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Not saying that this isn't the case, but if you're making the decision to march a corps based off of the uniform rather than the opportunity to learn and perform, you probably need to re-evaluate your premise for marching corps. Just sayin'

What We Know: Based on a recent article posted on DCI's website today (https://www.dci.org/news/2020-dci-tour-will-return-to-st-louis-dome), DCI will return to the Dome At America's Center in St. Louis, MO on Sunday July 12, and feature "A huge lineup of World Class corps is slated to compete including the Blue Devils, Blue Stars, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders, Cadets, Carolina Crown, Cavaliers, Colts, Crossmen, Jersey Surf, Madison Scouts, Music City, Pacific Crest, Phantom Regiment and Spirit of Atlanta. They will additionally be joined by Open Class groups Legends, Colt Cadets and Shadow." The Eastern Classic will return to J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, PA on Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, with (assuming) all World Class corps and maybe 1-2 Open or International Class corps (Encorps, Beeches, Kidsgrove) will be in attendance over the duration of the two nights. The DCI World Championships will return to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN from Thursday, August 6th to Saturday, August 8th. It can be assumed from previous years that Open Class Championships will be hosted in Marion, IN on Monday and Tuesday of that week, the DCI Performers Showcase on Wednesday, and the Soundsport International Music and Food Festival on the morning of Finals (Saturday). The same article mentioned above revealed that the full schedule will be announced on Wednesday, November 20th In terms of membership Kidsgrove Scouts and Beeches Performance Ensemble will arrive from the UK in late-July/early-August and attend some events and World Championships marking the first time DCI has had multiple International Class ensembles since 2015. Beeches will perform a program based on popular music icon Queen. They will feature their show in the US at Allentown, Avon Lake, Marion, and Indianapolis. Phenom, a Soundsport ensemble under the umbrella of the Academy has applied for Open Class membership. Blue Devils B has recently announced they will be returning to Indy in 2020. The Madison Scouts will become co-ed for the first time in the corps history leaving the Cavaliers as the only all-male corps. Update November 13, 2019: Due to scheduling conflicts with the Alamodome, DCI has redesigned 2020's Texas Tour and will split the 20+ World Class corps (and any possible Open or Soundsport competitors) between San Antonio, Texas and Corpus Christi, Texas on the assumed Southwestern Regional's date, Saturday, July 18th. The 2020 Texas Tour will be: DCI Denton Thursday, July 16 Apogee Stadium at the University of North Texas | Denton, TX DCI Austin presented by FloMarching Thursday, July 16 Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex | Austin, TX DCI Katy presented by Band Shoppe Friday, July 17 Legacy Stadium | Katy, TX DCI San Antonio presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc. Saturday, July 18 D.W. Rutledge Stadium at Judson High School | San Antonio, TX DCI Corpus Christi presented by Fred J. Miller, Inc. Saturday, July 18 Wildcat Stadium at Calallen High School | Corpus Christi, TX DCI Mesquite presented by The U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps Monday, July 20 Mesquite Memorial Stadium | Mesquite, TX DCI McKinney Tuesday, July 21 McKinney ISD Stadium | McKinney, TX Source: https://www.dci.org/news/texas-tour-gets-a-fresh-look-in-2020 Assumptions/Speculation for 2020: It can be assumed shows sponsored in part by corps will return in their usual place in the schedule such as Drums Along the Rockies, the Seattle Summer Music Games, and NightBEAT just to name a few. Based on previous years and with the hope of no stadium conflicts, it is more than likely the DCI Southwestern Championship will be on Saturday, July 18th at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX with all World Class corps and 2-3 Soundsport or Open Class Corps in attendance (Guardians, Arsenal, Compass, maybe Phenom). Additionally, the DCI Southeastern Championship will likely be on Saturday, August 25th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA with all World Class corps and likely 2-3 DCA or Soundsport groups in attendance (Carolina Gold, Atlanta CV). DCI will likely be pushing Allentown hard as the season begins as they had two news articles about it in the span of a week as well as a two night package deal for tickets which is the only other show besides Championships with a similar deal on sale before the release of the full tour schedule. If Phenom is approved for Open Class in early-2020 it is likely they will have a regional tour based around California, Arizona, and maybe Texas.

OMG yes as a horn player myself back then ( sop ) I hear ya...lol

oh, you've heard him play?

You rebel, you! I'm sure you probably had to suffer the wrath of what people now call "old timers" telling you that 2 valves wasn't a real soprano as well. I'm so glad I wasn't a horn player. I'm pretty sure I would have said something like "You blow air into it and it makes noise...pretty much the same thing as it always was."

BITD, I was all too happy to jettison my valve -rotor sop for a two valve!

I'm late to this party but wanted to pass on congrats to any of the Mary Stoneman Douglas kids who finished their show in the rain. You've done something you'll talk about for ages. I was part of the infamous BOA rain soaked prelims in the mid 80s Terre Haute regional. This was pretty much pre-props and pre-amp but we were one of the first bands to put electronics on the field with a rolling synth and amp set up. It rained all day but started pouring as we took the field. Since it was artificial turf and we were already wet and taking the field, they had us go on. Our training was "march like its sunshine." And the synth, amp, and synth player were draped in clear plastic. It was a self contained rolling unit so...sure. It was hilariously fun to do. The saxes were trying to take advantage of some of our (early era) body work to dump water out of our horns so they didn't sound flat. Music suffered, but our M&M was on point because we were having fun with it. Best part was the next monday when our director made one of the rare moves of playing a judges tape back to us. "Holy cow is it raining! But if I wasn't soaking wet out here with you, you're the first band that's made it look like it's not raining!"

If you look carefully at what's been going on in the unit, you might not be so sure of that. For example, look at the radical change in show design in the past few years. Recently they had a section of a show where they were uncovered. That's an absolutely insane idea that would never have been even considered five years ago. The biggest argument that's going to win the day is money. Those G bugles are costing the unit far more than the cost of an entire new set of Yamaha marching horns. That fact is making it's way to decision makers (ie congress critters). The reverence of the unit for Col. Crawford has not (and will never) change. But even he would want his Marines to be playing on the best quality marching horns available.

so...i've been thinking about this. I remember when the move to DE was announced and i was like "wtf?"....then I thought about it. ID has local contacts, access to multiple facilities, good folks at working grants, and it's also not in an area with 2 DCI corps, as well as cabs and Fusion to fight for bodies. easy access to Philly and all those Annapolis schools, even some south Jersey. some pretty smart thoughts after all. Add in an alumnus who is passionate, well known in the region with a ton of contacts, and also creative when it comes to design on the side. I thought it'd be great. Then the merger was undone, JP was gone, Bush alumni trashing the ID guys and spreading all kinds of lies...and I just sat back and thought "well, they're ####ed". Guess i was right. I am sure some Bush alum or board member will see this and send me nasty grams, but i'll say this....if the bad news is really true, the current board has no one to blame but themselves. In todays DCA, it's incredibly hard to to come back from the dead.

STILL one of my favorite Crown shows. Just. Excellent.

Just ONE drill move like that would be enough to satisfy me for the entire summer! I’m not asking for too much, am I? Just one... Please?

Fasten your seatbelts, folks...

Actually their mission (and reason to exist) remains unchanged and they continue to execute it to the highest standards. It's not about instrumentation so much as the quality of the tools they use to perform their mission.

Heard through the grapevine that big news is coming this week... for better or for worse.

The best marching horn I ever played is the Yamaha F mellophone I bought in 2012. I would have killed for that BITD.

You posted this on my b-day, K🎂

I remember when we moved from mylar to kevlar. Granted that was a huge change in the tone of the drums themselves. I remember people coming in pro and con. After all, duraline had been making kevlar heads since the 70's. I also remember loving them until I collapsed my first shell...followed by a second...and then a third. I HATED them at that point. Then I figured out that much like all of my failed relationships...the problem was with me...not the heads / drums.

It would seem reasonable to believe that there are potential MM's on both sides of this aisle. There are possibly some who would prefer to see a more "traditional" approach in both marching, musical selection and uniforms. It is also reasonable that a more traditional approach is not something that moves the activity forward. It's no different than anything else in today's society. Pagers did the job but I can't see very many of us, especially millennials, tossing their smart phones in the name of tradition.

YES it was distinct BITD BUT what made it distinct was also corps were wearing the same thing year after year. Often some corps played the same music year after year also. To me that's more cookie cutter. How many corps sported the cadet type uniform just in different colors..many Not that everything new is good and that can go back to the beginning of time, looking through fresh eyes or even at times forcing ones self to honestly look at things from another perspective is NOT a bad thing. Not everything will please everyone all the time, nor should it. If it did how would we have our favorites.

Or guard

All great corps in their day, I agree!!!

I wouldn't disagree with that statement at all. In fact, my father LOVED Troopers and the 27th uniforms as did I. I've said it before and I will say it again...I too enjoyed the ability to know which corps was coming onto the field by their uniforms. The individuality added something to it for me and I was proud to wear every single uni during my MM days. That being said, the fans now are a generation which is far less steeped in the tradition than even I was back in the 80's ( I saw my first show in 84 and marched my first in 87 remember.) I get to have a unique window into the soul of the new generation of fan because my girlfriend is 28 and had literally zero drum corps knowledge prior to two years ago. The new style of uniform (call it a costume if you must,) is just part of "the production" as she sees it. It adds to the story being told (or detracts from it,) rather than just identifying a corps as unique. I can see how for many of the fans who came through the generations, how everything now is starting to look cookie cutter. I just try to see it through new eyes. My eyes are kinda shot anyways so I might as well use theirs.

not that long ago, even in this century yet, what the corps wore was part of the elan of the corps and part of the drawing mechanism which inspired the new mms to auditions. With the constant shift with instructional faculties today, corps have become more cookie-cutter and not as unique as once were (e.g. 27th was quite distinctive and never to be confused with the Bridgemen.) Today the cutting-edge borders are not as distinct. Now it is as often who the designers are or instructors are with mms following some name like lemmings off a cliff, all in the hope of padding the resume' for non-existent future employment in the music field.

You don't have to be a millennial or Gen Z to call it out either (hint hint)! 😉

Hearing it from the inside as well. I haven't heard why. Maybe it's the old 5 less cymbals = 5 more horns thing.

St.Rocco"s and OLPH were, and still are a mile from each other...Add St. Rita's Brassmen and you had really good representation from Brooklyn minutes from each other

over in 5th place, we just watched and laughed

It was an F major scale, in rounds. 🙂

I agree.... those, the Cadets' classic uni, and the ones used by the OLPH Ridgemen in NYC. A beautiful blue and red.

They were sharp. Maybe my favorite.

You had those snappy teal uniforms well before wearing teal became a thing. DCP mod MikeD who marched Garfield Cadets drumline has said many times on DcP how smart your unis were, even if the Bensonhurst source of the financing was intriguing, ha. ha.

you don't have to be a boomer to be called it. i saw a 20 year old called it on social media last night

Maybe it's just me, but i think it is ignorant and hateful to suggest that only (or to imply that all) people from a certain age group are ignorant and hateful.

This is true BUT to say everyone was happy with what they wore even BITD would not be accurate either ( plenty of examples of that, as Im sure there are those today). Bottom line is respect for those of the past and what " We" did should be a given BUT that should apply to performers, etc etc of today and what they do. There are those who don't get respect is a 2 way street NOT a one way one.

Not a PR recruitment vid, but here you go:

BITD most of us weren't music or dance majors..we were happy just to be able to perform, period..Times have changed(obviously) and the performers, as you have outlined, are reflective of that change..peace

Signature Regiment. Plaintive music.

'10 was so smooth.

ah, love it when the troglodytes come in with their interpretations of what is masculine and what is feminine always elevated

wish this show would have been given a visual design worthy of the performers. still one of my favorite horn books from TeamCream. full brass entrance in ballad is just so tasty.

Just gonna go ahead and post this riiiiiiiiiight here:

I am not a PR honk.........but the beauty of 10 captivates me to this day. Not the visual/watching-although that "completes" my appreciation, but simply listening to the flow of expression & precision [top percussion certainly seals the deal!]. So, yes.....let's hope for a direction, & construction of a musical product stimulating the attention surpassing a short-burst mentality.

i find the less time i spend #####ing about what isnt there and more time watching is, the more i tend to enjoy it all

Someone at those early meetings (who shall remain nameless) also (semi-jokingly) suggested the name "The Charlotteans." Glad that one didn't take.

I know they will still be 'around' but Moe and Kevin pretty much are Crown to me and always will be. They're the best.

IMHO Crown is a very strange mix of intensity and goofiness. If you "buy in" to the culture, you'll have a ton of fun at Crown.

Not dozens but hundreds of times he said being part of the archaic VFW and legion rules was ruining drum corps and corps needed to be out from under that thumb. And yes I personally heard it from many of the iconic founding members. That's not even arguable

To me this is impossible to do, as they are integral elements of drum corps today. Trying to do that is like saying I love the brass, but I am going to ignore the mellophones. It puts a person on the road to failure in liking modern drum corps, IMO. I started in drum corps in late 1963, when I was 10. We had single snares, single tenors, flat "thumper" bass drums and cymbals in the drumline. That was it. Of course I loved it, and I still love it. For me, I have to adapt to change, or just walk away. Luckily, I have loved drum corps all through the ages, and I hope to continue. One of my all time favorite shows is from 1969, the Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights from Newark, NJ. On the other end, BD's "Felliniesque" and Crown's "Relentless" are also on the list, as is the Blue Knights "Avian", with a bunch in between. For me, I love what each era has done with the activity.

And years later... lot of people who like the current changes will gripe about the changes to come. If they are still around.... same as it every was.... same as it ever was...

You should go back to 1990 via old vhs tapes because you do not want to see 2020 drum corps and that’s ok, but it’s not going to change for you.