longfade

Wow! thanks for that link - just kickin'! I have always loved that opener and it's a real treat to hear a different performance than the DCI recordings, which I've listened to a million times! It makes me so wistful, seeing this old stuff. It's been a while since I've dragged out my legacy DVDs....

This is something that I've been meaning to ask ever since I got my 1980 Legacy DVD. Has anyone ever noticed that appreciable difference in the audience volume-level during Phantom's performance? It's like the entire vibe is different from the other shows, and it sounds like a mic placement thing. I love Phantom's show that year and it's certainly an electrifying performance, but I can't help thinking that the audience volume in this case is at least partly due to something technical. Or maybe the audience was just freaking out over Phantom that year....? I actually love it and wish the whole DVD had that kind of presence, and I've always wondered about it.

Dizzy Gillespie had a pretty cool big band. And definately have to add Ellington to the list....and Don Ellis! That cut you were mentioning sounds awesome...I'm gonna look for it right now!

Yes! Perfect..someone finally articulated what the real difference between Corps and MB is. It's not about semantics or what you *call* it, but what it IS. The essence of Corps has changed quite literally to the point of being unrecognizable. That is a fact. I'm sure it's still a very worthwhile activity for those in it; you know, those priveleged few that actually get in. But it does nothing for me but fill me with a unique combination of disgust, sorrow, disdain, and confusion. Mostly though, just abject disdain. Man, I just wanted to thank Tansea for a great post and I can't even do that w/o ranting.

Definately, the '90s was when corps became unwatchable for me. Kevlar heads alone are literally something I cannot frigging stand. In fact, if, as a concession to adding all the ridiculous woodwinds and vocals and all that nonsense, they would quit using kev and go back to mylar powerstrokes, I'd maybe consider tuning back in. Actually, no I wouldn't. Not until those atrocious uniforms go out of favor. Hideous. Really pathetic.

Yes on Tenderland! Especially with that gorgeous "Grover's Corners" intro they did in '85. I'd like to hear someone do the Blackwatch arrangement of "Inner Crisis". Man that was roaring. Was that '76? Skyryders "Home On the Range" would certainly make me smile!

Gellio, I like your style.

Yeah...just reading your account of that makes me mad. "ooohh...look how INTO it we are!" blechh.

Too cool. How late in the (84) season was it added? People must have flipped when you first brought in out that year!

Hey, surely I am not the only one that has these once in a while. Mine is sort of the standard-issue anxiety dream, where I either don't know the drill or the book. Or I know both but my chops are like rubber and I can't play. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone has these same dreams.

HA! Oh man, I remember hearing that original ending at our first show on tour and going ".....what?...okay. Hmm". I have a bunch of tapes because back then nobody cared if you walked in with a huge boom box and a microphone. I recorded all kinds of stuff, but I never caught the NYF tag unfortunately. I have always wondered, when you did the NYF tag on that tour, since you only did it a couple of times, how did you rehearse it? I always thought it was really hip the way the Devils would do stuff like that. Anyway, was it a big deal, or did the staff just say "we're doing this tonight?" Or did the corps ask for it? Just something I've always wondered.

I don't know, but I would certainly love it if someone started using mylar heads again. You know, actually, if a corps today did a show in the *style* of an early 80s/late 70s corps, it would probably be sensational. Kind of a retro thing. It would have to be updated a bit in the drill dept. for sure, and executed really well, but if I were an artistic director that's what I would be doing. Look at Phantom's 96 show. Totally old-school. Another example is 86 devils, bringing back the North toms. Imagine having a corps do a segment of their show on PnR horns. That would bring me back to DCI. You could also ask the question: "How would one of today's corps fare back then?" Probably worse. Much worse.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday.

Haha! I love it..great type-drumming. Yeah, that tag is just perfect. What does it have, elements of NYF, One more time, La Suerte (that's my favorite part, I think - esp. 82 and 84 when you can hear the mello's nice and clear) and Legend, right? There's probably more happening too. Anyway, I know for sure that they played it a couple times on 85 tour. My memory is super-hazy but it seems like maybe at the US open? Another was, I think, Grand Junction. There were these two geeks - like myself - right in front of me, really into the Devils show. You could tell they were really excited to hear them and had probably been anticipating it for months. When, at the end of First Circle they went into the build into the tag we all freaked out but these two guys just literally flew out of their seats and gave each other a high-five. It was great, really, really cool. During finals I was hoping, hoping that they'd do it but they didn't. They referred to it, but no dice. Bummer.