Leaderboard

83.45 Crown 79.15 Cadets 73.80 Crossmen 69.75 Music City 52.25 Heat Wave

Impressive … really good run. The Guard is en fuego.

A little delayed, but some photos from the show. I tried to get opening sets and then 1-2 action shots. Pacific Crest Mandarins Santa Clara Vanguard Blue Devils

An unexpected thunderstorm power outage caused a bit of delay, but I didn't forget! The early season scoring volatility continues: 97.922 Carolina Crown 97.323 Blue Devils 96.043 Boston Crusaders 94.623 Bluecoats 92.554 Santa Clara Vanguard 91.313 Cavaliers 89.235 Cadets 87.272 Blue Stars 85.829 Mandarins 84.349 Phantom Regiment 82.514 Crossmen 80.028 Blue Knights 78.460 Colts 76.213 Madison Scouts 75.624 Music City 75.167 Academy 72.698 Troopers 70.960 Jersey Surf 68.552 Pacific Crest 67.405 Spartans 66.117 Gold 65.744 Blue Devils B 62.986 Vanguard Cadets 60.612 River City Rhythm 58.571 Columbians 58.189 Colt Cadets 54.005 Heat Wave 53.443 Golden Empire 52.812 7th Regiment 45.806 Raiders 44.326 Impulse 44.085 Blue Devils C

Oh stick around DCP, young lady. You'll see plenty of that in the weeks to come.

Really great. Just impressive live. The guard is on it .. brass was awesome. marching some holes tonight.

I for one am looking forward to the future of DCI. When we will have grown beyond shows consisting of whole notes and Arban exercises played with cleverly bent legs. I'm looking forward to the return of melody and swing, of a complete, engaging musical idea that takes more than 4 bars to express. I'm looking forward to the day when the tuba section is allowed to do more than quietly play along with the synthesizer. I'm looking forward to the day when a mellophone player could aspire to play more than 8-count sustains and occasional runs ending in sustains. I'm looking forward to the day when the main audible difference between corps is not the quality of their sound reinforcement systems. That will be a glorious day indeed. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

I’m gonna get crucified for this, but after my 3rd live performance of crown the app gimmick just isn’t working. I don’t mean that it technically doesn’t work, I mean from an audience perspective it just isn’t working yet. It seems like no one wants to watch a drum corps show while they have their phone in their hand. The corps March and play well, but the gimmick and all just seems a little forced at the moment. Maybe more will buy into it as the season progresses.

Crown had a great run tonight. As BWise mentioned a couple holes tonight. Guard was great but I did see a couple of drops. They'll get it clean. The Brass .....Holy crap!!! They are consistent with the power they are producing from them horns. They are truly God's Hornline. The final push of the show was so in your face too. The Battery is getting there but they are great and I love their book this year. Not worried. This Atlanta mid-season show was great. The stadium was really nice but it was hard to find your seat due to it being unmarked. Also you couldn't leave the stadium after entering. The weather was perfect, a nice cool breeze which I think helped all the corps have great performances. I do hope this show is added to the years to come along with the Southeastern Championship. They should also add maybe a few more corps. I think Spirit will be at this one when they come back; the did have their souvenir stand there. Anyway Great Performance from Crown !!! 83.45 Let's keep it going. ....short Video will be posted soon.

Great score for Crown tonight! 83.45

The soloist could do the wink and then his eye could fall out.

I did try the app, and it has alot of kinks to work out. It's cool but I'm going be one of those that is gonna just enjoy the show. I think the younger kids are going to enjoy it though. I don't think it's going to hurt them at all. But someone needs to tell them about it so they can work on it going forward.

Great Show!! All the Corps had great runs. Weather was absolutely perfect. Congratulations to all the performers!!! Hope this is a regular show in the city. I think the community was taking a peek to see what was happening. Hope the weather is this nice for the Southeastern Championship which is outside this year at the World-renowned 1996 Olympic Stadium ( GA State Center Parc Stadium). I believe the only corps to perform in this venue was the 1996 Cadets for the Olympic Closing ceremony.

And Crown enters the field for competition. looking good too

Moment of silence for Gary Markham

It’s showtime!!! no rain .. nice and toasty. Crown is over in Piedmont Park.

Here's guessing the students love the direction of the activity, and I put far more weight on that than anything else.

I have often thought of myself as the drum corps equivalent of the kid who may not play baseball but knows the stats of the players past and present, knows the scores, and the history. I’ll admit I’m not 100% accurate and can take correction in some drum corps areas (friends and family may disagree as to whether I take correction in other areas of life). I don’t get the intricacies of judging all of the time, my strengths brass and GE, my weak area of knowledge is percussion though in all areas I know what I should see and hear. I’ve been a consistent fan since I was 12 years old which whether or not I care to admit it, is 47 years. My controversial opinions: 1. Many people who claim to be old school and want a return to the old days do not know the old days, probably did not attend shows in the old days, and quite possibly never marched and I’ll be broad in my definition of marching and consider marching anything from being in a Memorial Day parade when you were in elementary school to being in a DCI finalist. Throwing names like 27th Lancers and Bridgemen and watching a DVD or YouTube clip of Madison in 1975 does not make you an expert in what used to be. 2. Many who claim to be present day enthusiasts have been to one show, heard a few things in the stands both pro and con about drum corps today, and are now experts on out with the old in with the new. No, just because you saw a video of Phantom and the 2008 version of “Spartacus” or Star in 1993 and attended a show does not make you an expert on contemporary drum corps. 3. If you go to Allentown, don’t claim to be a board member or trustee of a corps, particularly Boston Crusaders, Carolina Crown, or the Cadets. You’re not a board member, you’re not a friend of a board member or dating a board member, and chances are an actual board member is sitting near you, listening, and laughing. 4. Many of those who yell “Go Trevor,” or “Brendon,” or “Steph” or “Shana” as a corps takes the field do not know Trevor, Brendan, Steph, or Shana and no one marching with the corps has those names. Enough procrastinating and back to work.😊

The 2nd of Spirit Of Atlanta's home shows. I miss Spirit... Go Crown!

TODAY IS A SHOW DAY !!! Let’s go Crown in the ATL!!! 👑🔥👑🔥👑🔥👑🔥👑🔥👑

To the loyal, passionate, diehard "Bluecoats" fans.................. I get it now. That even bugs me just a little bit.

You have to be convincingly better than BD to beat them. They always find away to squeak out a margin when it's close. Additionally it can help to travel west and beat them a few times early in the season. As for "good year" it could be we expected SCV to be way more competitive than they have been so far. Finally I really believe this Crown show has the horses to beat BD. Strong sections across the board and no weaknesses plus a show design that just makes you smile. Even if you're not a Crown fan, this show is just rip-roaring drumcorps fun!

So in my quick recap to BDs last night .. Crown ahead in all subcaps except guard .. which feels like the judge. Perc was way up from Saturday. .4. Overall the 0.95 Crown is ahead is music. For entertainment purposes only. I know these are not H2H.

Us Cali fans always show out of state corps love. We don't care who it is. You take time to make the trip out west, we will show you love.

We have a Show Day!!!! It's looking beautiful. The Atlanta skyline as the backdrop. I think this could become a regular before the Atlanta Regional in the future. They just have to work out the kinks, such as parking. The area is walkable with restaurants nearby, etc. Anyway Go Crown!!!

First Annual?

So -- not really annual?

This is a wild "Post Number 3" from a 13 year old account. Good luck with that stuff.

Blue Devils are the best corps Long loud chords are unmusical and bad

This a LOT better than Statesboro. ... Very glad the weather is MUCH better. Unfortunately tonight's competition isn't being streamed. Any comments you can make about the shows would be appreciated.

Incorrect. Bluecoats are the only undefeated drumline remaining at this point and have topped all of the top east/mid-west lines - BAC (Detroit), Cavies (Detroit), Crown (Kent). They have a quite a few vets (compared to some of the other top groups and are playing a very musical book at a high level. Integration of battery with front ensemble is excellent. They are in the Sanford conversation until proven otherwise.

Boston next to Blue Devils. Don’t see that every day. At least prior to now.

Yes, open class looks like it is going to be a slugfest for the medals! This may be one of the more interesting stories this year.

I think so. I think the design team are probably working on something.

It's really Nice outside. Cloudy but cool comfortable temperature. Drove by the stadium, saw the drumline doing sectionals at Piedmont Park. It's going to be a good show day. Headed back home, will be back later.

Well I think BD 2014 and 2012 would be considered “that show” in that case

As a BD Honk, I have to admit there is some truth to that. We have seen only five shows beat BD since 2007.........Phantom 2008, Cadets 2011, Crown 2013, Bluecoats 2016, and SCV 2018. Bluecoats 2016 is the only show that managed to topple the Devils without heading out west and seeing them in June.

Before we dive into this, I have a disclaimer. I love all the corps and have enjoyed all the productions this year. Having said that I have nothing against any of the corps and only take a subjective stance when predicting/guessing finals. Based on what I’ve seen I expect this to be the most competitive year yet top to bottom. Each color code represents the competitive positions finals night. TOP 4 Blue Devils Typical Blue Devils clean show. Very Strong in all categories. What I found surprising was the color guard didn’t seem to be as strong as years past…Maybe just an off night but seemed to be the weakest part of the show if you can call it that. Will compete for the title. Very enjoyable show. Blue Coats Seem to have found their design groove. Super clean brass that sounds like they are holding back a tad bit compared to other corps around them. I expect more power as they unleash the hounds. I love the uniforms as they add an extra visual component compared to other corps. I expect this show to compete for the crown. Strong all over. Great percussion, brass and color guard. Could use less narration. Low brass needs more power to balance out the sound. Synthesizer needs more balance with the horn line. Santa Clara Vanguard This year’s show will compete for the crown. Very clean, Fantastic brass, percussion and color guard. I expect percussion to take the crown this year. The Corp is strong everywhere and I think they have a real shot at winning. Drill is very challenging and executed very well for this early in the season. Right now the weak part are the color themes throughout the show…I expect that to change very soon. Carolina Crown Another fantastic show from Carolina, horn line will compete for the crown if more contrast is added to the arrangements. They are clean as hell but the power level is high and doesn’t change enough to create beautiful moments that I’m used to hearing from Crown. That’s just something I expect and admire from Crown. I believe their percussion and marching will hold them back from winning but as usual they will have a shot. 5-8 Cavaliers After my second view of this show I expect the Cavaliers to leap frog over BAC. I believe their brass and percussion execute at a higher level. Their weak spot is the color guard that just feels underwhelming to me. I’m not sure if it’s the size or if they’re getting lost in the design. Their uniforms definitely don’t help. They need to make some quick changes soon or they may end up behind Boston. Boston Crusaders I’ve faced a lot of criticism fans from every corp. over this prediction, needless to say this is just my opinion based on what I have seen and heard. There are a few things I believe will hold Boston back this year. Primarily the simplicity of the production. The drill design has a lot of follow the leader and scatter drill which in my opinion will hold them back. There are also restrictions in the brass arrangements that will not allow much room to improve on G.E. scores. There are more than a few spots were only a small ensemble plays while the rest of the corp. marches around. This makes the show less difficult and even goes so far as to expose the percussion to unnecessary observation and critique. There is no place for them to hide. Execution from all area’s is outstanding but not strong enough to compete for the top spot. My biggest problem is that I expect this show to max out well before Championship weekend. Before I continue, from what I have seen and heard the top six just may be the best top 6 in the history of the sport. Phantom Regiment My expectations for Phantom has changed due to the recent covid outbreak and no one is talking in their camp as to the severity. I may come back and amend this within the next week should they make it back into competitive play. I expected Phantom to move up dramatically due to their execution and difficulty of their show. Percussion and drill execution seems to be a weak spot this year however the use of the platforms/cheese cake/ gurneys have more negative effect on the show than they a worth. I’m not sure why it is taking this long to make them a useful part of the show. I’m putting them no lower than 7th. They must make a move soon. I’m starting to believe the drill is too tough for the kids to execute and that it's tough for the sake of being tough. Covering down and spacing seems to be a fundamentals issue as well. I’m looking at this as a building year and hope that the coming years offer everything need to compete for a top 5 position or more. The Cadets Another building year for the cadets as this show is lacking in all area’s. For the cadets its unexpectedly sloppy and not nearly clean enough to rise above 8th place. 9-13 Mandarins I really enjoyed this show. I found their soloists outstanding and their music a step up from previous years. Execution will put them out of reach compared to corps below them. Hoping this becomes a regular thing for the Mandarins. I’d love to see another West Coast corp competing with the corps above the top seven. Blue Stars This show should keep them in the top 12 as it is another nice show. I found myself a little bored and underwhelmed with the production. There is in my opinion a definite gap in difficulty compared to corps. above them. I’m a little disappointed and expected more from the Blue Stars production team. I don’t expect this show to have the staying power in the end. Colts The colts have a nice show this year with a very good horn line. The arrangements have some nice moments which allow the hornline to impress, especially their low and middle brass. Only thing is they seem a tad bit strong compared to the trumpets. The weak point to me is their color guard. Another that seems to get lost on the field. The colors just meld into the rest of the corp. I expect them to make finals night Crossmen- This show is another nice show from the Crossmen. I’m not totally convinced this will make finals night. The main thing holding this back is the drill design and execution. For me, it doesn’t have much difficulty in it. The execution is off all over with innumerable gaps throughout. I love the color guard and the props they maneuver around the field. I would love to see them get over the lower corp hurdle. Madison Scouts Madison has a very entertaining show this year. Several issues come to mind as I examine this show. Brass have a nice clean sound but are underwhelming for the Scouts. Throughout the show there are moments where they could rip your face off or provide a beautify sound but you’re left wanting more. The percussion remain an issue and seem to struggle with a relatively easy book. The color guard get lost in the field and appear to be struggling to sell their portion of the show. Maybe its just me, but this is not the Madison Scouts I competed against. Blue Knights This years corp. has me a little perplexed. I like the opening drill work but the hocky pucks just don’t do it for me. I’m thinking they will add color to these eventually but if not I’m not sure how they add to the show. Right now there is a lot of dirt in all area’s and will need major touchups to make it to championship night.

Or a scan of my arteries.

Just as in theatre. Comedy is incredibly hard to do well. It requires more planning to do it well, and much more risk if it fails. Hence it’s not often attempted anymore.

I would love to see a drum corps tackle this work, especially the first movement. The last 80-90 seconds of the first movement I think could easily be written to be a DCI closer. It's Hindemith, though. You'd better have some guts to dive into the deep end here. I can never remember how to embed video because I only do it once a year or so. "Pittsburgh Symphony" by Paul Hindemith. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmRo1yQoKWE

I see Crown coming in. .. 🔥🔥🔥

Show is starting now

Lots of empty “primo” seats. People are getting tired of what the “sheets say”. It’s up to the member corps to change what’s happening within the “general public”.

Might search these websites; at some point they list the bands as they register under the events or competitions. https://usbands.org **There are already some bands listed under the USBands events: https://usbands.org/events/?month=04 https://marching.musicforall.org

Welcome to the wonderful world of Flo. Some people have great success while others struggle. Connections (both on-site and user) are part of the problem for "live" productions. However, post-production is limited by many items such as sync rights, turn-around time and others. It is all we have available to us. That is why many of us only get it for the couple of months during the season and then dump it right after finals.

It's just campy fun! Cheesy, campy, whatever word you want to use. Definitely a show I will be able to listen to for seasons after without having to see the visual, which is definitely something that can't be said often these days.

Make them a part of the performance. Don’t just move them around or treat them like obstacles; treat them like an opportunity to perform. Make moving them a part of the show — do it in character. It’s too late to get rid of them. But whether or not they’re actually a pain in the butt, the audience shouldn’t be thinking “Those look like they’re a pain in the butt.” That’s one of the big differences between shows that make props look seamless and corps that make the props seem like a problem. Also, get the alignments right. It’s no different than drill: the forms have to be clean. But that’s a problem that I’m sure they’re working on.

Man oh man, I just sat through a National Anthem and two corps/25 minutes worth of show. I sure wish there'd be an intermission so I can rest up for the other two corps.

my god these points are the epitome of the annoying Gen Z DCI fans basically only know the mid 2000s to present Crown and Bluecoats shows and make hating Blue Devils their cutesy personality trait