MarkC

I've been going to Allentown for over 25 years. J Birney Crum and the park are very special places! And the corps are full of emotion as it is the last chance to make a move before Indy!

I just don't understand how Academy is beating Madison. Madison's hit at "38" - "39" was AMAZING!!! Academy did not provide anything like that for me. The crowd at Allentown cheered louder for Madison than Academy (in my opinion) - Isn't that GE?

Anyone know where the drum lines will be warming up?

Maybe someone addressed this already but was there an indoor guard or drum show with slides or did Bluecoats come up with the slides by themselves? Regardless, what a great & creative idea!!!

I Why are Cadets arrangements so frantic? I can already tell I will walk away thinking they are the most talented players but it's just too much all the time.

Bump Can anyone who attended last camp add any details to keep us Troop fans going? Especially with the bold announcement from DVD?

Did it seem like SoA will have a full 150 or is there concern over numbers?

I don't think they would change the hat at all but I would predict a much sleeker, simpler uniform - maybe going with all dark blue / black for better visual scores?

From Troopers site: "Turnout was strong at the most recent camp Jan. 15-17 in Mesquite, Texas, he said, and is expected to even stronger at the next camp, scheduled for Feb. 19-21, also in Mesquite. The average age and skill levels of the young people auditioning for a spot in the corps continues to increase from previous years, VanDoren said." Yes! Not to brag but I called it!

Anybody who attended camp have any reports?

Wow! Looks like an excellent brass turnout! The Long Blue Line!!!!!!!

I think the main question is: Can 1 or 2 sections in Troopers overtake Crossmen or Boston's respective sections? I think Troopers brass created a lot of momentum last season which can really propel them into this year. It will be interesting to see what the retention rate on brass will be and whether the average age of the brass line goes up this year. I think that has to happen to capitalize on the momentum brass created and maybe leapfrog Crossmen or Boston's brass. And I still think with Rennick's writing and his protege Lauren Teel there, percussion can also overtake either Crossmen and/or Boston's percussion sections.

Any other details from Camp 2? Brass seems like they are on a big trajectory up. If you remember, Bluecoats made a jump as a corps when their percussion started leapfrogging others. I can see Troop capitalize on their brass improvement similarly. Can Troop's guard and/or percussion make similar gains? I think Troop percussion is right there to make a jump.

Thanks to both of you! Enjoy the great drum corps tonight!

I know Anchor Audio MagnaVox and Digimet make great bluetooth wireless battery speakers perfect for band or percussion rehearsals but do you know of any speakers (not including Long Rangers) that are remote control-able; bluetooth, battery powered that care good to blast the Dr Beat?

Can anyone tell me where (what street; school; park?) the drumlines usually warmup for the Quincy show? I want to go watch Troopers and Boston drumlines warmup tonight but have never been to this show.

Crown was awesome tonight!!!! IMO they had much more GE than BD or Cadets!!! I think they can overtake both in a few weeks.

Anyone know why Cadets switched from WhiteMax to BlackMax snare heads this year?

They have Remo Blackmax (Kevlar) on the batter top head. And I agree, those flat gray drums don't match the show theme. They should be all chrome or something. However, the line sounds great!

I actually like to hear about the way they approached their show.

If the picture and sound is as good as it seems to be here, I'll definitely buy some level for DCI Live - especially to get a glimpse of BD and SCV out west.

"When Steve owned radio stations..." well excuse me!!!!!!!

Please elaborate. You left us hanging! Need to know as many details as possible!!!

I'm sorry but the uniforms are ridiculous.

Totally agree show fell flat midway thru. And the closer is not explored enough.