bradrick

Off topic but... "Camen" would have been 90. My age-out year. There were a lot of band kids at the clinic. Bill Cook was there too (I think it was a joint clinic with Star of Indiana). He made a point of coming down behind the SCV horn arc and meeting some of us during a break in one of our brass rehearsals during the clinic. I remember shaking hands witih him and telling him "No matter where you guys end up, your show is going to be remembered for Zingali's incredible visual design." I think he smiled and said "Thank you. And I agree". Bill cook was a a very straight forward man. I'd previously met him when he sponsored the 88 All Star Drum and Bugle Corps trip to Orlando/Miami.

This is something I've been thinking about constantly since I saw SCV on Saturday at DCI West. The drill seems to be easier than previous years. However, it is completely subjective to say that it is a "poor" or "subpar" product. I bring this up because from where >>>I<<< was sitting, the show was plenty effective and the audience felt the beauty and artistic "arc" of the show and really seemed to respond to it. This was felt by the crowd during SCV's performance in a way that was clearly not felt when other corps were performing shows with more difficult visual programs. And SCV is performing well right now. A VERY clean SCV for June. So, I guess if the negative labels are meant to indicate that the visual design undercuts their chances for making a run for the top spot, there may be some validity to that (knowing what I know about what it takes to make a run for it, potential for growth etc etc.) But in my opinion, I'd rather see them perform a beautiful show all season that has class and character and palatable feeling of refinement - than to see them struggle to perform a show that is slightly out of reach for the sake of the possibility (with certainly no guarantee) of few more points at the end of the season. (Sidenote: This is not meant to slight BD, they are really performing their show well. It also bears pointing out that BD's show while being a total "apple" to SCV's "orange" (jazz vs classical) has it's easy visual side too. They get to sit in chairs and are doing other things (appropriate for the show) besides running for 11 minutes. Each corps should be given the same degree of latitude to design their own "apple" or "orange". Lord... that really sounds silly doesn't it? )

Exactly where and when was Michael Cesario ever dipped in a bathtub full of chocolate?

I'm guessing you're asking specifically about the crowd reaction at DCI World Championship Finals. Watching the crowd reaction now on DVD makes me so very VERY proud to have been a part of it. I wish I could say something like "It felt amazing". But my honest answer is that I was actually up in the tunnel before I even became aware of the roar of the crowd. I can't remember much about any of that performance really. It was like I had an out-of-body experience or something. I hope that doesn't sound too bizarre. I swear I'm telling you the truth. I'd actually give just about anything to be able to remember every single second of that performance. I'm sure some of what contributes the "blur" is because as an individual I was focussed on so many different things at the time and I knew how high the stakes were. At the moment of the company front, I was concentrating on breathing and playing as loud as possible without over blowing. I was focussed on Gary Butera our DM. It was soooooo important for the front to be straight, I was really focussing my energy on staying connected to the others on either side of me - even though one of them was too short for me to physically connect to them. AND since I was one of the "parachute guys", I'm sure I was fast-forwarding in my mind to the change in the parachute that was for only that night. (Different from what we'd done at the end of the show all season up to that point.) When we actually made it up into the tunnel - running for dear life with the parachute - I personally felt a release and sense of relief that is impossible to describe. That's when I realized the crowd was going insane. And that's also when I began to cry like a blithering idiot. (Belated condolences on the loss of your little brother, by the way. I saw that in your signature line.)

I noticed that too.

From my experience, talking with some non-finalist corps members in San Antonio between Pre-lims and Finals: Also it was kinda de-motivating for the corps members who didn't make the night show cut. They had to perform in the morning for a fraction of the the crowd that assembles for Finals. Then, after finding out their placement, they knew they'd missed out on the excitement of being before the big pumped regional night audience. Seems that experience left some of them feeling kinda dejected or discounted. Even if the crowd is still trickling in between 4 and 7, the psychology of it all is bound to be much improved now.

And don't forget that SCV also won DCI South in Birmingham in 1990 beating both Star and The Cadets of Bergen County. And we ended up in 6th overall two weeks later. (I'm not complaining about the scores in Buffalo, by the way. Both corps pulled it together and cranked it up several notches and really delivered in the end.) -1 Santa Clara Vanguard 91.400 -2 Star of Indiana 90.900 -3 Cadets of Bergen County 90.800

I'm thinking on Saturday night at DCI West in Stanford after hearing the beautiful playing from his beloved Vanguard after that classy company front set to a classical melody that I know he loved after seeing and hearing that amazing standing ovation... I'd be willing to bet that Gail was looking out at the corps filled with barely contained emotion and busting pride... I'm thinking something like the way he once looked at us.

What HE said! The end of SCV's show happens to be (get ready for this) the ending of the piece that they are playing. As an "old school" type, I loved the pacing of the show. And when I saw them at DCI West at Stanford this past Saturday, NOBODY else even came close to getting the crowd reaction they got when they hit the company front. And the down ending is perfect for that show. (I think visually they could do more during the tag to make it a little cooler. -I cut my teeth on 87 Garfield, so I can't help but remember how effective that was.- But I also realize it's only June. And if they don't change it at all, it's still going to be one of my favorite shows from this season.) Slightly off topic: SCV is playing beautifully this year. A confidence that is seriously a joy to experience. I am so proud of them. (Did I mention it was only June? )

And Spike, when I read that whole section of your book - I cried my eyes out. (I strongly recommend anyone who's ever even taken a passing interest in SCV to purchase and read Spike's book. The website for ordering it is in his signature line on his post.)

I’m going to be flying to San Jose next weekend to meet with a group of my fellow corpsmates for the 20th anniversary of the 89 Phantom of the Opera show/World Championship. So I’ve been thinking about Gail a lot recently. (Forgive me if I come across sappy or too sentimental or whatever. My memories and emotions are conveniently right at the surface to draw on and add my 2 cents for this thread.) Gail loved us all. That was very clear. I believe Gail probably loved some of the members of SCV more than their own parents did. He made sure we got plenty of rest when we needed it. Always had good food to eat and plenty of it. If you were legitimately sick, it bothered him. And that caring flowed over to the support staff and the members as well. There was a lot of respect for the corps from within. I guess you could say that since we felt nurtured, we wanted to nurture and care for the corps in return. Shine your shoes more, shine your horn more. Try even harder during rehearsal. Stand even more still at retreat. That respect for SCV came from Gail first, was demonstrated to us by the staff every day - and given to us by all the Vets who handed it down to us through the years. G.R. looking at the "pop-up" Phantom of the Opera book I gave him at the SCV 89 Awards Banquet. Even though he had parental love for us, he treated us all like adults. There was no B.S. with Gail. He could be tender and compassionate when we needed that. And he could speak with forked-tongue when we needed that too. He told us when we didn't please him. And he told us when we were performing better. And he even told us when we were exhibiting greatness (Although, because he was a man of amazingly high standards and was not a man to dabble in insincerity – he wouldn’t ever give you praise you hadn’t earned.) And when Gail stood in front of the corps. He had our undivided attention...because we respected him. You wanted SCV to be great, because you knew how much Gail wanted SCV to be great. If we were feeling beat down by "stuff" (as in 90), he'd talk to us like we were adults and tell us we needed to find a way to get our heads back into the game, And in those times when he knew we were feeling beat down, I swear Gail could feel our pain. If he sensed our hearts were in the right place but we just were falling short, sometimes he’d find a way to crack a joke to lighten us up… and you could just feel the pressure release. I have a very clear memory of him doing that after giving us a stern “talking to” after a flat performance in muggy Houston’s Rice Stadium in 90. Gail may be buried in the Midwest. But I know he’ll be with us next weekend. I have no doubt that his spirit is surely there with the corps he loved so much - every day. And I bet I’ll look down from my seat next Saturday in Stanford Stadium and catch a glimpse of his shadow on the track – pacing back and forth – waiting for the mighty Vanguard to take the field.

Actually, The Force Drum and Bugle Corps was announced here on DCP last October as "The FORCE Drum & Bugle Corps is in development stages in Fort Worth and Arlington, TX. A Web presence has been created ( http://www.experiencetheforce.org ) and staff applications are now being accepted." The announcement was authored by/attributed to The Force Management Group. link to DCP announcement here The website was registered to Chris Green in Grand Prairie, TX. (According to whois.com Lookup service.) The last time I checked that website (within the last month), they were claiming to be in the process of taking resumes for a paid Corps Director. However, the website appears to no longer be active or have been shutoff and goes directly to "The website has been parked FREE courtesy of GoDaddy.com"

Wow. Just drawing on memory to think of a few of my favorite show endings is getting me a little choked up. A few of the endings that I believe are worthy of this emoticon (in year order): 1984 Garfield Cadets - nuff said 1984 Santa Clara Vanguard - "The Tender Land" - absolutely beautiful, classy, classic SCV 1985 Suncoast Sound - "Midnight in Miami" - Definitely on my list of hottest closers (and hornlines) ever 1986 Cavaliers - "Mars" - Excitement that built and built and built. Nailed us all right in the cross hairs. 1987 Garfield Cadets - Will never forget it. Reinventing the company front. And the tag at the end has me in tears every time I watch the High Cam tape. 1987 Santa Clara Vanguard - nuff said 1988 Madison - "Malaguena" - Possibly the most amazing ending to a show I've ever felt live. The stars aligned and the crowd went insane. 1988 Santa Clara Vanguard - The golden show, capped off with that beautiful surprise ending. Easily one of the best I've ever felt. In my opinion, artistic endings (not the "in your face" kind) really all try to live up to this one. 1990 Phantom Regiment - "Bacchanale (from Samson and Delilah)" I know all the talk from that year tends to be about Star but PR had the crowd throwing babies. 1991 Star of Indiana - pretty much the peak of drill innovation married with music and guard. I've never seen an ending that bested this one (as far as all elements coming together to make a package that was a complete home run). 1991 Phantom Regiment - "Bacchanale (from Samson and Delilah)" I guess when you've got a good thing... you can always kick it up a notch. Again, the crowd was throwing babies. 1996 Phantom Regiment Shostakovich - "Fifth Symphony, Fourth Movement" The people who were paying attention and had an open mind knew what had just happened. And were also screaming like happy drum corps fans do. 2006 Phantom Regiment - Bullseye. Totally delivered the goods.

Having seen 89 Phantom Regiment live prior to Finals (albeit probably from a questionable vantage point) and on TV, VHS - having listened to them countless times on CD - and now finally on DVD (one of my xmas presents a few years ago), I can say it's still one of my all-time favorite drum corps shows. Beautifully conceived, designed and executed.

Bumping this one up to see if anyone else wants to cast a vote. (Because of Poll limitations, this one is only 1972-1981. There's another poll for 1982-2006 here.)

It's been over two years since the last reply on this one. Thought I'd bump it up and see if anyon else wants to vote. :)

It's been two years since the last post on this thread. Thought I'd bump it up and see if anyone else wants to jump in and play. (Go to the first post to see the rules.)

That's probably the best explanation I've ever seen or heard about how the scores fell in 87. Thank you for that very insightful post. I guess I'll just always be uncomfortable with the way some of the scores fell in 87. I've always considered Garfield's show to be a "Visual Masterpiece" that I feel very privileged to have seen from up top to fully appreciate (and Thank The Gods recently got my hands on a High Camera tape of the Semi-Finals performance). Heck! I even started my own poll to see how many other people agree with me. (Poll Here) But Garfield actually seemed to get dumped a little in GE Visual and that's the very caption I would have expected to give them the edge on finals night - if it was destined to happen... in my opinion. But, like you said, it's just a bunch of guys in green shirts calling it as they personally see it. And I stopped scratching my head about this a long time ago and will love LOVE LOVE both 87 Garfield AND SCV till the day I die.

Fixed it for ya.

The 1987 Santa Clara Vanguard exuded confidence and the air of "Champion" as much as you could ever hope to see from a corps. To march in en-masse for retreat and have them near me as we were all filing in simultaneously ... well, their persona just about knocked me down. As a rookie it was something really cool to feel - and I had certainly never felt or seen anything even close to them before. I thought they were rediculously clean in most aspects and every section of the corps was absolutely fantastic. The guard, drums and brass (even with a smidge of finals night issues) were scary good. The rifle line were monsters. G.R. stated after championships that on Finals night, they eclipsed his personal standard (one that had stood, I believe, ever since he saw the 1965 Chicago Royal Aires.) of what THE most magnificent drum corps moment was supposed to be.

Hilarious!

There are a handful of moments that just stand out in my mind from the 2008 season. Here's what are probably my top 5. (...at least currently) "I am Spartacus!" to the end of Regiment's show. Shear audience delirium. A show and corps that does THAT to the audience is worth its weight in gold. The beginning and end of the Blue Stars' show. I know it's "apples to oranges" but it was somehow reminiscent of the beautiful start and finish of 87 Garfield's "Appalachian Spring" show. (If you didn't see the end of that show live before DCI Finals, you might not see the comparison. In finals the crowd was too pumped and overtook that show's designed "down" tag/ending.) The "Vanguard!" yell to the end of SCV's show. Very exciting finish. "The Boxer" park and blow section of the Bluecoats show. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. Give me a hornline that's been taught and authorized to blast like that and I am a very happy man. The homage to the Steve Brubaker "snake" drill (from Korean Folk Song) in the Cavaliers' show. This more-or-less old school guy REALLY appreciated that. Great moment. Honorable Mention: Blue Devils entire show. I honestly can say this is possibly my favorite Blue Devils show in the last 20 years. Definitely the most engaging/compelling show I've seen them do in a long time. Now what are some of yours?

We had a friend in town for the Holidays who wanted to see few of my favorite moments from the 2008 DVD. So I - being a bit of an "old school" guy who LOVES to hear a hornline really let loose - popped in Bluecoats and fast forwarded to the ballad. I had talked and talked about how friggin' cool the staging and excitement of the "blasting the Boxer" moment was. But when the moment on the DVD came, the camera was fixed on a pit guy for the entire staging drill move and missed the whole visual transition and staging of the hornline. Just totally didn't do that moment justice AT ALL. Luckily, when you change angles on the menu, it resumes in the same place as before. So I grabbed the DVD remote, hit the Menu button, selected High Cam, hit the Play button and rewound it the start of the transition again. AHHHHHH.... much better. After making that change, we got the proper perspective and felt the excitement of seeing the hornline coming down front and ready to park and blow.

I completely agree with the original poster's position. I personally don’t ever want to see any camera angle that NO AUDIENCE MEMBER SEES. Nobody who purchases a ticket watches from the back or the endzone. They are not designed to be viewed or evaluated from these other perspectives. And if these shows are designed to be seen from the front - then WHY waste any precious seconds of the show with a camera shot from an angle that the designers never intended? (And I will even concede that quick shots from the back showing audience reaction and NOT JUST THE FIELD during key moments are cool too. PR’s crowd reaction seemed totally insane in finals this year. So I think it was great to get to see the crowd a bit after the show was over.) I believe this has EVERYTHING to do with the home viewer's perception of the shows. Which means it also affects the tone and relevance of many discussions every day here on DCP. This is relevant because we see endless debates and threads titled things like "The Greatest Drum Corps Shows of All Time" and many of the voting or opinions being voiced are instances where the person has never actually seen the show the way the live audience did and the way the designers intended - and probably never will. Doesn't that seem kinda strange? That being said, I will say that I’m well aware of the High Camera angle that is available on newer DVDs for some shows. But just because it’s currently available on the Top 12 DVDs, these other issues and concerns do not go away.

FYI, I got mine in the last week and have watched PR High Cam already. If there was a cut, it would have been pretty obvious while watching the High Cam angle. So, DCI was still shipping the "unedited" or "uncut" DVDs up to a week or two ago.