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And if it's medical bills maybe it's not worth having? Weve cancelled shows, standstills, and no uniform runs because of Texas heat. Since the country doesn't want to worry about global warming/climate change it's going to be a problem at some point when you can't have a single show in Texas due to heat.

should have skipped INT. Anytime weather is possible it should be mandatory to skip to get all groups in.

Trying not to sound cynical, but it seems Cavaliers have “underperformed “ in most, if not every competition this season. At some point it stops being an off-night, and an indication that there is something more systematically wrong.

I think for a select few (most certainly not everyone) they either have a problem or refuse to accept the fact that the Mandarins are a legit threat for top 5-6 this year, and not this cute story of some corps that made finals a few times. So they latch onto the narrative that the Vanguard packed up their trucks and headed 120 miles east to Sacramento, and that's why the Mandarins are good now, because Lord knows IT CAN'T BE that the Mandarins have been building this thing from the ground up, and that this surge has been brewing for the last few seasons. Oh no it can't be that...............Well it is just that! Big things are happening in Sacramento, and the Mandarins aren't going away anytime soon. To the select few..........deal with it.

Okay this is just me, but I think this Phantom show is a message to Will Pitts to show how 2018 should have been done

Don't care where it lands. I like it.

Shapiro: Ok in the ballad you're gonna do a release spin while going down the slide. Guard member:

Best soloist in DCI this year, imho

I have to say, I am coming around on this show musically. (I still cant get the visual as its not my thing) However both the horn and drum books are exposed and take HUGE risks. More than Boston or Bluecoats. The performers are excellent.

2 of my favorite shows from Cadets "My Favorite Things", "Juxtaposition". Either one could have been titled: "A few tunes that we really like connected by some drum solos." (That seemed to work pretty well into the 80's for most corps.)

I want to see them actually melt the sugar cubes some how.

I think Madison has the talent for a finals push, especially on the music side. Visual design and overall programming just isn’t cutting it. Feels like a mid tier BOA show. Literally saw a show at BOA San Antonio where they pushed a ball around for ten minutes and it made more sense than this.

It makes the show make sense

This is what happens when you finally put out a sane show design for the first time since 2016 lol. Crown is flying under the radar this year, that’s a good thing because the product on the field is very, very good Crown thread in 2017 was essentially talking about the BAC purge, and 2018-2022 had some interesting designs to say the least Side note, kinda interesting how I generally enjoyed crown’s shows from 2007-2016 and yet can’t really say I’ve enjoyed many (if any at all) of BAC’s designs since the purge despite putting out very similar styles of designs as they did when they were with Crown. Goes to show just how much of an asset Klesch and Harloff are

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

LETS GO PACIFIC CREST!!!!!!!

Last season.

Cavaliers have a fantastic drum line this year. They popped a 16.9 in perc last night against a darn good Cadets percussion section so they have that going for them. But they lost by .7 in brass and also lost in Music Analysis which brings up one of their issues which is the music book needs shaped and polished. That could still happen but it's not just about cleaning. They have to make some changes. They are offering a lot of material and ultimately some of it may not be needed. Same with visual analysis. Having said that they have a another week and a half to make some changes before they need to concentrate on cleaning. A lot is still possible for for the Cavies. They most important thing here is does the staff have a plan and will it be effective enough. I like the show. I liked it early on. It just has too much "stuff."

July 13 Rundown Just one show to report on. The Cadets came out on top and became the seventh corps to break 80. Southwind made its season debut with a 62.150 and 26th place in the rankings. This is pretty close in line to last year's debut (63.950 and 27th place) but comes more than a week earlier in the season. July 14 Preview We have three shows on the docket tonight. Cheyenne, WY This show features the most intriguing match-up of the night with Pacific Crest and Troopers. From a points perspective, Pacific Crest is nearing the Colts/Troopers grouping in the 10-12 range. This match-up should tell us whether that is true when the corps are in the same stadium on the same night. Dubuque, IA The closest competitive race here is between Madison Scouts and Crossmen. In their last meeting, Madison Scouts edged Crossmen by just 0.100 points. Riverside, CA This Open Class show features a nice line-up of California corps, most of which will be finishing up their season this weekend while sending Gold off to Indianapolis as a representative.

Maybe they should abandon Texas tour if it's that bad 🤷

Farewell, G-West, and we thank you. Link

PR vs. Mandarins gonna be a throwdown. Both shows have great pace and energy and just let it rip musically.

Corps running and gunning through 50 sets and FLO gives us a full minute of soloists playing with nothing going on visually

Further, this year the Mandarins have a pretty balanced strength across all three sections, as opposed to the past where color guard/visual was a particular strength but brass and percussion were among the bottom tier in the Top 12.

I’m sorry, but this looks more like 13-15 place corps at this time

https://youtu.be/4R9HpESkor8

Crown on pg. 2?! As we get into the meet (sp?) of the season? Jeeze folks. Speculate, ad lib, sum’in. H@ll, fake DCI newz even…

Watch out! You might end up being the death statistic in the show for 2023 with that kind of talk, mister. 🤣

I looked up words that rhyme with Dubuque 😅 I don't think you wanted anything with puke

Exactly, and I don't think this is a function of it being a re-hash show, just a poorly conceived re-hash show.

It's a rehash show. IMO that is what's wrong. I'm not a fan of hey these things made is popular so here is a show with all those things. There are subtle ways to do it without smacking you in the face. But many people have said the music sounds like many thoughts at once with poor pacing. That's design teams fault not the members. So someone said somewhere a huge rewrite is coming and that may fix it.

Why must EVERY thread turn into a BD tread? They weren't even at this show. A little oxygen for the rest of us, please

As a band director, parent, and alum, I must say that this is a great piece of wisdom when it comes enjoying a show. However, I 100% agree that having a unifying concept that ties everything together is probably much more interesting for a judging community, an ensemble, and a staff that live and re-live the show for months on end. As an anecdote, a couple years ago my band kids played Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess. We went through lots of discussions about what each part of the piece might represent (the parents' sorrow, the moment of the child's passing, etc.). Later on, after they put a ton of work into investing meaning into the music itself, I told them the truth: They felt cheated and hurt. Ravel may have been joking, but... ugh. Gut punch. We then had a great discussion about how the artist and the art can stand separate from each other. I ruined the piece for them, I think, but it was a huge learning moment. I'm waiting for the day when drum corps just start coming out with "Show #78" and then imbed their own private meanings into their shows... just like they did back before everyone had to have a title. 🙃 lol

Phantom has their best show in many years,. They came out really strong this year, but have they maxed out the show's potential?

Blue Stars are so so so talented, but I think show design is going to hold them back this season. Just doesn’t have *it* in my opinion, despite the members performing the heck out of the show.

I really like this show … guard is doing unreal things

100%. Was amazing setting the show off last year too.

May not be as clean as madison right now but this show design is more nuanced.

Crossmen sound waaaaaaaay better than their first show on Flo. Visual program has its moments and the guard is very solid. Can see why they’ve been hurdling at Madison Scouts.

Finally I can claim I liked a band before they got big

Great to see it

Not gonna lie didn't know it's a flo night and hanging out with my nieces so this definitely helps!

Also Crown getting Tyler for the guard and Shaw and Jackson for the percussion gives them a better show design staff.

What makes BD powerful is their ability to make something difficult look easy.

I’ll Hazard a guess to where the thread name came from. Also, curious to see Colts Alumni. A bit of Drum Corps History - before they were the Colts they were the Colt .45. I suppose dropping the .45 means no corporate sponsorship from Colt Firearms or Pabst Brewing (or both - Alcohol & Firearms —- what could go wrong?).

"Persistent judging bias"? Oh, you mean judging to the sheets, and the fact that no one has kept up with BD in terms of design and execution... Got it.

BD has the University of Wyoming on lock now. The facilities there are phenomenal too. That place will be a BD mainstay for years to come in my opinion.

Watching the video from a couple nights ago….wow! What an improvement and what a powerful brass line! I’m really digging this show. Percussion is on fire, seeing the drill from higher up, I think it’s a lot better that I had thought, and seems like they’ve added some stuff. And the guard is starting to click. I think with continued cleaning and some more visual added, this show could contend for the top 12.

Once you get into the upper echelon, I just don’t have the knowledge to differentiate who should win over who. I’ve been out of the game a long time and they’re all so #### good that what differentiates one from the other, from a points standpoint, is just hard for me to tell. (Kinda like, once it gets over 100 degrees outside, it’s hard for me to tell the difference between 105 and 110. Hot is hot.) By that point, I’m just thinking, which I did I enjoy the most? (I would be the worst DCI judge ever.)