NationalGropp

Yeah, it's not like Cadets scored a 99.2 that night and won because of the pledge. I admire the intent of what they did, that's cool, and I understand the post-9/11 feeling, but when I watch it now I just get REALLY hungry for cheese. :) Great show though.

:) No one's mad or anything, we're just adding our input. It Is a forum, a forum being a place of discussion :P

Doesn't seem like the Cadets 03 clip really needs to be there. Or 04 Phantom . . . eh, maybe. That expanding line thing was kind of cool. Some pretty obvious moments from Cavies 02 and 01 (like the last 40 seconds) were left out. Also, the beginning move and subsequent retrograde of said move from Cavies 03 is pretty noteworthy. Overall, though, pretty good job. That first move from Cadets 05 is just ######

I think a year where you tie for the win with another corps kind of takes away the whole "deserved to win without a doubt" thing.

I don't think there's ever been a rivalry between Bluecoats and Glassmen, and if there was, it was either long ago or not as near as prevalent as the deal with Boston. As I understand it, there is a bit of friendly rivalry between Cavaliers and Phantom Regiment, just because of their geographic proximity and that the manner in the way they approach things (brass and marching particularly) are so wildly different.

The show wins, regardless of who gets a better crowd response. also PR 05 vs Cadets 05 yes, but neverthless Cadets > everybody else in 05

I can't believe people won't quit b****ing about amplication!

I have a lot of biases when it comes to the activity. For instance, I tend to not really care for the Cadets. This year, I thought they were nothing short of excellent. 99.15 was a bit much, but they definitely deserved to win by about a point. As for Phantom . . .? Eh. I think things pretty much ended up where they should have been, at least in terms of overall. Kudos to the judges.

I don't know if it quite counts as a company front, but Cavaliers 95 where they play the chorale from Jupiter strikes me pretty deeply.

I really like cool drill. Hence, I=big Cavaliers fan.

I know some people don't agree with Gaines, but I think Gaines is a pretty big "no ####" for this list . . . he seems to have been in a position with the Cavaliers that is comparable to the impact Zingali had back when. I'd say a good 90 percent of the best visual moments and innovations of the past few years came from the Cavaliers, and Gaines played quite a big role in that.

If Bluecoats can maintain the momentum and up the show design by a hair, I think they'll be a serious contender in a few years. They have the staff ands kids to do it.

Yeah, but the difference is that I LOVE some of Saucedo's original stuff. I really really dig what he wrote for Four Corners and Spin Cycle and while I only like Frameworks, I still enjoy it. I understand why people say it's bland, but it doesn't strike me as such. But again, I prefer the original music for the field moreso than classical favorites . . . particularly works of uncommon emotional or musical magnitude (i.e. Adagio. Ending on a major chord? Seriously . . .)

A few weeks ago, my old tuba teacher and I got into a bit of a discussion about the Cavaliers. He believes that what while they have been very innovative visually, they're hurting the activity musically because Saucedo's stuff doesn't have a lot of substance (in his opinion) and they way they play isn't musical or orchestral. I find myself disagreeing with this and this thread kind of brings my thought process to light. Saucedo composing music specifically for the drum corps field has much more integrity (I believe) than trying to take monumental symphonic masterpieces that are hours long and condensing them and watering them down to an 11 minute show . . . That isn't intended as a rip on anyone, as most corps in the top 12 are guilty of that or have done it at some point or another, some more than others. It's kind of like what you're saying about Mahler with Phantom and Adagio for strings in SCV's 2000 show. My friends and I were listening to Mahler's second the other day. I was hearing it for the first time and I was BLOWN AWAY. ####, it was the CSO. But how could a drum corps match that?? And Adagio one of my favorite pieces ever . . . that's exactly why I hate the idea of a drum corps doing it. It belongs in the symphony hall, not on a football field. At least, that's how I feel. Does this make sense to anyone? Put simply, I'd rather see new music written based on show concepts for the activity than see orchestral masterpieces condensed, both in length, musicality, and instrumental color.

It's kind of crazy to think about it now, but Southwind in 2000 was 2 tenths of a point from forcing Bluecoats to fold.