INSIDETHEFORTY

IMCOMGUY has tickets!

Is this a match, folks? Another poster wrote: "Ok folks, this is it!!! I've got 4 tickets to the 100% SOLD OUT Tour of Champions event in Rock Hill, SC on July 31st. I bought these several months ago looking to get my face blown off (I'm at Atlanta the previous day up high, so the up-close seats at Rock Hill were perfect at the time). But unfortunately, some things came up and I'm unable to make it out to this show. So here's the details... These are section C (right across the 45-50 yard lines), FRONT ROW (row A), seats 15, 16, 17, and 18. I'm selling for $50/ea ($200 total), and I'll ship them out to you for free and same day as the payment, or the next Monday if on a weekend. So have at it, shoot me a PM if you are interested. Thank you for your interest!!!!" Are they both talking about tickets to the same show? One needs tickets while the other has tickets. Will they ever find each other?

Deal made.....Tickets are SOLD! Please send the tickets to the address given in my last e-mail to you. Payment will be mailed out from Indy on Tuesday. You should have it in hand by Friday, July 22. Thank you, Ron Gunn

Do Alumni Corps count? If so, I vote for the 27th Lancers Alumni Corps of 1994! They shook the stadium with sound! Otherwise, I have to vote for Blue Devils, 1994. Maybe SCV 1999! Madison 1975 is in the top 5! If the 2011 Cascades can get it together, they can have the loudest based on the size of their brassline!

You will need a bailout if you bank on that prediction! Oh! you must have been referring to the TCF Bank Stadium! I have seen most of the corps LIVE at least once this season and there is no way Crown will win in Minneapolis. The "show to win" is just not there overall Crown 4th, at best at this point in the season. Madison come in 5th? In Minneapolis? How? They are having a very tough time beating Boston and Blue Stars! They have yet to beat SCV and Phantom! Madison 7th at best, 8th is a most likely placement for them The INSIDE THE FORTY prediction for Saturday, July 16, 2011 in Minneapolis, MN: REVISED ON 7/14/11 @ 8:15 AM 1 Cavaliers...win...by less than 2 tenths 2 BlueDevils...2nd...by less than 1 tenth 3 Cadets...3rd...by less than 3 tenths 4 Crown...4th...by more than 2 points 5 Blue Coats...by less than 5 tenths 6 Phantom...by less than 2 tenths 7 SCV...by less than 1 point 8 Madison...by less than 2 tenths 9 Blue Knights...by less than 3 tenths 10 Blue Stars...by less than 1 tenth 11 Boston...by less than 2 points 12 Spirit...by l;ess than 1 point 13 Glassmen...by less than 5 tenths The top 3 are set. However, the orde ramong them could change by tghe time the scores are announced on Saturday night. One of the corps could wind up in Kansas or the Emerald City, via TORNADO! There MUST be a tie somewhere in this competition! The corps are too close now for a tie not to occur! 1,2,3? Crown is in 4th alone. 5, 6, 7? A possible tie in there somewhere. 7, 8, 9, 10 is the closest group to call. Tie possibiliteis abound and the corps could change positions at the drop of a hailstone! Poor Boston. I didn't even list them in the top 12 in my first posting. Thank you all for catching that! my apologies to BAC and their army of fans! Please, don't jump me in the parking lot? Thanks for putting up with my dry humor. See you in La Crosse and or Minneapolis!

If I can't get a ride to Rockford, I plan to do the Scout's rehearsal! Is there anyone out there who will be checking out of their Minneapolis hotel on Sunday headed for Rockford who has room for 1 person? I can help with gas! No, I mean the kind of gas that goes into the car to make it go!

This is not good news. This change in the number of 1/2 finals corps makes it difficult for me to run my Annual Bar-B-Que as a 12 noon affair. I will have to bump it up to 11 am and cut it about 1/2 hour short so that everyone will be able to get to their seats in time for the first corps in 1/2 finals! Poor judfges! I really pity the Prelims panel. 8 am till after 11 pm! That's an awful lot of drum corps in one day! This is good news! 25 corps in 1/2 finals! Flashbacks to the good old days of 25 corps in a World Class competition! But a 2 pm startt time? Will all of the corps get in by Midnight?

I offer $40.00 for your two Friday DCI East tickets in Section Q. Please, e-mail me if you accept my offer. I can send the payment via USPS Money Order on Wednesday, July 12, 2011. You should have it in hand by next Tuesday. Thanks, Ron Gunn

I sent you an e-mail. Please reply.

Yes! BK is very entertaining! I enjoy their visuals and the msic they play also. The show doesn't have the emotional impact of Madison's show, but it is very good and enjoyable. Worth the price i paid to see it. Can't wait to see and hear it "clean"!

Thank you very much! I completely enjoyed reading your views and insights on the corps in the shows you have seen! Now, i am a bit better prepared for this Saturday in Madison! Yeeeehaaaaa!

DCI: If I see rain in the forcast for Minneapolis, MN on July 16th, i will not be making the trip from Syracuse, NY to Minneapolis, MN. I would rather go fishing than to sit in a rain-soaked stadium waiting for the Thunderstorms and tornados to pass! Last year, we were all deprived of the performances of the top 8 corps and their first time together in 2010! DCI: Paying $60.00 for a ticket and not getting to see the top 8 really sucked! Paying much more for travel, hotel, etc made it much worse! Can't you at least make it possible for fans to receive a partial refund in a case like that? Take care of your fans if you want your fans to take care of you!

I see your point. I had difficulty myself answering the questions in the time I had available to me. I will continue at a later time.

Then no one else will benefit from your brilliance and wisdom!

The question is directed to those of you who have actually been to a competition or two (or more) in 2011. If you have not actually been to a stadium to experience drum corps LIVE in 2011, please, do not post here! I am interested in finding out from the fans (myself included): 1) Which corps are putting out quality, entertaining shows this summer? The first corps I can think about is the Madison Scouts! Wow! They look and sound very much like the Madison corps that won my heart in 1974! 2) What are they playing? I don't know the names of all of the music they played. All I know is that I truly enjoyed the show! Both times I experienced it, Friday in Quincy, MA and in Lynn, MA on Saturday. 3) How good is the brass section and how expressive are they in their playing? On a scale of 1 to 10, with the Madison Scouts of 1975 and 1988 being 10's, I give this Madison brassline a solid 8. There is plenty of room for improvement, but baby, they have come a long way! They sound like the Madison Scouts! 4) Does the corps draw upon the music to evoke an emotional response from the audience? Does it? It most certainly does! An emotional response was definately eveoked in me! If I had been holding a baby, i would have been sorely tempted to toss it into the air at the end of the Scout's' performance on Friday and again on Saturday! 5) Do people want to get out of their seats and cheer the corps on during their performance? I know i did and I did so at several points during the Scout's performances! Many people joined me at the end, before the last notes were played, the crowd was on it's feet! 6) Is the corps' percussion section a star in it's own right? Super-star, no. Star, yes! I'm not a drummer, but I have been around drum corps for 40 plus years. I know a good drum line when I hear one. These guys are good! They are not Championships good yet, but Top 10 - Top 8 - maybe even Top 6 good! Gotta go. I'll finish this later. 7) Does the corps use the sounds and effects generated by the percussion effectively? 8) What segment(s) of the show is (are) mesmerizing? 9) How effective is the guard/auxiliary in the performance? 10) How well does the corps use color, contrast, shading, and such during it's visual presentation? 11) How well constructed, thought out and effective is the visual show? 12) Is the corps in constant motion during the entire show, or does the corps "mix it up" with moments of "stop-action"? 13) Does the corps use variations in tempo, marching technique, style, etc to convey mood and motion? 14) If this corps were the only corps in the show, would you feel that you got your money's worth? If you can think of some good and pertainent questions, please include them in your post. Let's have some fun, folks! Yours in Drum Corps, Ron Gunn

The question is directed to those of you who have actually been to a competition or two (or more) in 2011. If you have not actually been to a stadium to experience drum corps LIVE in 2011, please, do not post here! I am interested in finding out from the fans (myself included): 1) Which corps are putting out quality, entertaining shows this summer? 2) What are they playing? 3) How good is the brass section and how expressive are they in their playing? 4) Does the corps draw upon the music to evoke an emotional response from the audience? 5) Do people want to get out of their seats and cheer the corps on during their performance? 6) Is the corps' percussion section a star in it's own right? 7) Does the corps use the sounds and effects generated by the percussion effectively? 8) What segment(s) of the show is (are) mesmerizing? 9) How effective is the guard/auxiliary in the performance? 10) How well does the corps use color, contrast, shading, and such during it's visual presentation? 11) How well constructed, thought out and effective is the visual show? 12) Is the corps in constant motion during the entire show, or does the corps "mix it up" with moments of "stop-action"? 13) Does the corps use variations in tempo, marching technique, style, etc to convey mood and motion? 14) If this corps were the only corps in the show, would you feel that you got your money's worth? If you can think of some good and pertainent questions, please include them in your post. Let's have some fun, folks! Yours in Drum Corps, Ron Gunn NOTE: I'll be out of touch for a few days. I am headed for Madison, WI for the competition there. No internet access on the Greyhound bus! However, I can be reached via the cell phone number in my signature below.I will not be staying over in Madsion, unless someone gives me a floor to sleep on!

One of the points of contention the G-8 had or have with the way things are being run was the move to keep Championships in Indy for 10 years! Even the top corps hate the idea! Why is DCI not getting it? We don't want to go to Indy year after year! We want to go to different parts of the country, maybe into Canada, and enjoy something different! Going to Pasadena in 2007 was one of the best drum corps, and travel, experiences of my life!! c'mon, DCI! Get a clue! Give the fans what we want! You'll be glad you did!

if you do Indy last minute, call me. I can set you up with a room at the Hilton and great seats for all three nights, plus a BBQ, and transportation from the hotel to the Stadium and back each day!

I have tickets in Section 441 for all three nights! Send me an e-mail. Ron Gunn

"Friends" decided to hold their tickets for awhile longer. Personally, I think they are making a mistake by holding them. The later it gets, the less $$ they will get for their tickets! When they do decide to sell them, they may only get $10 - $15 each for them, instead of full face value!

i heard but was not able to verify, that someone posted voting instructions on the Cavaliers Facebook page during last night's show. Is that true?

Thank you very, very much for sharing that North Star / open class corps story with me! I had not known about that incident and the following acts of kindness before today! Such willingness to share and sacrifice for the good of others is extremely rare in today's world. It is my hope that if any corps encounters extreme difficulties that the entire drum corps community would pull together to help that corps through it's time of need! Even those who are near the top need help from those who are near the bottom! A truly humbling experience! The North Star fire story is one of the best drum corps stories I have ever read!

i have some "Friends" in Texas who have extra tickets for Allentown. Send me a PM on Monday? I should have them by then.

I signed a contract for a block of rooms during DCI Finals Week in Indianapolis in 2011 a few days ago. The block is at the Downtown Indianapolis Hilton. King rooms are now available for a limited time and are only $99.00 per night plus tax (17%). Please send me an e-mail to recieve info on how to book a room at this money-saving rate during DCI Finals Week in Downtown Indianapolis! This offer expires at 11:59 pm on June 30, 2011. Act now to get a great room at a 4-star Hotel! I did this as a not-for profit service to drum corps fans everywhere. My way of saying "Thank you" without using caps! Enjoy! Yours in Drum Corps, Ron Gunn

Friendship between competitors? We just don't hear much about such things in this day and age! Having been a Blue Devil fan for many years, I naturally am curious about the progress of thier West Coast rival, Santa Clara Vanguard! I was at the SCV evening rehearsal on Friday at Rough Rider Stadium in Saginaw, TX. It will be interesting to see how they compare with the other G-8 corps in the competition there tonight! It will also be very interesting to see if there is friendship among these competing corps! Can you illustrate for us any places, circumstances, or times when such friendship has come to the fore since 1999?