Tupid_06

Honestly, I'm more impressed with the visual programs from 25+ years ago than I am with most of the top shows from the past 3 years. I thought BD's visual program last year was lacking in movement across the field. This year, I kind of feel the same about SCV, but I still somewhat enjoy what they are doing....still not as impressed as I was with their '99 co-championship or last year's show.

I watched the Flo broadcast, and I couldn't help but cheer and clap during the Z-pull and mello runs. That energy in the closer is what I have been waiting to hear for the last month! I sensed that it was going to be a great end as soon as they started playing after the ballad, and they didn't disappoint! The mellophones and low brass sounded more confident and energized on their parts, and it made all the difference. I really hope they can pull off an even better run on finals night!

GREAT performance from the Cadets! I really felt the emotion come out at the end!

Worst audio of the year from Flo

I really don't see how. I feel like BD should be closer to Crown than SCV also.

In no particular order: 1. Madison Scouts 1995 2. SCV 1989 3. Phantom 1989 4. Cadets 2000 5. Bluecoats 2015 6. Carolina Crown 2009 7. Crossmen 1992 8. Madison Scouts 1997 9. Madison Scouts 1999 10. SCV 1999 11. Crossmen 1998 12. Star 1991

I've watched and listened to this show and replayed small sections many times over the last 2 weeks trying to figure out how it could be better. I don't have any qualifications, it might not save them from missing finals, and other people might not like my suggestions, but these are some of the things I would change or look into if I could: In the part where the voiceover is explaining how the blood flows through the different parts of the heart, I think they should get rid of the "slow robot walk" that every section does until it is their turn to play. I saw it up close on the Muncie multicam video and from the high cam and it just doesn't work for me. Come up with some better choreography, or completely revamp the visual design of that part for the brass and battery. I also think the entire 60 seconds before the "heart attack" could use some major adjustments musically and visually. It doesn't make sense to me that the drill form dissipates, brass members start lying down on the field, and the guard is fizzling out right when the tension in the music builds to the climax. I like more about the last half of the show, but there are still some big things that I think could use improvement. There is very little interaction between the female soloist and the rest of the corps aside from when she first appears and everyone is looking back towards her and playing backfield. She seems "detached"...almost like a ghost wandering among the corps. There are a lot of times where I think she is in a bad spot relative to the drill and is not highlighted by it or the guard when she should be. Also, the guard is really "separate" in this show...they don't interact and work together much. At the end of the Latin jazz section, I think more intimate and flashy guard work would be better than what they currently have there. They should look like one close unit, and not spread out individuals. I don't think this show will see much of a score improvement unless some major work goes into editing the show....I'm talking 2007-style edits. There is nothing to lose at this point. I think the first 5 minutes need the most attention. It's not going to be as simple as adding a few notes to the music or doing an extra choreography move.

I agree...going back to old uniforms and old music is not the right way....BUT, the last two years, the Scouts have been failing to build on their identity. Instead, they have torn down that identity and tried to build something new. That is not the right way to do it. I don't think most people are asking for them to go back pull stuff from the 70's, 80's and 90's and make a show out of it...They just want a show that has that Madison "swagger" to it. Was there something wrong with their 2015 show? Nobody seems to talk about it, yet that got them a decent placement at finals. It's a great example on how to do something new, and still build their identity. It FELT like a show the Madison Scouts would do and it had that Madison Scouts vibe to it. Why not forget the last 3 years of shows, and build on their identity starting from there? I thought they had a good thing going for them from 2010 - 2015. When I think of the Scouts, I think of jazz, Broadway, pop...even some classical music. There is a decent range of genres to explore and build a program. I don't want them to go and play Ballet in Brass or Malaguena/Malaga again...I just want them to build on their identity and get that Madison Scouts swagger back. I don't feel it in this year's show...and I feel like it the the biggest thing they are missing. The choreography and style of the show just doesn't match their image they have been building for decades.

I've been watching the Akron performance quite a bit lately. In a year where I'm so disappointed with the direction a lot of corps are going with their programs and design choices, I'm glad I can look to the Cadets and see a corps that is doing something I can agree with. I hope they keep pushing hard...especially the brass. The closer is beautiful...it has the potential to be something really special with a few adjustments, cleaning, and more power. I can't wait to see how this show evolves, and I want to be in tears (the good ones!) when I hear that closer on Finals night!

Not sure what the reactions were back then (I was only a year old), but that was the tightest scoring top 7 until 2007 if I remember correctly. I doubt most people were too harsh on them. It was still an entertaining program, with one of the most underrated openers in my opinion. This year reminds me of 2006 a bit, where Madison tried to go in a different direction with their style, and got a lot of the fans and alumni upset over it after they had such a great program the year before. I remember watching the alumni corps that year play "The Way We Were" at semis and I thought that it was a bit ironic since the Scouts were trying reinvent themselves. This year seems similar, but I feel like this is an even bigger shift in a different (and wrong) direction for the organization. All that progress that was made from 2010-2015 seems like it was tossed aside and forgotten just because they barely missed finals in 2016. Had they made finals in 2016, I wonder if we would have still seen shows like "Last Man Standing" and "Heart & Soul". Maybe the executive staff would have made more rational decisions and looked back to what Mason had done, instead of trying to reinvent themselves beyond recognition...and I'm not talking about their costumes.

On a positive note, I think this is a decent visual program at least from what I have seen so far. The forms are big and take up a lot of field space, which is what I like to see. Some corps seem to have focused more on staging, choreography, and props than drill (especially BD last year...SCV this year), so I appreciate what the Scouts are doing here. I'm not a big fan of costumes in general, but they don't bother me much either...It's way on the bottom of my list on concerns when it comes to what is in a show. I think the costumes work...I like the contrast of the red and blue from far away, and I think it adds to the show. Here is where some of my criticism starts: Musically...I wish there was something that I really liked. The Scouts are always one of my favorites when it comes to the music, but this year nothing grabs me. The "heart & soul" feels like it went missing from most of it. I'm not sure if a few small rewrites and more practice will help sell it much better...it feels generic, bland, and it's very difficult to find something that is memorable. The best part musically is probably the end of the "Latin jazz" section, but it still falls flat, and I'm not sure why exactly. I think it has to do with the pacing of the music in the show overall for me. As far as the program goes and what they are trying to convey...I have yet to figure that out. Seems like they are trying hard at the beginning with the voice overs to set something up, but before the featured soloist even comes out I'm already lost, and it only gets more confusing to me from there...especially as she is playing a few licks on her trumpet, wandering around the drill sets, and then running off to the back-right corner of the field without any purpose other than someone on the staff told her to run there. I feel like the staging needs to feel more natural for the soloist and there should be more purpose for her movement around the field. Talent-wise, I think the corps is stronger than last year. I was worried when I heard a partial standstill performance on Twitter (not sure when it was recorded), but after seeing them march and play on the Whitewater video, the brass sounded much stronger than I was expecting. I wish the Scouts the best, and I'll still be following them closely like I always do, but I hope the show designers, executive staff, and people who like the show can understand why some people are frustrated. It's not just because of what they are wearing. Edit: Sorry for writing a novel...it looked shorter before I published it. Edits 2,3,4: missing words, word edits

The guy that posted the Madison Scouts video on Youtube went and removed all the negative posts. I'll just repost what I said in the comments here: "I'm disappointed in the direction many of the drum corps are going and I'm too embarrassed to introduce any new people to this activity nowadays. DCI is starting to feel very pretentious." The channel owner goes on to say this in the comments: "True Scouts fans never hate! ❤️ All these haters and alumni that keep ripping on the Scouts because they aren’t the same when you marched, you’re old. Get with the times. If you ACTUALLY loved the Scouts then you would support them with any decision they made. I love you Scouts! Don’t listen to these haters! ❤️" My reply: "The Madison Scouts are the reason I became a fan of DCI 16 years ago, and it sucks seeing them follow the other corps into obscurity rather than being a corps that set itself apart from the rest. In no way would I hate on the performers...they are doing a great job and I feel like this is a very talented group compared to recent years. I just don't like the direction their leadership is taking them. This goes for many other DCI programs too...it just hurts the most when I see that the Scouts are buying into it too. Modern shows are becoming less and less accessible to the average person and I feel like DCI is beginning to only appeal to a group of elitists that think that this is high quality art, and then hating on anyone that dares to question it...it's like loving the smell of your own farts, and then getting offended when others don't love it too. Go ahead and remove all the negative comments if you can't handle the criticism like an adult. I see you already removed my comment that was aimed at DCI and not just the Madison Scouts." I usually don't post here anymore, but I'm concerned enough with the future of the activity that I felt like coming back and sharing my thoughts. Last year's shows were unimpressive to me overall, and this year is shaping up to be another disappointing one to me. There are some good things happening here and there in DCI, but overall I just feel let down by the direction the activity is taking. If I was just now discovering DCI I would not look into it any further. I only stick around because I want it to be entertaining to me again, but it's getting harder and harder to like it when it is starting to resemble WGI more and more, which I have never been a fan of.

I really hope they perform some metamorphosis on their drill more than anything. It's looking "ugly caterpillar" right now. Needs more "beautiful butterfly". .

Me too! I've never gone this long into a new season without at least seeing a clip of a new Scouts show on the field. The only thing I've seen is the music rehearsal when they announced the show on Facebook and the clip of them entering the field last night. The anticipation has been eating away at me for months!

That opener is my favorite one of the season so far. There was some very aggressive brass writing going on.