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I remember two really bad times in 05. We had a free day in Ohio, and for some reason everyone on the guard bus ate something from the food truck that was leftovers from like a week before. I just remember a lot of people having to do laundry twice because so much stuff was thrown up on (ya, gross stuff). And we left the guard bus at the laundry place to be cleaned, and piled everyone into the horn and percussion bus. There was something going around during Allentown week too. I remember waking up and going outside, and half the corps was still in their beds and couldn't move. Funny story about that, my friend Joe (who's at BD this year) actually just didn't hear the wakeup that day, and slept in. I guess when he woke up and saw everyone still in bed, he just went back to sleep. Around 1 or 2 our drum major was walking around asking people if they needed water and to see how they were feeling. He walked up to Joe and lightly woke him up to ask him how he was doing, and Joe realized right then what was going on, yelled something I probably shouldn't say on DCP and sprinted out to rehearsal in the boxers he was sleeping in. Doing a run through, and watching a mellophone player in a pair of boxers sprinting down a hill screaming profanity is definitly one of my favorite tour memories. b**bs

And for the serious one BK: The choral in the closer BD: The first time they play Pegasus in the opener Cavies: The musical lick after they start saying "Pressure" over and over Bluecoats: ANYTHING YOU PLAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU Phantom: Anything involving firebird!

I really like that one part Oh, and that other part, that's really cool too! And the best, like absolute best is the one that that one drum corps is playing!

If I wern't stuck working I totally would. I'll be in town Friday, wearing a Blue Knights jacket and a Desert Fire shirt. If you find me, probably a Tommy Burger is on me sir! Pizza if we find a good place before Tommy Burger. Anyone know where a Tommy Burger is from the stadium?

Um...bass drum mallets? LOL, ok, it was early, I wasn't thinking. What I meant was more on the lines of corporate, non music related sponsors. Like if all the bass drums had "It's easier than you think" on one side and "Vasectomy.com" on the other, instead of pearl. Why did I use this example? Not entirely sure, I see that billboard whenever I'm driving down the 15 though and it always just makes me kinda scratch my head and wonder why that's on a billboard on the 15...or on a bass drum? B)

Smurf turf rocks! I say we start a traditional show here, where only Blue Knights, Bluecoats, Blue Stars and Blue Devils are invited. Blue Rock and Blue Saints can come too if they come back. We could call it showdown of the smurfs, and the winner could be crowned Papa Smurf! Thoughts? Comments? Have I lost all respect on DCP now? b**bs

K, found it. Hey GM, what happened to you in San Antonio? I spent the whole day looking for you, and everyone said I had just missed you. Hopefully you got my card, I left it with the Red Van driver (I think).

What a great topic (visual guy). I actually just posted something about BK's marching style like two minutes ago, let me see if I can find it....

We never actually did hard direction changes. The prep step is something we've been doing since 1999 I believe, but it may have been 1997 (whenever Rob Billings got there). However, you aern't seeing it as much anymore. I was talking to some friends who are still there, and they redefined this year that anything with choreography, which in Blue Knights is a lot, ends in a soft prep, or at least a prep that's more fitting with whatever the dance work is, so it's not as noticeable from a "pop and go" stand point. The marching style we used is a point on the pass, so the "and" count the toes are pointed straight down. The "uh" count the toes and foot are extended fully in front, and the down beat the foot flicks back up. As a result, we aern't known for the highest toes in the air, but that's not really where the concern is. As far as pointing toes on the steps, it's not during "slow" tempos, but instead when it fits into the music. We "jazz walk" during the ballad, and a lot of time during our choreography parts, to fit more into the style of the dance or the music. Also, I was told that this year, when coming out of a choreography section, it is defined that the first step is toe first (but that could have been changed since all days, when I heard it). I've heard through the grapevine that a few of these things have had a little variance in definition since I was there, but the premise is the same. I'm pretty sure on a little more brisker tempos the point on the pass is not as stressed (for obvious reasons), but the knee is still there, and that still gives off the impression. Hope that helps. MFBK

That would be so awesome if a shoe company got a thing with DCI, or even a corps. Like if Blue Devils had a shoe deal, and then every high school marching band in the country wore the "Winged Victory" shoes, and there's a picture of a Blue Devil making a slam dunk like Air Jordans. Or something a bit more appropriate, but you get the idea. I love that DCI is getting all of these corporate sponsors. I hope we don't get to the point where it's like Nascar (big logos on the sides of bass drums and golden arches for McDonald's on the back of uniforms), but having sponsorship like this just puts it into such a huge deal. Imagine those old commercials where the kids would get done with a game of catch with dad, and the piano is playing and they grab a slice of Pizza Hut © and go watch an MLB game, and the announcer says in that soft, loving voice "Pizza Hut, the official sponsor of Major League Baseball," except now they get done with a basics block and turn on finals. It's hot. By the way, I'm actually typing this in the marketing firm I work at, so if I seem a little too gung ho on the whole sponsorship thing....I work in a marketing firm.

I always liked I&E. You knew it would be your last time off of the season, and it's really your last chance to just goof off with your friends, who you have no officially spent three months with and really bonded with. That aside, it always seemed like such a great way to kick off "drum corps week," like it's a huge celebration, and not just three final shows. There's corps jackets walking around all over the place, music is being played, a ton of activities and some shops and information on next year and what's goin on this year. I don't know, it just seemed like more like the opening ceremonies to the end of a drum corps season, and it's something I always got a kick out of. Especially in 04. Watching so many drum corps people walking around 16th Street Mall with corps jackets, and few with uniforms. I ate at Chili's, and it was filled with people talking about drum corps, eating every single bite of food on their plate, with huge tan lines and that awesome bond that three months gives you. The shops were filled with drum corps people, there were flyers and banners, and people cheering for their friend who just took first in the snare competition, and the guy from Pacific Crest (grandpa Nate!) who had the highest note in the low brass competition. But that could just be me.

I predit Cavaliers are going to take third, while The Cavaliers take 7th.

With tomato soup! That was mainly for camps though, but it was still great. The best time was when we get rained out in South (North?) Dakota, and we sat on the busses in the rain eating grilled cheese and drinking soup! MFBK!

Glad to hear Pioneer is making strides. I was fortunate enough to see them in San Antonio, and there are obviously things to fix (as every corps that day had), but the show was fun and entertaining, and the members put on a truly wonderful performance. And you're right, the new uniforms do look great. Whatever happens with scores, Pioneer puts on a stellar performance and I can't wait to see the 2008 program!

Personally, I have to agree. Please note the words "least exciting." Any corps BD fielded from 94 through 2004 was by far one of the best corps I've ever seen, especially anything in the hornline. Just personally, those three shows I cannot really get through that well. 96 would be the best of those three, 97 is ok, and 98 I honestly just have trouble getting through all together. I don't know, there's something that I just can't really get into about those shows. Still, they were performed amazing. So, wasn't BD 2000 about a murder? I thought it was, because Pacific Crest 04 was about a murder, and we based it loosely on BD 2000. Note the dude running at the end of the show...he just killed someone. I am pretty sure, and I'll admit I could be wrong, that murder is indeed a CRIME! And someone said it, but Coats in 03, wasn't that called Capture and Escape? I thought it was about a crime. I could be wrong. But personal opinion, best crime show ever....a gang of thieves travel around causing havoc, pillaging and plundering wherever they can! In the end, the gang eventually grows restless of their evil leader and riots. The leader is killed, and now the newest evil leader takes over the gang, ready to once again cause chaos across Lake Mendota... 97 scouts! Pirates are all about crime! So there's my answer, all hail the mighty pirate crime lords!

Wow, I totally didn't see the almost five point drop until just now. Jeez, wtf! Seriously. I understand having a bad night, which I believe they may have had, but falling back a week really is not right! So it looks like it was their GE score. Man, GE does not drop from almost a 31 to a 28 like that. That is the largest drop in GE this whole season of any corps between two shows. (bknights.org/scores/standings) Music and Visual dropped around a point too, which is a huge drop between two shows. I don't know, it does sound like the 78 was a bit inflated, but 73 sounds underinflated. I loved the Troopers show in San Antonio, and ya, a part of that is because they are the troopers, but another part of that is because they were good! Not great, not yet, but very very good. Their show is entertaining and full of energy and tradition and in my view points that aern't being received yet. My $.02

Baked potato bar really was awesome. Also anything with scallopped potatos and pudding!

Forgive me if I missed it somewhere. So are we sure yet how DCI is basing PC, Mandarins and Academys' averages? Is it an average of JUST the shows they made it to, or of all the regional contests, which they'd receive 0's for (except for Calabasses, which all three were at I believe on the day of Atlanta.) Just trying to figure out how it's actually done. I'm only going to finals, and would be really mad if I didn't get to see PC one last time at least in the movie theater.

Why are Cavaliers on there twice?

Marching at one tempo and playing another? Wait, I think I've heard of that...isn't it called, um... high school marching band? As far as improvising drill, I'm confused. It would be cool, I guess, if during all days a corps put together their show just on a whim with no charts, but what's the point of rehearsing all summer if every night the show is going to be different? This one I might be missing the point on.

It's so we can all get out of there and get to Tommy Burger before they close! Wait, are they 24 hours?

I actually just took that as future members who wern't in high school. No offense to anyone (honestly), just a maturity thing I thought.

Ok, I think I'm starting to understand what I think you're missing about this. See, it is my belief that, going back to your football example, those coaches, while they were talented, would not have been as successful if they had started at that top level. I believe that starting in a lower tier, they gained experience, were possibly trained, and when they moved up they applied their new knowledge with their skill to be successful. While many of the lower tier corps may not make finals consistently, they still put together wonderful performances every year, and that is because they all have incredible teaching staff. So in essence, yes, the talent from "future" BD players would be there, but when they make it to BD they would have had some of the greatest teachers in the activity teach them. They would then be even better players, and it is my belief that BD would then grow even stronger then they would have if that player just came straight into BD, while the lower corps would have just lost a great player that they trained. I have a friend who was decent at his horn, but nothing I'd ever call great or even really good. The guy worked his butt off and marched in a drum corps (he filled a hole). He came back home with such confidence and learned talent I couldn't believe it. The guy finished high school as the lead player in the state in both jazz and classical, when just a year before he couldn't even make it into a decent city wide honor band. Yes, someone who is talented enough to make BD (ya, I keep using BD, but just as an example, nothing more) would probably be a great advantage if they were playing like a Blue Devil. But by training someone who is talented for an entire season, the top tier corps are basically getting drum corps vets, rather than flat out rookies. That is why I believe the top groups would benefit. Maybe ONE year after this rule is passed would it actually effect them, but I doubt it would much, and then after that they would start to benefit. And I've already expressed my views of why the lower tier groups would suffer. Again, disclaimer and such, not trying to make anyone made, just stating my feeling.

But honestly, wouldn't that hurt the non-finalist corps? The experience is one thing, but if everyone is there with the intention of not coming back the following year, or even half of the members, wouldn't that just start to break things down? Part of every drum corps is the tradition and heritage, and the family that is built on year after year. If there is no one staying, and the purpose of a group is to be a stepping stone rather than a family, there won't be tradition, and nothing to build on for the next year. The top tier corps would benefit, perhaps, but the other corps would be deteriorated, and the gap between top and bottom would grow even bigger. This season is phenominal because it is so close in so many captions, and it feels more like an actual competition rather than "going through the motions, knowing that everyone's going to end up in roughly the same place they always do." A lot of that is because so many programs have built upon the successes of previous years. But I'm not trying to start a fight, and I do remember the last topic about this got QUITE heated....so sorry if I offended anyone, it was not intention.

Thanks Andrew! Tell them to rock the house for me, k? Hey, I forgot to grab your number last week. Give me a call soon so I can have it.