gellio

Right! Sorry 7th place for the Vanguard is just not good enough. The programing coming out of Santa Clara since 2001 is just not good enough!

Well, maybe this is a good thing. Their just not my favorite corps anymore. IMO, Vanguard has lost their way since 2001, getting it back briefly in 2004 and 2005. I would rather them march 2005 and place 8th every year, then do what they've been doing since. The visual was great in '08, but to me their shows have just lacked the Vanguard power, grace and emotion that was dominant in their past. There is so much great classical music out there - it boggles my mind why Vanguard has choosen (by and large) to play the music that has sucked the passion right out of classical music.

I only loved two shows this year - Regiment and Crown.

It happens? I realize judges are human - but WOW! I thought judges were supposed to be unbiased and capable of evaluating a performance based on it's merits alone. I'm not ragging on you, but I think this shows that it's impossible to remove bias or preconceived notions from drum corps judging.

Don't you all see how this illustrates just how flawed the current system is? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't their some purpose in giving a corps a certain score? I mean, if you get a 9.5, isn't there some type of reasoning behind a 9.5 - i.e. achieving a performance level worthy of some criteria required to get a 9.5? I've always been confused about this, because you should score in relation to every other corps based on performance level and I assume a set of criteria needed to achieve a certainly level of a score. Are we really to believe that the lower corps always have worse shows, the middle the same, and only the top corps improve? I guess what I'm asking is, is there a certainly level a corps has to achieve to say earn a 9.5 in brass?

Sweetie, are you drunk? :) Come on now, try to comprehend when you read :)

Please no! I'm so sick of 1812. Even Tchaikovsky himself called it bombastic, and I'd agree. I'd love to see them do a show will all music coming from Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty. Symphony No. 2 "Little Russian" would be even better!

I'd LOVE that. 1985 was always my favorite Regiment show - until this year :)

I know this is off topic, but I'm hoping someone here would know where Elsa is? I am a huge Wagner fan, but more so the later works (Ring, Tristan, Parsifal and Meistersinger). I have all his works on CD, but have hardly ever listened to Lohengrin -it's the one I've neglected the most. I am listening to it now, as I want to hear it and find Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral. I have the Solti recording with the Vienna Philharmonic, Norman and Domingo. Does anyone know where on this recording Elsa's Procession is? Or, does anyone know the German titling, so I can look for it? Much appreciated. P.S. I'm suing Phantom Regiment when I go deaf from listening to their QF ADP at ear-searing volume :) Is there any other way to listen to that opening?

Agreed. As much as I disagree with Hopkins' policies, the Cadets have ALWAYS been one of the classiest corps on the field.

There may have been a tie in overall score, but an outright winner would have been declared based on ordinals.

Disagree. That show would place no where near 10th place today. Maybe 5th this year, but no where near 10th. Drum corps has not evolved THAT much since 1989. When you look at the differences from 1979 to 1982, it's extremely more advanced than 1982 to 2008.

They didn't repeat the entire show from 1988. It was quite different. Furthermore, no returning member from 1988 marched the same drill or played the same book. Every member of that 1989 corps learned and marched a whole new show, just like everyone else in every other corps. Maybe they had an advantage from a design standpoint, but as far as the members concerned, they marched a new show.

Oh, no ones every posted something like this before. You're really original and funny.

You're close - Spirit's first competitive season was 1977 (they weren't fledgling, they were new) and they finished 21st. In their 2nd season (1978) they finished 6th. Congratulations Blue Stars. I think this may be the first time in their history that they have broken 90.

Congratulations 2008 Phantom Regiment. I was trying to follow BD's blog and it went out. I kept hitting refresh on dci.org, but that was failing too. I went to soundmachine.org and saw someone posted to the scores. I almost flipped out - are these real? Then, they popped up at dci.org. I just have to say I am thrilled and so excited for this organization. What a way to end the Cavies streak of 11 years of not losing to Regiment - by winning the DCI Title. I am thrilled and so happy. Congratulations Regiment - may this be your first (solo) title of many.

I'm so happy tonight!

Disagree. 2005 was absolutely a 3rd place show, and IMO 2006 was a championship caliber show! They and the Cavies were so close in final scores it's impossible to argue, and it would be impossible to argue had Phantom won that year as well.

They have had stronger guards, but there's no way this is a 12th place guard.

I agree - she is a BAD judge. I was worried she was going to knock Madison out of finals too, and she almost did!

Nothin' to be off the hook for. I was just giving you ####. I mean, so what if you liked XMen better? The Scouts aren't my favorite this year either - goes to Phantom and Crown for sure. My usual favorite SCV, isn't even up there on my list this year.

Nothin' to be off the hook for. I was just giving you ####. I mean, so what if you liked XMen better? The Scouts aren't my favorite this year either - goes to Phantom and Crown for sure. My usual favorite SCV, isn't even up there on my list this year.

Where have I said the judges screwed them? Where have I praised everything they do? Obviously, theirs is not the best show in DCI, but it's a lot better than last year. I'm thrilled. In fact, I think the only corps I've praised this year are Phantom and Crown.....and I'm thrilled for LaCrosse too.

Ah, no biggie. We're all just really excited. I'm excited for XMen too, as they are obviously on the way up. And, we all spout off with our opinions - it's called passion. I'm still going to write DCI and tell them you should judge all captions next year

Interesting. Would it really fit with their show? I think they should DO IT!!!!