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The first few times I saw Boston my reaction was "meh, it's ok". To say it's grown on me is an understatement. It's my favorite show of the year. Could they be in the hunt for the gold at Indy?

I’m not convinced this show is fighting for second. I see no reason why they can’t sneak up on BD by finals. I really don’t.

I think averaging the three scores would likely be LESS interesting if after the first two nights it’s clear that it would be virtually impossible for another corps to score high enough to make the average work in their favor. One of the incredible things about finals night is how corps tend to find that extra little spark to make their performance extra special. So it’s even more spectacular when a corps comes from behind because of it. I wouldn’t mind seeing a completely doubled panel for finals night though.

And please correct me if i am wrong, but if we average out the scores all three nights, BD wins outright in 2008, and the mass hysteria that broke out with Phantom winning would have never existed. BD also would have won outright in 1996 and 1999 with no ties, meaning Phantom Regiment would have zero championships.

That's why you watch hi cam.

I think Terri and other folks’ points about registered offenders or known offenders who’ve still been able to participate in this community complicates this quite a bit. Who cares whether abusers still participate in this community? At minimum, victims care, whether they’ve come forward yet or not. Their loved ones care. Whether or not we mean to, everything we do in relation to these abusers is telling victims something about whether we care, or whether we care enough. And that’s telling them something about whether this community of ours is still their community, too. The GHs of the world already feel like this is still their community … because we persist to let them feel like they’re still a part of it. That is exactly why we have to draw the line. GH showing up at shows does not reflect poorly on GH. We already know he’s a narcissist, as abusers often are. He isn’t the one who looks bad when the rest of us “move on.” We are the ones who look bad — deservingly. It should break our hearts to think that someone who’s been abused in this activity might see abuser being brought back into the fold like nothing happened, simply because the rest of us were too polite to actively put an end to it. It’s not enough to quietly dislike the person. We have to draw a line, and we have to enforce that they do not cross it. The world doesn’t automatically protect or look out for victims. We want to think that it does. We want to think that we can just say “who cares what this guy does,” be hands-off, assume the best of people, and move on. But that’s just not how it works: being passive does not work. At best, abusers gradually reintegrate themselves, even if only marginally. At worst, future victims feel that coming forward isn’t worth it, because even if the law does something about it, this community — THEIR community — won’t. I think many of us are making the mistake of seeing this solely as a GH problem. It isn’t just a GH problem. It’s about all of us. And it’s about the future.

I absolutely have not enjoyed a Cadets show like this since...the ‘90s. It May not be on the level of those yet, but it *feels* like those, in the most positive of ways. So engaging with some heart. Their best design in forever. And they are definitely generating effect with drill, so there you go.

I'm so glad Cadets got Bocook back as brass arranger... They sound like the Cadets again!

Cadets have really been cleaning.

Here’s my MM update. No current Covid cases. They’ve had very few. “Lots of changes” tonight. Watch for closer.

Imagine you pull off the feat of going 3-2-1 and feeling on top of the world then somebody goes sorry that group that got second beat you. Box 5 is a consistency everybody all the time so if you truly do that then all that matters is the last one.

In the 70's and into the early 80's there was a very prominent person that committed similar acts as George Hopkins pleaded no-contest to, but arguably worse and for a longer period of time. It was an open secret. In fact, the situation developed its own macabre gallows humor with some people. We were kids and we knew, so did DCI, but no one stepped forward. Presumably out of fear and the position of power this person held. 40 years later, still no one has stepped forward (to my knowledge) and after all this time probably won't. Nevertheless, this person is proudly listed on Drum Corps Hall of Fame and I hate that fact. That's the context I was referring to: "celebrating a predator" and a stone-cold predator this person was. The good news is this person can no longer do anyone harm.

Congratulations to the Blue Devils tonight. As I've said in other threads, no matter where Boston finishes (and I do believe anything is possible this year - for the first time in my 35 years of supporting them) I am incredibly proud of them. These last few weeks will be very interesting and exciting for sure. Wishing the best of health for all the participating corps. Enjoy the ride.

#### just got real

Oh for sure, the score might not catch up until finals week, but I think BAC’s performances are making a good case for them as a gold contender. I think Crown’s still visually dirty enough that where they fall in this is unpredictable— if they clean, they’re gonna be a threat, and if not, then not. BAC has the kinda show where their GE is gonna rise simply because they’ll be performing it better and better and with more fire. You can tell this is a corps that knows it has a shot.

Great job Devils!!!! And congrats to Boston! Going to be a dogfight all the way to Indy!!!!!

Hmm. I like the visual changes to the closer but I think the trumpet soloist sounds too winded to be playing in that register for that long on the final chord. Probably something they’ll adjust. Regardless, that’s probably closer #2 of like 4 lol

Flo’s multi cam choices are still embarrassingly bad

Awwww Troopers. I love this show. Best wishes to all for a quick recovery.

By the end of the season I really want that drumline pendulum to swing back the other way before returning to center. Doing just 1/2 the arc bugs me every time. 😂🕰

I read where someone was hassling them because some members were wearing masks. I don’t know their protocol, but it seems to be working. All had to be vaccinated.

As a private organization, DCI should be able to revoke a VIP pass with little to no problem, providing it’s not for a reason that violates specific civil rights such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation, etc. It would be up to the person with the revoked pass to challenge it. If you have plead guilty to a crime, you have little to no leg to stand on if you challenged it and you’d probably have to pay the legal fees. Barring a person from attending an event who has purchased a ticket would probably be more problematic. I saw that GH posted on Facebook he was attending a show to support Katie. Did he purchase the ticket himself? Did he attend with friends? In the case of GH, if you’ve attended a show where Cadets competed during his tenure, you’ve at least seen him even if you haven’t met him, he would be instantly recognized but what about the others? I know that I may know the names of people involved with corps, and could even state info from their bio, but I’m not sure I’d put a name and face together. In the case of shows held in major venues, chances are it’s venue staff that scan admissions. They don’t know the offenders in DCI. I’m sure in our technological age it can be done, but I don’t know how.

Max is my 6 year old Yorkie, and he started coming to spring training in May 2017. All the kids know him well. You can say what you want about Gino, Colin, Michael, Leon, Keith and the rest coming on board that year, but everyone knows it was Max joining the team that has made the difference!

scores like

Congratulations Boston Crusaders for topping 92 tonite . The show is coming together nicely . . Stay healthy . Stay focused . The best is yet to come .

Congrats to Boston!! They’re going to be a real thorn in BD’s side this year and for years to come. That’s spread is getting awfully close 👀

You can go back thru my history. I have NEVER trashed or put down any corps or it's members. I am a BD Honk and a Gold Dad, but I am also a DCI Fan. You go to a show with me, I cheer for all corps the same. You wouldn't be able to tell who I root for if I never told you. If I am guilty of anything, I routinely call out, contradictions, double standards, lies and straight up nonsense when it comes to BD. And I will keep doing so. I respect the hell out of Boston. And if they end up beating my Devils, then they earned it, and I will be the first to give them the biggest standing ovation. Just like I did in 2008/2011/2013/2016/2018.

Really like the Cadets' old school show. Looks like a young corps that the staff is really maxing out the talent level. Good job!

Crowd always goes wild for Mandarins, I love that

Thank you. Get a Flo subscription like the rest of us plebs. 🙄 Don't put the MMs and survivors from my and other corps at risk (or even the possibility of risk) with his presence. Nothing constructive to add. Just snark. Sorry, I'm so sick of legacy abusers being protected across this activity.

Great write up. Thanks for the info because I did not know who wrote the drill but it is incredibly good. It feels like a perfect mix of solid drill, modern staging, and incredible use of the field. The Cadets total show is incredibly good. In my opinion the only shows that can challenge them in the 6-10 range are Blue Stars and Cavaliers. Cavies are cleaning now and trying to make up for missed time and their caption strength could make it interesting. But if Cadets put the spit and polish on this show they could edge closer to SCV, but I doubt they could pass them. Nonetheless, I am loving what is coming from The Cadets this summer. Fantastic show from top to bottom.

No one was putting down the younger generation. The attack was on older people. You’re the one wrapping yourself in sanctimony.

I would have responded to this earlier but DCP put me in a time out. Obviously, I need to work on expressing myself better, and communicating in a more thoughtful and kind way. I will try. I’m not always going to succeed but I will try. Coming to the Crown thread and laughing at several comments (I’ll get to that below) does not make one a BD fan. I’m not sure why you, and possibly others, associate that with BD and think I’m a BD fan because of it. How does laughing at comments or being critical of Crown automatically make one a BD fan? I’ve never said I was a fan of BD, I’ve never said I like their show (although I believe it is the seasons best it’s not one of my favorites), and I don’t think I’ve even visited or posted in the 2022 BD thread. The only things I’ve ever said about BD this year are: They have deserved everything they’ve gotten. This is true. Unless you (any corps) beat BD head-to-head you ain’t the leader. This is also true. They are the best corps in DCI. Yet another truth and it will be true as long as the path to the championship goes through Concord, which it has done every year since 2006. I believe they are going to win out this year. Just because I believe all the above does not mean I am a BD fan. Classical music is my passion and BD doesn’t generally fit that mold. Even though I am more a fan of the activity than specific corps these days, I still consider my favorite corps to be Vanguard, Regiment, Cadets and believe it or not Crown. I know that’s hard to believe, because in all fairness I haven’t said anything positive about Crown this year (I’ll work to change that), and anytime one is critical of Crown they are seemingly deemed a hater by Crown fans. I understand why you all would think I’m a hater, as I admit I have done a very poor job in expressing my opinions in a non-nasty way (nasty to many of you, and nasty to Crown). But, why can’t one like something and be critical of it? I’m highly critical because I am massively frustrated that their design staff just doesn’t get what it takes to design a championship show and that frustration leads me to focus only on the negative and ignore the positive. They have the talent to win it all, but since 2015 they haven’t put out a design worthy of winning. I also get extremely frustrated when people try to diminish the success of a person or group of people (in this case BD) by claiming they win for any other reason than they are the best. Now, on to why I laugh at comments. If one says something ridiculous, like “Brass & Guard judge lost their mind” I’m going to laugh at that, and when you said “here come the BD fans” I laughed because I’m not a BD fan and you are making inaccurate assumptions. However, I should not have laughed at your comment and I apologize for that. Now, back to judging. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: No one on this forum is qualified to judge all captions simultaneously. 99+% of people on here aren’t even qualified to judge one caption, although many think they are. Marching for years doesn’t give one the experience, knowledge and expertise necessary to judge. Playing trumpet for 15 years and judging an entire brass line are two completely different things. Participating in drum corps does not make one qualified to judge it. Not even a qualified judge can judge all captions. For example, a brass judge may possibly be able to judge musical analysis and GE (from the music angle) in a pinch, but they certainly can’t judge percussion, guard, GE (from the visual angle), visual analysis, or visual proficiency (unless they have additional expertise), yet many posters here think they themselves can judge all captions, simultaneously. It’s absurd. No one, whether a qualified judge or not, can judge a performance from a stream. Saying the brass judge lost their mind based on a streaming performance makes no sense. The person saying that is not qualified to judge and even if they were we are not hearing the performance as we would were we in the stadium or down on the field. We’re hearing it streamed over the internet by a service that controls what we hear and how we hear it, and has frequent technical issues that impact the sound. I won’t even go into bias, but we all have bias and that certainly impacts our perception. It took me years to get over my anti-BD bias. As long as people continue to be armchair judges, make outlandish comments regarding judging, and try to diminish BDs success by making comments like “Brass and Guard judge lost their mind” you will find me laughing. At this point, that is the best response. Please don’t associate comments or laughs with a specific corps or fans of that corps, because you can be wrong, and in this case you are. It’s possible to not care for something and recognize its greatness (BD), and to also like something and recognize its shortcomings (Crown). Lastly, I am truly sorry if I have contributed to you leaving this site. If you’re still here, please try not to take it all so seriously. Pot calling kettle black, I know, but I’m a work in progress. We all are. I take things so seriously that I just shoot off with the mouth before really taking the time to edit. Due to my time out and jetleg, I have had a while to work on this and edit it, and I think it’s better than what I’d normally shoot off with. Props if you read all of this. I know it’s a lot, but I had a lot to say.

BAC has been making changes as well. Let's not reduce the lessened gap between the 2 corps into a BD advantage.

Good material, a couple of new notes. I like the direction they’re moving, just obviously not finished with that thought.

There are so many things to love in that BD show...I haven't always loved everything they've done over the years...but I really love this show...especially the music...

They were much better at the SA show. Makes me think it’s and A team and then some local hires for a B team show

I give her an A+ for recovery though...

HELL IS EMPTY AND THE DEVILS ARE HERE!!! SHOWTIME!!!!! DO IT UP DEVILS!!!!!!!!

there we go

Yolk-colored flags. Just sayin.

Yeah, but they’re each evaluated by one judge per performance. So the trophy goes to whoever most impresses a “panel” of 3 — one judge per night. The corps as a whole are already judged by a full panel. GE alone is split 4 ways. One performance is already an average of what multiple people think.

Elvis Costello sang/said it best with (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding. Happy to read the mea culpa’s and open, honest communications. I’ve mentioned this in an earlier post regarding the brouhaha this past weekend, but having been a fairly heavy contributor to this thread of late, my thoughts are that many Crown folks had put put a lot of their chips on the table for SA. Given how the season had been trending, it was an especially disappointing finish: big spreads and leap frogged by BAC. Couple that with some previously perceived slights. And, well, it proved a bit too much for some of the faithful. Those of us that remain are clear eyed about the rest of ‘22. While there’s always some tiny flame for a miracle finish, we’re pragmatic enough to adjust our expectations and put more focus on our love of RHRN and less on the accolades it may garner on the last Sat. night of the season. And as always, GO 👑 !!!!

They are asking anyone who comes to a rehearsal to stay away from all members and staff. Once in Indy, the only rehearsal open will be wed night. No visitors or family can come to their hotel.

Don't let craiga fool you. He knows nothing. The drum corps genius is his little dog 🙂

I noticed this morning that there are the same number of points between PR and 11 th place as there is in them moving to 6th. That’s a big gap, and means there’s room for a lot of movement in the next couple of weeks. 6-10 are very tight right now.

You Sir, I have to bow down to. I really really really bit my tongue in the preseason when you were reporting on Boston’s progress. Although I didn’t say anything, I was certainly laughing behind the scenes. I thought, with what I saw initially, they were destined for 5th or 6th. I couldn’t have been more wrong, obviously. And, you know what? I couldn’t be happier. I am so happy for Boston, the tremendeous success they have been having, the brilliant layering they have been adding to the show, and the performances they have been giving. Those kids have to be beyond thrilled. Now, there’s just one more thing I hope I’m wrong about - and we’ll see if Boston can do it. Even if they can’t, we have to chalk this season up to a tremendeous success. I will never doubt you again! You better believe that.

Well… wait. I feel like when we say this, we’re not giving PR enough credit for what this show is actually accomplishing. Basically when we say this show “isn’t what the judges want anymore,” we’re saying this show is being punished for not being able to keep up with modern DCI. But this is modern DCI. This is a modern show! With modern bells and whistles — done PR style. What’s incredible is that it still feels like a show from the past despite all of that, even though it’s not a show PR would have fielded, in this exact form, 20, 15, even 10 years ago. I’m just pointing this out because I think that being cynical about the judging attitudes risks downplaying the real story here. PR is finding ways to keep up with modern DCI while staying true enough to tradition that their programs feel like throwbacks. They’re doing both. That’s an extremely PR approach to take, IMO, which means it’s a great sign. I don’t think they’re being punished for it; I think they’re still figuring out the balance, and that they’re being outperformed. But I think they’re going to hone this approach in the years to come and reinforce it as their corps identity. And then? They’ll get rewarded for it.

Props to them for this. I love a respectfully-worded “DON’T BLEEP THIS UP FOR US.”