jthomas666

Well, the one criterion I have is that the year has to have a solid PR show, which was why I was leaning towards '05. But 03 could work as well.

w/Stp:

So, DCI's got a summer clearance sale going, 20% off everything online. So I'm gonna get a couple of DVDs. I've already decided on the Classic Countdwon bundle, but I also want to get one championship DVD from 2000 on. So, which DVD would you choose, and why? I'm leaning towards 2005, but since I'm not familiar w/ the shows from recent years, I figured I'd throw it open for discussion. In retrospect, I'm still ticked at myself for not getting DVDs back in 1998-2000, when my wife was the color guard sponsor at her school--I could ahve written them off on our taxes. Oh, well . . .

Well, I guess we know what one of the rules proposals for next year will be . . . ;) Still, it'd be fun to go back and time and hand these out to, say, Spirit in '80.

I've always thought that VK should wear a red & yellow version of Phantom's uni and do a PQD Bach show.

I sometimes dream of a corps smoking cigars and marching into a dark tunnel. And sometimes there are fireworks. Any ideas what that means? b**bs

A couple of things make this show work for me: 1. Raw volume. I became a drum corp fan during the halcyon days of Spirit of Atlanta, who pretty much played every show like they were standing outside the walls of Jericho. In the Opening of Sanctus, there's this lull as they play to the back of the stands, and you just know they're about to turn around and pin you to your seat. 2. Raw energy. It wasn't what you would call a clean horn performance, but they clearly poured everything they had into it. Baritones playing 16th note riffs, etc. 3. Right when you think it's going to fall apart, as the chord starts to break down towards the end, BAM!. There's Sanctus again, only faster. Then I saw a video of the show, and saw that they were rotating the wedge on its apex, with the snare line practically running. And, again, they're pinning you to your seat. 4. The return of the 360. It will never win awards for cleanness, but if I'm feeling a little lethargig on the way into work, I just crank this puppy up, and I'm good to go. ou have to be careful doing that, though. I blew out a peaker cone when I cranked PR96 up a touch too high.

Nice analogy. The analogy reminds me of PR96, actually--stunning, thundering, overwhelming, relentless with all the subtlety of a baby seal hunt. And I loved both shows.I wouldn't want to see 12 shows like that in a row, though.

In 1981, the Devils came in second to SCV due to a 9th place finish in drums (They were 1st in brass and GE, and second to SCV in M&M). The following year the Devils leapt up to third place percussion en route to the title, and the year after, began to dominate the caption.

From the YEA--well, not really website: The Cadets, in response to charges that their show philosophy has become too radical, announced today that they have decided to wear uniforms for the upcoming season. "It was a difficult decision", explained a frustrated George Hopkins. "But with a few tweaks, our current program will adjust to the new visual identity. When asked to elaborate, Hopkins was vague. "Well, we were considered using "Blue Moon" as a production number, and had already choreographed some, uh, flashy guard work." Members of the percussion section were elated, particularly those in the pit. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, Ima Pseudonym heaved a sigh of relief. "I do a lot of work with the cymbals, and slinging plates will be a lot safer now."

Definitely the most kick-a** arrangement of Pegasus I've ever heard.

After reading this thread, I guess I'll be buying myself some mp3s tomorrow . . .

I changed the station to NPR on the way back from lunch, and came in right in the middle of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. It wasn't long before I started to hear Phantom's 1983 opener in my head. And then I started wondering what Phantom could to with that these days, with the different rules and instrumentation. And then I went to my happy place. So, instead of talking about what classics have been run into the ground, what classics are primed to make a triumphant return? I think Maynerd Ferguson is long overdue, for one thing. Other possibilities: Adventures in Time Pegasus (though you'd be hard pressed to top BD 82) Crown Imperial Several Chuck Mangione songs Variations on a Korean Folk Song Peer Gynt . . . well, you get the idea.

I'd grab a contra and make a loud beeping sound whenever I marched backwards.

Lord, I was thinking of this show just a few days ago. When I watched it on the finals telecast, I alternated yelling "This is so freaking cool" and "WTF?!?" I think I said both simultaneously when the swordfight on the drum rack started, and then they started spinning the drum rack---awesome. At times, I got the impression that the design team spent an entire night drinking, watching Captain BLood and The Sea Wolf, and going "Wouldn't it be cool if . . ." . . .and then we could . . ."

Underhyped--1988. Pure, kick-*** jazz. A joy to watch/hear from start to finish. Overhyped--2006. The show was performed well, but the passion of the Godfather music just didn't (IMHO) made a successful transition to jazz.

Thanks--that show brings back a lot of memories. I had forgotten how utterly kick*** the Lancers guard was.

There's the difference between a collective noun versus a plural noun.

What he said.

'84 Cadets - Actually a lot of this show would qualify, but one part that really stands out for me is from the Mambo opener, where the contras play a fairly difficult line while practically sprinting backwards. Not that big a deal these days, but this was in 1984, mind you, and the Cadets were just starting to explore how crazy a drill could be. One of the reasons that part sticks in my head is that I was at finals that year, and the contras move made the band director sitting next to me snort beer through his nose. '93 Phantom--the crabstep wedge to the 360, but also the mad dash to the final set in Death Hunt. It's a chaotic drill to begin with, but then you see the horns sprinting, the music is getting crazier and crazier, then two massive quick hits and they're done, standing there in a perfect triangle stretching across the field, while you're just standing there slack-jawed and bug-eyed, not quite realizing that the show's over. '05 Phantom--at the beginning of the last section, the mad sprint into the triangle going backwards. Actually, there's a lot in this show that could qualify . . . I think someone already mentioned the opener where the wave flips back and forth a few times. Just about any Cavies drill from the last 15 years has at least one section that makes you go "How in the name of God did they do that?"

Got a point--the shoulder pads (wings?) and the hats/plumes really exaggerated some of the corps' torso movements. The all white Phantom unis were integral to the 87 Songs from the Winter Palace show. Just as an aside, I always loved the classic 27th Lancer uni.

That's a valid point. The Devils Don Ellis show included both Niner-Two and Strawberry Soup, which had been done superbly by, respectively, the 27th Lancers and Madison Scouts. The Devils' version were, IMO found wanting by comparison.but just thinking about PRs low brass and The Firebird gets me all tingly--in a good way, you understand. If they've got Shaw arranging, they'll have something impressive. And if they bring in some of the Infernal Dance so that they get some massive low brass & percussion hits going . . .

I can see your point. In many ways, I would consider PRs 2005 show riskier than 2006. A major departure musically Tap shoes! A drill that bordered on the playful Has there ever been a show that had so much riding on the keyboards? Think about it--If the keybords are off, that show just does not work. The main risk in 2006 was using disparate music selections to tell the Faust story. Don't get me wrong--both shows are fantastic. But I'd have to say that the 2005 was risker for Phantom.

Phantom Regiment did some stuff from Wakeman's King Arthur album in 1986.

So long as it kicks a**, who cares if it's old or new?