shawn craig

I understand why they can't open the roof on such a hot and humid day with a high index, making for poor air quality. I personally don't think opening the roof will help. What I do believe might help a little bit is having the north window opened. That's a LOT of glass and metal for the sound to bounce off of. The roof is so high that the damage is done before the sound ever gets out.

I love Crown's show this year. I love the music and I also enjoyed the visual performance. I know there needs to be a "theme for the judges" these days, but the theme isn't all that important for me to enjoy the show.

I agree with most that Bluecoats and Crown are probably the best. Really enjoyed Madison's 20 tubas! But I was very impressed with the Blue Knights tubas in Allentown. Their 12 tuba's projected very well; beautiful tone, full rich sound. Great Job Blue Knights!

1 Madison Scouts 2 Crown 3 Phantom Regiment 4 Blue Knights 5 Cavaliers 6 Cadets 7 Santa Clara Vanguard 8 Blue Stars 9 Boston Crusaders 10 Blue Devils 11 Bluecoats 12 Glassmen I'm solid on my top two choices. I certainly respect the quality of BD and Coats but their shows aren't my thing. Positions 3-7 could easily change depending on my mood at the moment. I really enjoyed all of those shows; they each had different elements and aspects in design that appealed to me and made for a very enjoyable two nights in Allentown.

Great review and some great observations. And your "dissapointments" are correct. I also worry when I hear how much electronics are used with the top 3 ranking corps this year (BD, BC, CAVS). If that's what the judges are looking for, I'm scared about what we're going to hear next season. I do need to say something about Academy's tuning in Allentown. I thought the horn line was very out of tune in some sections, including the horn ensemble and a mellowphone.

In Allentown, Crown's show was one of my top 3 and my fiend's favorite. But to be top 3 with the judges you apparently have to include a ton of electronics, including pre-recording crap.

I'm guessing it will greatly increase maybe double. Of course the location, which probably won't be annunced for awhile, will be very key. If it's another domed stadium, it might not go up nearly as much.

I'm one of those not wanting to go to Indy several years in a row. However, the real reason I don't want to go to Indy in the oil can. The next time I attend finals will be in 2014 (?) or whatever the year is there is a conflict and it won't be in the oil can. I'd probably buy my tickets tomarrow if they announced the location for that year (unless it's another dome). I find the Allentown area (Bethlehem, Easton, etc) more enjoyable then Indy. Indy's saving grace was the Weber Grill resturante!

Teal Sound- Hated (I rarely completely hate a show) Just Ok Pioneer Cascades Jersey Surf Enjoyed Mandarins Pacific Crest Crossmen Spirit Academy Troopers Glassmen Blue Devils (I repect the quality of the performers, the mirrors were too much for me in the second half of the show) Really Enjoyed! Colts Cavaliers (if they'd tone down the electronics a bit I could love this show) Bluecoats (same comment as above) Blue Stars LOVED!!! Phantom Madison Blue Knights SCV Cadets (first time in several years I really enjoyed one of their shows) Crown Boston

Wow, I thought the Friday turnout was really bad for Allentown. It's always less then Saturday because of people's work etc. But I thought it was really low this year. Saturday seemed about on par but not better than normal to me.

Scouts easily had the most and best response in Allentown over the weekend. GREAT SHOW!!! Sorry Blue Devils but those mirrors are way to distracting; as the show goes on they really become way to much. I really don't remember a single drill move or anything visual other than the mirrors. I want to enjoy what the MEMBERS are doing; what the DESIGNERS can do is less important to me.

Saw everyone in Allentown over the weekend. THANK YOU MADISON SCOUTS!!! Great show and deffinately the best and most crowd response of the entire weekend!

I've been to one show, Arlington, Va. I feel that overall the synths are louder and used more. Last year, it seemed as the season progressed some corps made adjustments and turned back the synths, others didn't and were still too loud at Indy. We'll see who gets it right by TURNING DOWN the SYNTHS!!! Phantom seemed to not over use them as much as the other corps. Bluecoats had way too much for me.

At first I thought they were miced but I couldn't see them which made me think maybe they were pre-recorded. Maybe they're hiding behind the pit or somewhere. It's my favorite Bluecoats show to date. My personal taste is for less synth or at least turn the volume down.

Nice review agree with most of your points. I would disagree about the stadium being good for drum corps. It was way to low. I was in the top row (row 17) and couldn't get a good read on most of the drills. It was a good crowd. I took two fiends to their first drum corps experience and they enjoyed it a lot. Surf, good middle and low brass, trumpets strugled a bit. They have some holes but don't know if they're looking to fill them or already have some folks still learning the spots. Don't care for the show design but that's just personal preference. Spirit was a definate step up. Brass had some stamina problems. Drum line is good! Crossmen, good show Boston had a great first show. Strong visiuals but with room to grow. Best brass sound from them I can remember. Bluecoats are strong and the contra feature is great. Must be there best ever guard. Overall I enjoy the show. Not that it matters much to me in terms of enjoying the show but the theme doesn't come across at all to me. My main critisism is to much synth! I also don't understand prerecorded brass when you have talent like that on the feild. The mellow solo wouldn't need to be miced if they'd just TURN DOWN THE SYNTH! Phantom: Agree with what reviewer and others have said. I imagine the middle section will be much more developed in terms of the theme as the summer goes on. The drill was the most difficult to read in this low stadium becuase of the way it uses the extremes of the feild.

Is Dino's pizza still around? It was the best pizza back in the 70's, early 80's. It was diagonally across from the old music building (I think it became the speech building and am not sure if it's still there).

There will be a Woodwind solo (oboe is the rumer I heard) in at least one top corps pre-show show.

This is true. I've been in vocal and instrumental groups all my life and you do adjust TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN. Howver when a hall is as bad as Lucas Oil there's only so much you can do. The corps are still going to sound like they're playing in a barn. But hey it's Indiana what else would you expect.

That's indeed the email I received after sending DCI my email of concern.

Actually I did write a email to DCI with my concerns upon my return from Indy. Myself and others who wrote letters/emails to DCI in the first week or so after finals received emails stating DCI would be doing a survey and we would be hearing from them. It was DCI who told me I would hear from them and then I didn't. I sent a follow up email and was told they weren't finished yet and made it sound like I would still hear from them about the survey. I never did. If they had stated the survey would be random or that our letters would be included in the survey results or something else that would be fine. But THEY said I would hear from them and didn't follow up. By not including customers who complained about Lucas Oil in the survey wouldn't DCI be the ones scewing the results in their favor?

I purchased tickets and attended finals in the oil can and did not receive the survey. I also emailed DCI asking about the survey. They said they hadn't gotten to every yet and to wait. I"M STILL WAITING!

Forgive me. I forgot that you aren’t allowed to state anything positive on DCP or get to excited. So based on: My enjoyment of most SCV shows over the past 37 years, (I saw this corps in 73 before many of you were born) My enjoyment of Ballet for Martha and other recent productions by SCV, My love of Bartok’s music in general, My fondness for the two specific pieces chosen for SCV’s 2010 production, The current staff of SCV led by Jeff Fiedler, And the relative consistency of the corps over the past 40+ years, There is a very good chance that I will very much enjoy this production and it might become a favorite. Better?

Two of my favorite pieces. I heard the Baltimore Symphony perform the Concerto about six weeks ago with Marin Alsop conducting; Great Performance! She also invited a folk group that plays a lot of Eastern European folk music to perform some pieces first so you could hear the folk influence in the Concerto that followed. SCV and these two pieces will be AWESOME!!!

My first thought as well.

Listening to most of this it appears Indianapolis courted DCI and wants us there. Therefore DCI should not apoligize for itself! They need to let the city and stadium officials know there are serious sound issues and that we need them fixed to stay in Indianapolis. However, I'm not holding my breath.