build upon.

I respectfully disagree with this. In the case of the Blue Devils I think people forget (or maybe do not know) that they run a very large organization. It's not just the A corps. If you take the A corps out of it (where many of the members come from all over) what you have is a mostly local/regional organization that services a lot of kids. They have the B and C corps, Diabalo Wind Symphony, Yamaha School of Music, winter drum lines and guard, a special needs guard, and they run a lot of educational programs and clinics. I bet they have 350+ kids in the region who partake in various services o

No critiques from me this year. Everyone gets a score of 100 just for getting back out "on the field". Thank you for helping us get back to normal kids!

Well...Boston Crusaders of course. And, not just because I marched there and later taught there. They are an 81 year old miracle. They survived World War II, four other wars, the Catholic Church, the draft, 5 recessions, a fire where they lost everything, getting stranded in Europe in 1982, reinventing themselves as "Boston" and marching 51 total in 1983 (in Div 1, no less) another financial upheaval in 98, strategic move to acquire membership from Florida, now over 20 consecutive years in the top 12, raised money like nobody has ever seen in the past 6 years, and in the pandemic year of 202

Just returned from my second weekend visiting the corps in Vermont. I am trying to process what I have seen and heard. I won't have the chance to see them again until tour starts in three weeks, so these will be very preliminary comments. The corps recently made very clear that the decision was made last fall to design and craft a show that is what the audience would hope for. Thus, ZOOM is visual feast much like the last three seasons' productions. with a drill that is at times exciting and viceral and other times beautiful (particularly in the ballad). The brass line has now settl

Our son is an alum of recent years (yes, including '18...). I can't speak to admin, show designers, or anything other than being the proud parent/fan of the Scouts. Always have been, always will be. Wish the new members nothing but great success this year and am just glad to see a bunch of crazy kids marching and making music again.

you're just flat out wrong - these corps this years have a 12-day tour, have been sitting on zoom for 2 years - it's an extremely young corps, and IMO extremely smartly designed. It's massively better than I Am Joan which gave me a tooth ache and a chronic eye roll condition

So much negativity here. I would have hoped COVID would make EVERYONE just grateful that the Scouts, and the activity in general, are still here. I'm hopeful Madison is figuring things out and moving forward. I wish them the best. They are such a key part of DCI's identity and traditions. Can't wait to see them in Indy! Harvey

There is no reason for them to be this good with how young of a corps this is. Sounds incredible. Some obvious dirt, especially in the rhythmically complex parts of the closer but I am overall very pleasantly surprised. With my recent move to Indianapolis, maybe I will go ahead and attend the event now

100% where I am. Whether it’s videos or in person, every note I hear is a note we didn’t get in 2020. Drum corps is back and we should celebrate every moment.

The people here "know nothing about anything?" Shame on you for disparaging all of the DCP members.

THIS! And, I'll add my two cents right now. If you're going to be a keyboard commando and anonymously criticize any drum corps because it looks small, young, or not otherwise in mid August finals shape, SHAME on you. These organizations haven't had consistent rehearsals in nearly 24 months, and most of their members probably have had very little high school/college band rehearsals or performances during the same period. Be thankful the activity is resetting and getting off the ground.

Cadets are finished their show, making mid season like adjustments. They are incredible. That new staff is amazing and the kids are crushing it!

Thank you for your opinion. We all have them. The product you are witnessing from the early 2000's was when the current membership was either in their diapers or not even thought of in the minds of their parents. Whomever is in charge of instruction at Phantom (and there are many), have enabled these adults to buy into and portray what this show was meant to portray. Almost all of us remember this show. It was JD's 2nd year with the corps. It was Paul R's first year with the corps. It was Phantom's first foray into B-flat instrumentation. It was also their return to white

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRrUD19HZqq/?fbclid=IwAR3MLkeVw18oEsZ8H2O4-U8CxBEGPd_AAsifR2fk9Jfnp6oESftFLH_41pI posted by Gino, today.

All I can say is WOW!

A better audio than a previous one done in a city square. Thank you. It never gets tiring listening to this musical book. It will always be a classic to me. And once again, PR has a real conductor.

Just had the opportunity to view the Project 21 again on Flo. Wow I am really impressed by: how polished these "end of spring training" performances were both musically and visually how well the performers were able to communicate to the audience the level of detail added to the program the quality of training evident in the performers It's astounding really. Bodes extremely well for 2022. Congrats to the performers, staff, and admin for pulling that off.

i dont want to kick any halts to the side, but man that drill from 9:00 to the end looks about...oh...18 years old...and i love it.

So the results are in! My wife’s 90+ year old step-mother is officially a Bluecoats fan! And I had nothing to do with it!

I thought it was worth the drive. The feed was good, but the sound could have been cranked up for all us old timers in the audience of 40 or so. Agree with Brian on Acheson, but he didn't really have a whole lot of time to speak. Tammy Faye (lol) chatted on endlessly and spoke over Rondo quite a bit. They showed bits of Cavaliers and BC camps. Cavaliers should be fun, Hook-em. I don't think they showed or mentioned BC's props, Lance. The highlight for me was the Bluecoats rehearsal, too. It wasn't even the music or the show, but the kids themselves and the looks on their face

Ugh, what a disappointment! The audio was awful and I don’t know if it was the feed from FloMarching or the theater. My complaint fell upon deaf ears. It sounded like it was one channel coming from the front of the theater. I felt Dan Acheson had the chance to instill confidence in the health of the activity but failed miserably. I was wanting him to address how the pandemic set DCI back, how they responded and their plans for the future health of the organization. Zero. Zilch. Nada! You know, some transparency. Between he and Rondo everything is just sunshine and lollipops. Tammy Faye had

They look like a young corps. At this point, with so few weeks in the season they are performing extremely well. Much better than other seasons much farther into the season. There is a part in the closer where the lower brass is displayed. The sound portrayed is so reminiscent of what is expected of Phantom. It is also so well played. Watch out 2022. This is a corps on the move. Such a solid foundation. Bravo to Phantom!

So glad the members are getting to experience this. Young people put on a tough face, but this has been particularly traumatic 18 months for that age group. I'll bet it was therapeutic to be focusing on something so productive, and I'm seeing and feeling a lot of joy from members of PR and other corps. Brings back some great memories for me as a fan, so must be really special for alumni and parents of current members. Yay!

Blue Devils have gotten beat up pretty good over the years because they’re the winner that everyone loves to hate. I think they handle the criticism pretty well and just go about their business. I don’t know why they aren’t coming out this year but I respect their choice. ✌️

Updated thoughts on the show after being there in person and watching the film: They fixed their soft spots (visual design and color guard) There strengths are just as good if not better than before (brass / percussion) They have an incredible educational staff They positioned themselves very strongly for the 2022 season. Auditions start August 1st (well before the others) They have what it takes to design a show that will medal or win it all They made the alumni very proud of the organization They re-introduced the world to DCI masterfully T

They sound young, but... JD SHAW IS BACK JD SHAW IS BACK JD SHAW IS BACK JD SHAW IS BACK JD SHAW IS BACK Bravo!

I get frustrated at the frenetic front ensemble arrangements that cover up quiet, delicate playing in the brass. I’ve always noticed it, but, knowing this show as most of us do, it really stands out now with the amplification. Other than than problems like intonation and not having strong chops, which is to be expected, I was very pleased, and so excited to hear them after such a long silence. Phantom is such a part of my family, it has been weird and depressing not having them around.

I agree. And the kids I'm in touch with who are marching this summer are mega excited about being in a drum corps this year. I'm celebrating with them.

💯. Why does everyone think they need to reinvent the wheel when that wheel was rolling along just fine?

I'M GOING TO THE ALLENTOWN SHOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

Words 2 Harmonicly Journey By

Since people have already said things about some of my favorites and I claim to be Old School at heart though I love what I see on the field today, and love to hear when a corps develops the entire person, I’m going with 7th Regiment. 7th Regiment provides what might be called a traditional drum corps experience as far as work, expectations, and dedication are concerned but they are contemporary in their approach and show ideas. They know the comfort level of their marching members but they also push the kids to do better than they thought possible. They can be service minded and in the past h

They sound very good too. All these Corps are on timetables to put shows together that really do not allow for cleaning and polish either. So what we will see/ hear are Corps putting together what time allows. Given what we saw from Crown, and what we are seeing/ hearing from practice clips of Phantom and others, all these Corps staff and marchers really are doing yeoman's work here to put together solid and entertaining shows marchers will enjoy performing, and that fans will enjoy .

I don’t mean to go off topic. That’s the way I really talk, though. I veer off in all directions in conversation. I’ll try harder to stay in the lane. 🤞

I am not surprised we got some Crown hate on the page. It always happens. I don't know why anyone, and I mean anyone, is expecting something groundbreaking or mind blowing to happen from Crown on 4 weeks of work. The fact that they were even out there and learning a show, and not a standstill show either, shows that they wanted to do something for the members, the organization, and their fans. Not to mention, not touring or buying new uniforms for the brass and percussion saved SO much money. IMO, Boston dropping thousands and maybe even tens of thousands on their "video props" is a waste

I think this performance has set the stage for Crown for the decade. If this is what they could get done in 5 weeks, imagine what they could have gotten done during a regular season! I feel like this decade is going to be a bright one for Crown.

Trying to post it here, we will see if it works. https://www.facebook.com/1545260363/posts/10226334421297308/?d=n

Love it! I have long been a huge fan of the 2003 show and I really like what I hear so far with this edition. Great to hear some drum corps and the brass, percussion, and pit all sound wonderful considering they don't yet have the chops and endurance to take things to the next level just yet. But this should be an impressive group and I love the music book.

PopcornEater, congrats to you and your son! Very happy to know that he is able to age out doing what he loves. I don't think there should be any controversy whatever about this season and who opted out vs who opted in. Drum Corps each made that decision based on what is best for their corps' members and finances. As I have said before, corps like BD, SCV and Crown have every right to take a year off from tour, and who are we to question that? Accordingly, the corps who opted to push through the winter with the intent of touring this summer also had that prerogative. There has been mu

Holy cow did they push the tempo in the closer. Yikes. Overall, I love it! The brass book is very faithful to the original - I hope they embellish a little bit as they get ready to tour. New drum book is fine, though I wish they'd kept the one bar of rim shots right before the big reprise. I'm a huge fan for the 2003 show, and this made my day brighter. Mike

Post of the year! Congratulations, Dad. So very happy for you, your son, and all the young people that get to march this year.

First, great post and observations, Popcorn. I know I've said it before, but I know you're just beaming with pride for your son. Great job in raising a great kid. I was thinking not long ago how weird it is as we approach July 4, that (pardon my oldness) BITD, July 4 was thought of, at least in the mid-west where I competed, as the time of year when in the drum corps world, the men started being separated from the boys in terms of judging. Now we're still weeks away from the open of the season. Then I watched several YouTube videos from various corps including links provided by DCP'ers.