DCI dad

Congrats to The Cadets ,2011 DCI Champs. My son marched in high school with one of their visual techs. I marched in high school with The Cadets drum majors' father. Couldn't be happier for them. Also, congrats to Blue Devils on a fantastic 5 year run...3 golds and 2 silvers. What a great return to finals for Spirit of Atlanta! Go baby blue!

Way to go SPIRIT!!

Had a great band director in high school and we watched tapes of PBS in the 1970's during class. We then took a band trip to Birmingham for 1980 Finals and I was hooked. We had two band members marching 27th Lancers that year. 25 years later I went to 2005 DCI Finals in Foxboro to see my son march.

Speedy recovery to you Ryan! We were on our feet applauding you in section 641 when you left the field. I applaud you now on being such a tough kid. Thanks for letting us know you are doing well. Our thoughts and prayers will continue during your recovery.

All I can say is thank you Scouts. 1975 Scouts was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I have looked forward to this production since it was announced. I saw it in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome and it was great. It will bring the house down in Indy. I can't wait. We will be on our feet for you guys in Indy!

After first live show of 2010: BD is executing at an amazing level. Bluecoats and Cavies are looking good. Madison made me smile. The crowd is gonna go nuts @ Finals.

It was inevitable. Every other thread seems to end up in the same place.

Just my opinion from Club level on the 45, Madison got the most frequent applause.....and had the largest tossed baby moments. I can only imagine what it will be like in Indy. Luckily I will get to experience it from the 50 in the upper deck for finals and the 45 lower level for semifinals. All the top 6 got standing O's of varying intensity at the end. Great Show!!!

From the 45 yrd line in club level: Loudest hornlines were... Madison Scouts Carolina Crown Blue Devils Bluecoats in no particular order.

Enjoyed the show on video. I hope to love the show when I see it Saturday in Atlanta. We are sitting on the 50 in club level at the Georgia Dome. Can't wait.

2005 Cadets, PR, Spirit, 2006 Machine, Faust, Godfather part Blue, Spirit's opener. 2007 Spirit encore " Georgia on My Mind" soloist was my kid that year. Awesome feeling! 2008 Bluecoats boxer ballad....just wow. BD & PR at finals. 2009 Finals, Blue Devils undefeated! Kid got a ring and is still grinning.

I am also looking forward to Atlanta. It will be my 1st live show this year. Lived in metro ATL for 25 yrs & have never been afraid to ride MARTA. I usually park at the Holmes station (last one on the west side) and ride it into town. There is also ample parking around the GA DOME, CNN Center, Philips Arena area. This year I'm staying at the Omni CNN Center to have a nice weekend with the wife. Say hello if you see me in the bar. I will be the guy in the Blue Devil shirt with a vodka martini.

Bridgemen staged a scrimmage after their show at DCI finals in 1980 in Birmingham. Part of it is on the Legacy dvd. After an amazing performance to just be able to let loose like that. The crowd went "bananas".

Do it up Devils! Saturday should be interesting. Looking forward to first live viewing in Atlanta.

Way to go Spirit! Can't wait to see them live in Atlanta. DCI dad

Spirit of Atlanta 1980 was incredible. 1980 Finals was my first live DCI show and Spirit was LOUD. Today's corps shows cannot match the sheer volume of those old shows. Consider the G horns and the easier drill. Also the ability to let fly after the gun led to loud shows. I'll have to admit, I miss those blaring endings after the gun. I enjoy today's shows too (my son marched for the last 5 years), but SOA 1980 and Madison 1980 were super loud in Birmingham.

If you are still are looking for tickets, I am no longer able to attend. I have the following: Quarterfinals: 3 tickets in section 537, row 2, seat 10,11,12. Semifinals: 5 tickets in section 139, row 11, seat 1,2,3,4,5 (Great for ageout and Star of Indiana Alumni Corps). Finals:5 tickets in section 641, row 3, seat 5,6,7,8,9. Also have 2 tickets to Murfreesboro in section 1RR, row 2, seat 1 & 2. Let me know if anyone is interested. Contact me via PM or email. Thanks, Steve sjdville@comcast.net

I had seats last year in 639 & 640 last year for qtrs, semis & finals in the first row. We loved the seats although the 1st row has a glass rail that you have to look thru or over. We got tickets this year a few rows up to get over the glass for qtrs and finals. I got tickets for semis in section 139 to be close for age out and Star of Indiana Alumni Corps. As luck would have it, now I can't go. Guess I'll be watching online this year.

Wow, I have been to San Antonio for the SW champs since 2005 and it is one of our favorite trips. Great hotels, great places to eat/drink on the Riverwalk. Alamodome ...well the reverb not as bad as the old RCA Dome imo. We almost booked this trip earlier this year. Glad I didn't now. Hope this gets worked out soon.

Of course you could hold the fan vote today and probably get the same top 4 as if you held it at finals. Remember the Lipsaver fan vote? Crown won every vote that year. Sometimes corps will win and still not be the fan favorite. My personal favorite has won once since 2005.......(last year)and I'm okay with that. As far as rewarding the fan vote with a % of ticket prices, make your appreciation known with ovations and $$ at the souvie stand. DCI dad

I went to the local Ticketmaster site (Publix Grocery Store in Atlanta) & got there before 12. Had to wait in line behind a dude who was trying to return 3 loaves of bread he bought 2 wks ago and was molded. He had no receipt and argued with the woman for almost ten minutes over $5 worth of bread. It was 12:20 by the time I got helped. She could not find the event on the computer, so she got her supervisor. I had to write out DCI & Lucas Oil Stadium so she would understand. Then it turned out they could not sell tix to events outside the Atlanta area. While I was arguing with them I had called the 800 # and once I got a human, the service was great. I walked back to my car and the Ticketmaster agent pulled up the event offered the "best seat available" and I said let me tell you what section I want. He searched the section I gave him and found seats together for Qtrs in section 537, Semi's in section 140 row 11 (for my kids ageout ceremony), and Final in section 641. He was very helpful and put me where I wanted to be. Yes, it echoes in there, but this is my son's 6th and final year to march. I'll be there to watch him ageout no matter what. DCIdad

Single tix go on sale tomorrow thru ticketmaster?

Awesome! My kid has friends in Teal Sound. Congrats to the organization and to all the members.

I agree that Ray V. is great with the kids. He is an amazing teacher & performer. I personally have enjoyed the Colts shows over the last few years. This addition can only make them better. Best of luck to the Colts and to Ray on his new position. My kid tells me he is a better musician because of the Ray's instruction. I didn't bring up the discussion about what happened at that Spirit camp. I just commented on what was said before. Many of those vets left that year because as of the 1st camp there was still no brass caption head announced. Also, after marching for a corps three years I think you have the right to make your own decision. My kid still has friends in Spirit. Adults seemed to be the ones with the problem. I seem to recall reading a letter on Spirit's site from management apologizing for what happened that day and saying that all former members and supporters were welcome at rehearsals. Many members wear their corps jacket with no regard to the weather. Mine wears his everywhere. He will continue to wear it proudly wherever he goes as he did his Spirit jacket. Good luck to The Colts this summer! Good luck to Spirit this summer! Can't wait to hear both productions. DCIdad

Maybe I missed something. I seem to remember writing checks for thousands of dollars for my kid to take part in this activity. If your kid(or stepkid) is concerned about the direction of the corps & says he wants to audition for another corps....what are you going to say? SPIRIT is (or was) located near JSU which has a band of 400 members. Many of them have marched DCI. I have been to Spirit practices and seen kids wearing many different corps jackets. They clapped just like everyone else. Why alienate former members at a time where corps need alums for support. You complain about using corps as stepping stones. How many years is the average kid able to march? How many years do you feel a kid owes a corps? Is it wrong for a kid to audition for his dream corps after marching somewhere else? I agree that Ray V. was a great instructor(he marched SCV and Phantom), as was Chip C.(he marched Phantom & Blue Devils). They both moved on for some reason. Why did you have a problem with these kids?