ross6200

1982 is my favorite. It's the first show I ever saw, and was a real game changer with Zingali's drill and that horn line. The beginning of what would become decades of dominance in the activity. 1982 really put the rest iof the drum cops world on notice. I marched Cadets starting in 1984, so I never watched that show live. But I suspect 1984 could be one of the best drum corps shows ever. I am devastated that I will never again get chills when I see the maroon and gold take the field.

Congrats to all the 2018 Cadets!

I saw SVC online only. And after one viewing - heck, throughout the entire viewing - I knew I LOVED their show, both musically and visually. Musically I thought it was a masterpiece, although I knew none of the music. I have a music degree. I marched & taught for several years, and consider myself 'old-school' when it comes to drum corps. So I am an expert on nothing! But I know what I like. And even with things I don't like or prefer, I am always able to find artistic merit, because I know my opinion is not fact and is not shared with everyone. So for this original poster to call this show an EPIC FAIL as if he/she is an expert....well, I consider that review to be an epic fail! In fact, having listened to the original source material, I am amazed at how seamlessly and beuatifully SCV was able to integradte all these themes musically and visually in a way that was endlessly compelling. And yes, I can't stop hearing the tunes in my head. For me (I've been a DCI fan since the mid-1970's), this is is one of the Top 10 shows ever. Of course this is just my opinion. Nice job, SVC. Well deserved!! Ross 1984-88 Garfield Cadets FHNSAB

Congratulations to the Cadets for an amazing season. It may not have shown up in the form of a medal, but this show was a real winner in my opinion. I am a Cadets veteran who marched in the 1980s, and do consider myself 'old-school' - so I typically don't like vocals and amplifiaction, etc. But I have to say that this Cadets show was groundbreaking in how it seamlessly (and successfully) brought so many elements together in a production that really blew me away. I will admit that early in the season, I was underwhelmed by the show. But the growth that happened both creatively and from a membership standpoint (I understand there were a LOT of rookies) was incredible. This turned into one of my favorite shows this season - and one my favorite Cadets shows ever. Normally I wouldn't have posted this. But Cadets members are likely seeing a lot positive and negative comments about the show on this forum, and I thought they should be congratulated for an amazing job pulling off a classic show. I am not a fan of vocals or changes to the Cadets uniform. And I am also not religious. And STILL I loved this show!!!! Well done 2017 Cadets!!!

1982 Blue Devils - colorguard wore spandex uniforms, incorporated more dance and used wings and feathers 1983 Garfield Cadets - entire production of Mass/Rocky Point Holiday redifined what a drum corps show could be; while other corps were still performing 'variety' shows, Cadets created a show that was one unified concept. Also, all the elements (brass, percussion, guard) were incoprated into the drill design (not seperate entities) - especially how the percussion was integrated & marched (I think they invented the 'crab' marching style that year?) 2005/2011 Cadets - The Zone and Angels & Demons brought new 'theming' idea to the field; drum cops became more of a production/theater-like 2016 Bluecoats - completely did away with drum corps convention in regards to uniforms, staging and presentation. A game changer!

YES - one of the highlights of my years as a Cadet. Maybe my life! yes - we stood there motionless, proudly....but my body was screaming BLUE DEVILS!!!!!! Thanks, Stu Stu for posting! First time I've ever seen this clip! THAT is why the Cadets stand still....to keep from falling over when the Blue Devils are playing in your face! Talk about discipline!

Not sure why this is such a big deal to some people. Everyone should define for themselves the best way to react and behave, without being judged negatively for it. To assume that George and the members of the Cadets 'felt' a certain way or were being disrepectful is just plain wrong. The Cadets organization chose to react in a way that suits them and honors their tradition. As a former Cadet - I can only say that disrepecting competitors is the absoulte opposite of what happened Saturday night. The Cadets have an 80 year history, dating back to pre-WW2. And much of the Cadets traditions are rooted in military traditions. One of these is standing completely still regardless of what is going on around you. Period. The Cadets move, perform and behave as a unit. They react as a unit. The individual is NOT more important than the unit - at least while you are wearing that Cadets uniform! When I marched, we won a couple, we lost a couple. Our reaction was always the same: Wait until everyone leaves the field (if we won) or head back to the buses (if we didn't) before we react. There are many more traditions the Cadets adhere to - and take pride in (miltary haircuts & no facial hair, for example). THis does not make the Cadets better or worse than another corps, just different. It's what defines them, and that will never change. And as for why they left the field so quickly: the competition was over. the field belonged to the champions. And as the Cadets always have done, they returned to their 'base' (buses) so they could celebrate their season as a unit. I am sure they are not feeing sorry for themselves. They delivered an amazing show, scored an impressive 97, and achieved greatness. If there is any disapointment in dropping to 3rd, I'm sure it is far outweiged by the celebration of what they achieved this summer - a feeling they can all share an enjoy AWAY from the field, in private among their fellow Cadets. That being said, the Blue Devils and Bluecoats were awesome. They deserved their placements. And they earned the right to celebrate the way they saw fit. What a great night!

Fair enough!

OK.. Just to stir the pot a little....why WAS BD congratulating Bluecoats a classy move? Trying to figure this one out...... Is congratulating someone for beating someone (while that someone else is standing right there) a classy move? Why bot congratulate Cadets for taking the bronze? And for the record, I think Bluecoats deserved the silver.

So, if there were one more week left in the season, the Blue Devils kids really couldn't improve? Not just their score, but their own individual performance?

I agree in theory. But by giving any corps a perfect score, you're basically saying that there is no room for improvement. I guess I've always felt (and been taught) that there is no such thing as perfection. But it's the attempt to get there that makes the hard work worth it, and so much fun.

Loved Blue Devils. Deserved to win for sure, so I don't want my comment here to be seen as negative in any way towards the kids that did such an awesome job tonight. But the judging community ought to be ashamed of themselves for letting the scores get out of hand this year. Was the BD show the best drum corps show ever? Was it even the bst BD show ever? Tough to say. 1980, 1982, 1986 BD were all just as great relative to their competition - an just as clean as this year's BD show. But a near 100 should never even be possible. For the integrity of the activity, I think the judges this year really messed up.

I think this year's show is a masterpiece. I 'got it' the first time I saw it live a couple of weeks ago. But I'll admit that on this weekend's live webcast, it loses a lot of it's effect, and is not as impressive a production. On the other hand, I have only seen Crown's show via live webcast, and think this show is absolutely incredible. So I can only imagine what the show must be like to see and hear live (sadly, I won't get the chance). Cadets show is very clean and is performed very well. Crown's show still is dirty, but it seems they have not improved 'the dirt' much from when I saw them in June. So if Crown can't clean this show up, while the cadets continue to improve their show, Cadets could take the title running away. IMO - the Cadets shouldn't change a thing, especially the closer, which I think is brilliant! One of my favorite DCI moments ever. Blue Devils show continues to grow on me. I think as they continue to up their performance level, they will have a good chance to pass Crown as well. So I feel bad for Crown if they can't clean their show...because their production is s real winner.

How about the Freelancers? They made finals a few years in the early-mid 1980s, then took a year off/folded in 1986. Then came back again the next year and were in finals within a couple of years. The Sky Ryders came in 9th in 1986, then dropped to as low as 19th by 1990, only to jump up to 12th the next year, 1991.

Have to disagree with you here. I never saw any of the 1983 drum corps shows live (I was a poor HS student with no car). But when I saw the PBS broadcast, it was clear to me that Garfield's show was totally different from anything else on the filed that year. Sure, I wish I could have seen it live, but a poor PBS telecast wasn't enough to hide the Cadet's greatness and innovation. Only a few months after that broadcast, I was at a Cadets audition camp, and marched there until I aged out!