Leaderboard

A gentleman on my row left some merchandise he purchased when he hurried out after Finals night. As soon as we realized we tried to run after him and locate him, to no avail. I would love to be able to find the owner. I already contacted the corps who the items were purchased from and am awaiting a response, but this young man seemed as though he was definitely in the know on drum corps stuff so I thought he might come here too. So if you left something behind please contact me and tell me the items you purchased, from which corps and your seat location to verify it's yours. I know I would be so disappointed if this happened to me since we all know souvie's are NOT cheap!

I'll fess up to being the luckiest guy (and dumbest for leaving my merchandise). Thanks, MalletMom! You're the nicest person ever.

Reunited and it feels so good! The interwebs is magical I tell ya! Thanks folks.

Can we retire the "any brass" rule change he foisted on the activity as well?

Consistent with 20 years of observation, this is an example of the kind of people drum corps fans really are. : )

Madison Scouts , on the whole, have given me my money's worth for my entertainment dollar under Mason's tenure. But if the question is... what does Madison need to do to move up in the current DCI pecking order under nthe current DCI sheets ?, I'd say they need to shore up the Visual and the Guard. The days when Music and Brass could have you derive the maximum points on the sheets has left the DCI train station awhile back. Its primarily the Visual ( and Guard ) now that moves the dial. If Madison wants to play the DCI game as its currently constituted, they need secure staff that can write a top tier visual production and teach the MM's( including the Guard ) how to stage it, march it, pose it, and dance it to the max.

There are plenty of Rookouts in past BD corps over the years ....from every top corps imaginable. Talk to a couple and ask them that question, they are your best judges of physically demanding and how BD stacks up to other corps. If something is labored it could be the function of drill design (including individual movement design and how it flows to the next set) or could be a function of execution. i.e. If a bear is running it is beating the ground to death, not the most efficient use of energy and why they can't do it for very long.....if a deer is running it is the most efficient use of energy and why they normally outrun most predators. They're both covering the same ground but with very different styles.

well, here's why: getting a show truly clean can't be done for someone jumping in with 3 weeks to go, especially in an all white uniform.

Coming from a BDB member, I'll tell you our story. At the start of the season we were really overconfident, we thought we were going to win a ring easily. Our music and drill design was just through the roof. We didn't try we didn't care and we got absolutely destroyed early season. That's where all the five point gaps come from. Additionally those first four shows we didn't have the last 4 minutes of our show done. We thought "Oh we're only a half point behind scvc and we still have 4 minutes of our show." So we didn't try for another week, and in that week we added 14 sets of choreography to our show and learned the last 4 minutes. Then the next set of shows came, we lost every single show again. We as members felt cheated and demolished. We felt as if the judges had scored us unfairly and screwed us over. The very next practice after those sets of shows our visual staff sat us down. They explained we weren't cheated, we lost fair and square. There was nobody to blame except ourselves. We were a talented group of individuals, just unbelievably lazy. That's when we started to really perform our show. Within the next week we had a brass staff member, Rob Stein, come join us. He was on staff during 2011 and 2012, and took 2013 off. He was also a staff member for cadets during the 2012 season. Now why does this matter? To put this in perspective, if any of you remember BDB was getting thrown around during the 2012 season, meaning we were getting our ##### handed to us by SCVC and OC. SCVC was 3 pointing us and OC was 5 pointing us. Within 2 weeks, we had jumped ahead of SCVC due to a training program that Rob Stein started when he joined us on tour, which was only 2 weeks long. This season he joined us a month before finals. We started that training program and within 2 days had finally realized what we were capable of. We went through this training program for a whole month, now if two weeks of this could jump a three point gap, imagine what a whole month did. Rob didn't just help the brass either, he was put on box duty and was constantly critiquing our work etiquette, not just the brass but every section from percussion to color guard. He made us realize that in order for us to win, every section needed to be on top of their game. We went from rehearsing like a bunch of high school kids from various programs to one cohesive corps that understood their responsibilities. After a week of Rob's help and his training program, we had our next set of shows. The results of our hard work came through, we were now one pointing SCVC and had jumped the 1.5 gap that once separated us. You can see where this trend is going, eventually the five point gap at the beginning of the season that separated us and corps like PC and Mandarins shrunk, and we finally met the demand of our show. Going into this season we had an incredibly designed show, but we as a corps were nowhere near even half of our potential. It took us six shows to realize that this season was going to be decided how hard we worked, and wouldn't be won for us. We realized that the ring we won wasn't going to be given, but earned. I'm not saying that other corps weren't working as hard as us, but that we finally decided as a 150 member family that we were going to bust our ##### and go out this season with a bang, and we did.

Boy, I don't know what shows you were watching this year. Anyone who saw Troopers 2014 and concluded their program and performance was inferior to 2013 simply didn't pay attention. That's what made this year particularly frustrating for them: they upped their game from 2013 -- and were told by the judges they were worse.Beyond Troop, you had Colts, whose show this year was a significant step up from 2013. Same for Academy and OC.

Top 10? Come on, son, this is DCI. Here are my Top 12 favorite shows... 12. 1991 Star of Indiana - Roman Images 11. 1990 Star of Indiana - Belshazzar's Feast 10. 2000 Cadets - We Are the Future 9. 2013 Carolina Crown - e=mc2 8. 1989 Phantom Regiment - From the New World 7. 1993 Phantom Regiment - The Modern Imagination 6. 1993 Star of Indiana - Music of Barber and Bartok 5. 1993 Cadets - In the Spring, at the Time When Kings Go Off to War 4. 1995 Madison Scouts - A Drum Corps Fan's Dream (A Day in the Life of a Bullfighter) 3. 1999 Santa Clara Vanguard - Inventions for a New Millennium 2. 1994 Blue Devils - My Spanish Heart 1. 2008 Phantom Regiment - Spartacus

But G artillery is much louder and better!

Well I can't possibly imagine a flame war between Madison alumni happening on this thread.

The Cadets battery was not staged at the front like BD and Coats, so many in the crowd did not get hip to what these kids were laying down. In case you missed it, here is a nice clip....no frou frou...just kick butt execution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld69-mOEPek

I can't be the only one who loves these! They let you get up close and personal with all the parts. These are some videos I found from this year: 2014 BD: Mello (and trumpet): http://youtu.be/mThmbg780R8 Mello (and trumpet): http://youtu.be/FojRTBT21PM Euph: http://youtu.be/0zdjarO5JdM 'Coats: Bari: http://youtu.be/tmi3lplBOpY Mello: http://youtu.be/BH8yIwU3ESI Mello: (autumn leaves) http://youtu.be/XPW9pOa__Hs Trumpet: http://youtu.be/oWgmULJB7qs Cadets: Bari: http://youtu.be/CLaujgczBgs SCV: Crown: Bari (and trumpet): http://youtu.be/Bgnke3d3-rQ Tuba (and trumpet and bass drum): http://youtu.be/4BF5AkcSVfE Tuba (And vocals and trumpet): http://youtu.be/3wAjc5Zv-xw DCI's horn cam: http://youtu.be/3B_gi1N-ZbU Cavaliers: Bari: http://youtu.be/VDVou7h4U54 Bari (and concert euphonium): http://youtu.be/kVi5Oc7YZTU Euph: http://youtu.be/NukK7lW5oIE?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Mello: http://youtu.be/xPJAQohK1tE?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Trumpet: http://youtu.be/i0Xbp4lbCNM?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Trumpet: http://youtu.be/T-rasDcE2Mc?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Trumpet: http://youtu.be/02K5csujoRs?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Trumpet: http://youtu.be/6B52PrEp_Bc?list=UUgw1AmQdCc_cUDM7ym0Z7wg Phantom: Euph: http://youtu.be/arI0DWxUjg0 Euph: http://youtu.be/ppDw24LTXrk Tuba: http://youtu.be/-OYKDQPvU10 Tuba: http://youtu.be/8X0hp0c0FPk Boston Crusaders: Misc.: http://youtu.be/kC09s_E3QmQ?list=UUiDMPak4kHWmo_LSxlBsxJA Madison Scouts: Tuba: http://youtu.be/4mbwlZnAuAM Xmen:

with the visual packages of today Don, you can't just jup in, learn a drill and be as spotless clean as someone next to you who has been there all year

Boston's uniform designer apparently never thought about having a horn player hold up a horn when they were modeling the uniform prior to approval. Once the arms are up and a horn is in the face, all the red at the top of the jacket is totally covered, making the hornline a solid black unit. Nice concept, but a failure in execution. Cavaliers new/old style was a win. Agnostic on Vanguard. I prefer the red tunics, but the white is fine too. BK, also agnostic. The paleness of it is a little underwhelming from the stands, and the fit looked a little sloppy on some of the members.

I was wondering the same thing. Just about Everyone Competing this weekend. Douglasville, GA - Scranton, PA - St Peter, MN Shame if not. BIG near end of season shows scores, leading into The Championships.

I thought Crown's uniforms worked perfectly each of the past two seasons. Loved BD's show but didn't love (or hate) their uniforms. BD's 1994-2003 uniforms are still my favorite.

And to think he and I were just sharing a few glasses of vino last Sunday remenicing about our I&E victories at the 66 Northeast Circuit Championship ... you know the one I mean ... it was held in the German Beer Garden (of all places) ... LOL ... he told me he beat "the other cat" by outplaying him in the bugle calls, but not necessarily the "solo" selection ...

Shhh, don't give SCV any ideas. I can just see them opening their show next year with a 40 banjo wall of sound as they launch into the Pete Seeger songbook. Actually, a Pete Seeger show would be pretty cool....come at me, banjos!

The guy has literally done it all: as a player, quite possibly the greatest lead soprano of all times. As a teacher, brought Garfield to a level of excellence in brass that paved the way for their future DCI success, then moved on to Blue Devils, and at some time or another, pretty close to every finalist brass line (and many of the finalist wannabes) As an arranger, just his chart of "Pieces of Dreams' for Garfield would have been enough to be a career for someone like me, but Westshore's Icarus and "i've Got it Bad" jump quickly to mind. He has judged shows in South Africa; studied bugles at Oxford; recorded jazz legends. Won Emmies, more than one. The coolest thing? He's one of us. Ask him about his success or accomplishments? It's always "The other cats" Amazing guy - one of the all-time greats and my idol since I was 12. Frank Dorritie And I left out more stuff than the rest of us have done put together.

In celebration of one AMAZING season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNIrp9QcdAM

So true. Academy's show became one of my favorites. Last year, well, let's just say everybody needs a bathroom break. For OC, there isn't even a question between this year and ALL other years, not just last year. To blanket all these shows into a "not as good as last year" doesn't cut it. That's why scoring can be so misleading as to the real value of a show. 10 years later, your show is a number in an archive. Oh sure there are favorites that are talked about for decades, but I'm talking shows in general. The only 13-19 corps that would truly fall into the "not as good as last year" category is Spirit.

I love Allan and that he allows his personality to shine when he judges. some of his commentary from when he worked finals and the drum tape was on the dvd is hilarious yet outstanding at the same time

No DCA show this weekend 50 years ago ...

well when you do the math on the recap it appears to be

I hear ya, W. Book over performer, across the board. Looks like MBI is in the mix!!!!

The show site is only about 15-20 minutes from the original site so I don't think the location change will effect attendance much. The Rockmart location actually has better facilities for practice and warmup so I think it will be a good thing. Should be a great show. We are all really excited to host everyone tonight. Safe travels to all. Dan

1) Blue Devils - 1993 (This is my all time favorite brass sound and is some of the best music I have heard a drum corps play, ever.) 2) Star of Indiana - 1993 (I admire this show. It was truly ahead of its time and speaks for itself.) 3) Blue Devils - 1991 (This is probably my second favorite brass sound; although, it's a close tie with 02 Cavies. The brass book is absolutely insane, and the opener has some of the smartest drill design I have yet to see.) 4) Cadets - 1987 (I would probably question anyone who does not like this show. It is one of those shows that I believe to be the pinnacle of an era of drum corps, truly masterful.) 5) Cavaliers - 2002 (This is straight drum corps perfection. I consider it to be along the lines of 87 Cadets in terms of defining an era. Also, the brass has arguably the best tone quality that any drum corps has fielded.) 6) Blue Devils - 2012 (This is a show that grew on me over time. I may be swayed a bit by the Bird and Bela redux in this show, but I feel it is a wonderfully designed show that just works.) 7) Santa Clara Vanguard - 1999 (Barber Symphony No. 1 and 2. Yes. I debated putting this show higher, but there are just too many good shows.) 8) Blue Devils - 2010 (I think this was BD's best show ever. It is a stunning masterpiece of design and execution. It is not my favorite to listen to or watch for fun, but when I want to see some darn good drum corps, this is a show I consistently return to.) 9) Cavaliers - 1995 (Cavies had the best treatment of Holst that I have seen in drum corps. That alone puts this show into my top 10.) 10) Cavaliers - 2008 (This show was just fun. I wish they had done this show in 2007 because I think it would have won that year, 08 had BD on point and that weird PR surge. I think this is a gold worthy show that just had a bad luck of the draw.)

not only familiar names on the panel... but it was an excellent panel... very interesting

YUP, just checked DCA' website. The recap shows familiar DCA judges. My guess is MBI is for real coming into Rochester. Should be interesting Labor Day weekend. Jay

...well, I'm glad to know what "should" be (even though I may not agree with the assessment). What group(s) in, say, the top six are we complaining about here? I for one am OK with where the shows are going now, mostly because it ain't gonna go anywhere else...certainly not back in time. So I enjoy what's there, kinda cringe when *it* gets out of control, and applaud loudly when *it* is right. Right for me. Entertaining me. Inspiring me to keep hacking away at silly things like high school band, Open Class drum corps and maybe a little WC besides. (So much of what's going on now is analogous to events in our history, but that's another thread...heh) So 'Coats used electronics in a "new" way...Colts had a show revolving around a narrator that I liked alot; both of these groups integrated these factors into their shows seamlessly...and entertained me completely. Other groups didn't hit the homer with me, but such is life. Whether you have mega drill or not is irrelevant, IMO, key is if the show is a "show" or not...does it have entertainment elements that satisfy both audience and judges? Is it clean? Is it clean *enough!?* Heck, some of those body movements being performed now are Tough to get down, while moving in a drill or not. Fact is, everything you see and hear now takes TIME to perfect, and there's only so much of that commodity available, so I'm constantly amazed how our corps get as good as they get! We can p*ss and moan all we want about it, but the fact is that *it* is going to move on, and I plan on being right there to enjoy it.

Dear Bluecoats- Please go west for 2015.

That is very nice of you!

Hmm...I think there were some directors who proposed this idea but... turns out those guys were a bunch of evil people.

And, in the vein of BD's 2014 success, it will be: Bergmanasques A tribute to the films of Ingmar Bergman using the music of: Fauré's Masques et bergamasques Debussy's Suite Bergamasque (yes, including Claire de lune) Mendolssohn's Bergomask, from Ein Zommernachtstraum ​All arranged in minor keys!!!!

That means premium service for prelims.

Probably in Australia...

Yeah... the escalator ride is quite nauseating.

Really, rotating out of Indy would make going on vacation better for families.

Bluecoats 2015 - "Polybius"

From Vienna Teng's facebook: Why Creative Commons is awesome, Exhibit B: Congrats to Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps on their fantastic 2014 show! Honored that they chose "The Hymn of Acxiom" for their ballad this season—hearing & seeing it this way gave me goosebumps. (The whole show is definitely recommended viewing too...) and Thanks to the Oregon Crusaders for including Hymn in their program as well! Very cool to see/hear it juxtaposed with Edgar Allen Poe...

A complete return to the Madison of old (80s and 90s) would take them out of the top 12. The activity has changed in so many ways and Mr. Mason did a fantastic job of combining old and new. I thought their productions were well designed for the talent level. Power alone will no longer contend for a title much less top 5.

DrumManTX I appreciate all your analysis, but more than that how through the full season you were embracing the performances of these Corps. We need more fans like yourself. There are too many that can't or won't take the time to pay much attention to the Corps that fall into the 14 and below placement range. And worse are those who only pay attention to the top 8 or so. Looking forward to your posts next year.

Boston Crusaders' show for next year, their 75th: 1940 "We must be the great arsenal of democracy. " MAY - INVASION: Paul Hindemith's Symphony in E-flat JUNE - PARIS: Oliver Messiaen's Quarter for the End of Time, Mvt. 8 JULY - BATTLE OF BRITAIN: Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem AUGUST - ANNEXATION: Sergei Prokofiev's opera Semyon Kotko SEPTEMBER - THE DRAFT: Aaron Copland's Our Town (all music either composed or premiered in 1940)

No. "We" don't. You might, but that's a totally different deal. BK has entertained me three of the last for years..."I" want them to stay the new course.

Ok, I agree. I didn't see them THE year , but I was there for Kivit playing "bulls" under the backfield stands. THAT was a top 10 moment in my memory

1. Muchachos 2. Muchachos 3. Muchachos Why? Because Muchachos.

First of all; KIDS, quit the bickering. DON'T MAKE ME STOP THIS CAR! Next, the qualifier: for about the last, oh, 20 years, my eyes have glazed over about halfway through most BD shows. (full disclosure: I am a SCV fan-boi). Finally, the video: WOW, just...wow!. This is not just an excellent BD show, this is a standard-setting show, in terms of staging, musicality, flow and showmanship. And BD knows how to use stages, not just as static platforms, but in shifting ways that constantly re-define the performance space and highlight various performers and ensembles. Cadets, are you watching? Re:rite of Spring made me want to medicate myself. But this show, this show makes me... what's the word....happy! Damm you BD!