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But you guys just don’t seem to be able to come to grips with the fact that modern DCI players are better musicians, in better physical shape, and put on superior productions than the geezers did. I figure if I have to look at that thread title every day about “I’m no longer supporting DCI ... who’s with me” it’s high time a counter argument was made, Fine .,, leave! Let the rest of us enjoy talent that is far superior to yours. I’ve read through that 31-page ************* of a thread and while I understand there are some admin concerns, the obvious pokes taken at today’s productions are laughable. It’s probably no wonder that current MM’s don’t get near this site. So... in short... I’ve been going to live DCI shows since 1978 and will continue to until I’m no longer here.

I'll go with Keith Hall's quote from another thread. Is NOW better than THEN or is THEN better than NOW? I like.....NOW was made better because of THEN! THEN was great and NOW is great! With that said, agreed. To come on a Drum Corps board and state I no longer support DCI is rather pointless. It's always been a great activity and is today (also agreed) better than ever.

So the brassline played thru the whole book? A new website that looks like it is from this century? A drive down to the Carolinas to see the 2019 show props in person months before spring training? Repairs and the tweaks to all the volunteer vehicles including substantial items on the food truck? New tents and tables for food service? Drum corps back At Meadowlands? Zero rumors and drip drips about the show?? Zero need to change the theme mid winter after announcing it? Yes, yes, yes, yes and YES!! hard not to get excited watching the Cadets regroup and the organization grow!

What I see as an extremely bad reflection of the participants in this board is the fact that there are three threads running right now about this and not one single person yet has said CONGRATULATIONS NATALIE STEELE!!! Everyone seems to forget that while they are climbing all over one another trying to influence/impress with our opinions over DCI, Morrison, Cadets, red carpets, etc. that there's another human being to be considered. I was going to start a new thread just to give Natalie somewhere to go and enjoy the accolades that should deservedly be coming her way. But too many of you would have to ruin that too by putting the attention back on what you can all fight about. So petty. Congratulations and best wishes Natalie! !!

The OP in the not supporting DCI thread was in reference to how DCI dropped the ball on member safety and how DCI overreacted to Arsenal’s then Corps Director’s social media post offering reduced tour fees to Pioneer and OC alums. The not supporting DCI thread opened the same day as DCI’s slap down of that director. It was not started to bemoan the direction of show design or the evolution of electronics or props, but it morphed into those realms.

I can’t name that tune in three notes.

shoulda won

its about something that will take 3 paragraphs to explain

that wasn't a performance, that was an exorcism in front of about 9000 fans

Each year after the first few shows, once I've had a chance to see everybody, I "take inventory" so to speak and gauge how good a year it seems to be. I do a little comparison of each corps' current show to the previous year's show - better, worse, or about the same (hey, I'm an optometrist, so it's in my nature ). The quality and engagement level of show design of course fluctuates in this activity as in any creative endeavor. If most corps are better or at least as good as the prior year, it's a good year. I've often thought , particularly doing this comparison, "Wouldn't it be awesome if every corps knocked it out of the park with their show design and had their best show ever - all in the same year?" Of course, this would never happen and it would make the next year a pretty big letdown most likely. But it's fun to think about. Or, what if you could bring back any show from the past and see it live? What would your "Ultimate Finals" look like? There have been lots of discussion and polls over the years about the best or favorite shows, but I don't recall seeing one quite like this. Here are the criteria: pick twelve different corps (not different shows/years from the same corps) and the show from each that would be in your personal Ultimate Finals competition, as well as the performance order and venue. This doesn't necessarily have to be what you think are the "best" or highest scoring shows, but the ones that would make for the most enjoyable evening for you personally. And I'm not looking for scores or how you think the competition would shake out - just what would leave you the most entertained by the performances on their own merits. You can choose any Finalist show from any year in the DCI era. Here's my Ultimate Finals: Venue: Camp Randall Stadium - Madison, WI (packed to the gills) Weather: Clear skies, 79 degrees, calm wind, 35% humidity Before the Show - Future Corps outside the stadium 7:00pm - National Anthem - Al Chez 7:06pm - 2000 U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps (Exhibition) 7:30pm - 1992 Crossmen 7:47pm - 1980 Spirit of Atlanta 8:04pm - 1980 Bridgemen 8:21pm - 2004 Cavaliers 8:38pm - 1993 Star of Indiana 8:55pm - 1995 Madison Scouts 9:12pm - Intermission - DrumLine Battle: The Old Guard vs. Hellcats 9:35pm - 2016 Bluecoats 9:52pm - 1987 Garfield Cadets 10:09pm - 2013 Carolina Crown 10:26pm - 2017 Blue Devils 10:43pm - 2008 Phantom Regiment 11:00pm - 2018 Santa Clara Vanguard 11:25pm - 1994 27th Lancers Alumni Corps (Exhibition) 11:47pm - Ambulance to nearest ER, possibly coroner

I'm Stu, this is my brother Stu, and my other brother Stu.

I agree. I don't understand the thought process in Rockford. We all have the examples right in front of us on what it takes to win, and Regiment is significantly behind on all fronts. They, and Madison, are being out designed by their peers and by corps that placed beneath them last year. I would think a lot of top corps would have been paying attention to what's happening with Madison and try to avoid it. Apparently, that's not the case for Regiment. Since 2012, their designs have gotten progressively worse - year by year, and their placements are reflecting that. When you look at how sloppy the entire design of the 2018 production was, musically and visually, it is very worrisome. There's not one second in that show where I am not questioning some design choice. Furthermore, the attempt to seemingly distance 2018 New World Symphony from 1989 New World Symphony is very troublesome. The 1989 show worked exceptionally well on all fronts, but the music was just triumphant - passionate, exciting, beautiful, moving.... They really transformed that piece of music into a pretty dull and boring one, which I wouldn't have thought possible. I do not expect Regiment to make finals in 2019. I'm not even quite sure if I agree with them making finals in 2018.

Ugh...Fire of Eternal Glory? Can it possibly live up to 1993, I don't think so. Such a classic PR piece, and to be honest, after 2018, I don't know that they'll have the same feel.

I’m glad you mentioned this show. It was groundbreaking and paved the way for the Cadets. I first saw it in Madison at Drums on Parade. I knew I was seeing something new and different. I loved it.

2005 The Zone- That corps was Excellent. Aungst's drumline was so good, they sang their parts and still took percussion. I remember the percussion section cutting practice short for an ice cream break. ( the whole corps actually) That Brass line was impeccable, Gino had them believing they could do anything. I saw the guard and front ensemble working on the ballad together in Allentown a week before finals. I stood there mesmerized. Sully wrote a groundbreaking show that year. The only corps to sweep every caption and sub-caption. 1987 Appalachian spring -This is my favorite Cadet show of all time. I remember the chills I got seeing it live at finals, much like the chills I'm getting now thinking about it. Beautiful, Powerful music, Dissolving company front, Gold Medal and a perfect drum score to boot. Wow! 2000 We are the Future- Some people say this show was all about the ending. I say it was the awesome music and marching in the beginning and middle. The ending was the cherry on top of a delicious show. 2007 This I Believe- This show holds a special place in my heart. This Cadet corps was really good. A group of kids that had to be strong in the face critics that were adverse to change (vocals) in drum corps. This corps blazed a trail of wins through the west coast, performed great through the idiots that Boo'd during semi-finals and performed spectacularly during finals. This show should have won. 1993 In the Springtime When Kings go off to War- At the time I said 1993 was a battle of the best of what drum corps is and what drum corps will be in the future. I loved this show. Fast paced high energy, Powerful and guard that took visual interpretation to the next level. Oh, and that ballad! 2011 Between Angels and Demons- I never seen a bunch of young people enjoy a drum corps show in all my years of drum corps. Watching the show evolve, the joy of the performers, and the payoff at the end. What a ride. A side note: The corps did a west coast tour that year. I had a bad taste in my mouth from 2007 and was ready to beat the breaks off of the first sign of negativity. The folks on the West coast were as nice and welcoming as they could be. Knocked that chip right off my shoulder. 1991 ABC's of Modern American Music- I never thought The Cadets could pull off 'Short ride in a fast machine' but my hats off to the percussion arranger. They did! The ballad was a beautiful story well interpreted by the color guard which also cleansed your pallet for the wild Ballz to the Wallz ending. 1991 was an exceptional year for drum corps a year before or after this show would have placed higher. 2010 West Side Story- This arrangement of WSS was sick! The guard was incredible and if not for a weird 1 point drop in percussion from semi's to finals they would have placed higher. This was my favorite version of WSS in my years of drum corps sonically and visually. 1983 Rocky Point/Mass- A corps that would not be denied! The Cadets started the season clean and well prepared and ended with their first championship and a first for an east coast corps. That brass line was killing it! More later.

You weren't kidding when you said "clip".

Heh... we got the "chirping crickets" response in 1982, at the DCA show in Montreal. Our opening hit, which usually got the crowd going...nothing that day. I mean, zero response. Of course, the fact that our opening hit was "God Save The Queen" and we were in French Canada might have had something to do with that.

I am trying to figure out why there are three pages of posts discussing why DCI has moved its office a few miles. I guess "offseasonitis".

If I shop and they don’t have Apple Pay, I’m frustrated that I have to get out my card.

This is tough, but I'll give it a shot. 1. 2010 Toy SOULdier - greatest show in DCI history Just kidding, sorry, I couldn't resist. Here's the real list: 1. 1987 Appalachian Spring - took my breath away. 2. 1985 - awesome. 3. 2000 We are the Future - just unbelievable. 4. 1996 The American West - good fun. 5. 1991 The ABC's of Modern American Music - so underrated. 6. 2005 The Zone - brilliant. 7. 2001 Juxtaperformance - underrated and amazing. 8. 1992 To Tame the Perilous Skies - grew exceptionally over the past week of the season. thrilling to witness. 9. 1997 Celebration - cool. 10. 1989 Les Miserables - ahead of its time.

right now, if there is one thing that can kill them, it's trying to live up to expectations, which in some cases are un ####### achievable. Given everything the organization has gone thru in the last 11...ok lets say last 3 years, right now, worry about just making the product better, hope for competitive success...which lets face it, the 6 above them are a ###### far sight better than they were the last time the Cadets medaled....and go from there. if everyone and their brother keeps expecting a return to 82-87 level success instantly, they're out of their ####### minds. the game has totally changed in the last 10 years, and if people expect instant contention, you'll soon see Madison like wars internally. Just be patient and allow everything to grow.

Based on the clip provided, it also could be "Happy Birthday" or the album cut of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

Thanks for throwing some love to 2006. It was really hard to follow 2005, and we suffered from the unfairly harsh criticism -- from fans and staff (mostly Hop). The 2005 corps was probably the most stacked ever. For example, in '05 the tubas were 7/10 vets; in 2006 it was 2/10. To quote Mike Fanning after finals: "70 rookies coming back as vets... that's scary." 2007 speaks for itself and the quality of the corps's, for lack of a better word, "process." My impression was that the Part II was largely Marc Sylvester's idea. A lot of things were tried and discussed throughout the winter and season, which later completely disappeared (that good ol' Hop design philosophy). Can't say we were set up for success. The original design was extremely ambitious, and a lot of those elements, especially the "History Repeating" opening, were scrapped by San Antonio. To quote one of our snares, "We unlock this door...because the design staff has run out of ideas. Next stop...fourth place." The explicit message of "History Repeating" was that we were both doing a sequel to The Zone, and re-inventing the drum corps idiom again, like 1983. Maybe that was Hop's idea...always the peak of humility... That video, and the Part 1 and somewhat truncated "full" video, were taken by my then-girlfriend. When I got home, she told me she had put it on YouTube--"What the heck is YouTube?" LOL!!! The "full" video is shortened because at the time there was a 10 min limit on videos. Catch me in the tuba soli near the sideline halfway through the closer. That ending, where we jumped from 192 to 204 on the "Medea chords" hit, was a hell of a cardio burn. TL;DR: I swallowed one of these about two hours ago

Is NOW better than THEN or is THEN better than NOW? I like.....NOW was made better because of THEN! THEN was great and NOW is great!

This thread is riveting;)