ChicagoFan

I always enjoyed: Rockland Defenders San Jose Raiders Valley Fever Royal Brigade Seattle Imperials A couple of these groups (Valley Fever, Royal Brigade) came and went pretty quickly but had a few strong years and managed to crack the top 25.

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that the skirts (as well as new uniforms for the entire corps) only made their appearance on 2nd tour. I agree with Sue. I think the photo of the guard member is from either '79 or first half of the '80 season.

Keep in mind that DCI provides a pre-show supper for those fans that purchase the super premium tickets to this event.

I've only seen it at finals and, no, they are not plastic. As I said earlier, my experience is that the streamers have been made of crepe paper or are simply rolls of TP.

It's mostly a tradition with PR. Phantom supporters usually supply streamers to their fans and people in the immediate seating area. They're usually crepe paper.

Did you play Save the Children of Sanchez?

Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht is, essentially, tonal and quite beautiful. It would make a striking ballad. Berg's Wozzek, though far more avant garde, is hauntingly dramatic and might work well for PR or Blue Knights.

I wonder if Ramiro Barrera took calculus. It's rumored Scott Steward never did.

Wikipedia is a wonderful thing. (I'm a college professor. I took calculus. And I strongly discourage the use of Wikipedia and other such online reference sites.)

How many other corps are also now holding auditions and camps in Texas? Crossmen aren't the only game in town.

Don't you mean integer?

Memphis Blues did a gospel-themed show in either '82 or '83. As I recall, all the music was from the gospel canon (or closely related), pews were brought out onto the field to simulate a church service, complete with the drum major as preacher and the guard as the joyful congregation. It was a good idea that certainly played on Memphis' southern heritage but, alas, the corps struggled that year and really didn't have the numbers to pull off the show.

I purchased the $125 finals tickets as soon as they went on sale back in the fall, as well as the most expensive tickets to semis and quarterfinals. Yes, those tickets were expensive but it's worth it to me to sit in (presumably) the best seats in the house for finals. (Where I may wind up now that we're no longer in Lucas Oil is anybody's guess.) I am, however, beginning to have a hard time justifying the price of tickets to non-finals events, particularly those held early in the season and only attracting 2-3 top corps.

No doubt there is some good music in the repertoire and, hopefully, the program will come together to boost the Scouts back up in the standings but these show announcements make me laugh. Instead of just saying "we're playing some Latin music" it's couched in the excess verbage of "an exploration of cultural evolution" and "...a stoic observer across the passage of time, is a metaphor for consistency within the context of profound change." Mmm hmm.

Another problem with fan scoring -- alluded to by others -- is that the corps with the most fans in the audience on any particular night could wind up the winner, regardless of the quality of their performance. Do we really want to turn drum corps judging into American Idol?

How's this for an analogy: I was bowling with some friends last night and we lost the final game by only a few pins in the 10th frame. I was the last bowler and all I needed to do was pick up my spare to put us ahead. I missed the spare. I apologized to the team and felt, in some way, responsible for losing the game. However, if ANY ONE of my teammates had scored a few more points or if anyone else had picked up an additional spare, we would have won. It's a team effort. Likewise, a corps' score is a cumulative score for the entire unit. Yes, one or two members may have committed an infraction that resulted in a tick/penalty, but the entire corps contributes to the overall score.

Do you ever think about what you write? Or does your brain disengage when the fingers begin to move? Suggesting that the design team at BD doesn't have a grasp on being entertaining borders on absurdity, while to demean one of the most talented and respected writers in the history of the activity demonstrates just how little you really know about drum corps.

You should if it's the end of a phrase or an obvious cadential pattern. Just saying....

Just a thought: why not use drum corps music as the background rather than the piano track?

Well, there's nothing like keeping an open mind...

It seems we are already precariously close to the oft-mentioned mega corps scenario, in which but a few wealthy corps with fully professional staffs and ranks filled with only top-flight musicians are the norm. Removing age-out restrictions would bring us even closer to that day of "professional" drum corps, in my opinion.

I say this as a guy who was in guard: I'm still a little sad to see Phantom's guard go co-ed. I always felt there was something uniquely stylish and appealing about an all-girl auxiliary.

Pioneer was one of only two corps (the other being Madison) that had a recruiting table in the marketplace/souvie area at WGI finals. They had a very impressive display and some nice brouchures available for potential members. Here's hoping they sparked some interest.

As one who purchased premium tickets way back in the fall, I'm not really looking forward to finding out where my seats will be in the new venue.

The problem with this line of reasoning is that there are very few new corps coming along to take the place of those that fold.