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I think just the fact that we now routinely see Boston in the conversation for medalling and/or 4th is huge. This was a 12th place drum corps only 23 months ago. So proud of this organization!

Was sitting at my desk this morning and thought, “what the heck, lets go to Dubuque” ... so jumped in the car and drove 5.5 hours and just got here ... and was able to snag a ticket on the aisle near the 50 yard line (down low) ... gonna be a great night (once it cools off). Dekalb tomorrow and Belleville Sunday ... this is a drum corps weekend! First time seeing the Cavaliers so I’m excited.

The following is from the Louisiana Stars on their Facebook page, earlier today:

There are so many moments to enjoy in this show. I FINALLY found a close-up lot video of the tenors doing their feature at the beginning of My Shot - the one where they split 16ths between players. Goodness gracious, so good. They have a fourth player on the come up, right? That'll be fun when they add him in! Keep it up Boston!!

Some of that horribly over—arranged unrecognizable ballad:

And while we're analyzing: Bluecoats Spring Training Start: 5/15 (31 shows) Phantom Spring Training Start: 5/15 (30 shows) Cadets Spring Training Start: 5/17 (32 shows) Blue Devils "Spring Training" Start: 5/17 (27 shows) Crown Spring Training Start: 5/18 (27 shows) Crossmen Spring Training Start: 5/17 (26 shows) Boston Spring Training Start: 5/22 (27 shows) Well that's hardly fair that the Bluecoats start their spring training so early! We should regulate how early corps can start in addition to the number of shows they need to perform, in addition to the number of days off they can take in between shows, in addition to how far they can travel between shows, in addition to ... If a corps needs to rely on four additional show appearance fees to sustain their tour, they could always, I don't know, start their spring training a few days later? Four days of housing, meals, etc. can add up. Edit for clarity: Quoted you to expand upon the point you were making. I'm sure as heck not a Boston homer, but come on now...

BREAKING: Crown in final stages of a small redesign of the guard unis. Sneak peek:

Talk to Music City about it. I'm sure they'd appreciate a mice crowd.

I agree about the end of the opener- those rapidly collapsing boxes are super cool! Probably my favorite dril moment of any I have seen this year. When I saw Scouts live the crowd went nuts for the end of the opener. Scouts had the best reaction aside from Bluecoats. I know everyone is slagging their show for being behind the times but honestly the old school moments got WAY more crowd reaction than the over-emoting/body sculpting/prop climbing stuff most others were doing. I hope Scouts continue to add more blistering drill- keep it coming, Scouts! Move fast, play loud, toss high!

They are working hard. They are also mixing in some free time.

I’ll be at this one so someone is gonna have to sub for me on drunken camera shots.

California DCI fans may show up in droves to the ER because they "can't even".

Really terrible, I knew something like that was going on. I'll work out a handicap system for spring training start dates, and bring a bullhorn to the stands next competition and announce the REAL score after each DCI official score. Everyone will like that and Mr. Crocker will probably invite me to sit with him at Indy.

It seems to me the show is trying too hard to be super intellectual and avant guard. There is not one moment of laid back intrigue or respite. Last year's show had six or so immediately identifiable moments. This year there are maybe one or two. In Ankeny, Waymire had them only two tenths above Blue Stars in rep.

That's a punny cheese joke, haha. Very sharp.

Regiment so much improved over last three years. Those kids are busting their butts to make this work. I want them to succeed. I want them to come back next year and continue the climb.

Yes and no. Most people and organizations that make contributions with five, six, seven digits do not throw their good money after bad, and quite possibly may not care about winning a DCI title. Those that solicited the donations might, but donors want the money to go to a worthwhile cause and a strong donor base, both large and small is important. The opposite can be true as well. Having larger donors can help prove that the organization is both solvent. Boston Crusaders has not run to the bank when my donation arrives either, but they know donor support large and small matters.

I do remember this. I spent HOURS working ok the mello runs a 4 after 62. Those eventually were cut for the 2d mellos. We did the pinwheels while the 1st mellos played the runs. Again proving one of the fundamental premises in this thread - the harder the music, the easuer the visual, and verse visa. As true in 2019 as it was in 1987. ####, this is a fun thread.

"75 AND STILL ALIVE"...

no...I think BD is the only finalist corps BAC has nevah defeated.

I don't have a prediction about this show tomorrow. But, I will say that I am in touch with a handful of corps members on a regular basis and they keep telling me that morale is off the charts and that "tour is flying by". Chris H and the BAC High Command in Hyde Park have made 'the member experience" the priority this year, and it would seem that they have been more than successful. And yes, I cannot wait for tomorrow night.

He also got all offended that I made fun of Cadets' endless run of painfully literal shows so I'm not sure if it's as much contrarian as just generally whiny

I assume that was intended for me......found it mildly funny. Please go back and read my posts again. It’s not all sunshine and sunflowers..... I just choose to state my case in a more constructive manner which should not be construed as being blind to the truth. I agree changes should be made, starting with the corps director and several BOD but I choose to plead my case without belittling anyone or making fun of them. A dose of civility around here would do some folks wonders. Just sayin’. Peace, out.

My thought is the eyes will be on the Crown/BAC match up. Is SCV places first, it will not cause much of a stir and the major interest will be whether BAC places ahead of Crown for a second time or how close Crown was to BAC. If SCV places second, it will be earth shattering for drum corps fans. If SCV places behind Crown and BAC, the drum corps community will all but explode.

Exactly the point I've been trying to make, people just want to complain about the Crown honks. Lol. Mature shows take longer to mature, and I believe this team will get it there. Will it win? Unlikely, but will it medal? Very possible. It's not always about winning with us, we just want to get back to medal contention after the year we had last year with that...show.

1. Was trying to be diplomatic since Boston had a larger gain than Crown after six days off. 2. Are you in the "we need the government to take over xxxxxxx and zzzzzzzz duties from the private sector" camp? DCI has done a horrible job over the years in addressing some issues. The corps are what make DCI what it is. Let them decide what's best for their organization. Maybe certain concerns were discussed in January, but it should be the corps call. The corps who have the financial resources do not need the money from three or four shows should not be penalized. Maybe those corps who have financial concerns (and believe me there are some since they have they asked for loans from other corps.) should get their house in order and get the people on board to help the business side of the organization. Do you think any of these "top corps" would not be scoring where they currently are if they had competed in another two shows at this point in the season?

It's pretty up close, but the further back you go the more in blends in with the corps uniforms. Anytime I see this show on Flo they blend in with the corps, and that's in these smaller high school and smaller college venues. It may be different in an indoor facility, but I don't see it being a good different with the glare from the lights...

It's show day! I am excited to see how they do in terms of scoring. WOO!

As do the performers today. In fact most do just as much with more difficult music and added body responsibilities. Don't get me wrong I love drum corps from all eras but reality is just reality.

In the coed spirit and newfound zeal for inclusion and such, I call for an immediate replacement of the executive director with a woman!!!

I started the Patreon video, but I stopped when I read that there were updates to the show. I’ll get my first live viewing in Denton in Thursday, I can’t wait! It’s a little saddening that DCI took over the Cavaliers’ Denton show, so I can’t volunteer or help out. Just forces me to also head over to mesquite this year as well!

One of the main goals in '87 was to be as faithful to the original work as possible. The initial "draft" of the show was actually closer to the orchestral work, which wasn't working as well because there weren't any drum-corps-esque impact points punctuating the end of each section. Some creative liberties were taken in the rewrites with the hits at the end of parts 1 and 3. One other thing that I think is exceptional about this show is the melodic percussion writing. It was very cool over the winter to learn new parts in sectionals, then combine with the percussion for the first time, and hear how the battery fit with the horns. Truly genius writing. And the company front was another amazing thing to be part of. Early on the front disappeared in one count, which was later changed to a push that was crumbling from the ends. My one claim to fame is I ended that move on the 50 - for 8 counts I was the center of the drum corps universe. Marc Sylvester wasn't exactly thrilled. In rehearsal he once said "Dress down to StuStu - and Gawd help us awl." Here's a video of an early season run. To my knowledge it is the only recording to have surfaced of the early-season show. And that's another big difference between today and yesteryear - with all the smart phones and go pros, kids today have dozens of videos documenting each step of the way.

I think it's going to be much closer than a lot of people think. I wouldn't be surprised if Bloo takes GE but BD wins brass, guard and visual. It will be a battle of GE vs. execution and it's going to be close close close all the way to Finals.

If it is still available today as a monthly purchase, go for it. You get a lo of shows over the next month. Just make sure you cancel using their online cancellation form immediately after finals or you will be billed another month.

I would not be at all surprised to see the scores for Boston, SCV and Crown to be close this weekend. Maybe in that order, who knows?

To be fair, Jeff was basically being asked whether he was in league with YEA board to quash an investigation or some such thing. I don't think his response to that insinuation is making the thread about himself.

Made my way up to WCU tonight, and it is getting cleaner. They are still angry (to say the least) that they lost their home show last week as Harloff kept bringing it up between reps tonight. Definitely some smaller changes that you will see on Saturday on the live stream, but they have gotten cleaner since CrownBeat which is the important thing right now for Crown. I do think that there will be some bigger changes coming between SA and ATL, but until then, just enjoy one of the better shows of the season. They are far from done with this show, and it should be a fun rest of the summer. That brass better get that Ott or there will be a riot. They sounded incredible tonight. Go Crown!

I have some wonderful news everyone... I just got my first student. 🙂 I am teaching an eager 7th grader who is excited to learn! I am really looking forward to being this kids instructor! 😄

GO CAVIES! WOOOOOOOO!

They've been burned by it before.

I watched Boston from Crownbeat last night. Whoa. That’s cleaned up nicely. The body movements they do are very effective.

There's so much good stuff in this thread. It really is just a breath of fresh air. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful responses and memories. Just to touch on the quoted text, excellent observation. I think anyone who marched battery in the late 80's will share my recollection as well. We moved a lot and played a lot, yes. But we also moved a lot in straight lines and diagonals. Our drum features were all front and center park and play stuff. I don't think today's material is more difficult from a rudimental standpoint than what we played at least in my 87'-90' time frame, but these MM's are ALL OVER the field and what they're playing ain't exactly a cosmo either. The skill level of all of these cats, across all captions is at a next world level compared to what we did IMHO. On the second point, EVERY front ensemble player now seems to be a top flight musician. These guys now are just flat out artists performing their craft. We had talented players as well, but 10 out of 10 players weren't at the top level. I think the parts now are just quite frankly, better written. I don't even hate the electronics as some do. It can become a little over the top with bass drops at every impact point, but we can't always get what we want all the time. Again, just a fantastic topic. Love it, love it, love it.

Props. Look, if you have props just to hide the marchers/equipment you should re-think props. If you want to use props, USE them for some purpose (other than scenery). You, or I may dislike them, but please, please, if you use them let them serve a purpose in the development of the show.

I’m fine with anything greater than the drill situation the past 3 seasons. Lol i want them to have the best of the best but heck - a Kevin Ford type drill with some more staging would make me happy

The average number of shows for the Top 12 is 28.3. Boston is part of the largest group (5 out of 12) who are doing 27 shows. Cadets are doing the most, 32. Blue Knights are doing the fewest, 25.

Crown is coming into tomorrow's competition following another 5-day layoff. On top of the usual show adjustments and cleaning, they've been seeped in a boiling desire to make a comeback after their home show loss. Be ready for a fierce competition between Boston, Crown, and SCV!

It's judged the same way that linear drill is judged (but not as linear drill). Consistency of presentation Achievement of purpose (effectiveness) Aesthetics (most important issue) It's probably a mistake to assume that it's the 'running' that is being adjudicated (as if the judge is looking for something akin to heel to toe rolling technique). They are looking at the picture and the presentation... they are looking at the investment of movement (these are important to adjudicating drill as well). Part of the frustration is in the reduction of what they are doing as it relates to one's desired effect of formal marching. There is no marching in ballet, crew dancing, musical theater production numbers, etc. Visual performance and technical execution can be more than 'marching' as we know it. Edit: Okay... so I lied... The Nutcracker has a considerable amount of uniform marching in it. No... really.

Seriously, I can’t wait to meet up with BD. You can’t be the best without competing against the best. And I mean that with upmost respect.