The Tsar

Sigh. It's honestly getting to the point where I have no use for DCI judging anymore. Still...it's a long way to the finish line yet.

I think we tend to see what we want to see in a corps' performance. Some people see weakness in BD's program, some see an unstoppable championship show. Some people see boring in Cavaliers' music program, some see more musical demand than PR. Some people see tired in Regiment's performance, some see the best performance tonight. To quote Rush... All puffed up with vanity, we see what we want to see To the beautiful and the wise, the mirror always lies. (Is there some kind of Godwin's law concerning quoting Rush?)

Visually, yes. Musically, no. I know that sounds glib, but...I write drill and have an advanced degree in music, and I'm just calling it as I see it. Color guard wise, I have no idea...it isn't my thing. Percussion-wise, also no idea. But I know enough to say Cavies > PR in Visual, and PR > Cavies in music. But....I don't have the fancy green shirt, so it doesn't matter what I think.

Drum corps is a lot like politics. A lot of pontificating, a lot of "my candidate/corps is best" sermonizing. A lot of inability to see the positive points in anyone other than your favourite. All we are missing is some Swift Boat ads, and we'd be set.

Short answer: Because judges are wacky? Long answer: Because they march really really really well. I would never take that from BD. However, from a design perspective, SCV and Cavaliers have been on a different level for years. It's cool if you don't agree. But BD beating Cavies' in GE Visual in 2006 was almost as funny as when they beat them in GE Visual in 2000. If you are really going to sit here and argue that the Blue Devils' visual design -from a flow, transition, and "picture" standpoint- is as good as Cavaliers, for example, well then, I'll just have to sit here and nod politely.

You don't think their MUSIC is as DEMANDING as Cavaliers? Wow. Well, everyone has their opinion. But I certainly disagree with yours on the musical front (I won't argue with you on the visual front).

Don't blame the crowd. I don't think the mics were picking up the crowd very well at times. I am sure the reaction from the fine people in Denver was just spiffy.

I wouldn't say it is a "hands down" inevitability tonight. But... It is good to see them go for the jugular, and I can totally see them taking a few shows from the Cavaliers before too long.

What stuff are they doing that I would not be familiar with? I've watched the show several times, and I must admit that the ONLY thing that engages me is the visual design. The music is played well, but...they're just isn't much to it. They had a much more complex book in 2004 for the James Bond show...this show just doesn't do anything for me. Granted, there are plenty of people out there who love it, but...I disagree with your premise that watching the show several times will make it grow on me. I am familiar with everything they are doing (except of course the original music), but am not a big fan of the show. Well, it is obvious to me that we have very different tastes, and there is no arguing taste. I agree that they've done some pretty dumb things when it comes to programming, but...I don't believe this show is one of them. If they have not created an atmosphere for you, then I don't know what to tell you. I've only seen the show on a less-than-stellar-quality web video, but the atmosphere they have tried to set up is clear to me. And how do the killings not fit the show? Spartacus is partly about gladiatorial combat. They didn't play "Rock Paper Scissors" in the arena. In one of the novels (there are at least two) Phrygia is murdered. And in several of the adaptations (novel and film) Spartacus is killed at the end. It isn't like they are taking poetic license...these are parts of the Spartacus "mythology." I am not entirely sure why SCV comes out unprepared (or so it seems). Their shows look very hard from a visual standpoint, and the music isn't easy either. Like they did in the early 2000s, SCV might be placing themselves out of contention with shows that are nearly impossible to clean. Well, very few corps are on the same level as SCV and Cavaliers. I wouldn't lump BD on there just yet. While their drill this year is much better than I am used to seeing, they are nowhere near as consistently creative (visually) as the two other corps you mentioned. As for Crown...their drill is fine. It allows them to do what they want to be doing musically. I haven't found this to be the case, so you'll have to point me to a specific instance so I can hear this. I'd be very surprised if Cavaliers won, simply because it will once again prove a point that I have stated in the past and seen others state recently: Phantom Regiment gets knocked (often) for its lack of visual demand and praised for their music demand. Cavaliers get praised for their visual demand....but don't get knocked for their lack of musical demand. It seems like an unfair double standard. However...I can totally see BD winning it all. Their show this year is quite good. They only have to worry about peaking, because they are firing on all cylinders right now.

You're not getting it. And it isn't worth explaining it. Just keep puffing your chest out. That will do all the talking you need.

Sarcasm misses a foothold in the hboyce household.

Nope. Keep it in. I think it is right in line with the theme of the show. In my opinion, it is nothing like the Vanguard yell. The attempt to yell "SUTA" during 2006 (or was it 2007) was a lame Vanguard-yell ripoff, but this is not. In order to make it heard, wait just a beat or two longer to say it, after the crowd applause has died down. But actually, it sounds to me like the audience heard it just fine...they seemed to chime in with "Die" at the right time. Maybe the microphones on the camera didn't pick it up from that far away. I have more of a problem with "I am Spartacus" than with "Live or Die."

I always suspected you had no taste. My top three, in no particular order: The Sting Jurassic Bark The Why of Fry

Seriously? Man, only people with inferiority complexes in some other part of their lives keep asserting their superiority in the one aspect at which they excel. Fess up. You're 4'11" aren't you? Napoleon complex, anyone?

A few more I thought of... Star of Indiana "Star to Star to Star to Star" or "Variations on a Star" (1990 closer) The entire last minute of drill (1990) "Loop dee loop dee loop" (1991) "Cross to Cross" as has been mentioned (1991) "Peek-a-Boo Sumo" (1993) "A plethora of Isosceles Triangles" (1993) Cadets "Z-Pull" (1984) "Disappearing Company Front" (1987) "Slow Motion Battle Wedge" (1989) "Airplane!" (1992) "Bow and Arrow" (1993) "Crazy Creepy Crawly Slinky" (2000)

Yes, there are a ton of posts like this in the DCP Past, but...I'd rather see one of these threads than another "Why Cadets are Evil" thread or a "BD is the Emperor of the World" thread or "Regiment sucks a fatty" thread. I jest, of course. A few favourite drill moves *Note: Some of these are probably not the move's real name, but rather what me and my friends have always called it Cavaliers (some of these moves are used in different years, I am only listing the year I can remember off the top of my head) "Dragon" (used in 1985 and 1986) "Boxes into Crosses" (used in 1989) "Tri-Circle" (used at the very beginning of the 1989 show) "DNA Helix" (used in 1995) "Diamond Cutter" (used in 1999 and 2000) "Impossibly tight Triangle" (used around 5:20 of their 2000 show) "Block into Diamond into Cross back into Block into Wedge Hop" (around 3:15 of their 2002 show) Opening Sequence (2003 show) "Bubble through water" (used in 2004) "Stretch Armstrong" (used in the 2006 show) Santa Clara Vanguard "Humongous Cross Front" (1987 opener) "Diamond into Block" (1991 opener) "Basses hauling tuckus around low brass" (1998) "Y into T into I" (1999 opener and closer) Opening sequence (2003 show) Delayed ripples (2006 show) Blue Devils "Tank treads" (2001 or 2002 show, can't recall) Phantom Regiment "Icebergs" (1987-1991, in some variation) "Box Cross-Thru" (1988, 1989, and a wicked triple cross in 1992) "W Pull" (1989, 1991) "Crab Step" (1993) "Variations on Follow-the-Leader" (2005) "Sumo Pentagram" (2006) "Triquetra into Angel Wings" (2006) I am sure there are many more I have forgotten.

Sounds like you and I are from the same era, therefore, I think I can say this safely: Very few Top 5 corps performances from that era would stand up well today. That isn't because of a lack of quality, mind you, but rather because the adjudication system looks at totally different things these days. Garfield 87, Madison 88, SCV 89, and Cadets 90 are examples of shows that I think would not medal these days (feel free to disagree). Because the top corps were not performing at the same level that today's top corps are performing at, I'd have to say that it was just as difficult for the lower-placing corps to make Finals as it is today...maybe even more so. Take a look at 1987. Great year for corps, right? Florida Wave, a very solid corps that beat several top 12 corps that year, finishes out of Finals by 6 tenths. Boston, Dutch Boy, Crossmen, Troopers, Marauders...they all finished out of Finals behind Sky Ryders, Bluecoats, and VK. Those were (for that time) some very good corps. Would they compare well to corps #s 10-16 today? Probably not. But then again, that was 21 years ago, after all. Back in 1987, there were only 35 or so corps competing at the Division I level. You have to go back to the early 80s to find Division I teeming with 50 corps, though, and that of course was a completely different era (tick system, symmetrical drill, etc.)

From my perspective, I am encouraged by the PR Visual GE scores. I am a little disappointed by the guard score, but...I am pretty sure that will clean up really nicely over the next few weeks.

Regiment took first in music performance. They took third in color guard only (along with some of the subcaptions).

Surprisingly so. It's quite refreshing. Can't wait to see what they add to the show. Even if it finishes 8th place, I am a fan of what they put out on the field this year...outstanding job, guys.

Dang, you beat me to it by a couple of minutes.

1990 Phantom Regiment and 1990 Blue Devils? Both started out undefeated for a huge chunk of the season...and both got passed up by the Cavaliers at DCI Midwest. (Oh, and both ended up getting passed by nearly everyone else and finished tied for 4th...how fitting).

Have they not been wearing bauldrics?

1987 1988 1993 1997 2005

If this is the case...then why not allow all 20 corps in Finals? I mean, it would give 8 extra corps' worth of kids a great experience, and it would obviously add more corps for the crowd to be entertained by. (I don't want to see that, I'm just taking your argument to a logical extreme. Frankly, I think if DCI is going to insist on doing Qtrs-Semis-Finals, it should do Quarters, weed out all but the top 12 for Semis, then the top 8 for Finals, and allow the lower-division champions a chance to perform on Finals Night).