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If you are talking about the Pittsburgh show tonight I will explain. 1. I was there tonight and because of many factors the parking was crazy. Most of the corps were locked into a small area and there was no room for them to move various sections to appropriate warm-up areas. For BD they got stuck in a small lot to one side of the stadium where the other corps were up the hill or far down the street. There simply were no other places to go. 2. So I do know that DCI did their best to have people communicating with the corps. BD was doing their best to only warm up when a corps finished and while the next corps was setting up. I think for the most part the team on hand did a good job with the communication, but there were two small moments when BD's brass cut through. For about 5 or 6 seconds at the onset of Cavaliers show and an even smaller few seconds into Carolina's. 3. It was wild tonight because even the fans could not park at the H.S. We had to park down the street at a car dealership or one of two churches. They then provided school buses that picked up the fans and shuttled us to the stadium. It was a zoo. So yes, BD had a really bad spot being closest to the stadium and essentially had very little warm-up time they could use. There was just no where they could take the brass or percussion. None of the corps could really move anywhere for warm-ups other than guard who did have a field behind the stadium. DCI realized this and knew there would be some bleed-over with warm-ups. They did their best to communicate and because none of this was the fault of the corps - especially BD who had no where to go and were confined to a small parking lot south of the H.S. and directly to the side of the stadium -- I believe penalties for this sort of thing were waived for tonight.

I appreciate you sharing this. Hopefully it will help keep the temperature down. Or…. if you’ll indulge me, maybe it will just add fuel to the fire…. BD haters: “This proves that BD are the personification of evil and will break every rule and violate every norm to gain a competitive advantage, and they never pay a price because of the favoritism the judges show them, not surprising because they’re on BD’s payroll.” BD honks: “Well, of course Crown got within 0.4 points tonight. BD had an off night with a rough run, because they got the worst warmup area and couldn’t prepare properly.” so everybody is happy! I hope this makes you laugh, but in any case, my best wishes and regards to all the corps and their supporters for a wonderful end to the season, which has been spectacular.

Larry 333 knows BD is hated by most, probably was hoping a mob mentality would be created and we would get 40 pages of BD bashing. Thanks to @jwillis35 for shutting that down with straight facts. Larry probably read Jwillis comment, flew into a rage, and is on his way to SeaWorld to punch a dolphin in the face lol.

Great job Mandarins! 92.225! On to Indy! Let's go!!

I recommend completing it in the next 5 days.

Should have been SINcinatti with Mandarins

It was a great show tonight. I had pretty good seats and did take some photos of all the corps. I will post more tomorrow. I loved everyone and had a blast with the exception of parking and waiting for the buses to shuttle fans to the stadium. The stadium is wonderful for drum corps, but the H.S. is a logistical nightmare. It sits on a hillside. There are 3 skinny roads that take you up the hill. The main 2 were closed by police and only let the corps or souvie vehicles in. The back entrance is where the buses shuttled the fans. We had to park at a car dealership down the street or at one of two churches. Then we got the shuttles. Some fans did manage to park in some back neighborhoods or at other closed businesses down the hill. As for the corps themselves there was not a bad show in the bunch. Cascades are young but I love the show and their music. You can tell they are young, and one of the mello players looked 12 or 13 and I was cheering for that kid by the end. They marched their tail-end off. I loved Spirit of Atlanta. This show in person is a delight. Brass is really good. Guard was awesome and so were drums. I love their music and the sound effects and staging are very strong. Seeing them live is sooooo different from on Flo. Frankly this was the case with everyone. It was nice to see and hear LIVE drum corps. It is so different. Blue Knights are very good and I like their show more visually than musically. Parts of the show just need more focus but they really use the field. I really really LOVED the Cavaliers tonight. Seeing them live is so different. They sounded warm and beautiful tonight and also powerful when needed. Guard was great. Percussion just absolutely put on a CLINIC!!! I mean, they beat Crown by .250 (and Crown was really in top form tonight), and they beat Blue Devils by .6 in percussion. Unreal. The ending is coming around. Pacing seems better. I think the 3rd section of the show (right before the percussion feature) is over-arranged and lacks focus. Everything else seems to be locking in. I really thought they marched well. Carolina Crown lit-up the crowd. Brass is unreal. Flawless almost. Percussion had a strong night. Guard was crazy good. Visual proficiency is looking good. GE is also getting there. Seeing this show live was great. They can challenge for sure. It's an exceptional show. My first time seeing Blue Devils live since 2016. I loved it. Visually they are just so masterful to watch. I love the music book and the dynamic contrast they play with is wonderful. From a Flo perspective you don't always catch the little things, but I could hear them tonight. A few rifle drops and 1 big sword drop. They stand out so much in part because the rest of their show is sooooooo CLEAN. Overall their guard just captivates and helps to focus the show. They are amazing. Their attention to detail in the body is one of the things that usually separates them from others. I did think Carolina was close to that tonight. Fabulous show by BD. Placements were about what I had. I did have Spirit over BK

all i can say is that if bloo builds on tonights show and energy they will be dangerous in championships.

89.00 way to go Colts. Can the Red Team hit 90 in Indy!!!! Most definitely YES.....

Is there anything like the Crown set? In anything? So iconic, doesn’t matter if you know it’s coming, if you’ve already seen it a hundred times…it always always makes me cheer!

👀 In before close...

DCP, the only place where people state things as objective fact… despite the fact that the professionals whose whole job is to adjudicate these things say otherwise

Just saw a recipe for the Pittsburgh show and they did some rearranging for a few parts and added a few more things here and there. The additions of the power ballad-style drumset to the ballad and the rallentandos, in particular, are a nice touch. Gosh, I really love this show. And especially this ballad.

God as my witness I thought CVies percussion could fly

Stole this from Reddit, would be a fun little shirt to wear at a competition, just gotta slap a BD logo on the back

My 1 cent view from low side 2 of the 46 yd line for first and only live read of the year. Logistics Biggest crowd in years, if not in the history of the show. Blue Devils didn't have an off night by any means but some noticeable things uncharacteristic of them almost from the start of the weapon solo at the top.The diversity of color In their uniforms really brought out parts of the show live. The drumset player and guitarist were a hoot but seemed off but maybe the groove was off due to mic delay. Thank you Tubas for your jazz feature! Both Sides now went great. I couldn't get the Trumpet soloist high note but boy was it up there OH Ghostbusters theme tonight from the Pit before step off. Crown's integration of their strengths in bras and visual were evident all through their show where it seemed more aggressive in years past. Crownbrass delivered and while there was a little mic issue here and there their chamber groups were stellar and then they hit you with a ton of notes! Crownguard looked to have an okay run from these uneducated eyes but some shaky parts. The Crown set off a big reaction from the crowd. I liked Crowndrums show tonight. From where I sat you did get some of their exposed parts but you also don't notice them during parts of the show. The Cavaliers have a great show. It doesn't have enough wows of those in their grouping but seeing and hearing the all the throwbacks felt and sounded so great. That drumline came to play and they move so well. Blue Knights had a better shown here than what I saw on flo tbh. The members sell their show from the very beginning standing on their props in character. The show did have that BK style you come to expect over the years and guard's roping around was noteworthy as well as the percussion feature with the effects on their props. It was to see Spirit back with a good show showcasing every section. I was paying the most attention to the hornline here and enjoyed what they performed. I missed Seattle as i got in late witnesseing the bottleneck of them and Blue Knights going down the ramp to the field. The stadium sits at the bottom of hill which makes you say a prayer for the Pit and prop crews having to go up and down the fairly long and steep hill into the lots. I still can't believe how much is missed watching these shows live and all were very entertaining. Should make for a great finals weekend.

Back in May............if I would have said the Mandarins would have the fifth highest score going into Prelims, PC a threat for top 12, and the Colts one point away from cracking 90.............who would have believed me? I don't even think I would have believed it. But it's happening! Corps rewriting their history books!! What a season!!

Cavaliers are coming on strong. Left 8th place island and looking to join the 5th to 7th conversation. Brass and percussion with some impressive scores. Indy is going to be fun!!

Phantom Regiment:

My son has fans in the house tonight. His Grandparents, my sister and her family. So glad when he has family support in stands. Go Colts Go Red Team.

I'd almost rather watch the meltdown in the Madison thread when they finish in the bottom 3 , than watch the SCV drama rerun.

It seems like something will be added to fill those extra measures at the end. Who knows though. If they add nothing it will still be a great show, and they have to be very proud of how the percussion section has improved!!

This begins to put to rest some of the concerns with Mike Jackson's writing style and how it would fit with Crown. They have a particularly difficult battery book in terms of dynamic control, hand-speed changes, and lots of re-attacks after space. I was concerned about how clean they could be with the demands of their drill. Also, can't forget their front ensemble. They aren't necessarily doing anything spectacular, but they are consistent and have some decent licks.

I'm just uncomfortable tethering organizational stability and funding with on-field performance in a youth circuit. I think DCI has the right idea in raising the bar for how member orgs must conduct themselves financially, and *that* should be the criteria for inclusion. Mike

For the first time in MANY years the Bluecoats home show will be held IN CANTON! The show will be in the NEW Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and is the final event of this week's NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week. Presented by Stanbury Uniforms...Innovations In Brass. WEATHER...hoping better that called for and better than last year! 7:00 PM Welcome & National Anthem 7:10 PM Rhythm IN BLUE - Canton, OH 7:27 PM Music City - Nashville, TN 7:44 PM Crossmen - San Antonio, TX 8:01 PM Blue Stars - La Crosse, WI 8:18 PM Intermission 8:40 PM Phantom Regiment - Rockford, IL 8:57 PM Boston Crusaders - Boston, MA 9:14 PM Bluecoats - Canton, OH 9:31 PM Encore - Bluecoats - Canton, OH 9:48 PM Scores Announced

Just heard from my boy. He said tonight's run was ok. Lots of mistakes they shouldn't be making at this point in the season, and the execution wasn't there tonight. The way i see it, better tonight than Thursday night. If they are going to have a bad run, better in Cincy than in Indy.

Good job tonight Mandarins. Let's get right for Indy!! So happy I will be there in person to watch you cap off a historic season!

That was an INCREDIBLE performance. Bloo is loose and having fun…could be a ver special weekend coming up.

I don’t care I don’t care I don’t care, if they bring THAT energy to Indy? There was some fire in that performance that wasn’t there before. This show is dangerous

They let her riiiiiiiiiiiip!

Boston Crusaders:

Everybody will play something at some time.

I can't believe BD was able to make it rain and screw up Bloo's and BAC's last performance opportunity before prelims. Totally unfair!!

Shame to see INT go. They always play such nice-sounding music.

I use Vanguard for my Roth - happy to discuss

So this is where the inspiration for Tilt came from

I’m here, and I’ve got a GREAT view:

Wishing every team good luck tonight... especially the Mandarins.

In seats and happy to report the rain has moved on. Gonna be a great night of drum corps and I’m sure the members will appreciate the 70 degree evening.

Just read that. I believe they are trying to move in directions that take some of the financial burden off the corps and its members. If the corps wants to continue to improve placement it will require a significant monetary commitment. I would assume that means more organizations that cost the participant, and outreach/community programs that are grant-worthy. Phantom needs to become more than just a drum corps that supports some small side projects. That is definitely what some of the top tier DCI groups are doing to support their corps.

Thank God. My yard wasn't going to be cut in time 😅

Chief, you nailed it! It never ends does it? Anger, hearsay, and gaslighting coming against the Blue Devils by certain individuals. One word sums it up - ENVY. On one hand, this has been such a tremendous exciting season seeing everyone battling it out, yet, it's astounding the constant negative comments against the BD's for doing what they do, or don't do. All these corps are putting out their "Best" on the field. They should ALL be treated with Respect and Admiration. There's a difference between opposing opinions and down right envious snarky bashing. All these corps deserve a big round of applause. Wish I was going to Lucas to cheer them all on. May the "BEST" of the Best Win! *I want to thank @jwillis35 and all of you who are able to be objective as possible in your comments. It's very educational and has helped me love DCI all the more.

As someone noted, they stream ALL of prelims on thursday. If you have Flo, you don’t need to go to the theater. And last yeaar they showed every performance for all 3 days, as well as the retreat and scores on Saturday.

Some things are bigger than competitive placement. A man that goes by George H was quite successful competitively, but we all know how that played out.

When I used to be an admin of a forum, I had access to the IP address of everyone who participated on the forum. Obviously, IP addresses aren’t foolproof and can be spoofed, but many don’t go through that trouble. If there were ever people posting with multiple accounts, it was very easy to see that. I wonder if the admins of this forum can do the same?

For all who have been conversing about DCI's East announcer. I have to step up and join in and have my 2 cents to say also as I am on the DCI East Committee and I have know Barry for a very long time. First his name is Barry Seltzer and he has been announcing for the Buccaneers, USBands and DCI East for countless years . The are always 3 sides of a story and if you all known what is the problems you would all be directing your comments to the Allentown School District Board. J Birney Crum over the years has had there maintenance budget cut just like most places have. The care takers for the stadium are maintenance workers from the Allentown Schools who are employed to work at their individual schools. They are not employed or work at the stadium. This employment is overtime for them. As a committee member they go out of their way to accommodate DCI East and try to `rectify any problems. They even help out running the pit gates on and off the field. Now the problem with the announcer. If you must know the truth here was the problem in two equations. First on Monday July 31st the right side speakers shorted out and blew up caused by a short in the wiring. One of the maintenance workers was trying to rewiring the speakers and with the speakers being blown they would not work. These are for any announcements and they need to be large and loud and not just any speaker will do and they are not just on hand in any warehouse and they need to be approve by the Allentown School Board. Remember these guys main jobs are in the school buildings and not the stadium. Now if you like to direct your complaints it should be to the Allentown School District School Board and not on a single person! Now about Barry, I talked to Barry after the DCA's Reading Buccaneers show in Landisville, PA which he announced. Barry is one of many who had "Covid" and lived! Covid effected many people different. I had it even after the many vaccinations but only had it 2 days. Barry had the vaccinations also and it has effected him leaving him with some slow thoughts process on how to pronounce word let alone names. Which we all have from sometime in our lives had trouble saying. I see Barry many of times before he is to make a announcement go over the strip! This man has been around just as long or even longer as a lot of us old timers remember West Hobby announcing at those remarkable years of yesterday on those old Fleetwood's. Soo sit down like I am and write not call but write to the Allentown School Board. PS: One of the maintenance workers had just died a few months before and he was one of the key members of the stadium staff workers and as of this writing his job has not been filled.

It’s a tricky little sucker. They have to roll it out in time for a flagline on the move to be able to step over it to take their spots on the props.

Contras SO close to getting that feature clean. And mass flag feature at end IS clean - wow!

And yet Crown percussion beat BD again Monday night, with a different judge. How would you explain that?