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Yes.

Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl Halftime Show! Very Overrated!

You can't win if you don't believe it's possible.

for me, it's as simple as this: I love the sound of a big brass choir playing custom arrangements by people who know what they're doing with that unique set of voices. it's not for everyone. just like the sound of a symphony isn't for everyone, or the sound of a bagpipe regiment for everyone, or the sound of an organ concerto isn't for everyone. but for the people who dig that timbre, we can't get enough.

I agree with all of these except phantom 2006. I think that Phantom 2008 is falsely hyped as one of the best shows of all time, but I disagree. Not saying it should have been a BD win or phantom loss, but people hype this show like its their job

Phantom 2008 Carolina Crown 2010 Phantom 2006 Cavaliers 2001 Blue Stars 2010 all great shows I just think they got/get waaaay too much hype/love imo.

$13 dollars LESS than a $17 seat????? I dont see anything like that on the Allentown ticket page. I dont see ANY Allentown seats for under $30 per night! ALMOST ALL of the Rockford seats are under $30 WITH FREE PARKING! Very, very few seats are $60 plus - maybe 200 to 300 at the most. I certainly havent called you 'stupid' but get the FACTS straight. Over 80% of the Rockford seats are UNDER $30 and about 25% of the seats are $17 with the worse view being at the goal line - no end zone seating here! WHERE can you see 8 of the top drum corps for $17 (SEVENTEEN dollars) and get free parking?????? Luckily there are less than 90 of the $63 seats left as I see it online. The majority are already gone....

What a good fundraiser! Heck, I'd send them a hundred if they'd promise to never put a character like little Geoffrey in a Cadets show again!

Heh, that's funny. I thought that, but it's a bit of a stretch. They're wacky and they're tacky. They're unscrupulous and they're sappy. They're hard playing, then they doze. When they're through, then they expose, The latest victim with their prose. The Whoville Family. Don't worry Andy, your title "The Master" is still safe.

This show belongs in the "most overrated of the past decade" thread.

most corps go into the season liking to think they could win, no matter how unrealistic it might be. and for the bluecoats last year, i thought they could do it and thats just based off of score watching, since we were rarely at shows together or i was more interested in getting something for the bus at a nearby store, so for the members to think it was a realistic chance shouldnt be too far-fetched... or bad troll

My favorites are 93 Star, 89 Phantom, 04 Blue Devils, 06 Phantom... and others. My vote went to 93 Star, I love that show. So intense, from start to finish. The minimalism in some parts is incredible. It sucks me in, and then blows me away at the climaxes. Love it, love it, love it. I almost voted for 04 BD. Oh. My. God. Great corps. And of course I went with Bluecoats 2010 for the second question.

I expanded in an updated post. I agree with your take that it is becoming increasingly indistinguishable from marching band (at least the upper echelon of competitive marching band).

So you're equating quantity with quality? Even at East you only get half of the top 8 beating each other up on one night. To me the pricing for the TOC events looks much like last years pricing at those same events -- which kind of shoots a hole in the "here come the super high prices for every ticket" prediction that many here were making. Additionally you're completely ignoring market economics 101 -- charge what the market will bear. If no one is willing to pay the premium price (which is admittedly very high) then the price for those seats will come down. Empty seats don't make any money. Finally I suspect that many of the people sitting in those seats are considering the ticket price a "small donation" to the corps rather than "the price for premium seats". If there are two or three hundred folks willing to make that donation then why in the world would the host turn their back on those patrons. The extra perks (premium parking, programs, seat cushions, meals, etc...) are more about saying "thanks for your support" than "value for the ticket price".

First person to mention science wins!

the extra cost is the price you have to pay for not being forced to watch the riffraff corps

Nah. Yeah, those runs from movement five are pretty awesome, but that was... what, 15 seconds of the 6 minutes Phantom played from Concerto? And difficulty isn't always about speed. I'd argue that Vanguard had the much harder book because of the challenging balance and blend issues, and individual voicing exposure on some of those chord progressions. SCV's book blows Phantom's out of the water with what they were trying harmonically with their ensemble.

Hey guys, if you are going to be snarky, at least learn something about the event first. The TOC shows are pre-existing events and so they're using their traditional names and adding "a Tour of Champions Series event". Rockford is a long time Phantom-sponsored show called "Show of Shows". Houston is "The exSIGHTment of Sound". Charlotte is Crown's "NightBEAT". Murfreesboro is "The Masters of the Summer Music Games". The New Jersey show is "Music in Motion". The premium seats are $27. The VIP $63 package does come with special parking, a program, and yes free food.

This is hilarious to me. I put this in the same category of people who freak out over a 5-10 dollar cover to see a band play in a bar. A night out with your friends is likely to top a 100 bucks easy and be half as fun with a hangover at the end of it, and lets face it, 63 dollars is for the best seats, pretty sure there are more affordable ones if the cost of 3 large pizzas is going to break the bank.

people, fans, students, members, musicians, educators, etc.

Since there is an underrated thread... GO!!! I will refrain from comment for a while.

17 if you want to sit on the 10. I don't want to sit on the 10. Now to sit on the 50, sure, ok 30-40. Not above that for 8 corps.

Family Guy Lost Grey's Anatomy

Jeff, you can make comparisons all you want to support your point, but the bottom line is if you simply look at a the TOC show alone and ask is the entertainment worth the dollars, the answer is "yes at twice the price." I remember sitting at shows at times thinking that one performance and what it did to me was worth a hundred dollars. To imagine someone thinking last years top 8 not being worth an average of 50 bucks is beyond the pale to me.

If only the Velvet Knights had thought of this years back, who knows, they might have been able to stick around. They could've had a silent auction for big rubber sharks, club rio screens, snorkeling gear and fins, african tribal gear getups, rubber zebras and elephants, white bikinis, " Not " banner, lifeguard stands, black masks and black robes, drag outfits, plaid bikinis, wooden machine guns, brazilian gear, bicycles, witches hats, Jose on Tour garb, beach recliners, Vikings gear and braids, hunters gear and camouflage, Uncle Sam outfit, " 2 cool VK banner". revolutionary war outfit, VK baseball caps, fat women costume, bulls wear getup, matador outfit, red sneakers, fire cavern pit, yellow bananas and yellow bandanas, large cardboard tour bus, tin man gear, oz gear, lion gear, red beethoven wigs, southern belle garb," party's over" banner etc.. and so much more I've certainly left out. Oh well. Good luck to The Cadets on the sale of Geoffs stuff.

86, 87, and 88... sky ryders gold....

It's been a while... If you *know* who it is.... please wait a while (not everyone is on here all day or even daily for that matter) If there have been no Guesses..........Then give a *challenging* hint. When giving hints on these try to be creative and just dangle the tiniest tidbit. Make people really think / work on it. Then wait it out a while before tossing another tiny vague tidbit... C'mon we've got to make these last a little longer. PLEASE?? Also, any comments made MUST be made in good taste... this is a fun loving thread... not a revenge match. Please spew your venom elsewhere. Please submit any questions and / or pics in their full size (preferably JPG format), with full description - names, Corps, Stadium, Year... etc. to: The *Guess Who* Mailbox Thanx in advance! All that said and out of the way... Please, One @ a time, Left to Right.. Guess Who # 400 ? (click on pic to enlarge) 1. Bobby "Slim" Collins 2. Mike "Bushman" Melvin (R.I.P.) 3. ????

Way to keep the discussion moving forward and staying classy while doing it. /sarcasm

I would say 2004 Phantom - Apasionada. I mean yes, they got 4th place, but if I recall correctly, it wasn't a well received show. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the music for that show should have gotten much more recognition. It's always my go-to year when talking about Phantom shows (you know, besides 03, 07, and 08).

The ACLU's success in California means they will likely push the agenda in other states. With many states (not just California) facing severe budget shortfalls, schools in general (and fine arts in particular, in most cases) are under-funded. If school music programs aren't funded by the state and aren't allowed to raise their own (or enough) funds with tuition fees and the like, where will the next generation of drum corps performers come from? The fact drum corps are private organizations that can raise their own money is irrelevant: drum corps cannot grow their own performers from scratch. Maybe in the 1960s and 1970s, yes, but no longer. So, I guess the overall point would be that in the world of fine arts, no man is an island. It will be more than just high school marching bands that suffer from this.

scv did a ton more of it, and the arrangement and drill that seemed to organically flow out of it were spectacular, imo. loved phantom, too, but i give my vote to scv on this one.

I think SCV's was more faithful to the original, and honestly, probably more technically proficient... but Phantom's was a far, far better drum corps show. Mike

But Allentown is 15 hours and hundreds of miles away from Rockford. Plus like you said, Allentown is two nights, you need a place to sleep so add on a few more bucks for your motel accommodations. Nevertheless it maybe be a little more expensive than the average regional but the experimental format means that prices may be a little steeper. Is Phantom calling this their TOC/ Show of Shows? Does it have like a dual name or something?

This is a tough one... on the one hand I agree that public high school extracurricular activities shouldn't be only for those who can afford it... on the other hand if the programs get cut because they aren't allowed to charge fees then we go from some people not being able to participate to nobody being able to participate. On the bright side if extracurricular activities get cut for the kids of the rich and powerful maybe they will finally get angry enough to increase funding for public schools... probably not though because they will just send their kids to private schools instead and it'll just be the middle class getting screwed.

That is some top-notch February drum corps.

with woodwinds ? (Say it ain't so...haha!)

They are going to have the Boston symphony playing in the back ground

Their score had nothing to do with how tangible or intangible the TOPIC of their show concept was. And they had one of the most EMOTIONAL music books this season.

Bad form... This is what is hurting America. Who cares as long as I get mine, or as long as it's not mine...

Its too bad the Drum Companies won't make an Alumni Corps drum thats designed as in the past similar to the Ludwig Challenger or Slingerland TDR. Us old guys have a hard time lugging those heavy buggers.Add the carrier and ya got more weight. We use 10 lug snare and 8 lug tenor LUDWIG "SUPER CLASSICS" aka Challengers in our Alumni Corps with SLINGS!!! Tracked em down on EBAY had them recovered in red sparkle look, sound GREAT!! What a drum should sound like IMHO if you want that "traditional" sound.

The Madison Scouts! From talking to some members recently, they seem to have some unfinished buisness from last season. It should be fun watching where they end up in 2011.

SA is an awesome free day though!

1. Cadets- I have feeling they will put the punch in this show- and have it very reminiscent of 98. Insane drill. Incredible Mello runs. Dark theme already known. Drums with an aggressive book. 2. Blue Devils - Revisiting "88" in 09, and somewhat "91" last year- I don't know, just a hunch we will see more "92" with them this year? Fun, entertaining book. Jazzy. High Sop all over the place. In your face BD. If I am wrong on this, and it is at the provactive level of the last two years- no problem. Still anticipating what they come out with, as they would make this "anticipated" list every year. 3. Santa Clara Vanguard- It feels 99 to me. The video on the fan network shows staff talking about the first Texas shows, and how they have to have guns blazing right out of the gate. 99 was the most intense performance of a corps, I have ever seen live. It just seemed the corps had a drive that year. The music and intensity of the drill helped emphasize that. Thats what I hope they bring with this show...the music so far, from what we know, seems to have that intensity written all over it. Honorable Mentions: Blue Stars: There is a sense I get that they are on the same of ascension as Crown from last decade. I look forward to seeing continued success from them this year. Crossmen: I don't think anyone, from what we are seeing so far, could not be anticipating them. It seems like this year is an identity show for them. Academy: Liked the sound of the horn line and concepts of prior years. Putting it together into a Top 12 package. I think this is their year.

Bridgemen Muchachos 27th Lancers Guardsmen Kingsmen Oops, I'm old and I can't remember anything....... What was I talking about?

I am not.

it's a very accurate description

well sure. They aren't top 8. the idea wasn't about what's best for anyone but the top 8

oh I was done agreeing with you yesterday

let's see...all 8 at once over all 23 over 2 nights. hmmm, um, yeah something smells not as good about that

you're right. thats why I sat thru every corps at least once in Indy and at DCA