RBarron10

The new judging system developed by Michael Cesario was unveiled this past weekend. Now that scores are up, did DCI get it right? Those of you that watched the Akron and Louisville show live, as well as all those that saw the theater broadcast what are your thoughts? Has DCI taken a step in the right direction on judging, or is it the same old thing with a new name? Will a fan favorate show that fans go wild over win finals this year? Or some abstract artsy thing that barely gets applause from the audience win again?

That was such an awesome video clip! IF that doesn't motivate you for drum corps season nothing will!

Biggest Madison Fan at Finals ... made my morning and put a smile on my face.

If you checked closely in 1995 it was a 3 way tie for the top brass. Madison, BD and Cadets all tied!

On the Dynasty Web site, they welcomed SCV into the fold of corps that will be using Dynasty in 2012. Article is dated 17 Jan 2012. So, from Pearl to Dynasty ... maybe the world is coming to an end.

Enough of the mumbo jumbo ... put your money where your mouth is. I purchased my Atlanta tickets last night and got them in the VIP section for the Scouts, Section 221 and at $55.00 each. Not too shabby. I am excited about the upcoming year. My only hope is that Madison changes uniforms!

There is ONLY ONE Malaguena in which all other standards are set IMO ... Madison 1988! The first time I had ever heard Malaguena was in 1991 in Scott Stewart's apartment in Madison, they were playing the 1988 video on television. When I heard the beginning of Malaguena and saw the four count turn leading into the first drill set I turned to my friend Scott and said, "now this is drum corps!" I did not like the Cadets 2003 version and my reasons are personal ... "A Few of My Favoriate Things" is the title of that 2003 show ... come on.

Did DCI give out a fan favorate award this year? If so who won it?

WTF? Madison now in 10th? I can't believe these scores. No particular scores jump out at you, everything is scoring low ... drums in 13th, horns in 9th, color guard in 10th, I was hoping after the guys rebuilt the wall of sound we would see the corps steadly climb back to power like in the mid 90s. The fans loves Madison, the judges don't ... I have never have understood that dynamic. I have mixed emoitions this year ... did the design team let the corps down, did the staff let the guys down in the exection of teaching the parts or does Madison not yet have the talent to make a seroius move back into the top 5. What I thought was such a great beginning has turned out to be a disappointment as far as score go. I know I know many of the Madison purest don't care about the scores ... but scores equal talent pool, souvie sales and money from DCI. Madison has been down the 10th place to 11th place to 15th place road before. What does the corps have to do to get back moving in a forward direction in placement? In my opinion, this year has been a disappointment - no ground gained.

Back on topic - I forgot to add that I was very impressed that the Georgia Dome has figured out a way to demand $4.00 for a piece of pizza and a bottled drink. I have a plan for next year ... all the corps would make a lot of money ... Every corps their sell bottled drinks for $3.00. Lets see buy drinks at SAMS Club for approx $.45 a drink and sell them for $3.00 - a $1.00 under Georgia Dome Prices and still a profit of $2.55 a drink. Oh and to get around that peskey rule of not selling drinks because the Georgia Dome is. Corps can get them some peal and stick labels and put thier own label on the drinks ... just think you could be drinking Blue Devils Sweat or Cadets Demon Juice or what about Scout's Swill? Hey support your local corps! Oh one last one Cavalier Pig Slobber aka SOOOUE!

NO I am not, I was just in the military for 30 years ... it kinda becomes a part of you. On man I long for the days of a military march of 8 to 5 .... Just to ponder why do we call it the guard anyways? What are they guarding?

Ok, I’m 50 … I’ve been around DCI so long I was one of the original “Friends of DCI”. I sat through 16 drum corps and enough of all this positive stuff everyone feeds everyone I wanted to share with you the cold hard brutal truth … only one corps will win and some corps are better than others. Deal with it. Here we go The Colts – what’s up with the lightning bolt on those uniforms? The Academy – What happened? Cavaliers have a sell on guard uniforms last year and you thought “The Matrix” look was cool? The Glassmen – Guard was scary – horn line wishes they were scary. Troopers – The Road Home? Come on I didn’t see an I-40 sign at all in your show. Ok, I will give it to you, you got me all emotional at the end with those old Trooper Flags waving off the background. SHAME on you for making an old man cry. I had a senior moment, sorry it won't happen again. Spirit of Atlanta – too much white … loose the white plumes. Man you guys spent a fortune on those story boards. Please let me know when you have a sale at the end of the year. I know a couple of movie theaters that would buy those from you. I think you have a solid Top 12 show. Now clean clean clean to stay their. Blue Stars – Why are the DCI judges picking on you? I thought you guys had a much more accessible show than last year’s “magic act”. But if you move across that scaffolding watch your dress and cover. Spacing issues up that high can be killer distraction. Blue Knights – I was so excited that you didn’t have one single “tide died” flag in your program. Still you have the oddest flags in DCI. Madison Scouts – I kept getting choked up during the middle of the program, I had to keep telling myself this is only a drum corps show don’t get carried away. Ok, I lied I said I wouldn't cry any more. Your ending was a little loud “thank you's” were heard from some of the fans … I have no idea what they were talking about. I thought business men wore dark suits in New York? Or is gray the new black? JZ and Alisha Keyes called and they want their song back, because you NOW OWN IT! Boston Crusaders – Well well, some music I actually knew. If you’re going to whistle coming on the field, put a microphone on ya, I could barely hear you. Where was the BLOOD? I’ve never seen wounded Airmen without blood! Come on this is DCI put on your war face. Santa Clara Vanguard – What’s up with the Plain Jane flags? Solid yellow? Huh? Did your order not come in? Drum line was smoking – only real Devil I saw on the field. Horn line, I think you’re over your head. I think I need to sit up higher to find out why random horn players just take off running for no reason during the program. BlueCoats – In a song you just described me with your opener,“I’m a creep, I’m a looser” best horn part of the night, of course I like Radio Head. Guard, please get rid of the color blind uniform/costume maker you used this year – those guard uniforms were just ALL wrong. Horns stop by the gas station on the way to Indy to fuel up, because you’re running out at the end. Phantom Regiment – Oh how I love to hate on these guys from Rockford Loves Park. I hate the word LOVE in anything. Ok, you had the best horn line of the night, drums were not as bad as I thought they were going to be and the guard was 100% rock solid. New uniform with some type of coat of arms in the middle was a little small and those mirrors kept distracting me; you should have made that coat of arms thing bigger! Carolina Crown – How many times are you going to play Queen before we all get sick of it? You’re like Madison with all those Maliguna songs they played. I was hoping to not like this show, but it works. It has a very cool hip vibe all it was missing was the smell of that wacky tobacco stuff we smell at rock concerts and you would have me. Oh BTW tell Jimi Hendricks Jr., he needs to throw that rifle higher at the end on top of the scaffolding he’s on. If he’s not careful he’s going to bust a score board one night. Oh one last thing, for finals the guys you surf over the horn line, put them in a judge’s uniform! That would be awesome if you could get a judge to crowd surf! Cavaliers – Ok, I hate you! I’ve been humming and singing Nature Boy all day. I can’t get it out of my head! I didn’t know Nate King Cole recorded that song. Taught me something new. See this old fart can learn a new trick. Guard this year wins the “extraordinary” costume award, and those stilts are nothing short of genius! I thought for a minute I was watching “Avatar” again. Oh those little feathers in the headgear of all the guard guys, I wish I could have seen their expressions when that uniform was unveiled. I’m sure they thought … “OMG you gotta be kidding me, I’ve gotta wear that all summer.” Cadets – shame on you! Tearing up a perfectly good baritone horn just for effect! Now if you threw some saxophones and flutes on the field that would have been WILD! I would have hated to be your drill writer keeping all the red guys and white guys in their own little groups like you did and then alternate red/white red/white all throughout the show. I thought for a minute you were about to pull a Phantom Regiment on me and play “Amazing Grace” the way they did OMG that would be the deal for sure for us old farts. All in all George I think you found a show that perfectly suits you! I liked it. Ok I said it now sue me. Blue Devils – WOW that guard loves those wild colors don’t they. Black and white and pink, ok I didn’t know those colors go together. BD’s new uniforms are a departure from conservative for sure … two white stripes on one pant leg – you need to send those back to FJM and get one sewn on each side. Nice old school throw back in your show to Burt Baccarat … one fan liked it, he yelled out “Thank You”. I bet the LOWES guy in Concord CA loves seeing you guys in May when you want to buy show props. Next year if you buy the middle section of the fence you got post for this year you will get a 5% discount! If you moved some of those cubes out the way you could march and move around more like the Cadets and Cavies. If I was judging the show last night here is how I would have judged it ..;. You don’t need no scores. 1st - Cadets 2nd – Tie Blue Devils and Cavies (I couldn’t make up my mind) 4th – Carolina Crown 5th – Phantom Regiment 6th – Blue Coats – and no one explained the “BLOOOOING” on the PA last night either YEA 7th – SCV – Devil is in your house but he didn't go down to Georgia 8th – Tie – Boston and Madison (I was going to put Madison in front of Boston – but I love a good war) 10 – Blue Stars – Brass line is really solid 11 – Blue Knights – I watched I listened and you are exactly where you should be 12 – Hometown Favorite – Spirit of Atlanta – I would love it if they would play “Let it Be Me” as a warm up! 13 - Troopers 14 - Glassmen 15 - The Academy 16 - The Colts Love me or hate me I speak my opinion. THIS IS MY OPINION, THIS ONE IS MINE, THERE ARE MANY LIKE IT BUT THIS ONE IS MINE. At Ease!

I know some of the older alumni from the Scott Stewart days say you really don't care about scores and it's all about the audience. Madison has been down this path before and ended up outside the top 12 and that created such a dominio effect that affected everything from talent ... to fans ... to souvie sales .... and income from DCI and others. I think the corps needs to stay in the 6 to 10 place range to stay in the minds of the fans - there has to be a happy medium between pleasing fans and pleasing judges. This show this year may hold those attributes, but the boys have to keep positive and keep working. But of course that's my opinion.

Whats up with the drum line? I won't see the show until Atlanta, but man the drums are getting hacked - 12th last night? Visual is now suffering 10th? Can we expect major rewrites the week before Atlanta? The excitment is fading can Madison tweak those problem areas by Atlanta and get the show back in the hunt for a 6-8 place finish. Boston is coming and they have the momentum right now.

Check out Madison's webpage. The boys are singing Never Walk near ground zero. Pretty moving moment, a bunch of guys from the mid-west paying their respect to the fallen heros of 9/11. I call that CLASSY!

Madison 2 points over Blue Stars tonight head to head. This is now getting exciting

You hit the nail on the head ... formula has to be a mix of a positive experience for the members, entertaining to the audience, competitive with the other top corps and playing the game with the DCI establishment. Without that mix we won't see Madison on Saturday night. Me personally, I would like to see Madison beat some of the DCI powers at their own game ... nothing would make me happier.

Already bought tickets for Atlanta and I can hardly wait. Final changes should be in by then and this show should a good gauge for the 2011 season. I would like to see Scouts in Top 6 or higher this year, passing Boston, Blue Star, SCV and PR. If I wasn't so busy with school stuff this summer I'd be out on the road again with the corps. So here is the best to you Scouts of 2011 ... I am excited and expecting great things this summer. Last summer definately DID NOT disappoint and I'm sure the same will go for this year as well. Bring It On Scouts!

John Shipper - Madison Scouts 1995 and 1996 esp 1996. He burnt the house down in 96.

Ok, enuff rumors ... spill it Chris ... what is the closer? BTW - I just checked out OWABM by Ray Charles on You Tube, please please please tell me the arrangement will have that kind of flavor, it was awesome!

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Jeff (MadAlumi) please check your messages and contact me. Thanks Wayne

Your prayers have been answered ... Madison Scouts will be practicing in MADISON on 8 and 9 July. Oh and they did that last year too on 2 and 3 July. SO all you Madison Scouts fans that live in MADISON get out and support the corps. PS it wouldn't hurt if you bought a t-shirt either.

I heard this through the grapevine too ... Cadets are going to be doing a salute to Country Music they will be peforming classics such as "Stand by Your Man", "Take this Job and Shove It" "Crazy Arms", and "Whiskey River Take My Mind". lol - hey don't rule it out ... "sitting on a park bench" was 2004 and no one thought they would do Rock by Tull ... but they did. :-) Good Luck Cadets at what ever your concept shall be.

The 1977 opener for the Madison Scouts is the first EVER drum corps I ever heard. I remember it rocked the house! I can't wait to hear what 150 men of Madison can do to/for "New York New York". You rookies out their, go to the DCI archives and take a listen, the opening 4 notes is what hooked me on drum corps and that was 35 years ago! I can still close my eyes and hear those opening cords in my head. Many of you thought the opening of "Slaugher" rocked ... you haven't heard nothing yet! Oh and for you Madison fans that loved this years show, Madison has a tour DVD on their website for sale. I spent $20 to support them ... because their show was the only want I wanted to watch again from the 2010 line up. So instead of spending $119.00 buying DCI's Top 12, I drop $20 and got exactly what I wanted from THE MADISON SCOUTS!