Tony L.

I don't know, apparently the Cadets ad a 6-7 min. delay and they weren't penalized. I forget exactly what show it was at, but I think it was this week. So by al means, the corps should just take their time.

I don't think he is saying to **** with quality performances. I think all he is saying is that the quality performances (from a purely dynamics perspective) needs to emanatefrom the performers' ability to control and adjust their own volume level. Otherwise, the kids might just play everyhting at one dynamics level and leave the "mixing" to the guy at the soundboard. I don't think that relly helps the kids become better perfomers. And afterall, it's all aboutthe development and education of the performers.

I think "Testimony" has be pretty much discredited now hasn't it? In the recent biography of Shostakovitch that I read in preparation for a gala performance of Shotakovitch music conducted by his dear friend Rostropovich, the author essentially set forth all of the works that had discredited the book. I still have "Testimony" and will likely read it just to see how different the interpretations can be, but I really did enjoy the book that I did read. Unfortunately, I don't remember the title right now. And BTW, you aren't the only dork, when I was in college I believe that I usurped some classic drum corps show titles into the titles of some of my papers, including my study of Shakespeare's "Antony & Cleopatra" entitled "Dreams of Desire". I'm sure some of you recall that title. But it really worked well with the actual content of the paper, so why should I have to think up a title all on my own?

I wasn't too sure about them, but once I saw them in motion on the field, they were incredible. And, it precisely because they are so bold that the eye is drawn to them. And it's kind of like the effect created by a stripe down the leg, in that with these plumes, you had better be in perfect alignement and spacing, otherwise, the plume will give you away. Their is no hiding with those bright purple plumes. I think that it was a gutsy move, and when they are spot clean, it will be incredible to see.

That Glassmen uni has a certain Star '90-91 look to it.

The worst thing I've ever seen was BD in 2000 (semis I believe) when one of the female guards I bleieve separated her shoulder or did something really bad to her arm during the segment from Vertigo when the guys wrapped the girls up in the fabric. I guess she just got her arm bent the wrong way, but she did not continue the performance and it appeared to be an alternate on the next night at Finals. It was not pretty.

What is the closest spread ever between 1-12 at Finals? With the middle and bottom of the Top 12 getting so strong, this year there could be anywhere from 10-13 or 14 between the Top 12. Especially when the corps batling for semifinals are also getting so good, the scores could end up being really tight between 1-12. On the current weighted rankings, there is approximately 10 points between Cavaliers and Spirit. Give the compression of the Top 12, there should be a lot of volatility during finals week as a tenth here or there could mean 2 or 3 placements. Either way, it should be very exciting.

They do open the show in masks (think the gimp from "Pulp Fiction"). But I believe they remain unadorned after the opener. Perhaps some paint could help. But I'm actually a little more concerned about the studded cod pieces being worn (a little to Cameo). Thank goodness the costumes work well when viewed from the stands. My only question is which one is officially Mephistopheles? Or are they all just random demons?

Wow! That was great. I can't believe there was a show going on during that break and I missed it! But based on the emotional charge from that warmup, it's easy to see why they came out on fire during finals, easily one of the best finals peformances of the night last year.

Has DCi officially announced that both the afternoon and evening shows will be presented on Season Pass?

We should also not forget that Crossmen were one of the last corps to come out. So realistically, they should be about 1 week behind everyone else in their cluster. Now granted, that time at the begining might have helped them come out a little more prepared than the others (although I believe they actually stumbled out of the gate a little this year), but by losing the feedback from the judges, it has to be a bit of a disadvantage. This is something that I think might also happen to Glassmen as a result of the Europe trip. But the good thing about drum corps is that all we have to do is wait and all will be known.

Now, I've not seen Crossmen or Colts, but i actually voted for Glassmen as 12. I just don't think that their show has much more that it can do. I look for them to struggle to hold off Spirit (which has a lot to clean and a really great show this year). But until I see X-Men, Colts et al., I wouldn't be so sure that the Glassmen are a lock for Top 12. A lot can happen in 2-3 weeks.

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask does anyone know why Pioneer is not performing? It seems odd that they wouldn't be there. Also, is Allentown the contest that will determine performance order for Quarters? And does the defending champion still get the honor of performing last at Quarters regardless of placement this year?

More power to you! These all day events are absolutely gruelling to sit through, even for the heartiest fans. I couldn't imagine flying right before that -- remember to take lots of water so you don't get dehydrated. Otherwise, by the evening break, you'll hit the wall!

So I'm wondering exactly what type of cable you purchased? I would like to set it up for this weekend, but I am a little technically challenged. So any advice would be appreciated.

And surprisingly enough, when I saw them live, all I could watch were the plumes! Those big purple plumes against all of the cream in the unis really draws your eye. And it made reading the forms sooooo easy. They were so effective. Also, it's almost like the stripes on the leg bacause when the spacing and forms were perfect, the plumes really showed it. But, when they weren't, they also really showed it. Such a small change to a uniform, but I was amazed at how effective it was. BTW, I love this year's Crown show and can't wait to see it again in Madison.

Have to say that that Crossmen uni was excellent! I would love to see X-men go back to the early 1990s look and you've really updated it nicely. Since you're taking requests, how about you put together the new uniform for the return of VK? Oh and if you're doing classics, how about a Suncoast Sound? See what they might look like if they came back to the field.

Well, I don't know if it can win it all (not seen Cavies or Cadets so far), but I really enjoyed their show and I do think it has the legs to catch BD. As for everyone else, that's going to be tough. And I actually do think that they have a very strong total package this year -- music and visual.

I think that is very possible. They have fantastic marching ability and their major drill moves are being perfomed very cleanly, not much room for growth there. And the show really doesn't have much room for any new impact points. The most room for growth in my opinion is in brass performance (and with that, music GE). The horn line was extremely ragged by BD standards when I saw them and more precisely, the trumpets had bigtime intonation problems and tone quality issues. And the power just seemed to be lacking. All of these can be fixed, but I suspect that this show is really in danger of peaking too soon. And when one of the big impact moments of the show is forming a fish skeleton and stopping for a hit coupled with matching fish flags, there really isn't anthing that you can do to improve that. Once it's clean (and it pretty much is) it is a fixed quantity and there is no room for growth with these kinds of impacts. Unfortunately, the show relies too heavily on these sort of effects and I think that the show will therefore max out before Madison. But, they are SOOO talented, you never know.

I think I must have missed something when I watched the BD show in Louisville (but I could have caught them on a bad night), but I just am not seeing this BD show as the invincible juggernaut that everyone else seems to think it is. I wonder if those who have not actually seen the show in person are basing their opinion simply on the video and audio available on line along with the reviews offered here on DCP? Until a show has been seen live and prefereably more than once, it is next to impossible to accurately assess the merits of any show. I have yet to see the Cavaliers, so I really do not have any opnion on them as of yet. But I can tell you that based on the BD performance in Louisville, they did not look like DCI champions. And I really think it premature to say that PR, Bluecoats and The Cadets will not be able to catch them.

1st - Blue Devils 91.9 2nd - The Cavaliers 91.75 3rd - Phantom Regiment 90.1 4th - The Cadets 88.95 5th - Bluecoats 88.5 6th - Carolina Crown 86.1 7th - Santa Clara Vanguard 85.8 8th - Blue Knights 85.1 (evening score) 9th - Madison Scouts 84.7 (evening score) 10th - Boston Crusaders 83.9 11th - Glassmen 82.15 (evening score) 12th - Spirit of JSU 81.95 (evening score) 13th - Colts 80.7 14th - Crossmen 79.5 15th - Capital Regiment 77.1 16th - Blue Stars 76.5 17th - Southwind 73.2 18th - Mandarins 72.5 19th - Seattle Cascades 70.0 20th - The Magic 69.9 21st - Esperanza 68.6 22nd - Pioneer 68.5 The thing that I am going to be really interested in seeing is what happens with the Glassmen. After seeing them live, I really think there is the possibility that they could end up getting passed by Spirit. Now I've not seen Colts or Crossmen, so I still think they are going to be solidly in the Top 12. Also, BD will win here only to be overtaken once the Cavies insert the new ending. After that, the BD freefall begins as the Cadets, Phantom, and possibly Bluecoats push past them. Well, probably not all of them, but I have a feeling that at least one of the three will end up passing BD.

While the champion might come from Group A, and it might be unlikely that someone from Group B wins it all, but I think that it is definitely possible that the corps from Group A that does not win it all (BD IMHO) can get caught by one or more of the corps from Group B. So while I agree that the corps from Group B will not likely win it all, they can still reach 2nd.

One ticket still available.

Does anyone know if the NJ Transit special events bus will be running from Port Authority in NYC to the Meadowlands that night? Last year, many people were actually stranded out there with no return bus! Don't want to do that again.

Nice review. I completely concur with much of what you've said. The consensus in my group of four was that (based on sheer entertainment value) the top three were Crown, Phantom, and Spirit. Maybe it was the heat, but the devils really did seem to lay an egg that night. And their hornline I thought was actually lower volume than everyone except SW and Pioneer. How'd that happen????