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I'm also not buying the U of M's story about the two events being double-booked. Jerry Kill was the coach when the DCI event would have been added to the calendar. He stepped down last fall and the new coach would have added this football camp sometime late last year or this winter. I'm calling shenanigans on the U. But also a bit on DCI for not getting a signed contract in place. Especially since they were burned last year.

Boston Crusaders have chosen well with the more remote, smaller campuses they have lined up for this and previous seasons. Not only does UMass have multiple programs going on throughout the campus during the summer and the football complex in use by their own and soccer squads for summer training, but the ancillary programs means the corps would have less flexibility getting practice space during sectionals when as many as three fields may be simultaneously used for rehearsals. Add the complaints from the on-campus neighbors while the corps go over the same bars of music and percussion for the 1000th time to be perfect. Yes, the use of a huge stadium for ensemble run-through would be nice but there are the other 22 hours of the day to consider. Security of MMs personal property during outside rehearsals, adaptions during bad weather, limiting unwanted visitors into sleeping and showering areas, etc. become a major concern. Sometimes it is better to be the big fish in a smaller pond.

If the university is that stupid to kick out a $100k event so it's own football coach can run a day camp, then UM needs to be taken off the list of future prospective venues, especially since this is the second time it's happened. And shame on DCI for moving forward with the summer tour schedule without a contract from a university that's burned them in the past. ..... The only positive thing to come out of this is that I've learned that UM's mascot is a gopher.... sorry. A golden gopher.

Well, Spring Training is just a few weeks away, so why not just one more of your favorites type topic to keep us sane before then? Tried to pick a topic I haven't seen before on here. So, what are your favorite opening moments of drum corps? I'm not talking the first three minutes, full opener, move onto the next piece part. I'm talking those opening seconds that grab your attention and have you fully invested in the show. Whether it be an intriguing quiet, ambiance setting preshow, or a corps coming in full blazing in your face right off of the line. These are three of mine, off the top of my head. Star of Indiana 1990 - Belshazzars Feast This is just pure brass bliss. That's pretty much about all I can say about it. Love it when a corps will just smack you across the face with power right off the bat. Carolina Crown 2008 - Finis A show starting off with the end of the Overture to Candide was very intriguing the first time I watched this, which was VERY early on in my exposure to drum corps. So I didn't really have any idea what was going to happen when they reached the poignant, dainty last no........OH MY GOSH. That huge impact right after that right on the catch of the rifles had me hooked on Crown for sure. A show that could have been INCREDIBLY choppy taking little bits and pieces from endings actually managed to be incredibly organic and sown together masterfully courtesy of the arrangers. This was an incredibly abrupt, but PERFECTLY placed change in just about everything that preceded that knocked my socks off. Bluecoats 2015 - Kinetic Noise The opening seconds of this show are absolutely chaotic. White noise, seemingly senseless chatter and voice bites, contras adding onto it, then you have the sopranos come at you from all directions in an all our ear assault and then BOOM. That first hit just emerges out of all that in a HUGE and pure way. The drill developed in those opening moments in much of the same fashion, and the guard with their shimmering metal equipment just made for the perfect visual/aural marriage. The instant change of the audio landscape from the sound bites, speakers, and music coming from all directions to just pure brass bliss had me wide eyed the first time I saw this show, and is still one of my favorite moments in recent memory to play out again and again, over and over.

that used to be called SMART writing....lol

Here's a similar "grayscale" look that's not bad. I'd be interested to see The Cadets in black jackets, white pants, and black shoes.

Crown 2010 preshow was enthralling.

To be fair, the 4th place has little to do with the corps, and more to do with the greatest travesty in judging in the history of DCI. Any of the 2-4 corps could have won, but the winners should have been below the top 5 for lack of exposure to error.

Agreed. But they need to win if they're going to black. Don't change all the tradition for another horrible 4th place finish.👎🏻

I'm hoping The Cadets wake up before this. I loved the 80+ plus years of their traditional colors. Black is not their color, imo. Sports teams sometimes change their uniform stylings. But their School's traditional colors ? Not so much. This colors change here would be akin to the NY Yankees going out in lavender as their colors... and without the pinstripes... but with facial hair allowed by ownership. Why mess with something that for 80+ years wasn't broken at CadetsLand ? Perhaps change the uniform to something modern ? Ok, I probably wouldn't be for that either, but I could understand that a little easier. But change the 80 year Cadets uniform iconic colors ?... to mostly black ? Yikees..... its gonna take some getting used too for most alums & fans of The Cadets, thats for certain anyway. Corps with maybe 10-25 years of history change their colors sometimes, but thats different, as many of them never really had much history with their Corps colors to begin with. Not so Cadets. The Cadets have had 80 years of these Corps colors. But apparently no more.. Its sort of sad to see The Cadets lose their Corps Colors.... probably harder still though for many of their older alums that will miss their iconic colors that the Corps has had since before Babe Ruth retired from baseball, and the start of WW2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXeTsWGPT0w

BD opening moment with their show in 2014..... with the sopranos lined up, up front, and the flawless triple tongueing by them ? Good Lord, THAT sure got my attention right off the bat. Crown almost always gets my attention most yrears with their opening " statement " from their brass line. Star of Indiana, '92 American Variations theme show opener by the Brass line, got my attention with their opening. For the old timers on here, the St. Kevin's Emerald Knights ( Dorchester, Ma. ) sure got most everyone's attention with their opening " statement " from their brass lines in '60- 63. Bridgemen, 27th later. Madison usually does as well, most years ( the company front march onto the field to the Fleur De Lis, is an iconic visual move that gets most people's attention too) There's not enough time and space to cover so many others that are richly deserving of great opening moment " statements ". Ok, ok... if pushed,.. to list my all time favorite, I'd probably have to go with 2011 Bluecoats... with " Creep " as their opener killer moment... for the reason that it combined, brass, drums, MM's visuals in a real cool opener, imo ( now, if you ask me tomorrow, I'll probably select another to be my most favorite ( haha!) but thats my story for today, and I'm sssstickin' to it .)

This is not the "first rodeo" for both sides in these type of negotiations. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pissss Poor Performance!

Phantom Reginment, 2010's Into the Light. Opening off the field and, then... WHAM, what an opening hit!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing better than being on the field for practice is being in the stands watching practice!

Oh is that how Stoned got dropped?

I have these 15 ...err 10 commandments!

I'd be willing to bet the new US Bank stadium will be cheaper to rent than TCF. I think it has something to do with the financing agreement of the new stadium. In the old Metrodome, it was very reasonable to rent. Several marching bands would rent it out to rehearse prior to BOA Regionals, and the Youth in Music marching band championships were in the dome. When they tore it down, that show had to move to a local high school for the past two years. Why didn't try move they show to TCF? My guess is it was too expensive.

Lots of moments from which to choose!!! One is... 1975 Madison Scouts. A huge sound from a mile away on the back sideline to open "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." Wow.

My favorite opening moment of drum corps is the first time each year that I pull up and hear a Dr. Beat in the distance and a drumline warming up. Countdown for 2016 has begun!!!

78 Bridgemen (Full volume required.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR4ku9Auqr0&index=5&list=PLE5C21E9BE8994854 Don't forget Spanish Dreams as a bonus. Brady at his best.

I don't think it was "ahead of it's time"...I think it was right on time. The perfect show for the perfect time, to usher in visually what Devils started musically in 1980. Now, if you really want a show "ahead of it's time", look no further than something like 1988 Suncoast.