CowboyTauinDallas

Dallas DCI Experience -- Thumbs up and Thumbs Down on the event design/execution from a fogey who almost bought the '90s Crossmen CD from their Souvie booth. But then I remembered I don't have a CD player in my car. No comments on the competitive nature because these programs weren't designed to be consumed from the back side. Wait a second...I should rephrase... Thumbs Up -- The Back Stands -- If you're the kind of person who enjoys watching the director's commentary in a movie, take a chance to sit in the back stands if you can. Fun to see stuff you don't normally see. Especially if it is your second viewing of a show. Thumbs Up -- Crown's contrabasses -- For fancy footwork to kick the tarps back in place as they marched over it. Thumbs Up -- LHHS volunteer staff and kids -- The evening is well run as always. Thumbs Up -- To the good ol' boy who spotted my Railmen shirt and chatted me up. If we were playing a game of "That's what wrong with corps today bingo", dude would have won it in the first 40 seconds of conversation. Minor highlight of the show. Thumbs Up -- Free parking. Thumbs Down -- The stadium size. The Dallas show deserves a bigger stadium. God Bless ol' Ram/Wildcat, but man...This show would be magic in Gerald Ford stadium (SMU). No way in #@$@ the LHHS band gives it up without a fight. Thumbs Down -- Designers Part 1 -- Eff the designers who are putting tarps down on the field in the first place. Troopers 5th bass went down in a tarp like a seal during Shark Week. Thumbs Down -- Designers Part 2 -- Who don't let the kids F#@$!@#$ play and are writing 6 minutes of parts for an 11 min show. Or worse, doubling the $#@%$#@%#@$ contra parts on the keyboard. I don't know which sin is worse, but I do know that Cadets DMs should make 'em say 40 Hail Mary's for penance before the designers get their hands on any more shows. Souvie Design -- No cool, must have swag. C'mon folks! (Impromptu thumbs up to Surf and their old school uni display stand.) I enjoyed something about all of the performances and disliked something about all of the performances. (The former being effort and execution from the marchers, the latter being design elements.) God speed to the kids on the field as they finish up the summer. If I figure out how to add pics and video, I will. Don't count on it.

Any of the corps housing in Dallas proper? I know there are usually one or two at the show site. Gracias!

Pioneer had an 80 set drill rewrite put in about 5 days ago. If the staff can keep the kids motivated and improving, their upside is likely higher than Surf and maybe (a big maybe) Cascades. It is definitely higher than the Open Class corps around them save for SCVC and BDB. IMHO, I can't see a staff putting in that big of a change unless they felt the kids could pull it off by the end of the season. Time will tell. A young corps is a fragile corps and susceptible to bigger momentum shifts...hopefully Pio will land on the right side of that momentum. What will be very interesting is to see how the kids handle their first regional and if they can avoid that 2 pt kick-in-the-shorts that the lower WC corps seem to take at the big shows.

The definitions of World and Open have nothing to do with on the field competitiveness. It's everything to do with financial capabilities and sustainability. Nothing more, nothing less. And competing in World Class with a broader experience is what those corps want and are capable of. As long as the kids are getting better at what they're doing, are being treated well and enjoying the experience, we can all just shut our mouths and let them be.

I agree pretty much across the board except for BD. 1. The mirrors were completely lost on me. I was on the 50, halfway up and I really never got a "wow" moment from how they were used. 2. I had always heard rumors about a certain idea when it came to BD and how they program. It really seems like they're not tackling anything tough musically when they're moving. (And they move well.) I know everyone does it to some respect, but it was really prevalent when watching Devs. Don't know what that means, just my completely uneducated take. Nice review.

If you're looking for a "thrill" from Cadets...maybe check out the CTinDallas channel..OTSTSNBN

Anyone know where Pioneer is staying? The corps not staying in Richardson are going to have a nasty surprise when it comes to traffic. All corps coming from the west should go down 121 to 183 East to Northwest Hwy and then pop up 75. Roads to avoid: 114/121 North of the airport 635 in any way shape or form 75 North unless you're getting there before 4 or after 7 pm

Ugh. To my favorite drum corps from Milwaukee....(Full disclosure: I'm a former marching member of Pioneer) Someway, somehow the folks with the recorders will start recognizing your improvement as a corps and admit that you are getting better every day. To the judging community... How about some consistency? Even the unwashed masses can watch the videos and see the improvement....Geez. A week's worth of work and you drop them? Do you really want to slot them that badly? Different year, same story. Barf. Of all the things I loved and hated about marching, improving the on-field product and dropping in score was always so tough to swalllow. Give the kids the credit they deserve! 7/13 - Carmel, IN - 67.900 7/6 - Metamora, IL - 68.050 7/2 - Cedarburg, WI - 65.400 7/1 - Oswego, IL - 66.200 6/30 - Dubuque, IA - 64.400 Keep getting better every day, Pioneer. The people that really matter are noticing!

The clip sounds like old school drum corps. Soul, power, heart...Can't wait to see the rest. Now only if it was in G...

Is it written somewhere that Pioneer's score gets tanked in Charlotte? Nightbeat is a guaranteed 3 point drop no matter how good of a show they put on. (Been there, experienced it and have followed it for years) And I don't think it applies to just Pio. What is it in the air in Charlotte that just begs for scores to take a hit? For the love.... Ugh...

Hooray Pioneer! Keep working hard and get that score up! Here's a question for the score junkies out there... What's the most number of corps to break 80 in a season? 15 - 16?

Air mattress? Psshaw! Kids these days are soft. Try riding the Pioneer plan B bus from Fargo, ND to Evansville, Ind. 1964 school bus 13 hours 2260 air conditioner (That's 22 windows at 60 mph) Ahh, 1997...

Many moons... Looking for an all female guard, eh? Try Pioneer...

I think those circumstances could have definitely contributed to last night's performance. I really wish them well and I'm sure they've got some good stuff to share.

Note to self... Write 2000 word review in word then paste in DCP. Do not write review in DCP and then have internet go down. ####. Main thoughts... Frontier -- The old guys got plenty of cleaning to do. But the show elements are there. I thought Pio scored about 1.5 points too low tonight. And they weren't quite the mess in their feet as others think. They're definitely behind Mandarins, but not that far behind. Drums are ahead of horns. Guard was pretty dang good. This corps is really, really young and if they can get some confidence going, I think they can make a little noise. I think the problems in their feet stick out more because of the hornline's size. Mandarins - Got stuck underneath bleachers. Dang. Friends said they were a little better than Pio. Sorry guys. I think Madison is getting shafted. They've got lots of points to pick up in cleaning forms. I thought their show concept worked much better than Crossmen and I was really, really surprised to see them down to them last night Crossmen play well, but I don't think they have any more points to get out of their show. Had them below Madison especially in GE. Wonderful World is their best piece. Would like to see them return to jazz and go back to the '93 unis. PC -- Wasn't really sure if this was their best night. Their previous scores didn't match up to what I saw on the field. I'm chalking this up to a bad evening and saying this corps is better than what happened in Dallas. Blue Knights -- Good. Clean. That's all I can remember. Same ol' Blue Knights. SCV -- Great music, forms need cleaning. They aren't catching Phantom or BD. Phantom -- Power and passion. Loved it. Working hard at velocity. But they're not there with BD yet. Just a smidge behind. BD -- That's how you work concept into music. Loved 'em and they'll be in the hunt at the end.

With 50+ schools within a 30 minute drive of the show site, there's no reason Pioneer should be in Timbuktu. Argh. I'm hope there's some kind of circumstance that forces them to be out that far, but ####...that's a long way away. Add extra time for having to negotiate Dallas rush hour traffic. I know staff HATED being housed long distances away from the show site because of how much it cut into rehearsal time. Oh well, anyone that is at the Dallas show...Look for me in a black Railmen t-shirt. I'm the guy going crazy when Pioneer hits the field. For those of you at the show, encourage the folks around you to show some love for one of the last bastions of traditional corpsdom and get people on their feet for a little Gary Owen March. Kekkle, go away. Please. We're not looking for snarky comments of no value.

Better every day isn't about what the guys in green shirts think... It's about knowing in your heart that you put forth the effort to try to make yourself a better marcher, player and person every day. Go...Away...Troll...

Ugh x 2. Keep fightin' Pioneer... I'll always believe in ya... And does anyone know where Pio is housing in Dallas? Anyone? Bueller? Tim...You gotta have access to info...

Oy vay Pioneer. Spend so much time getting genuinely better every day...only to get dumped on by the green shirts. Keep working hard, kids. We believe in what you're trying to do. And when you get to Dallas, we'll make sure you know it. Remember... And all with a smile!

Fully agree on the whole show site issue. I'm glad to support the band, but there's got to be a bigger site... Does anyone know where Pioneer is housing? Anyone?

Having marched at Pioneer, I can say with complete sincerity that you are 100% wrong, Corps fan. There isn't a corps director who cares more about the kids, the fans and everyone involved with the corps than Roman. One of the great corps directors/administrators of all time, a good man and someone who has done more for drum corps than 95% of people who ever picked up a horn, drumstick or flagpole. He's the earned the right to have an influence on whatever he would like to have an influence over inside the Pioneer organization. I know that it is always in the best interests of the people comprising the corps family. That said, who cares if Pioneer catches anyone? As long at the kids are having fun, learning and becoming better people...then it's a successful summer. Bottom line.