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Many thanks to Liahona (and anyone else) for copying my tweets (text and photos) and pasting them here onto this thread. Big help!! Initially I was going to try and write everything here, but with my Samsung S4 phone/camera, it's easier to use Twitter for quick updates. My phone camera is not nearly as good as Kevin Gamin's and other folks, but hopefully those give you some idea. Bowling Green's stadium is a REALLY nice venue. Beautiful campus, lots of parking, tons of warm-up areas for the corps, and plenty to do, see, and eat in the area. This is the show that used to be held at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, also a nice venue, but I like this location better. Not as loud as the University of Akron stadium, but still worth the 3 hour drive. I only saw two of the three SoundSport groups. Columbus Saints and Indianapolis Ignition. Ignition got best in show. They are quite good for a small group. I was very impressed. Columbus did not march at all and had trouble with the music. They sounded younger and like they are still in the learning process. My over-arching thoughts were: - Legends from Kalamazoo are no joke this year. This is a group on the rise. Accessible and fun show, big solid sound, large percussion section. - Love Spirit of Atlanta's color scheme. Their Kanstul brass sounds wonderful. I think they are behind in some captions and with overall cleaning. Lot's of cleaning to do before they begin making changes to the show, but I like their music and the show is fun. They will make a run for top 12 like a few others will. - Troopers are BIG TIME this year. Top to bottom, this is a great show. Some big impacts in this show. Wild Horses ballad is excellent. Troop packs a punch in brass and percussion. Effective staging. They are still one of the dirtier corps on the field, so cleaning will only push them upwards in score, if not in placement. Competition is tough, but I could see this in the top 12. - Boston Crusaders made the biggest impact on me last night. From my viewing in Akron to last night at BGSU was night and day. I was amazed. That's the Boston I wanted to see. The props with all the color add so much, but it's more than that. Their percussion and brass were on another level from Akron. Last night they had one of the better brass sounds of any corps there. Better, fuller, and darker than all the corps except Cadets and Crown. Their percussion was really good and what a great book. They are still filthy visually, so much cleaning needed on forms and feet. Musically this show made more sense, and although I still need another read, I'd say Blue Stars and Madison better watch out as well. Not sure Boston can power their way into the 6 - 8 range come DCI Finals, but 9th place I can see. - Crossmen have a colorful show with very effective props that look like clouds. Music is fun, easy to listen to, and grooves nicely. Their ballad is beautiful with some excellent staging. Drill is good, brass plays well but still has many issues with phasing, balance, blend, and dynamic range. To me, there are no super big hits in the show musically. They will need to pull more GE and dynamic range out of the music book in order to push this show further up the ladder. Plenty of time. Still lots of cleaning for them visually as well. I sense the show is more BOA than DCI, but I need another read. A really good group and another view will tell me more. - Carolina Crown was solid on all fronts. Brass...yeah, they can play. Just wonderful! More dynamics being put into the book, more musical flow. They have cleaned a lot. Percussion is really well written into this show, but I'm not wild about the extended drum feature in the opener after the brief first musical statement by the full ensemble. I think the show loses some focus right away after that awesome opening statement. Guard is fabulous. Closer still needs work, but I know that's coming. The build in the fugue section going into Ode to Joy is stunning. One of the best musical moments of the summer. Could this show be top 3? Sure, but some things must happen. The competition is as tough as ever. On the strength of brass and guard you'd say yes, but drill, overall GE, and percussion will be the determining factors. - The Cavaliers have a FUN FUN show to watch. I love almost every minute of this thing. But they are dirty as all heck musically and visually. They had a young trumpeter who must have been injured and was finally put into the show. He was all over the place last night, missing set after set. But I know he will conquer that visual book in a few more shows. Visually the Cavaliers are much stronger than Crown (in terms of design), but not quite as good as Cadets. In terms of form and feet the Cavies are still just filthy. That will change soon. They just need to clean the feet and get the music to lock in. I'd say they have more work to do musically. Very tough music book, brass and percussion. Some tasty writing. This is a show that will peak come Finals, and to me they are a solid 6th place if this thing is clean. Can they go higher? Not sure, tough call. The top 5 at the moment look really good. Might be a tough call, but I wouldn't put it past the Cavaliers. - The Cadets are really on another LEVEL from the other groups here. After seeing them I did not think Crown or anyone else was even within 2 points of them. Can they win? Yes. Will they? Not sure. Bluecoats are amazing with huge GE moments everywhere in the show. BD is always amazing, and I am hearing that SCV is also on top of their game. There is much to be determined and a lot of season left. All I can say is, as of now, this corps is PURING all all cylinders. They have no weaknesses. Still lots of cleaning to do. Their drill is wonderful, their brass book is musical and super demanding, their percussion is stunning at times, their guard made huge improvements from Akron, and the GE impacts in this show, both small and large, are too numerous to mention. They add little nuances that many might not catch but that are extremely effective, and they have as many big impact moments as anyone. To everyone around, including some Crown fans, it was a no brain-er on who won last night. They made some big changes to the end of the waltz. It's stunning. The french horns have an added musical line before the solo horn. When they add their full ending they will be tough to contend with. I imagine things will get closer come the end of the season with the other top 5 corps being cleaner and with edits fully inserted. So who knows what will happen. As of right now my initial thought was "boy do these guys know how to clean and tweak." Maybe BD can beat them, but I doubt anyone else at the moment.

Okay, I'm kind of just annoyed by this whole thing so bear with my mini rant. This season, for whatever reason, there has been a crazy rise in the number of people overthinking and over analyzing shows on this forum (let's call them OT's). They have been incessantly trying to shove down our throats how horrible today's shows are. We've gotten everything from complaining about "skirt-like" elements in uniforms, complaints of body movement (let's make a rotating cube instead of doing the chicken dance!), to complaints about how the Cadets are doing their #### math. They all have their own issues with current shows and the way that corps choose to exhibit their theme, but they all one thing in common: they all love to over analyze and go into obnoxious detail. You'd think, "hey, maybe they would like BD's show then!" BUT NOPE. It turns out they even have issues with the way BD is doing things. Hm. What has DCP done to deserve this? But I'm not here to wonder about the sins of committed by us crazy DCP posters. My question is this: what is the point? Yes, I do think all of your ideas have merit. Especially the complaints about body movement. But at the same time, how does it REALLY make a difference? How many people will realistically pick up on your little nitpicks about the way a corps presents their show? How many people will actually see the Cadets Waltz section and see the French horns (aka the "one") being attacked by the "many" (the rest of the corps)? How many people will look at the colorguard uniform and think "wow! Even the boys are wearing skirts! I sure wish the corps would stop the androgeny!" All these OT's will complain about "lazy design," but who really cares? When a majority of the audience is enjoying these shows without needing a ####### English major, what does it matter? There was a complaint about Cadets' colorful banners, oh so eloquently calling them "grade school art class bulletin board ugly." First of all, isn't that your own ####### opinion? Second, why is that bad design? Those banners are clearly helping the audience get a grasp of the theme at hand. Please don't take this as a personal attack. Nor should anyone take this as me trying to stifle discussion. I encourage people to share their views, no matter how much hate they get for it. I do the same. I'm just so sick and tired of seeing these OT posts and I want a real explanation of WHY it actually matters. And I want to know just how many of the audience is even going to pick up on these details. EDIT: edited to remove as many traces of the word "Pseudointellectualism" on this post with the exception of the thread topic since I can't change that. Please try to bring this back on topic.

I read Dante's Inferno in preparation for Crown's show and I must say you sound extremely pretentious. The great part about this show is it's enjoyable to those who haven't read the Dante and enjoyable to those who have. Those who haven't read it are not below those who have and don't deserve to enjoy it any less.

It's unfortunate that the activity has reached the point where it's either the Blue Devils or "that other corps" that wins it. I wish the playing field was a bit more even. But BD has just built a staff that knows how to create winning show after winning show while providing the best possible experience for its MM's, making them the gold standard. They deserve every win they've gotten, I just wish things were different.

Not staying for scores...gn DCP :)

Somone will point out that this thread is about complaining about people complaining. Then someone else will say that that person is just complaining about someone complaining about people complaining. Ad infinitum. The point is, people always complain. It's the internet. Pay attention to what you want, ignore the rest.

As the summer progresses, I really see the Colts in this group as well. I've heard there is a lot more that is going to be added to this show and their program has so much substance to it.

Love to see the steady progression of Colts this past week. 6 point jump in a week!

Or like that one time Cadets added those really cool tarps!

Spartacus was called Spartacus. Niagara Falls show was called a Niagara Falls. 10 show is called Power of 10, not Dmitri and the Eternal Struggle Against Oppression.

All we can ask is that the judge scores each Corps without bias and judges them all fairly (whatever that means). Everything these judges do is subjective. Some people will disagree with the judge and then label the judge a bad judge. Some people will agree with the judge and then label the judge a good judge. Our assessment therefore is biased with our own personal beliefs. I've been to over 150 drum corps events spanning 35 years. There were times I thought the score was rediculous and the judges must have been smoking crack - - - meaning they gave high scores to performaces I struggled to appreciate andgave low scores to performances that really entertained me. I have biases when watching some of my favorite Drum Corps. But, just because I've seen every show on the now defunct Fan Network at least 2 to 5 times and I've seen approximately 800 - 900 performances live, doesn't really mean that I could be a good judge either. Basically, I'm just a fan. There are things I see in performances that I love that didn't really score high with fans such as the Academy's Front Ensemble last year and Madison's Trompone Quartet. And, there were things that I hated of course. And, one of favorite all time Drum Corps color guard is killing me as of late. But, when I go to the regionals and finals this year I will watch every one of the performances from start to finish. And, I'll sit in the middle of Drum Corps Snobs I'm sure like the group of BD vets I sat with at San Antonio last year. It was refreshing however, when I sat with the Academy's kids watching Crossman last year and they were cheering their heads off for them.

I agree that Cadets' tarps are not there to fulfill any aesthetic purpose - because they're gradeschool art class bulletin board ugly. Just because their design team is deluded enough to think - or think that the befuddled GE judges think, or might think - that the tarps will contribute something to GE scores. Scoresheet tail wagging the design dog. Too much of what I see on the field today is sophomoric at best. Literally "wise-fool" design. Right out of high school. Who woulda thunk that high school BoA drivel would drive DCI? Worse, most of the body movement drek is cringe-producing. Truly embarrassing. It would make many non-DCI fans chuckle because it recalls bad high school marching band shows. I am reminded of my freshman year in high school when, because our band director was lazy and uncreative, he had us put our instruments down to dance to that epic marching band anthem "Land of 1000 Dances". Spartan capes a-flailing, thick thighs under polyester pants a-jiggling, plastic Spartan helmets falling over our faces, let me tell you...we friggin ROCKED. And I'm absolutely totally sure that no one - not our classmates, not our red-faced parents, not the opposing team's fans - in the stands laughed at our pimply, sweaty, spastic versions of the Mashed Potato, the Alligator, and the Watusi. I'm pretty sure we got great reviews in the school newspaper too. "Fun was had by ALL!" read the headline. That was 1983. Then two years later I saw my first DCI show and I realized that marching music didn't have to be nauseating and dorky and deeply damaging to teenage psyches. DCI had excellence, gravitas, dignity, and innovation. I was hooked. So I grew up, got me a used two valve G bugle left over from the Cleveland Caballeros, and learned to march and play corps style. That gave me self-respect because what we did on the field actually was respectable. But now we're right back to dorky and dumb. Dorkiness squared because those who perpetrate the dorkiness are unaware of their own terminal dorkitude, and their whiny honks are so self-deluded they will defend said dorkitude to the death, and call critics who actually have perspective and experience and aesthetic sense "haters". Sigh. So it goes. It doesn't just wear me out. It drives fans away. (cue someone responding with "Good. You should leave too. You're old and you're STUPID and you don't understand that today is DIFFERENT and that we're SPECIAL! We like it just fine here in our body movement tarpy stagey amplified gooey ghetto. We're the designers and we know what GREAT ART is, not you dumb people in the stands who pay to see our GREAT ART. YOU'D never understand how titillating it is to roll around together in our tight spandex and polyester. YOU'D never understand TODAY'S innovations! Because you're a HATER and a MEAN PERSON. And all of you haters are B*STARD PEOPLE!" Corky said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De6AkndwRpM

Actually the K-pop section really does tie into the story of Into the Woods. I saw the play version and the Wolf was dancing quite provocatively around Red Riding Hood saying I like you. That is what the sample voice is saying in Korean. I am finding things about this show all the time that make me go oh ok I get it. SCV is doing a lot of stuff too that is interesting like their Jacobs Ladder drill. Cadets doing the wood/metallic contrast with their pit. I think if you care to dig deep there are lots of great things you can find in this activity.

This where I disagree with you. Crown has absolutely dialed back the drill velocity and strict drill demand from previous years, and that's a good thing. But what they've done is to *substantially* increase the individual visual responsibilities (dance and body) and simultaneous responsibilities (dance and body while playing) that are on each individual performer. They've taken a page out of the Blue Devils' book in this respect, and it's absolutely working for them. The visual effect in Crown's show isn't derived strictly from drill like it is in Cadets' program, it's absolutely an overall visual effect, and with lots of variety of effect. If anyone tells you Crown's demand is less or that "it's not hard because the drill isn't hard" they are either lying or have no idea what they are talking about (and let's face it, there are several of those lurking around here). I'll write up some thoughts for the review forum a little later, but I had an absolute blast in Allentown tonight, and really can wait for Lynn and Clifton this weekend.

Colts--yes!!

Let me tell you what's wrong with Cadet's show; nothing. They are phenomenal, this is a championship show. Crown: No one listens to me, and I really don't care what the judges say, but this is a championship show!!! They use the least movable props on the field and depend on straight ahead DRUM CORPS more than any other corps I've seen in a long time. The entire show is built around their horn show, and it will lift you out of your seat. DO NOT count Crown out. This show can win it all. +++ Edit: I just realized what this show reminds me of. This has Blue Devils '88 vibe all over it, it's that good. Don't bother to look up the video of the old BD show for comparisons. If you didn't sit in front of them and hear them blow your ears off, you simply will never get that from the vids. You had to see it (hear it actually) to believe it. One of the best shows of all time, IMO.

What was the meaning of Tilt? Side by Side? Reframed? Bartok? 3hree?

I dunno, I think it would be better if they picked up the pieces and wrapped them around their waists in a skirt-like manner.

GO Red Team!!

Good Luck to all the performing corps tonight! A special shout out to the Colts and Colt Cadets! Go get 'em!

You're fine. I just think some people are over-thinking the terminology and having some fun with it. To your point, competition brings out all kinds of feelings and motivations for people. Overthinking a show often happens when one is looking for a reason to NOT like it or they wish to expose some aspect of that show. For these folks, acceptance and appreciation for a show often happens when a corps is non-threatening to their favorite. Some folks will overthink the process of judging because they want clear evidence of how corps X is better than corps Y. They will dig deep into the show and the judging.

As long as I've been following drum corps, which is about 40 years, the current state of the activity has been criticized and I don't think there has ever been a time when that hasn't been the case. In 1978, people went ballistic about trends in the activity and DCN and probably DCW (I always found DCW to be more positive) published reviews of shows and letters to the editor decrying shows without "songs." We can look fondly on corps such as the Bridgemen and see them as old school darlings. We marvel at how clean they were today. At the time they outraged people and were considered sloppy. I can remember the people sitting behind me at 1978's CYO Nationals complaining about modern classical music being used by Phantom Regiment. The modern music? A Stravinsky medley. Lots of people saw drum corps as going to hell in a hand basket in the 80's, an era that is generally loved by a variety of ages. There are also those who believe the kids in drum corps are not true musicians. Do they know that some of the country's major symphony orchestras have drum corps alums in their rosters? A few years back a woman sitting near me claimed that anyone in a color guard who hoped to dance professionally wasted their summer. If her students are performing with top ballet companies or can be seen on Broadway, she may know what she's talking about, but my guess is that's not the case. So, if there has always been his current in drum corps, should it be surprising DCP has posters, pseudointellectual or other wise, criticizing the current season? They can join a club with those who have all kinds of critiques and comments about the shows who have not actually seen them, even when the post season DVD's are available.

I wonder if Plato would like waffles?

Nothing you describe here amounts to pseudo-intellectualism, or even "being intellectual for intellectual sake". Again, I'd say they're the opposite . . . what might be called (a bit unfairly) philistinism. But since you provide no specifics, only a shadowy army of "theys", it's hard to say for sure. It really just sounds like people stating opinions on a message board, and other people disagreeing with them.

Okay, I find a lot of the stuff you're discussing annoying, but can you please explain how it amounts to pseudo-intellectualism? Because I'd say that most of the complaints you've mentioned represent the opposite of pseudo-intellectualism. Otherwise your post sounds like another whine from someone who has made the stunning discovery that there are people out their with views that are different than yours, and that these people have the unmitigated gall to express these views in public.

Jwillis35... great review, Man. I may not always agree with your assessments, but they are reasonable, well thought out, each time, imo... Thanks for the live updates, and then the follow up review. We here on the east coast have not seen any of these Corps live, and in the stadium yet. ( just on computers, other devices, or the theatres... and thats not really the same as up close, live, and in the stadiums itself ) So this is greatly appreciated.

I noticed at the Madison show this Saturday that the announcer repeatedly mentioned the Fan Network. I suspect that DCI provides boilerplate text to be read as announcements at shows. I think the text needs to be updated. I'm no business genious but directing people to a service that is unavailable, seems suboptimal.

Boston's ballad is stunning, both from the singer, the staging, and the way the brass and percussion are blended in. You need to see and hear it live to really get the effect. It's amazing. Boston WOKE UP last night, at least to my eyes.

im excited for Pioneer. Seems like they are having a solid year. 7 points since first show.

Carolina Crown has an amazing show and none of us should be surprised that they closed the gap with Cadets. Two great corps going at it. It's clear the top 5 are really in a league of their own this year, much like last year. I don't think I've ever seen the gap between 5 and 6 so wide though. It's a canyon-sized gap at this point.

Scores are up on DCI.org: Governaires 66.4 Minnesota Brass 74.1 Racine 33.3 Colt Cadets 46.7 Pioneer 57.2 Colts 65.8 Madison Scouts 71.1 Bluecoats 78.9

BAC up 10 points in 1 week

HEY!!!! Stop it.

Now it's unanimous!

Thus sgiw has thw legs ti make finals imo

??? Clearly the malapropism wasn't my intent.

LOVE this post! I am a high school band director, got a music education/performance degree, and marched a top-6 world class drum corps. These people you describe are the poison of the activity, and unfortunately I think many of them hang out here on DCP. I just smile and nod. :-)

One vs Many

I think this cat sometimes posts on DCP. https://youtu.be/Yie9Bgo69m8

So BD is scheduled to be in Warwick RI Wednesday for a clinic and rehearsal. Figuring their equipment trucks and busses have a 3,000 mile drive they might arrive in the Boston area some time predawn Wednesday morning. That's IF they left Riverside right after the show Sunday night. Good luck to the BD transportation crew. Travel safely. See you all Thursday.

Because Cappybara.

Competition is good for the activity and for the members. Not beating your competition every night keeps you on your toes and constantly striving to improve.

Well meaning people who mean well are, well, people too. Let's not upset them by criticizing them or their works. Let's just applaud their efforts as we applaud the GE. To me, today's GE is such a clusterf*ck of compromise and a$$ kissing and pandering and self-delusion, we might call it what it actually is, as the design team raises their hands in capitulation and shrugs their shoulders, hoping that this design decision they just made sitting around the table will score highly: Good Enough. (Although recalling my earlier post about the ghettoized design teams and an activity that appeals to fewer and fewer people, and about body movement specifically, I might call it "Ghetto Epilepsy") Let's just throw some tarps at the wall and see if they stick. Or a pelvic thrust. Or a group writhe on the astroturf loveshack. Or a standstill joygasm of notes, minus what once was the skill of simultaneous marching. It's not demand or effect as much as it is sleight-of-hand and scoresheet management. DCI's problem is that no one great is in charge. No grand vision. Clearly no sustainable vision. Everything ends up being lowest-common-denominator. Good Enough GE isn't good enough for anyone good.

Bob Kraft, owner of the N.E. Patriots and Gillette Stadium, has assured one and all that there will be no inflation of the scores... or anything else... at Gillette Stadium.

Here we go again.

1. Bluecoats 2. The Cadets 3. Santa Clara Vanguard 4. Blue Devils 5. Carolina Crown 6. The Cavaliers 7. Phantom Regiment 8. Blue Knights 9. Madison Scouts 10. Boston Crusaders 11. Crossmen 12. The Academy 13. Blue Stars 14. Troopers 15. Spirit 16. Colts

Just another example of the liberal drive by media distorting the facts to suit their political agenda. Oh wait, sorry. For a minute there I thought I was on Facebook! No worries Ed. In the end, it really doesn't matter 'till we get to Rochester. It's all good. Hope everyone's seasons are off to a positive start. Can't wait to see everyone in my old hometown over the Labor Day weekend! Dan

Santa Clara closed the gap on BD since yesterday. 1.2 behind at this point in the season bodes really well for SCV. BD 79.4 - 79.85 SCV 77.5 - 78.65