Longtime Fan

Finlandia is a great piece...huge ending...has it ever been done by drum corps?

Yes, Crusaders rehearsing at the school. Close to 24 hours of custodial time x 2 guys. For a full show, multiply that by six or seven corps. And the pipers will be playing so....come on out!

Yep! And I've even been to concerts costing more than that fore just one entertainer! No offense to this writer but....most fans have no idea of the cost of this activity. Just an example...custodians working a holiday weekend, overnight, can easily make $35 an hour...or more. At least two of them....you do the math :-)

The Boston Crusaders will give a public performance at West Milford High School, 71 Highlander Dr, West Milford NJ on Sunday, July 5 at 7:30 PM to benefit the Highlander Band. The Raiders from Wayne NJ will also perform. Tickets are $10 adult, $7 student, under 12 free. West Milford is located 30 minutes from Willowbrook Mall. Take Route 23 North; R on Echo Lake Rd, L on Macopin Rd, R on Highlander Dr.

I went to DC as a volunteer with the Cadets. Depart South Jersey 3AM; arrive parking area at RFK Stadium 5:30. Spectator buses everywhere. A very efficient shuttle system gets us downtown before sunrise. Mobs of people headed to the Mall and the inauguration. Hard to get around due to closed areas. Thousands of port-o-johns....but few concession areas. Must pass thru security to get to the parade route--the first checkpoint has a city block full of people on line waiting; after an hour we have not moved forward at all. A parade vol tells us of a checkpoint two blocks down with no line so we go there. There is a line but we get thru in 1/2 hour. No signs or directions...the only poorly organized part of the event. Get to the parade route at 10 AM....good viewing spot. A line of police officers standing ten feet apart line the entire route....with another line of military behind them. Wait....and wait some more. Very cold...temp around 30 degrees, wind chill in the teens. Inauguration ceremony broadcast over loudspeakers. More wait. The parade is supposed to start about 2:30.....but is delayed due to Senator Kennedy's illness and collapse at the luncheon. Finally....around 4 PM....the parade starts...very slowly. The first units were DC and Capitol police and military. Finally the Obama's ....walking....surrounded by press and Secret Service. A quick glimpse and they are past. Then....at least 75% of the spectators leave. Route practically deserted for most of the bands. You could have walked up at that point and have the best seat in the house. Felt bad for the bands late in the parade. Waited all day, all the money to get there, and no one watching. One right after the other....nothing between them. Too bad. Then a long walk to the metro, train back to RFK, and another long walk around the stadium to get back to the bus. A very long cold day. Glad for the experience....but never again.

Groups had to keep moving....no "performances" allowed. Otherwise the parade would have been 6 hours long.

I went to DC as a volunteer with the Cadets. Depart South Jersey 3AM; arrive parking area at RFK Stadium 5:30. Spectator buses everywhere. A very efficient shuttle system gets us downtown before sunrise. Mobs of people headed to the Mall and the inauguration. Hard to get around due to closed areas. Thousands of port-o-johns....but few concession areas. Must pass thru security to get to the parade route--the first checkpoint has a city block full of people on line waiting; after an hour we have not moved forward at all. A parade vol tells us of a checkpoint two blocks down with no line so we go there. There is a line but we get thru in 1/2 hour. No signs or directions...the only poorly organized part of the event. Get to the parade route at 10 AM....good viewing spot. A line of police officers standing ten feet apart line the entire route....with another line of military behind them. Wait....and wait some more. Very cold...temp around 30 degrees, wind chill in the teens. Inauguration ceremony broadcast over loudspeakers. More wait. The parade is supposed to start about 2:30.....but is delayed due to Senator Kennedy's illness and collapse at the luncheon. Finally....around 4 PM....the parade starts...very slowly. The first units were DC and Capitol police and military. Finally the Obama's ....walking....surrounded by press and Secret Service. A quick glimpse and they are past. Then....at least 75% of the spectators leave. Route practically deserted for most of the bands. You could have walked up at that point and have the best seat in the house. Felt bad for the bands late in the parade. Waited all day, all the money to get there, and no one watching. One right after the other....nothing between them. Too bad. Then a long walk to the metro, train back to RFK, and another long walk around the stadium to get back to the bus. A very long cold day. Glad for the experience....but never again.

Watching in Clifton NJ....if PR doesn't win, it's a travesty.

I've been attending shows for many years and have never seen audience reaction like the final three Saturday at Allentown. Cadets were great....and then it seemed nothing could possibly top Crown. But then Phantom did.....this was drum corps at its best.

Yeah, I don't remember Crown's specific GE placement either, but the point is they didn't take first or second despite what clearly was a GE packed show. All you have to do is check out the crowd and the standing O's. And many of the other corps, when they get to what they must think is a big hit....get just polite applause.

Sometimes "obscure" music makes for great shows.....thinking Cadets 92 and 2000 as examples. And familiar music is no guarantee of anything. But occasionally a corps catches lightning in a bottle and puts together a package that really clicks. The music, the drill, the visual....the sum is much greater than the parts. I think Crown did it twice in the past four years, 2004 and 2007. This activity had better find a way to reward such achievent.

It is interesting the show fans liked above all others....didn't even make top 5 on the field! Perhaps Crown didn't play or march quite as well as those who finished ahead of them in 2007. But what did they place in GE, fourth or fifth? Which is the big problem with today's judging and explains why there are not more GE oriented shows. If a corps puts on a show like Crown and gets audience reaction far greather than the others....but places fifth in GE....something is very wrong.

Hypothetical: An Open Class corps has a program idea sure to be popular with fans and inspire enthusiastic crowd reaction, standing O's and all. But its not cutting edge and may not get "respect" from other corps staff and possibly the judging community. But fans would love it. Would that show ever see the field?

Have not seen SCV alumni.....wish I could. "Never to be seen again....." refers to competing corps. My prediction only but......can't see that it would ever be brought back.

How about th Bottle Dance in 92? The entire guard. Gail Royers last year. Everyone knew it was coming.....and that it would never be seen again. The tension.....anticipation og the crowd.....fantastic!