Rob Mattera

'93 Cadets vs. '93 Star??? Oh, you were talking about tonights' shows . . . Definitely emotion over achievement, but not by much.

Same. Writing drill as well.

I still can't watch 2000 Cavaliers, but that is probably because we married them . . .

I don't think that Hoppy is going anywhere. I especially hope that he doesn't because he will not repeat a show like this next year. When the Cadets field a non-narration show, I am looking forward to blasting all of the people that "were fans when Cadets were innovative" and "don't respect them for going back to the old way". People that like a corps will like them or dislike them no matter what they do unless they have a show like 1999 SCV, 2000 Cadets, 2006 Cavaliers, 2007 Crown, etc. Those shows make fans. 2006 Cavaliers was the first Cavalier show that I would sit through since 2000. I wouldn't say that I am a fan, but I am now definitely looking forward to seeing them every year. As far as the cancer thing. We should all pray / think positive thoughts for Mr. Welch. He is a beacon of hope in an otherwise hopeless place for many. The Cadets have missed the boat this year in terms of the potential of the storyline this year. I hate to say it, but it is simple truth. It is not offensive and equally not compelling in any way. It doesn't add or subtract from the show, it just sits there. It's like having a member stand in one place on the field and do nothing. They won't be a focal point most of the time, but they don't really serve a purpose. The Cadets are not on a downward trend that will allow "your corps" to place higher than them from now on. Sorry. It is almost a tradition for the Cadets to have off years (ranking wise) and bounce back the next year to where they usually are. Examples: '86-'87, '89-'90, '91-'92, '99-'00, '04-'05, '06-'07. Even before this season is over, Cadets are going to get a lot better. I don't know if they are going to be top 4 because the current top 4 is really great this year! I think that they *could* jump Cavaliers or Crown because they aren't as substantial in terms of vocabulary as BD or PR. By the end of this season, Cadets will have a fine product. It will not affect attrition or any other aspect of their program besides a slightly lower than usual ranking for this year. Who knows, maybe they will even surprise us! They certainly have the tools.

I am very happy for the BD win and I am not particularly a Phan . . . but I felt like they clearly had the better show tonight in most respects. Phantom needs to bring their colorguard up to the level of the rest of the corps. First, you can't see them because their uniforms (sweet though they may be) blend into the field. Second, they are dramatically superior to every other guard in DCI, but they do not achieve on a level high enough for a ring at this point. After what I saw tonight, I think that is too bad. They are otherwise so awesome this year!

A lot of flat shows tonight it seems . . . my predictions: Phantom BD Cavaliers Crown Cadets SCV Bluecoats Boston BK Blue Stars Crossmen Glassmen

Between tonight and tomorrow I have a feeling we will know who has peaked!!! The only thing that I can say FOR SURE is that the Cadets have not. Don't know what is going on with the others. I will also predict that the placements tonight will not be the same as tomorrow. Something unexpected will happen one of these days. It should be fun to see!

I agree. Just fun to consider all perspectives! I love the show.

Is this the official Murfreesboro thread? If so: Listed in reverse order of performance Blue Devils - Concord, CA The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL Carolina Crown - Ft. Mill, SC Phantom Regiment - Rockford, IL The Cadets - Allentown, PA Bluecoats - Canton, OH Santa Clara Vanguard - Santa Clara, CA Blue Knights - Denver, CO Start time: (6:00 WST) (7:00 MST) *8:00 PM CST* (9:00 EST Late Night . . .) http://www.goblueraiders.com/weather.cfm

Sometimes, don't you have to wonder what the staffs really think? Wouldn't it be frustrating to be battling to hold on to 8th and have to miss a rehearsal day to perform in this show? The worst thing is that you have to go on early, so you don't even really get a shot at having a substantial show-day rehearsal. The only obvious competitive perk is another performance experience and the slight *possible* score bump.

While I wholeheartedly appreciate the support of English in America, on DCP could we please keep the grammar lessons to private messages? Seems to just clutter up the forum - this message included. No disrespect intended to anyone . . .

YES CROSSMEN!!! Keep the momentum going! SCV is really creeping up there too! Nobody should count them out . . .

Place Corps Score World Class 1 Santa Clara Vanguard 89.150 2 Boston Crusaders 86.000 3 Crossmen 82.650 4 Colts 80.900 5 Troopers 78.550 6 The Academy 77.800 Open Class 1 Colt Cadets 64.600

Isn't there some phone number that you can call to get scores direct from DCI? Am I making that up?

Should DCI add a new judging caption for conceptual design/achievement or should they just redefine the parameters of the GE captions? This seems like it would satisfy a lot of people. I wouldn't mind. Anything that drives drum corps to turn out a better product is OK with me.

BD is in first because of DCI politics; it is in their comfort zone, or maybe Gibbs is paying them off. Maybe they owe him one for some business deal that sent DCI spiraling down in the 80s. Also, Crowns last 19 years of astounding achievement and success are all just a part of the initiation process. It is obvious that Crown is not allowed to contend unless they first place top 3. c'mon guys BD is a good corps. Instead of worrying about BD, Crown fans should probably worry about PR. I'm sure their members and staff are worrying about heat issues like all of the other teams right now. From what has been said about Crown and the little I know about them, I think that the most important thing to them is the way that the crowd responds every night, not scores and rankings. We are going to make this season special for them, it is not the judges responsibility.

There is no way. PR has the best percussion on the year, hands down. If this show does not contend in every music captions, I will be surprised. Visually, this is one of hte few shows this year where I can sit back and be taken somewhere. I forget about vocabulary and demand (although they have both), and get caught up in the theatrics. In that respect, PR is unmatched. I predict that this show will be top 3 this year. Lets see what happens Friday/Saturday. That will give us all a lot more insight. I personally think that a couple of the shows that have been ahead of PR are getting about as clean as they can get for the season . . . nothing against anyone, PR just knows how to program for August.

Great updates! Please keep them coming when you have time. Enjoy the last 2½ weeks of tour!

I am in the minority in that regard, but there are a lot of things that people don't take into account regarding Cadet shows. Hoppy does a lot of open-forum type discussions with the members during the year. During those discussions, he says his stuff about life lessons and personal improvement and how it all ties into drum corps. He also listens to what the members are saying. I think that is what has really been influencing the shows for the last couple of years. You never know. Sometimes we look at other peoples lives and it inspires us. It is easy for us all to say that Hop is just preaching to the audience, but maybe he is just inspired by the lives of the members? I am sure that many Cadet alumni can attest to the fact that not as many members as you might think are privileged by any means . . .

Actually, I marched in the 2002 Cadets. I had been in the Marine Corps since March of 2001. In February of 2003 I was sent to Kuwait. On March 21st I invaded Iraq with the 1st Marine Division. I stayed in Iraq (Diwaniyah and Babylon) for 6 months. 2002 was my last memory of drum corps until 2005 when I let myself get back into it again. Is that relatable enough?

If the C word has actually been removed from the show, can we please all agree to stop talking about it? I would like to resume my normal care free drum corps enjoyment. Many of us have had personal experiences with it. Let's just all take some vitamins, eat some fiber, and leave the talk about DRUM CORPS.

Maybe he should change her name to Pat. All of the narration can be rewritten to be one 11½ minute episode of "It's Pat!" from SNL. I think that your show idea would wok really well, actually. You would still want there to be some profound point. Glassmens show is about a Carnval(K), not a fundamental human idea. My point is this: if you picked up a book in a store with the same title "...happiness...", wouldn't you expect to get some kind of new perspective at least? Now obviously in the case of drum corps, you are not picking a book up off the shelf. But in this case, I think everyone would enjoy the show more if at the end they could say "That's cool, I can sorta relate to that." or "Interesting perspective." or even better to have an emotional response about or for Sarah Jones. I agree with you that at this point they are not achieving any of these. I don't think that the Cavaliers are either. Other shows (Glassmen, Bloo, PR, probably forgetting some) are really doing a great job at taking the audience on a conceptual journey. The others are more straight-forward drum corps shows that are based on excellence and achievement of more established vocabulary. So, you're right and I think that we really all agree - Cadet people and others. The only difference is that I (we) trust that they will work it out and know that they aren't headed for some kind of invisible drop off. They are the same Cadets that they have always been. If you doubt it, go to a rehearsal or two. Whatever the members and staff are given will be performed like Cadets.

If it is true, I am happy to admit to all of you that I am really glad to hear it! The cancer reference was one of the only things that I could really not get into. A little too "real" for me in a drum corps show . . . Hoppy has a great message this year and I hope that he can find the right words to get it across. I don't think that it takes a cancer reference. Besides, there are plenty of other things that happen in a persons life to make them re-evaluate their happiness. I also hope that they solidify the narration in the back half of the show - the post-college end. Sarah gets a great job and has kids. She gets obsessed with overworking??? This is a really common problem for many people . . . Maybe she regrets losing that time with her kids? A couple more tie-togethers would complete this show. I think we can all agree that we want to take something profound from a show called "The Pursuit of Happiness". Last years show didn't quite make it by the end i terms of narration. I certainly agree that if you are going to do it, it should be on the same level as the rest of the production. I would also like to point out that other corps' that do not use narration have a critical advantage: they leave most of the interpretation to that viewers - the audience fills in the conceptual gaps. We can all agree that Bloo has found a functional use of narration. I doubt that they will st using narration any time soon. This post isn't about Bloo, just thought I would point that out.

Recaps are up on DCI.org

You're absolutely right. I apologize to the rest of the Crown fans and community. It is frustrating to see my corps struggle and read that fans of other corps celebrating it. We are all aware of the struggles and most of us are not in a position to do anything about them. Like every other corps, they learn their lessons and wake up in the morning to rehearse the changes.