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Criticisms of this corps aside (god knows when's the last time someone has said something good about Spirit this offseason), I had been relistening to the 2015 shows while studying for finals last week and their 2015 show has risen into my top 5 of 2015 musically. Just a really wonderful job, even if their brassline didn't sound as good as the top 5 corps.

Cadets select good music. Horns and drums think it's August already. Black uniforms.

I would agree with the "not human", but.... That's what I dig about it. Obviously we all know there are individual kids out there performing, but with the Cadets, when they're "on stage", that individuality is placed behind the organization. They are one unit. They act as one unit. I can see how folks new to the activity might view that as aloof or even rude, but... their respective lack of knowledge about how different corps conduct themselves is not the problem of the corps, IMO.

I'm guessing that for the great majority of folks at any given drum corps show the music of Claude T Smith or Francis McBeth, or most composers of "classic" wind literature, would be NEW to them.

For me, it highlights exactly what it means to be a Cadet, and the connection to the corps of the past. No matter where The Cadets place they act with class and respect for the corps legacy, past members and the rest of the corps on the field. It is just how they do things, and I for one am glad they still act as we did.

Huh I learned something new! Thanks!

Another thing that stood out. The line... "What a sigh of relief, as the senile robins become bright red again..." Did this thing influence the 2012 show? Not that they were senile, but you'll recall the part where the blue/green Avians transitioned to red. Has this been bouncing around in secret for a while, or is that just a coincidence?

It's so fun to see people's reactions/hypothesis to the clues. suspense is definitely growing:)

Leonard Cohen's "The Great Event" - that's all I got... :)

It`s going to happen very soon. The great event which will end the horror. Which will end the sorrow. Next Tuesday, when the sun goes down, I will play the Moonlight Sonata backwards. This will reverse the effects of the world`s mad plunge into suffering, For the last 200 million years. What a lovely night that would be. What a sigh of relief, as the senile robins become bright red again, And the retired nightingales, Pick up their dusty tails, And assert the majesty of creation!

And, it's really no mystery why they've been so successful. The main players in the staff they put together in 1994 are still there. Downey, Johnson, Chandler, Murphy, Glyde, Ryan, Meehan. Consistency is huge. It all started in 94 and to this day I'm still honored to have been part of it.

They're bringing back the old uniforms? YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember your dad as a highly respected drum corps judge. I suggest you begin your search with Steve Vickers, publisher of Drum Corps World and several books with thousands of photos. He should also be able to put you in touch with Moe Knox who took more shots of drum corps events than anyone in history. Tom may have been a member of the PAS (Percussive Arts Society). They are headquartered in Indianapolis and could have photos.

Ah, love Linda Eder, ever since I saw her in "Jekyll and Hyde" on Broadway. Thanks for posting!

I like it because it reminds me of a military unit. It is disciplined and classy. They are acting as a unit and will stay at attention until their leader tells them to rest. It's cool and I wish they would come on the field like they did in the past :as a block. Corps used to do that and I liked it when they came on the field with a cadence. It just showed each corps' individuality and it got me hyped up for the performance. I like seeing everyone in step because it looks sharp and dignified.

Imitation remains to be the sincerest form of flattery.

That night at Finals, 1996.... I have a habit of keeping a water bottle with me during the awards ceremony each year... and usually grab a sip or two of water just before the second-place announcement. That night in Rochester, Rod Yetter of the Chieftains was next to me at the table, helping out with the ceremony... he and I took a look at the scoresheet as soon as it came down before all the announcements, so we knew the result... and we knew the place would explode when the last two scores were read. LOL. So.... I get through the third-place announcement (Empire Statesmen)... reach down for the bottle of water... Rod looks at me, smiles, and says.... "Better take a good, long drink!!!"

great group. Bobby J lowers the average LOL

Oh you guys are going to love this show ;)

Mike will be an over the top motivator, which is what he does best.

What I saw was Gino and the staff trying to get the crowd off their butts. Not needed, we were up. What I saw was a calm determination of individuals on the field pushing out their best show. What I saw was a drum major who, even after seeing that show performed HUNDREDS of times throughout the season, being simply amazed to the point of laughing at the show he was seeing performed that night. So excited at what he was seeing almost couldn't believe it, and was truly SHOCKED at what he'd witnessed after he gave the last cutoff. "You were lucky, you got the best one at the end. Most people don't do that."

._. This gonna be good. Just got my goodies in my inbox. :)

Just now I am attending a conference with about 2,000 medieval scholars. Hildegard of Bingen was actually discussed in the session I attended just three hours ago (thought it was because of her invented language rather than her music). Most years at this conference, there's an evening of medieval music. No Hildegard this year, but tonight they're offering "I dilettosi fiori: Fourteenth Century Music for Clavicimbalum and Flutes". (Seeing as the conference is in Kalamazoo, I wore a Legends shirt yesterday. Today, because the plenary lecture concerned Beowulf, I'm wearing a San Francisco Renegades tee shirt, with the big gold dragon on the back.)

The thing that video made me think the most was how much I disagree with the "stand there and do nothing" they do at retreat. The tears and the quivering chins - those kids needed to let go, let it out and enjoy it. Right then, right there, on the field.

Of course, for everyone's Oldie, there is someone even older who wants an even older Oldie. Where is the weeping and gnashing of teeth for poor Hildedard of Bingen's music?

The more I am learning about the top 4 from last year, the harder it is to even begin to predict who will end up on top. This is going to be a goooooooood season.

This is silly. A good deal of what succeeds in drum corps is old music.

Yup. And let the bitterness begin !! Last year I would have had Cadets and Crown 1 and 2, and really in either order, they were both that good. But judging isn't for a simpleton like me. I'm not sophisticated enough to understand why BD's approach puts them on top with boring regularity.

The absolute last thing I want to hear on the field in modern drum corps is older wind-band literature.

Boy, did you just hit it out of the park, Daave. The irony was there for the taking, but it sailed right over the heads of some who chimed in on the Troopers music selection as a " copycat ". Crown did the silk over the brass section visual thingy, last season too. What lower Tier, but Top 10 Corps ,did the see through silk over the brass section thingy just a couple of years back as well ? I enjoyed Crown's particular version of this visual move however, and could care less if some other Corps did this similar visual move just a couple of years back as well either. But oh... the irony indeed, and I sensed it about the same time you did too with Crown's 2016 music selection of" Ecstasy of Gold" too ( that the Troopers, as well as the Glassmen, Teal Sound and several other Corps have played before). Which, by the way, could lead me to The Cadets 2016 music selection choice of the " Pines of Rome".... oh... never mind.... ( haha!)

Heck, if we want to be real honest/legit: since 1994 (when the modern era of Blue Devils' design began), they've been a TOP 3 corps all but once (2005)! Or they've been Top 2 all but 5 times (meaning 15/21 seasons they've won Gold or Silver medal). It really is insane how consistently great Blue Devils are

I am not sure there are a lot of those shows per se'. Everyone seems to come out with a variety of shows so I don't get a sense of sameness in everyone's show. What I do see as a growing trend, IMO, is more detailed or expanded storytelling in shows. Some people/fans may refer to shows as "thematic" but I would describe them as storytelling. Atleast many are headed that way and are getting better and better at it.

i'm not going home option or not, but if DCA is going to lose $$, i get it. not happy about it, but i get it. that says to me some serious marketing needs to be done as well as finding a finals location people want to go to ( and is near corps)

While the weather outside has been dreary and cool here in Pennsylvania, Twin Valley High School’s auditorium will definitely brighten your spirits and warm you up this Saturday evening! Seats are still available for the 13th Annual Spring Preview, with stage lights on the Reilly Raiders, St. Rita’s Brassmen Alumni, Fusion Core, Skyliners, and of course the Buccaneer Alumni and the Buccaneers. These units will absolutely bring the heat. Come out to the show! Twin Valley High School, Elverson, PA 7:00 Showtime ~ Tickets Available at the Door Center Section $15.00, Outer Sections $13.00 3:00-6:30 Pre-show Turkey Dinner in the Cafeteria