GEVisual

Likin' the mid-season DVD ! ! ! !

Cavies are great through 'Pressure' . . . . and then . . . . what a buzz kill.

There's something about a Billy Joel show with big ole' fan kicks by the guard members that just makes me chuckle. :D

Felt the same way. LOVE the opener, but for me the show goes downhill after that. Lots of chords, followed by lots of more chords.

Regiment's feet a bit iffy tonight - if they can tighten things up visually, could be interesting. Guard book has been the only one on par with Crown so far tonight.

As much as I love Bluecoats this year, I can see this show getting passed by SCV and possibly even Crown by season's end.

SCV - Awesome visual design and the cymbal line from hell ! ^OO^

Crown was freakin' brilliant - amazing show

Placement for tonight's dead corps invitational in Lynn, MA 1. 27th 2. Bridgemen 3. North Star 4. Avant Garde 5. Defenders 6. Royal Brigade 7. L.I. Kingsmen 8. Alliance Muchachos were DQ'd (again)

Would love to hear what Phantom or Crown (or even Cadets) could do with Enesco's Roumanian Rhapsody in A.

Just a thought . . . . which would you rather see: (1) The Academy does a full tour, makes finals, is predicted as the next "new" corps to ascend to the uppper echelon only to have them go inactive the following year because they "lived beyond their means in order to make finals"?, OR (2) The Academy does a shorter tour due to fiscally responsible management, allows their members to compete during the summer but not commit 100% of their time from June 1 through Finals, gives them a great experience, makes finals because they are actually one of the best 12 corps on the field on Friday night in Pasadena, and are able to compete again next year due to the actions previously mentioned? With the number of Division I corps seemingly shrinking over the past few years, I personally applaud the direction they've chosen to steer their program this year to lay the foundation for further years. One can only wonder if we'd still see the corps that are inactive this year actually on the field had they pursued this route last year. Best of luck to The Academy!

Just to add some thoughts to those already mentioned . . . Crew Stadium is a GREAT venue for corps to play. Big enough to feel like you're in a big time stadium, but small enough for the more sensitive brass and percussion moments to be heard. SPIRIT - Someone mentioned that Madison's pit amplification was too much for the hornline. I felt the same way with Spirit. Hide and Seek could be a great tune for them - they just need to work the various textures a bit more. Guard did not have a great night and they have moments where they are not integrated into the overall package. VERY good drumline. MADISON - I expected the worst based on previous reviews, but quite honestly the Scouts are doing all the right things to improve the program. The first two minutes were very good with brass impacts as loud as anyone else that night. Midway through the program there was 30-40 seconds that were obviously just restaged as evidenced by the absence of any flagwork and a few head errors in the brassline. The guard struggles, but is improving. Finals is more than likely not feasible, but semis are within reach. TROOPERS - LOVED this show. Some great brass and musical textures, the most bad ### DM in DCI this year, and music that I actually REMEMBERED when I left the stadium. They just need to clean clean clean and develop a higher performance level. Guarantee this will be a show that will bring the house down on Thursday in Pasadena. I thought for sure they would be 4th just under Spirit. PACIFIC CREST - Very entertaining. Yes, Viva Las Vegas is cheesy, but it's fun and the kids have a good time performing it. Very well trained guard that helps the program throughout. Brass line sounded a bit top heavy, and the music starts to sound a bit the same halfway through the program. CASCADES - Cool show concept, but very dirty right now. Thought the brassline had an off night with noticeable blend and release issues. Lots of potential in this show, and could see it ending up finishing anywhere from 14-20 at this point. DEVILS - Really clean right now. Their lower body training and control is just stupid good. Great ensemble blend. Some awesome impacts by the battery percussion. Weapon line was incredible tonight. Staging of the wings in the opener is very cool, just wish they would use a wider color palette for more impact. The "2nd" guard uniforms are gorgeous. LOTS of park and play, especially in the front half. Not sure this program has the "legs" to go the distance with the other top guns, but I've thought that of BD before only to be proven wrong. SCV - Most demanding program of the night. Visual integration and musicality is just incredible. Brassline wasn't as emotional as they need to be to effectively pull this program off. Some fresh staging ideas throughout (the tenor players on the end of those brass radials is a great idea). Was a little surprised they won guard as BD was noticeably cleaner tonight, but SCV's content was the difference. If the brassline can emotionally communicate this program, I could easily see them finishing somewhere in the top 3. All in all, an AWESOME night of drum corps!

As long as we're on the topic of Corona's music, can anyone tell me the name of the selection and the artist that they used in this current season? It was one of those tunes that just keeps replaying in my head.

Also keep in mind that the primary function of the Class A prelims and semis are to move the top guards ahead to the next round. The score (while still important and relevant) is not as important as the ranking and spread between rankings in those early rounds. As the previous poster said, it happens every year in Class A due to the dynamics of the show.

True, Aimachi isn't doing equipment difficulty in the same range you're seeing from Pride and Fantasia. However, they ARE doing world class stuff, thus their appropriate ranking in the vocabulary sub-caption. Take a look when you get the DVD's at some of the stuff their rifles do - blind toss turns, double turnarounds under tosses, etc. You aren't seeing that from other groups. Additionally, their batons DO count as equipment. Once you take something and start to manipulate it, the equipment judge can comment and adjudicate that piece as much as he/she desires. Their baton "vocabulary" is VERY world class. And when you look at their level of achievement, then YES, they should be awarded in that sub-caption as well. As I looked over the recap, they were the guard that I thought the judges absolutely NAILED where they should've been placed in every single sub-caption. Well done panel!

^OO^ A M E N ! ! !

This was the first time that the Aimachi guard has medaled at WGI. Their percussion unit medaled on their last visit to championships (last year?). The look on the faces of those performers during the medal ceremony was priceless!

You heard correctly - it was a video segment that I think they should've been showing at the time. That comment was Marie Czapinski giving her $.02 on the 30th anniversary of WGI.

Had no issues here - it's been great all night.

SW just concluded via the webcam. Seems that many guards (at least via the web) brought their "A" games tonight. I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for prelims yesterday and thought there was significant improvement for quite a few units. Avon looked absolutely fabulous and I thought Logan would have a tough act to follow. Well, Logan threw it up another notch (or two) on the excitement meter - BRILLIANT. My $2 bet is on the trophy returning to California, but both groups should be commended for programs that set the standard in their class this year.

SCHOLASTIC A 1 Taravella HS 97.30 2 Americas HS 97.10 3 Lake Park HS 95.70 4 Maconaquah HS 93.30 5 West Orange HS 93.20 6 Marcus HS 92.40 7 Oak Ridge HS 92.30 8 Cooper City HS 91.10 9 Naples HS 88.50 10 Aliso Niguel HS 88.30 11 James E. Taylor HS 86.50 12 Pope HS 86.00 13 Mt. Carmel HS 85.60 14 Bartram Trail HS 84.30 15 Trabuco Hills HS 82.80 16 South Hills HS 82.60 INDEPENDENT A 1 Rhapsody WG 97.50 2 The Cast 95.10 3 Rhapsody Independent 94.80 4 Univ/Alabama Alta Marea 93.10 5 The Academy 92.30 6 Sitao WG 90.90 7 Corona Light 89.80 8 Americas Independent 89.60 9 Lulabel 87.50 10 Ars Nova 87.20 11 Pacificaires 86.50 12 High Voltage 85.40 13 Westerville WG 85.10 14 Project L Independent Performance Group 82.80 15 Evolution 82.00 16 St. Anns 81.10

Prelim times are determined by the following: At each regional, there is a pre-determined "block" score. That number increases each weekend throughout the course of the season. For the guards that "block" at a regional, they then appear randomly in the final prelim block at world championships. In IW, for example, Pride of Cincinnati (along with everyone who appeared after them) "blocked" at a regional. Therefore, those guards were placed by random draw in the last block of prelims. The balance of the units are then randomly assigned to the earlier prelim times. Hope that helps.