BlueKnightMom

Well, they DO say "boss" these days, but the new wording is "I handled that blank like a BOSS!".

Hmmm. I thought that "world class" was designation for corps that completed a 2-year review and application and satisfied financial and administrative reliability plus broader touring capabilities - and not just about performance and scores... I don't know...probably didn't word that well.

My daughter is with Bluecoats this year...she texts they are sitting on the bus waiting it out. that is 6:58 MT so I guess 8:58 ET???

Yes, And I was pouting the other day because he came by the foodtruck and I missed my opportunity somehow to meet the famous WesP! Still pouting.

Hi Kev's mom, As the cookmom, I have no faves, except he's one of my faves!

Well you have me there. I hesitate to write it, but I think the shows all around are just better this year than in the last few. Don't get me wrong I loved some shows the last several years, but there just seem to be more shows that are enjoyable, entertaining. I always applaud and give the kids the love for their shows, but this year in particular I've seen so many moments that bring me to my feet. As for BK, I left tour a couple of days ago but they're cleaning and changing, changing...maybe that will get us there. We have 35 shows this year -- so many more than last year -- and hardly any rehearsal days.

I nominate WesP as the best honk ever! And I will wear my mom hat and agree that, good grief, the brass judges have had cotton in their ears the last few shows. Everyone, everyone (we get floods of fan mail in the office and on FB) says our brass is mature, dark, nuanced, dynamic this year. What is up?

I was there too, and yes, I'm another mom (our 5th year) so the mom-bias here is also raging, yet tempered by five years of watching my super-vet in this activity and being on tour for weeks at a time watching ours and other corps' shows grow over time. And so...The Blue Knights have their best show ever - I've heard that phrase quite a few times. It hits the marks and it's just plain entertaining. Our hornline is great this year (off night last night, though but they'll be NAILS tonight at Invesco), and of course... the Jim Prime arrangements - hello!!??? The kids LOVE playing his stuff!! Sully and the team came up with a heck of a closer this year that just builds from the ballad swell to the last cymbal crash. The guy next to me sits on a certain board of directors and was viewing our Knights show for the first time this year said "wow" about five times through the closer and turned to me during his standing O to say, "Best Blue Knights ever!" Also have to add - the Cadets blew me away. That is a great show. And I must have said "wow" and "awesome" about 10 times during their show. /end of mom talk.

Refresh. Refresh. I gotta catch a 6:30 flight to Milwaukee tomorrow - that means getting up at 3:30. AM. Ugh. I need some scores though because I am a crazy not-on-tour-right-now cookmom that way.

and the Blue Knights are participating and could use your vote and financial support as well.

I am so going to go listen to Kaval Sviri now since you brought it to mind...

It ain't much but... Just received a text from someone on tour..."Just ended. Great response!"

I'd welcome a live update too! Go Blue Knights and Troop!

I just watched ATB, and the crowd LOVED it! I truly can't see or hear what you guys are referring to at all. The audience also gave a gigantic, ground-shaking "whoop" before and after it was done. So apparently the crowd of tens of thousands wasn't "absolutely appalled" -- just a few people on DCP. Go figure.

I read your post with interest. I appreciate your honesty about your experiences and lingering feelings, and I appreciate your diplomacy by not naming names. I guess the point I want to raise is that you assume that the staff is the same from your time - and that the current members (who may be eight years younger or more than you) have this underdog theme as part of their corps experience. My understanding is that much of the staff for the last couple of years is mostly all new, and the corps this year is made up of dozens of rookies. I even just discussed this OP with my own Knight ten minutes ago on the phone - and she feels that this is a corps that always focuses on "family" and music education (Mark Arnold announced one night that 70% of BK'ers this year are majoring in some form of music study). They also focus on the "team lessons" you'd find in any youth activity - being positive, strong work ethic and everyone doing his/her best , really going for it in their shows. That last bit IS what you say you want in your OP. I see a lot of assumptions about BK and the BK organization on here, that frankly don't mesh with what I have seen and heard firsthand. For example, I see people still referring to all of their shows as "dark" - just like everyone assumes their attitude is dark. I do not agree with this, particularly this year. I think the theme this year was to focus on art (as always now) and that is why they chose contemporary, modern, up and coming composers for two of the pieces (Mackey and Whitaker). That does not strike me as a somber way or an angry way of selecting music. It just seems (to use the other cliche that I see here all the time) "artsy". And I think the move to white guard unis was intentional. The closer is a rainbow of dozens of BRIGHT COLORS (which are incredibly beautiful up close - I wish people could see the hand-painted dye on the silk since it doesn't carry fully over the cameras) and a company front over what many people consider to be one the most hopeful, inspirational pieces of music EVAH written - Amazing Grace. I think what I have a seen a few times on here are postings by people who are former members (or former staff, or volunteers) who have specific issues (personal issues) with particular members of staff. Whether that is the drillwriter or the Director, I'm never quite sure. I would hope that that you would discuss these issues directly with Mark (after finals); get your concerns right out into the open. I do not believe that Mark would want anger or bitterness to be an influencing force in the corps. As a sidenote and I know you know this - you see an entirely new perspective when you're working the administrative and logistical side of running a corps or volunteering in a corps, besides just focusing on what's going on on the field. Finances (unfortunately) have much more influence on a corp's direction than anybody would even think - it affects staff, music, logistics, equipment, quality of nutrition - everything. Thanks for reading.

Here's a shout out for our Knights on Quarterfinals day!!!

New uniforms were out, but the alumni association really stepped up and got them for the 50th The busses are leased and they're much more fuel efficient, more reliable.

Judges aren't feeling it - One of the judges told them two shows ago that he thought the show was top 3 if this corps could clean it. It's scoring an 86 - the judges must like something they see and hear. Fans/crowds aren't feeling it - souvie sales are huge this year. I've been on tour with them for two weeks, and the fans come to warm up and respond in the stadiums. Everyone says the same thing - "this show has grown on me and now it's one of my favorites of all time" or "this show is very beautiful". I also like to remind everyone that the average age of this corps is like 19. It's a young corps. What they're doing out there is amazing for mostly rookies, especially with the horns. You may not prefer Rob's drill style or like the ballet emphasis of BK, or the music of John Mackey and Eric Whitacre (and I've wondered if maybe not liking modern composers is part of the problem with appeal this year, just like not liking too classical Shostakovich was part of the problem with the appeal last year) but you can't deny these young people are marching, dancing and playing THEIR show and making it to the top ten too.

Uh hello? The thing that is really DIFFERENT during that break you're referring to is that it is a FRONT ENSEMBLE feature which seems to be pretty rare from what I can tell. The choreography in the background by the corps is NOT the point - the point is that the pit have a full part all to themselves with an assist from the basses. You may not like it, enjoy it, prefer it, whatever - but it IS very different, which is what you stated you wanted.

SHOW NOTES Blue Knights Presents: "Knight Reign" Musical Selections: Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre Turbine by John Makey Jeux D’eau by Maurice Ravel Amazing Grace arr. by Russ Newbury and Jeff Ausdemore Design Staff Rob Billings – Artistic Director, Visual Design Russ Newbury – Brass Arrangements Jeff Ausdemore – Percussion Arrangements Program Notes: Blue Knights proudly celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the corps’ organization this year, remembering all the great years as well as the challenges that preceded the Blue Knights of today. Some years were more fun than others, and some years were downright scary. In retrospect, it’s a wonder the corps survived some of the more challenging difficulties placed in its way during its half century of evolution. But the roadblocks of the past instilled in the corps a grit and determination to move forward, stronger and more focused on the future. Everything in the corps’ past—the triumphs and the letdowns—comes together in the corps’ 2008 show, “Knight Reign.” The show celebrates the glory and the adversity that has molded the personality and fortitude of the corps over the years. The reign of the corps, reflected in the title, is poetically reflected in the sound and visual representation of rain. A play on words…yes…but one that is most appropriate to convey the meaning of the theme. If it’s true that into every life a little rain must fall, then no “reign” is truly complete without a little “rain.” The guard opens the show to the sound of rain in Eric Whitacre’s “Cloudburst,” conveying a visual representation of the falling rain heard in the music. John Mackey’s “Turbine” floods the field in a deluge of power unleashed by the brass line, the storm front a vortex of resonating tornado effects. Through any storm that we persevere, whether real as in weather or metaphorical as in life’s challenges, we ultimately celebrate the joy we find in our survival. This is heard in Maurice Ravel’s “Jeux D’eau,” literally translated as “laughing rain.” We realize we’re full of life’s greatest gift, life itself; and thus we laugh at the confrontations of the past and move on. With hope and anticipation for the future, the commemoration of what has transpired and what is to come culminates with a fresh take on the tradition hymn tune, “Amazing Grace,” full of percussive grandeur that beats into our soul the very promise of a brighter tomorrow. Before the show ends, you’ll sense the sun breaking through any remaining storm clouds to uplift our souls and light the way to the corp's next fifty years.

Thanks for starting a cheer thread! A special holler to our Legacy HS kids (attending and graduated): Josh, Brendon, Kelsey, Ryan, Nick, and Melody! Lightning turned Knights ROCK THE STADIUM! Here's to hoping they bring back the battery yell in the hail storm, "We make it rain!" ~ pretty please ~ Here's a toast to all the Awesome Alumni that made the new unis possible this year! Here's a hat tip to the artist of the hand-painted silk flags when the rainbow covers the field in Amazing Grace; it makes me tear up everytime.

I also want to mention that BK did 35 shows last year in 2007. For reference, last year Cavies did 30, BD did 30.

BK members didn't have it easy for those days they didn't compete. They had to get cross country from Illinois back over to Ogden, Utah. They did 400 miles per day for 3 days to make the 1200 miles. They did 8 hours on the bus each day for 3 days in a row. They stopped along the way to get some floor time and rehearsal time (and showers and food). Their actual full rehearsal days were when the finally got to Utah - so they had maybe 2 full real rehearsal days, from what I can figure Thanks.

Hmmm. Great minds and all that. From one of my posts in the other thread..."the activity has a chance to really progress, but also MUST to do so without alienating some supporters, especially those who want to see drum corps hold-on to some traditions from Halcyon days of days gone by."

Not big in Colorado, and I overstated the TX thing - I've seen all the HS shows in the last four years in Colorado - 5 star and 4 star. So I've seen dozens and dozens of CO HS band shows - literally. But I've only seen my neice's HS show (two years), once each. No narration though. Perhaps defining narration is symantics around here. Is any mic'd vocal sound a narration? Say is somebody went "plop, plop, plop" as in dripping water? I define it in screenwriter terms -- as in the Cadets, where someone is speaking throughout the show, or in a movie, where the narrator is catching up the story narrative or feelings or plotpoint. If there is the minor vocalization or sound effect that was mic'd -- I would not call that narration. For instance, in the BC show where they yelled "Freeze", that's not really "narrative", unless there were several sentences to tell the story adn introduce the characters. That Freeze was a sound effect. JMO