Tony L.

So I am hoping to watch the Atlanta contest this weekend, but instead of watching on my laptop, I was hoping to watch it on my television. I have a Mac and I have a television that has a place for me to hook up a "pc" to the television. If anyone has any advice or instructions for what I will need to do this, I would appreciate it. Technologically challenged as I am, I can use all the help I can get!

Looking for three seats for both nights of Allentown. Contact me if you have any tickets you are looking to sell. Thanks.

Looking for 2 Upper Deck Premium tickets if possible. Please let me know if you have anything available. Thanks!

You are correct, it was meant in the spirit of advice. And thank you for pointing out that those of us who are "DCP veterans" have really become a little too jaded where we pretty much assume that everyone has an ax to grind. And I do think that it would be good for everyone to just stop complaining -- a trait of drum corps fans that I really saw in Indy, but not necessarily in relation to the competition. Maybe it's the longing for the tick system that makes everyone want to nitpick everything, rather than just focus on what you enjoy. I mean, while I did think that the spread between the Devils and Crown/Cadets was bit excessive, and I was disappointed in the staging for the brass section during the show, I did not boo when the score was announced. I do agree that everyone has a right to their opinion, but I do agree that a lot of fans take it too far. I think that one thing that I have learned from being a drum corps fan for a little more than 20 years is that the scores ultimately do not matter. Once one reaches that stage, then drum corps can be fun again. But I do think that the need to complain and not like corps is not limited to the midwest or east as I have heard and seen plenty of the same conduct in California during the few shows that I have attended in California where certain eastern corps attended (mostly just Pasadena in 2007). I think that the big difference in behavior in California is simply that they see the corps from the rest of the country so infrequently that they are basically just happy to see them. So in that regard, I don't doubt that your impression of California audience conduct does have some merit, but there really is no fundamental difference.

I wish you would stop pointing to this as if it is some sort of indictment on all of the other corps or as an example of just how classy the Blue Devils were for doing it. First, the Blue Devils were right next to Crown and as a result, they were one of two corps that could have directly applauded Crown (I don't recall who was on the other side). Second, the other corps were either at attention or parade rest and thus not moving (for the most part) at all. Third, since the corps did not clap for Crown, they were consistent in NOT applauding the Blue Devils. Not one bit of that strikes me as being a "lack of poise and sportsmanship." Get over it. Blue Devils won, I am a little baffled as to why you feel compelled to essentialluy run into a cluster of BD haters in basically every thread on here and accuse them all of being Blue Deilvs haters. There are people who hate the Blue Devils regardless of what they do on the field. Just like there are people who hate all of the top corps regardless of what they do on the field -- heck I had someone near me in the stands at Finals start bashing the Cadets for their use of sound bites at the begining of the show, before anything happened on the field. And guess what, after the show, he continued to bash on the Cadets for the amp. volume, the use of sound clips, and the use fo the synthesized piano. So let them all have the "therapy threads" as you have called them ad nauseum and just move on. People hate Blue Devils. So what? I just wonder which corps it is that you hate? I think on some level everyone has one or two corps that just really annoys them -- either because of the shows or their fans or because they are the main competition -- but I just wonder if you would be joining in the Crown or Cadets bashing had either of them somehow won. Given your drive to attack everyone for hating the Blue Devils, I have a feeling you would be just as passionate in your attack of the other corps, and of course all those who actually like those other corps. But, that all right, it means you are a typical drum corps fan, and not the uber-evolved, non-hating, individual that you claim

I have to agree here. I think this is just another example of smart programming winning another title. I, for one, was very disappointed not by the use of the chairs, but by the amount of time that the hornline essentially remained stationary within the 30 yardlines and in front of the hashes. Yes, it is smart because while stationary in that position, they could create a big sound, but I just could not get over the lack of field coverage while also playing. Even when you consider the interesting opening drill in which the straight line turns into a block, the low brass are the main people playing under the soloists, and they are the last people to have to move to complete the block. The drill was mostly done by those who had no real playing responsibilities (save for playing back up whole notes for the two trumpet soloists and of course the euphonium solo played into the microphone). I think if you look at the video, it is really difficult to pick this up, but when I saw them live for the first time this weekend, I was truly struck more by this than the (over)use of the chairs -- which did make for a neat effect at first and they should have disappeared until the very end. Finally, I can't believe people aren't going crazy over the fact that the big drill moments for the show involve making a "$" and making 1930 like 3 times. I thought SCV took a lot of guff for similar drill back in 2005, but hey, at least they made their years while moving. So more smart programming will continue to mask weaknesses and accentuate strengths and as long as it is done by one of the big boys, it will continue to win titles. Oh well, thank goodness I've stopped bothering with the scores -- they just ruin everything.

And didn't Toronto actually have two different corps in Finals one year? When will that ever happen again?

And of course we should not forget the Kiwanis Kavaliers. I still remember some of the absolutely amazing shows from L'Academie Musicale and Les Etoiles, just a completely unique approach to drum corps, an approach that I wish was still around. Some of those shows are still amazing -- and L'Academie will always have the highest score ever by a D III corps, the 1995 show. And who can ever forget the L'Insolite trick? Or the Ventures actually marching in skirts (1992 if I remember correctly) while playing the Rite of Spring, great show. Just a whole different approach that seems to be missing now.

I have 2 Friends of DCI tickets available for Quarters. The seats are located at Sec. 240, Row 2, Seats 7-8. (The 50 yd line is on seat 11 I believe). Face value. I will be in Indy tomorrow, so we can make the exchange in person tomorrow. Thanks!

I thought the crowd was generally a very subdued crowd. So if the reaction to SCV didn't seem as extreme as one might expect, I think it was more of a function of the general crowd dynamic than anything. Having been there, I think the response to Vanguard was the only really big response of the night along with Crown. Phantom had a few moments, but on the whole, it was a dead crowd.

Just back from the show -- didn't stick around for scores, but I am not all shocked by Crown's score and distance from Vanguard tonight. Love the Vanguard show, but they had some pretty obvious individual performance issues -- especially in brass and guard -- and I was certain that Vanguard did not have a night like Phantom did last year (one where everything comes together and it becomes clear that the are a possible champion this year). Now, Crown surprised me because they had the kind of night tonight that Phantom had last year. Yes there were some pretty obvious performance issues that should be cleaned up next week, but I was really surprised to see that Crown got a partial standing O mid show and then a more substantial full standing O at the end than the ovation given to Vanguard. I was a little surprised to see the Allentown go crazy for Crown like that, but I think that tonight just showed that Crown's show might actually have that something special that may push it even further forward. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to see how next week goes. At this stage it would not be out of the question to see three different corps win a night next week -- since of course we all know that BD will suffer another collapse next week.

My recollection was that they were constantly tweaking that part of the show. I know that I saw it with a straight forward company front, a company front where all but a small group actually playing Krupke were marching backwards, and if I am not mistaken, the final version where all played andmarched backwards. But I know the Krupke company front was there in some way shape or form for a good while of 1994 -- I know it was in at least since the show in Champaign -- not sure of the date.

Need two tickets for Saturday. Prefer upper deck. Thanks!

OK. I just have to say that after watching the SA show that I think THE major problem with the show is that the "hero" really isn't at all a sympathetic character and the attempted plot is just too forced and not at all anything that an audience can get invested in emotionally. Essentially the way the way I understand the show as currently constructed is the "hero" achieves acclaim as a result of the mystical powers of the red violin and the apparent love of his lady in white. Then he goes to a big band hall, hooks up with lady in red, loses the violin and with it, one supposes, his success and the love of the lady in white (because he is a cheater). But, miraculously he is saved in the end because the lady in white (finally a female rescuing the man in distress I guess) essentially beats up the lady in red and gets his violin back for him. And presumably they live happily ever after. In the end, it really is just an insipid story line as it is being presented right now -- or at least as it came through the broadcast. I really don't find the drill all that unforgiveable, and the music is top notch, but whoever conceived this storyline just really dropped the ball. Why on earth should we care in the least bit what happens to this guy? And one almost feels that the lady in white is just like the endless parade of girls on daytime tv who get into fights with the girls with whom their boyfriends cheated! And we are all left to ask ourselves why? Ultimately, as a story-driven show, if the audience doesn't care about the story, then the show is doomed, regardless of any drill re-writes, guard performance or staging issues. I fear that is where Phantom finds itself in 2009. Oh well, at least we will always have the CDs!

I am looking for 5 tickets for semis and finals. Preferably together, but at this point I am just looking for the best seats available. I am also looking for one ticket for quarters. If anyone has any of the above, please contact me. Thanks

I am interested in the Saturday tickets if you would be willing to split the set (and if the are still available). Let me now.

Wow! Just Wow! I've been following this thread and I was going to stay out of it because it's obvious that some people (a good number of whom have only seen the video of SCV's show will simply not like this show and there's nothing wrong with that and there's nothing to be said to them about their feelings). That being said, to paraphrase the classic video clip on YouTube: "Leave SCV alone! Leave it alone!" Honestly, until a show has been witnessed in person, one cannot truly judge any show -- especially one which is "subtle" and "nuanced" to some ("boring" and "80s") to others. And if after seeing it live you still hate it, then fine. Move on. But, I would hope you find something else to do rather than gripe about how much you hate the show (after watching it at DCI.org some 20 times just to make sure you really understand why you hate it). If you don't like it, then don't watch it. There are a lot of other shows out there to watch and enjoy!

More importantly, it looks like there are 13 guard just in that picture! When did they pick up their 13th guard member last year? Any word on the total number this year? I'm really interested to see what they can do with all sections of the corps at full strength this year.

I'm not at all familiar with exactly what happened in this situation, but since it is a European composer, it is possible that he initially granted the synchronization rights and then ultimately withdrew his grant of right after seeing the work. In Europe there are "moral rights" that artists have where they can object to how their works are exploited. Since he couldn't have seen the work before it was actually put onto the DVD, he couldn't object until after it was created. This is the only thing that I can think of as to why the DVDs were initially shipped with a full Phantom, but with a musicless section in Troopers. But, I am not a European copyright attorney.

I remember attending a show early in 2000 that was rained out and Southwind and Madison Scouts did a standstill in the school's gym. I remember my friend and I talking later on about how impressed we were with Southwind and how we actually thought that they sounded better than Madison. Little did we know that they would end the season ahead of Madison in brass. While I really liked SW 2000, I can say that the one area where I think they were just a little behind was in the visual ensemble. I think that is what ultimately kept this show out of Finals.

The one obvious mistake that just baffled me (because it would have been so easy to fix) was with the Cadets' opening. Yesterday, her daughter gave birth to her first grandchild, and yet during the interview (which is obviously the day after Yesterday), she says TODAY is the happiest day of my life?!?! NO, yesterday was (unless doing the interview actually surpasses the birth of her first grandchild). So that kind of mistake right off the bat just set a bad tone for the remainder of the performance.

Rutgers could work. If I'm not mistaken, it's pretty accessible for train travellers as well -- just need to get from the station to the stadium. So perhaps Rutgers could be thrown into the mix.

Giants Stadium is a dump! I attended a few shows there and it is just awful! And if you think it's bad when you're driving there, you should try going to a show there when you're relying on NJ Transit Busses from Manhattan. Thank goodness the Giants are finally getting rid of it!

I completely agree. In fact, if retreat is going to be taken so lightly and done the way it was this year, then I would rather treat Finals just like Quarters or Semis and just announce the scores as the night progresses, just hold the final three until the show is over. Bring the top three back out to play the finale and then announce the final three scores. Then the kids can do their thing in the lot and have fun and blow off steam or whatever.

One really cool experience I had during Semis was when I went to the edge of the stands during the intermission to eat a really bad pretzel while the Blue Knights were preparing to enter the stadium. And while the stadium was quiet (before that stupid gong race!), I had a great seat to listen to them sing their corps song "I Go On" from Bernstein's Mass. It has always been one of my personal favorites and to get a chance to hear them sing it bfore going on was a very pleasant surprise and definitely one of the really cool things from Finals week.