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Something took place last night that I forgot to mention. As the members of BAC were having their snack at the food truck after the show a group of Bluecoats walked up. I didn't catch the whole conversation but it may have been the kids who tear down their props. Anyway, they were invited to eat with the Boston kids and even posed for a couple pics together. It was a very cool moment.

Some thoughts about last night's show..... Despite the local weather forecasters literally predicting doom and gloom with thunder, lightning, hail and sideways rain, it was sunny 75 degrees and bright blue, cloudless skies at showtime. A record breaking 3300 people made it into the stands despite the inept weathermen. I was only in the stadium for the final three corps so that is what I will comment on. Cadets: Wow! HUUUUGE improvement since the movie theatre. Every aspect was a marked improvement. The guard book now seems complete to me and performance levels (even of the new stuff) were excellent. They are now starting to march and look like the Cadets. The drum line actually moves better than the hornline. A couple guys in BAC's drumline told me the percussion numbers at this point are probably correct in that Cadets do have a smoking line which is very clean. They edged Boston again tonight in percussion performance. Everyone should know that the Boston crowd gave Cadets a thunderous standing ovation at the end of their show. I'm still not convinced they need to go after the queen like that...but now it has morphed into several female guard members tearing off her wig. This still may be a bit too literal but that's just me. All in all though, this was a great night for the Cadets. Bluecoats: I'll say it again..I love this music. BLOO was excellent in every way again. Even though I was a horn player back when I was alive, I'm not really qualified to judge brass lines of this level. Having said that, it feels to me like they are extremely clean (as is the case with their visual program as well). Not sure where they go from here, but the show is really entertaining. There were a couple vertical linear sets which were fuzzy but easily cleanable. This corps marches really well when they choose to march. I'll just leave that there. Another electric performance and standing ovation from the crowd. Boston: It wasn't that long ago when BAC probably would not have preferred to follow BLOO on the field. Not so anymore. They were also on fire tonight. With the exception of a handful of rifle drops very early in the show, this performance was off the charts. BAC was every bit as loud, exciting and edge of your seat as the Bluecoats. The Gino hornline is absolutely taking hold. The guard was amazing, and that 10 man snareline is incredible. GOLIATH is used much more in the show in terms of interacting with the horn line visuals, and the "My Shot" quotes from Hamilton have been scaled back. The herald trumpet/trombone feature is a gas and the choreography in the ballad is either new or I didn't notice it in the movie theatre. This is the best corps to ever come out of Boston without a doubt. Btw, as an aside, the center snare is a two year vet who is from Everett, MA...about 15 minutes from the show site. This was a great show all around. Boston did a brief encore of "With a little help from your friends" and "Conquest"...and yeah, the audience still goes nuts for that. A beautiful night and extremely well run show. Great night for the activity.

Great show in Lawrence. Shower activity in the area was over in plenty of time. 7th Regiment was jittery at first but about three minutes into the show picked up steam. Guard had some great moments, but tonight they were dressed in black exercise wear. The pit was all in black too. A bit of color in both would help, and that may be down the road. Love the new uniforms of brass and drums. It’s a more updated look rather than complete redesign. Lots of room to grow which will happen. Spartans: they mean business. Brass was strong, design was great, guard as always top notch. Lots of folks believe Gold will be the OC champs without BDB and SCVC competing in OC finals, but I’m not so sure. Music City: a fun and engaging show. Won some new fans who had never seen them live. Cadets: the show is much stronger than I was led to believe when I saw it at the movies, it has a flow to it, powerful moments, and yes, the percussion is great. “Bridge over Troubled Waters” ballad was clearer. Also the “Queen” scene was less disturbing. Bloo: I said the show might plateau after the premiere, I’m not so sure now. You can’t help but love it. It seemed more cohesive tonight than at the premiere. Boston Crusaders: the show packs a punch, no question. Guard was on fire. Brass, overall amazing and when a few parts get brushed up a bit, watch out. David is portrayed well, Goliath May need a a bit more impact, but the young man on stilts seems very much at ease. By the end of the summer, this show will be even more on fire.

This thread is a gold mine of terrible opinions. Well above and beyond DCP's usual output. A trophy of shame to everyone who has participated here.

True..the narrative some folks are pushing right now is that the east coast scores are inflated. But are they really? This scoring trend actually began at Detroit and continued through Ohio and PA....perhaps the eastern corps (inc BLOO) really are that strong....?

#### it SCV. I'm buying into the show! Wow! Perhaps seeing it live has curved my lack of enthusiasm for this show. The talent level is ridiculous. They have what it takes to bring an avant garde vision and sell it. posted from the DrumScorps app

Kids aren’t getting paid. Therefore they march where they want. End of thread. P.S., this talk of restrictions on where a kid can march has nothing to do with Scouts problem anyway. So, double end of thread.

Never encourage the trombones.

I have been reading everyone's banter back and forth about how the top 6 really ranks ordinally and the truth is we really won't know until San Antonio and we won't have more pieces to the puzzle until July 5. But in the meantime as I logically worked through the problems I found that each of these corps could realistically be in 3rd place at the end of the season. Sure some are more of a stretch than other but here it is: SCV- the coast to coast scoring has been accurate and Bluecoats are ahead. BD (or Boston or Crown) gains some momentum down the stretch and passes them too. BD- Scores have been relatively accurate and SCV/Bluecoats are ahead Bluecoats- their scores have been inflated and when they meet the west coast their true placement is revealed. Crown- They could be between SCV/BD with Bluecoats ahead, they could pass the Bluecoats. Boston- Scores have been accurate and they are now ahead of Crown and competing with SCV/BD. They end up beating one of the two. Cavaliers- they may have fallen back some behind BD/SCV but the east coast scores have been inflated and they beat all 3 corps that have been competing in the East.

I’m starting up day 11 on the Cavaliers tour. I’ve yet to hear a marching member mention a score. A small handful have mentioned caption or subcaption placement. Its ALMOST as if they KNOW that the only effect they have on their score is doing their best run ! (Sarcasm off - enjoy your day)

Watch a Rutgers game and you'll know.

Interesting comments. Just a few thoughts after seeing Cadets live: I saw the show last evening in Lawrence. I was far less troubled by what I saw last night than what I saw in the movie theater. I’m not sure it was tweaked a bit or whether it was the camera angle. The reason I say this is a Cadets staff person who sat in front of me said what some people claimed was the Queen’s dress being torn off was actually people helping her lose the dress quickly. I’m not sure I buy it, but last night it did not appear as problematic. It still does look a bit too Disney Princess to me. Still the show is reasonably solid. Last night the audience responded well to the show. The drill is fast paced, there were great brass moments, and as others have mentioned the percussion is excellent and adds a certain bravado to the show. I know many with Cadets want to see an instant return to glory. That’s not how it always happens. Most of what has plagued the corps is due to a too long tenure of a director and his rubber stamp board. Removing the cause of the problem does not make the residue and aftermath go away instantly. Last year was a let’s show them we can do this year, and they did. This is the beginning of the real rebuilding. The staff needs to gel and come together and things need to continue to happen in a positive way.

I’ve noticed the anonymous trolling has ramped up lately. It’s pretty easy to attack people who post under their real name, like George, Dan. Jeff Ream, etc. all while using a nom de plume for yourself.

They were really ON last night. I really like the show and the brass is the best it’s been since ‘02. Congratulations! Cavaliers were by far, my favorite last night in Pasadena.

Look at the captions.. BD is getting better, they won overall visual and music, beat Cav in brass. I personally think BD general effect is better. Last time they won general effect caption. But i see the improvements across and it will only get better. I like how they come out with a lot of fire in their performances since the start of the season. The crowd is loving it.

A Boston tenor player was injured and went home a couple days ago. A replacement tenor player flew into Logan last night and will begin rehearsing with the line this morning.

OK...Raise your hand if you think Bloo is currently in the lead.

Where was your call for this lil red shirt program when Scouts were top 5 and corps like Colts were losing members to them hand over fist. Madison has to do the hard work of being a competitively desirable drum corps to march in again, and the game shouldn't be changed just because they're the corps in the tough spot.

I'm glad he did it. The rule is stupid.

conquest - if this has already been posted I apologize

A member was injured while on tour. With all due respect, because of a person's right to privacy, anything beyond that is none of our business unless the member or his family (if he is under 18) chooses to disclose information.

that would "de nial" -- it's not just a river in Egypt! Anyway imitation is the sincereist form of flattery 🙂

Will be at the show. Interesting to see how these shows translate live. Looking forward to it! posted from the DrumScorps app

I think it may have been an abbreviated encore, with the showrunners watching the weather apps. When I left the show, I had only gotten 15 minutes away (Amesbury) when I encountered the aforementioned thunderstorms with sideways rain. Yikes! We really did luck out on the weather!

Regionalize the activity and require corps membership from people within the corps region.

Or for most anyone, apparently. Don't know how they will find 12 other such people to comprise a jury of his peers.

Guess who’s jumping in the car for the drive over to San Bernardino? This guy. Two nights of drum corps and more importantly two nights of the Cavaliers. Lets do this!!!

There is no corps they fear. 🙂 I am already proud of The Cavaliers and I haven't even seen the show yet lol

I'm really getting tired the past 48 hours of how rude everyone is being to me - really personal jabs

The only times BD has placed lower than 5th were 1973 (24th...first trip to DCI) and 9th (1974). They were 3rd in 1975 and didn't drop to 5th -- a one-time placement -- until 1991. Fort those crowing about BD's current 5th place standings...it amazes me that those people continually forget how BD has worked in the last few years....the show tends to start slow and builds throughout the season....more so than other corps to a great deal. All the major changes are programmed in well before rehearsals start. You discount BD at your peril...they prove this every year.

REALLY love what I'm seeing & hearing from the video that's up! BK has clearly put in some work in the guard/visual design department, and it's a welcome change from last year. The opening hit guard work is musical & attention-grabbing. Something about BK's music books still draw me in after 5-6 years of writing in the same vein. They're beautiful and almost uniquely haunting. Something about the stark bareness of it all makes you want to sit forward and listen. Understated is the proper word, I think. They're still bringing a really fresh take on music to the football field, and I'm here for it. That opening build to the first hit is pure bliss!

Congratulations Bluecoats. Scores/Placements don't mean a lot until everyone gets together, BUT you are to be congratulated on your 79.9. That does indicate that, once again, you are among the elite in DCI. Keep working hard!!!

well that's the least surprising post I've ever read

Cavies. Wow. Just wow. Thank you for blessing the west coast with your presence. Even had fireworks in the distance!

Cavies just woke up this crowd bigtime. Full standing O after movement 4 and the end!

I was at that show as an audience member. what a shame they had to remove the bells. They had a great percussion show with them. I saw them a few times that season, as I was in a Garden State Circuit corps, and on off-dates we'd go to the class A shows in my area.

Keep Spirit in your thoughts. They are still reeling from a very hard lost of a fellow brother. posted from the DrumScorps app

This thread is getting beyond ridiculous. If the Madison Scouts were placing in the middle of the Top 12, like they did years ago, none of this talk of "things aren't fair" would be taking place. The members they have, this year, are out there working just as hard as the Blue Devils, SCV, etc, etc, etc. I'm sure they know and understand that finals isn't going to happen this year and more than likely, next year. But all this talk about unfair member movement and such is silly.

craiga 2,333 DCP Fanatic Posted 1 hour ago Something took place last night that I forgot to mention. As the members of BAC were having their snack at the food truck after the show a group of Bluecoats walked up. I didn't catch the whole conversation but it may have been the kids who tear down their props. Anyway, they were invited to eat with the Boston kids and even posed for a couple pics together. It was a very cool moment. Reply: That is so cool! That's the best part of Drum Corps, a great experience for everyone. Glad you shared this.

Actually BWise is making completely accurate observations about the appearance of the Boston show (in the Crown thread no less). Apparently that offends the Boston Clan who get upset at the least critical comment about CrownNorth made it their thread (what was it they said? "Don't $$$$ in our territory" or something? ) but feel free to come into other corps threads do it themselves. Perhaps they need to follow their own advice! Anyway I really enjoy the CrownNorth productions. It's like having a second Crown on the field every season 🙂

Really? Could you explain the bolded statement a little bit more about how that type of physicality is not required? please and thanks!

I love the jagged line and that show was hot early season. Then they met SCV in the Midwest and the article read "Santa Clara Vanguard Cross a Jagged Line" Then they ended up in 5th place. 5th place. So while I would love to think the Bluecoats have a comfortable lead I am pretty skeptical.

BD moved towards this type of show building starting in 2015 and they've explained their process every step of the way during these years through the BD360 Videos. Anyone who thinks that BD will finish 5th this year is knowingly keeping their head in the sand

Go Devs! Great work.

If it helps, I respect and enjoy your posts.

A quality video of a recent performance is up. The show has improved A LOT since opening night. All of the changes made are improvements. I still can't help but feel it's "lipstick on a pig" (the show the show the show! Not at all this wonderfully talented corps). The pacing and overall outline of the show is still fairly bizarre and unclear, and, to me, the feeling still bleeds through that this skilled group of performers was given a poorly-designed and amateur program to clean all season while the staff works hard on the fly to turn it into something worthy of the performers. And again, I know this is the design team's legit first year together and that the organization as a whole is still picking up the pieces, and that's what's most important. I have every confidence Cadets will be back in the top half of Finals soon enough. Just an odd juxtaposition still with such a skilled corps and such a weak design. I do want to say again that the corps is GOOD this year. Guard is fierce & impressive, brass has some moments that scream of Cadets of days past. They sound and look terrific!!

Great performance tonight BD! See you tomorrow night in San Bernardino! DO IT UP DEVILS!!!!

They are

That's an intriguing question. Their design language changed pretty dramatically in 2008. The corps moved towards the use of simple white props, they started modifying their traditional uniforms, their approach to drill started to move towards staging rather than traditional marching, and I felt that even the corps sound and balance was different (and this sound is something that really attracted me to the corps). As the years passed it became very obvious that the corps had moved to a very different direction than what they had in the early to mid 2000's. They were staying true to their jazz roots but a certain formula was starting to emerge: a bright but balanced sound with screaming soloists, heavy use of white props, heavy use of the drum set in the pit, a big focus on transitions and staging, and a guard that was pushing boundaries in terms of equipment, choreography, and role in storytelling. I think the progression of this style culminated into the 2014 show that really brought forth the best of everything of their new style. In 2015, I think they began an evolution of the style started in 2008 rather than a complete transformation like we saw in 08. The props became more complex, they started experimenting with pop music, they started using more original music, they started to quote themselves and use these quotes as their "signature" so to speak, etc. So to answer your question, I would say that for the most part yes it has mostly been one aesthetic throughout those years, but it didn't happen all at once and there have been small evolutions to that aesthstic as time has gone on

Ok, that’s a wrap. I’ll be busy watching drum corps live and in person next weekend in Lisle and Whitewater. Have a good night!