Ed Boxer

Nice job Academy - they step up their drill, they could move into finals next year. That said, they really watered down the bass book a lot.

Troop - nice job, great tonguing , beautiful ballad. My only gripe - that ridiculous guard move where they role on their back and stick one leg up in the air. Can that please get permanently retired (as its ########)

you can choose one or the other So far - Crossmen - really sad to see them in 17th. But a show that is much ado about nothing doesn't help. Spirit - nine job, but I rally hated the opening synth. And, maybe its just me, but I didn't get the "Icon" theme.

This is all great stuff. However, there is one HUGE component missing. 9. Get back to developing a melody, entertaining the audience and playing a show that not only gets the fans out of their seats, but wants them to come back for more. For me, that has been the rapid decline over the last 4-8 years.

More likely - "Get yours syths and amps off my lawn"

Recaps are up

There is a HUGE difference between playing a melody and develolping a musical phrase.

QUOTE of the YEAR!

Sorry if I missed it, butwhere is teh 2010 DCI Calendar??

Received the DCI Survey via email today. They cover all of the problems of LOS. But not the use of electronic brass enhancement.

I was there as well. I still can not watch any of the videos. Lived it much to closely. And our view from our apartment windows was the Trade Center, so we saw the smoke for weeks afterward. I can't even look at the 9/11 lights they do every year for more than a few minuntes.

One that hasn't been mentioned - PR 96 opening. The music and drill oozed elegance. IMO, one of the most effective pieces of drill ever.

I can understand where your students are coming from. I think the best explanation is the rules. And an analogy would be Boxing vs MMA vs UFC. They are all competing towards the same goal, but the rules are different. I see marching band as MMA and UFC - anything goes. I see DCI as boxing. If you want to participate, you have to abide by the rules. If that means you have to learn a new skill to participate, then that's what it will take to participate.

Coming into this conversation late, but was it ESPN's fault that the broadcast didn't bring in new audiences, or (bare with me here) was it the fault of the shows being shown on ESPN that were unable to connect or draw in an audience. I'll revert back to the Indy (newspaper?) comment: he/she did not seen any coherency. If the neebie can't see the coherency of 1 show, there used to be 11 others that would entertain them. The Indy comment was that he/she could only find coherency in 3-4 shows. You cannot draw new people to an activitity if they cannot reasonably be able to figure out what is going on and why it is going on.

Surprised it hasn't been metntioned, but PR 08 was in your face classic brass.

Anyone purchased any of these yet? How is the sound compared to the seeing/hearing the live performances in that metal can?

But those guys weren't playing when they were being climbed. I can fully appreciate the sound that Cavies have, however it is a very safe sound. Its very pretty. But its also pretty bland. It rarely excites me. That said, most orchestral brass play with edge when required. I remember seeing Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra astound me with the edge that the brass section had in a performance of Brahms 1st back in the 60s. You want edge, go see Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera some time. The Met orchestra has become one of the greatest orchestras in the world. And during many sections of the Ring Cycle, including Seigfried's Rhine Journey, Siegfried's Funeral March, and the Immolation scene, the Met's brass section will peel your face. BTW, one of the Met's trumpets was in PR.

Many keyboard pit instruments when playing piano/soft cannot be heard without the amplification. Miking of the keyboard pits has allowed the pit to play with much more nuance. That said, most of the pits are too loud, so loud that soft passages come across as forte and fortes can be almost painful. IMHO, guitars, basses, etc. are sting instruments and have no business in Drum Corps. The big issue I have with the Synths this year was the doubling or substituting for brass. That, for me, degrades the efforts and abilities of the brass players as well as the pure sound of the brass. Was that really the brass playing their hearts out giving it their all or was it the synth cranked up? Not a reaction I want to have.

Ok, was this video pulled already cause I can't find it?

Great article, but I don't understand how you could not even mention the acoustical problems. Or not mention that some of these shows only received golf applause due to their design. While certainly a very positive blog, IMO, it is lacking some in the reality department. Anyway - a few of my joys: SCV - Ballet for Martha - show of the year Troopers - One Hand One Heart - beautiful arrangement Seeing and hearing all the corps in Allentown a week before the Oil Can debacle. I know some of you don't get Allentown - for me it is the sound. The corps playing against the natural embankment of the seats built into the hill just makes the sound soooo warm. Not a lot of metal/concrete structure to bounce off of and the usual humidity in Allentown seems to keep the sound in your face.

I hate to burst your bubble, but I was in the first row of Section 240 on the 50, and guess what, the sound sucks, middle and low range becomes inaudibale, percussion is noise. I sent my note to DCI as well and have yet to receive their form letter.

Case in point, when DCI merged Divs II and III into Open class, most of the Div III corps folded.

Nope, do you really think the Colts are going to even consider spending the dollars it would take to make the acoustcial adjustments for a 3 day event once a year. Not in a million years. They have a signed contract and are sitting back waiting for the next check to come in.

So have I and I have taught customer service. One angry person may be bitter, but 100s upon 100s of posts here alone about LOS, that requires a public statement from DCI. Without doing so, they risk their reputation:  They risk being seen as deceitful for their statement in 2006 about the roof  They risk getting a reputation for not caring about the paying customer  They risk being seen as trying to scam the customer by sending renewals for 2010 before the customer found out how bad LOS was. In customer service – open honesty and explanation is the only policy.

You certainly cannot rely on location or home field advantage to guarantee crowd support. Allentown in 2007 and 2008 politely applauded the hometown Cadets. You get standing O's because you program your show to elicit that reaction from the audience. BD's program simply failed to elicit that reaction.