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I guess it depends on how you define "brass" (whether it pertains only to the body of instrument, or extends to include the mouthpiece). Saxophones are in the woodwind family because they are played with a reed, but the body of the instrument is indeed made of brass, and in marching band arrangements saxophones often double brass instruments. So . . . *shrug*

(Here's the letter I sent to all of the above.) To the songwriters and publishers of “Empire State of Mind”: The Madison Scouts Corps (from Madison, WI) requested and were granted permission for arrangement and live performance rights to “Empire State of Mind,” which they featured as the closing piece in their competitive program this summer. They also requested synchronization rights so that this music could be included on any recorded media of their show, such as web-posted video clips and DVDs. My understanding is that they were refused this last permission. As a fan, it's hard for me to understand the rationale behind refusing synch rights permission, especially since the other permissions were granted. As a result of this decision, we fans – as well as the hardworking corps members and their staff – are deprived of a major highlight of our season. I am a longtime drum corps fan but was unable to attend any drum corps contests this season, and so buying the finals-night DVD from Drum Corps International is my only way of experiencing this show. Now I am forced to miss out on the climax of the Madison Scouts' show. Based on feedback I have heard from those who did get to see their show this summer, the Madison Scouts superbly integrated “Empire State of Mind” into their program, and the connection they achieved with their audiences was powerful, intense and the stuff memories are made of. How sad that at this stage, it appears this connection – so prized in the performance world – will not be captured on DVD and other media. I believe that if you watch the Madison Scouts' DCI finals performance, you will review your decision, see it in a different light and grant them synchronization rights. I urge you to do so as soon as possible, so that we drum corps fans can experience the Madison Scouts 2011 program the way it was meant to be seen … and heard!

True, but what happened last Saturday night was more than rain. It was lightning and intense winds, which create an entirely different situation (as we know from what happened at the fairgrounds). As far as I can recall, this was the worst finals-night weather DCI has ever encountered. Had corps, staff, judges and the audience been outdoors in those conditions, it's hard to say what exactly would have happened. Even though domes have their drawbacks, I am glad to see organizers erring on the side of caution, especially when it comes to the biggest show of the season. I know that every show is important, but I also acknowledge the reality that for most, championship week is the highlight of the season. If for no other reason than logistics (especially as there is no longer a rain date for finals), it makes sense for DCI to use a dome during these events.

Too soon after Vanguard. No, IMO.

Well, I'm not sure what happened to me. (I was a musician and a guard person.)

I'm sure you're right, and there are probably many more examples that people can think of. Which is why I've always disagreed with the assertion that Santa Clara's Bottle Dance was the first time choreography was done in drum corps.

This is what I remember Chris posting. Thanks for the reminder!

1. Madison 2. Phantom 3. Blue Devils

I'll just trot out a few of my personal favorites (this is by no means a complete list): Anaheim: 1974 Blue Devils: 1982 27th Lancers: 1980 Cavaliers: 1985-1991 Bridgemen: 1978, 1979, 1980 Santa Clara: 1974, 1987, 1991 Star of Indiana: 1991, 1992, 1993 Spirit of Atlanta: 1979, 1980, 1985 Madison Scouts: 1980, 1988, 1999 Phantom Regiment: 1987, 1989, 2008 Garfield Cadets: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 Edit: There are so many great Blue Devils shows that I find it odd to list only one. But for me, this is the show that stands out above all others because it was such a mind-blowing experience to see and hear them perform live.

Ah, OK. I never had the impression that Madison did anything wrong, just that certain permissions were slower in coming than others. I was never sure if it was an outright rejection. If it was, then I'm surprised at ESOF making it into the finals clip. The fact that it's still up makes me hopeful that the issue has been resolved.

Ah, OK, I've always had trouble keeping my years straight on this, so thanks for the correction. I'm sure that Maggie Bell could offer some further clarification on this!

Yup, that's the "official" answer with the ***Bottle Dance. Your turn! (***Now, the reason I have a problem with the belief that this is the first example of choreography in drum corps is because, if you watch films of corps before Santa Clara, you can clearly see instances of choreography added to the show. For example, Kingsmen do a sort of jig (not sure if that's the correct term) in their '72 show. And I'm sure there are many more examples of that. In fact, in '73, Santa Clara performed the Bottle Dance music, but did a simpler series of steps without highlighting the rifle line in the actual dance. But maybe the reason the Bottle Dance stands out in people's minds is because it was a featured highlight in Santa Clara's show, not simply steps integrated into the overall program.)

Nope, the "official" answer would be from a year before Bridgemen really started getting into the dance groove. Think of this not so much in terms of dance nowadays, but a set piece of choreography inserted into the show as a highlight.

Yup. As Sam said, fantastic portrayal. He really nailed the whole "don't play a villain like a monster, play a villain like a human being" concept. Showing Hitler's vulnerabilities made him even scarier, because you can understand how easy it is for someone who is mentally unbalanced to climb to a position of power, and then control others under them.

It's one of the many complications of living in an "intellectual property" age. I'm not an insider, but I get the impression that it's not so much the owners being adamant, but rather that there is a complex series of hoops that all corps must jump through in order to get permission, and it's possible that every single "permissions" hoop was not present and accounted for. That's my take on it, anyway.

Awww! You had me laughing at your daughter's "tents" and "Boo!" comments, then misting up over this.

OK, here's an easy one: What corps' color guard is credited with being the ***first to put choreography on the field? ***This should be an easy one, as it's one of those things that seems to grow in the retelling over the years. It's also a flawed notion (and maybe depends on one's definition of "choreography"), which I'll get into later. But there is a standard "correct" answer for this trivia question.

Basically any form of discrimination -- whether you go by the legal definition, "discriminating" tastes, whatever -- is justified by the person doing it. There are always going to be different perceptions of what kinds of discrimination are wrong, because people draw their lines in the sand in different places. You don't like the fact that there are still two all-male corps. OK, fine. You think it's wrong. In general, I tend to agree, but then when I hear points of view I'd not heard before, I can often understand the other side of it, too. I was a member of Curves, a women's exercise club. There are some legitimate reasons why some women prefer to exercise with other women rather than in a mixed group of women and men. Personally, it doesn't really matter to me; I've exercised in both kinds of clubs. I just happened to like the resistance equipment at Curves. But I can also understand the points of view of those women, and if they're paying for that as part of their Curves membership, then I think they should be entitled to expect it. It's not like there aren't plenty of other choices for women -- and men -- to go for exercise. Of course the reasons are rationalized; but that doesn't make them wrong for those people. Getting back to the whole idea of what constitutes discrimination, I don't think body type should be part of the criteria for being accepted into a color guard. I agree with the "equal merit" idea, and if a person who auditions is overweight, but can spin and dance as well as others who are accepted, then I think that person should be accepted, too. But you know what? No matter how wrong I think it is, judging by what I'm seeing on the field, I'll bet that body type is part of the criteria (even if it's an unwritten/unspoken line on the checklist). That's the reality, and I don't see it changing anytime soon. If anything, I'm seeing it heading more and more in this appearance-centric direction. What about the age limit? Aren't we also excluding people of equal merit based strictly on their age? That, too, is discrimination, but there are arguments/rationalizations in its favor, too.

OK, so maybe the question should have been phrased as: What year did the Garfield Cadets have a tiiiinnnyyy guard? LOL!

Hysterical!

No, there is no extra charge to watch the archived videos. I have the "Live+Blu" package, meaning that I could watch all the live streams plus get the Blu-ray, plus have access to the finals VOD (video on demand) and the archives. If I remember correctly from when I had the basic package, I could still access all the archived videos for free. Here's an article from May that describes what is offered (scroll to the bottom for a listing of each package): Fan Network Free Preview Weekend

Madison's closer Phantom's Juliet(s) BD's flutter-tonguing Crown's convincing "rach" stars Cavies' upside-down antics and (again) mind-blowing drill Cadets' marvelous integration of angels/demons uniforms within the drill

Yup, I think you're right, Phil. I used to think of Garfield not marching a guard at all in '86, but then I would watch the video and be surprised at how much of the show actually had some sort of guard . . . though, as I said before, a very small one. So, dasboot, is this the correct answer to your question?

I'm not sure how much longer the semifinals and live finale feeds will stay up. However, if you click on the "Recent" tab (to the right of the "Spotlight '11" tab), you will see videos of all the finalists. However, I believe you had to have ordered the DVD or Blu-ray package to access those; it sounds like you have done that. If I recall correctly from last year, those finalist videos will stay up indefinitely. You can watch videos of earlier shows this season by clicking on the "On the Field" tab, and then going to the drop-down menu on the left-hand side. You can also purchase downloads from previous shows by clicking on the "Purchase 2011 Downloads" link. And then, yes, in the meantime you can wait impatiently (like me) for your Blu-ray.

Exactly. My fear was that they would treat it too literally and go over the top, which could have backfired in so many ways. They used a deft touch with an emotionally complex subject, treating it with a good deal of sensitivity and respect (easier said than done). They didn't beat the audience over the head with "THIS IS WHAT OUR SHOW IS ABOUT!!!" Instead, they left much to the audience's imagination . . . and it's not like we had to work very hard to fill in the blanks. I'm grateful to Madison for respecting their audience's intelligence, and also the people whose lives and memories they portrayed. Yes, the drill could have been a bit cleaner, but overall this show came together in exactly the right way for me. Thank you, Madison!