frankdave

While most people here seem to be focusing on the negativity surrounding management (warrented i'll admit), i will say that on the field, they are putting on a very interesting show this year. I have been critical, the past couple of years, about the lack of difficulty when compared to top 12 corps. But this year, i see an improvement on that side that i like. It's only the beginning of the competitive season and there is a lot of dirt in the rendition of the show right now, but the growing potential is there ..... at last !! I don't know that, by semies, they are going to be fighting for a top 12 spot, but i think that they are closer to it this year than they have been in a long while

This is definitely my favorite show this year ! Since the Beatles year, they seem to go on the "trippy" side of things and I'm all in for it And the layers......so many layers ! Great overall design and a lot of room to grow (pun almost intended)

This is going to be one hell of a dog fight ! I predict that 1st position might not be settled before finals night in Indy and they will be lead changes quite often all summer long. If it pans out this way, we are in for an incredible and exciting summer !!

I really liked last year's show. But I think that , imho, what killed their top 12 chances was that the difficulty level wasn't on par with the other groups in front of them. But seing their repertoire for this year gets me really excited. There is some room to ear and see some crazy stuff in there !!

I liked Madison's show a lot. Body movements by the hornline need some cleaning (early season....I know) but I find them to be amongst the slickest on the field right now. What bothers me is that, once again, difficulty level of the show is mostly lower than other corps they have to compete against for a top 12 spot. That being said, I really hope they can raise the bar this year.

Watching thru roku and the feed is quite good Only problem i have is that i cant ear the soloists.... wondering if its due to my setup or if its a captation issue

What speaks louder to me than booing is the level (or lack of) applause at the end of a show.

I've NEVER been a BD hater....in fact, while they are not my favorite group, I have always enjoyed their shows in the past and recognized their great quality. BUT.... IMO, this year's drill is easy on a whole other level

Wow.....BD have the easiest drill of any top 12 corps !!!

Anyone else having problems with fan network right now ??

Scouts !!!!!!!! The changes they made to the show since I last saw them (Muncie) are simply brillant !! Breaking 80 for sure tonight !!

Agreed....but I think Madison are taking visual and its gonna be darn close in brass. I really can see Madison closing the gap with Bluecoats slowly but surely. ( When was the last time we could speak of corps taking captions while Cavies aren't even finished performing ??? wow !! )

Add Les Diplomates du Quebec to the alumni corps list Link to our website : http://www.lesdiplomates.org/new_site/francais/accueil.html We are pretty much alive and kicking butt !! Looking forward to see you all in Bridgeport in a month !!!!

FOR SALE: Les Diplomates du Québec, Canada, are selling Four (4) tubas in excellent condition. They are Dynasty USA Marching BBb Tuba with 4 Valves, model 010-M875 with four (4) heavy-duty travel cases on wheels. The price is $ 2500.00 each, excluding transportation fees. If interested, please contact us at this e-mail: michel.letourneau@gestion-hmr.com P.S.: We have a total of ten (10) tubas and we might consider selling all of them if anyone should be interested.

Can we still play ?? 1- Madison Scouts - Best entertainment value of the year !! 2- Cavaliers - Solid show, great visuals as always 3- Carolina Crown - Intro of the show is just SUPERB !! 4- BlueCoats - Never was a big fan in the past but they got me hooked this year 5- Phamtom Regiment - Great sound as always 6- Cadets - Too cheesy to put them higher....too good to put them lower 7- Boston Crusaders - Great group again this year 8- Blue Stars - getting better and better....very solid show 9- Blue Knights - AT LAST ....boredome syndrom seems to be gone 10 - SCV - As much as I love SCV, their show just doesn't do it for me....they were A LOT better last year in terms of connecting with what I like in drumcorps shows 11- Glassemen - Would've put them in 12th but I dislike BD's show too much 12 - Blue Devils - Don't get me wrong....I usually love BD but this year's show, as stunning as it is visually, is just an incredible tragedy musically !! Should they come back to the REAL BD style, they would be back fighting for the no.1 spot with Madison....but this year's show ?? Big fail with me

I think this thread might just be the MOST IMPORTANT thread of 2010 !! :worthy: It clearly states what the general audience thinks of DCI shows as far as design and crowd appeal is concerned. I really hope that some corps directors will be reading this thread as well as DCI's top dogs.

Sorry....missed it !!

Nobody mentionned it yet so.... Any Canadian beer !!!

I think I remember it has happened another time. In the mid 80's , Les Eclipses from Longueuil, Quebec, had a perfect score in color guards at the semifinals, which gave them 1st place in that caption but they did not make it to finals as they finished somewhere around 13th or 14th position ( my memory serves me bad on years )

Just had the same information from the Barnum organization a few minutes ago !! Great news !!

Any new developments on this situation ?? Trying to reach the Holliday Inn in Bridgeport and I have no answer !! Not necessarely a good sign :(

Hello fellow drum corps nuts Just dropping a few words to tell you that Les Diplomates are pretty much alive and doing very good in what is set to be their best year since their rebirth 4 years ago. For the 2010 season, we are going to field 50 horns, 20 percussions and 18 color guards. Our show for this season will be an energy packed extravaganza including pieces such as Moondance ( the Michael Bubble version ), Mack the knife ( Dixie arrangement )Paint it black ( Rolling stones ), Somewhere from West side story as well as an intro and and exit, both composed by our excellent staff. Speaking of our staff, we consider ourselves blessed for having an excellent staff this year and are proud of the hard work they are putting in to make our group and our show as exciting as ever. These great people are : Brass : Marc-André Prégent and Josianne Rouette Percussions : Martin Hotte and Ronnie Lessard Color guards : Annye Girard Visuals : Michel Pellerin and Annye Girard Our recruiting has been going great this year and our group has seen new members from the thirty somethings and sweet forties join up, which lowers our memberships age average quite a bit !! Lastly, Les Diplomates are happy to announce that we will be participating at the ‘’Champions on parade’’ event in Bridgeport, Connecticut, next June 26th and 27th , and are proud to present, for the first time of the season, our complete show : “Evolution”

I have done the Quebec winter carnival parade on numerous occasions and I can confirm that alcohol will do the job quite well. We used to use vodka but any other kind of alcohol with a percentage of 40% ( or higher ) was working quite well. I remember, on one particular year, doing this 5.5 miles parade at -35 degrees Celsius ( thats -31 fahreneit ) and we didn't have any problems with our valves using vodka...its more like our legs that were having problems by the end of the parade !!!

Which is another reason for a DCA Championship in Montreal.....hometown of the Molson brewery and everybody knows that Canadian beer is the best beer in the world !!

I don't think that passports are such a big problem since its a lot easier to get in Canada than it is to the U.S. Montreal would be a GREAT place to host DCA since its not that far away from New-England. Also, there as not been any major drum-corps events in Montreal since...oh well...can't even remember when, but when Invitation Quebec and the DCI championships where held in Montreal, both events had record breaking crowds. It could be amazing with DCA Championships as well !!! Percival Molson Stadium in downtown Montreal