pianolover1

What is all of this nonsense about blood, guts, and gore? Has anyone played any of their children's video games lately, ever watched CSI, or Law and Order? If you do a show about Jesus you have some pretty darn violent things happening at the end of his life. Utter POOH! That was a wonderful show with a wonderful design that really captured the audience. What a better winner of the Disney award.

Remember it is right near Climax, Michigan. a Michigander

I think she is gone..she dies at the end of the Opera. Hate to be a spoiler for you.....don't see Titanic.......it sinks don't see Pearl Harbor................it gets bombed!!!!!!

I am a wonderful speller. In High School I tested in the top 94% nationwide. I never learnt how to sype.Sooory!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, other than circles, arcs, and straight lines...... I noticed a lot of asterik-like formations(*)..........maybe with 6 points or 8 or 10. I swear at least 9-10 corps in the Quarter finals used them.

Was it me or did I notice a trent this year for the color guard outfits tend to be little bit more "uniform" ( I know I am swearing to some of you born after 1987) in appearances. It was nice to see.

I went to the movie theater to see the Quarter Finals and may return see finals in Indianapolis...mainly due to Phantom I never thought I would want to see the return of the "tic" system, but the lower level corps need some help in the Visual department. They need geometry lessons and beat maintenance or something. They seem to play well, but their visual programs were too hard for the ability of their members. One corps put their whole horn line on the 50 and still couldn't get it straight, Troopers Sunburst looked squished on both sides (Jim Jones was a-rolling over in his grave), many timing problems with the flags, many spacing and phasing errors all over the place, etc.. I was highly disappointed in their performance. They are all trying to march a Cadet or Cavalier drill and they can't pull it off.

Many HS bands have used keyboards through their amplification and had them as part of the pit. Would that be legal???

Before you know it young man you will be old. It goes fast. I thought the same thing in 1975 and it seems like yesterday. Remember my words 30 years from now. I thought I would NEVER say I miss ths old-time shows 80-90's but it's here, it's real and it has happened.

One more comment on narration.........I would go for it if it was done classy like "A Lincoln Portrait of Copland", where there is some depth to the narration. a real olde phartzy here.....

Amen!!!!!! That is exactly how I have felt about these contrived themes. Real themes based on a musical or film or opera or ballet, I have no problems with (Les Miz, Phantom of the Opera, James Bond, Phantom at the Opera, Tschaikowsky show (with his ballets), etc.). Themes based on the music of a composer or a country seem to be ok. The Samurai theme and Machine themes were good. Another theme I felt worked, but don't know how to categorize it was 1995 Cadets. It was pretty obscure music of John Williams. It was very melodic and it told a wonderful story. P.S. Spartacus was a Ballet not an Opera For example the boxing match this year did not need the narration or the actors, it would have worked fine with the three great pieces of music played very well as they did. (BTW has a Drum Corps played The Boxer before???) It was great to see the Blue Stars back in, but how does Camille Saint Saens relate to a bike race.........but the judges need a theme. I won't even begin on the "I believe" show. The only real ending for a sentence that begins with "I believe" is "I believe I will have another beer". (right Norm!!!) Don't know when it really started I just remember ( I think it was Glassmen...sorry if I am wrong) in the 80's with some sort of theme about child hood and playing new age music and the guard was dressed like little girls and had balloons. I think that is when these "esoteric, unapproachable, psuedo intellectual crap" themes started. I didn't get the themes then and I don't get them now. Likewise Blue Devils theme could have been "At the Circus", "Walking the TightRope of Life", Cirque De Soleil, etc. It's not needed, just play 1,2,3 or 4 good pieces of music. All this pseudo intellectual crap is not needed. You don't need one to go to a Symphony, or a Dance Program or a Choir Concert. I have found many, if not most really contrived and certainly NOT NEEDED.

Me 3..........It has been so long since I bought a DCI video..it was a video tape. Haven't been to finals since 2001......probably will next year. Phantom blew me away.

The judges would never buy it in the show proper.....perhaps they could use it as exit music....what a gas that would be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been there and done that (but in another lifetime). Really this was partially kind of a spoof, but also to say they have had so many memorable shows.......I'd forgotten the Bernstein Mass and how about...no one mentioned "Les Miserables"....a very fine show. I will never forget that "I Don't Know how to Love Him" and the color guard playing along and the vocal amen. One of my favorites is out in left field ( in that not many people mention it as one of their favorites....their 1995 production.....they took lesser known music of John Williams and weaved it into a wonderful salute to the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. From the flag raising to the the swing dance and the crazy drumming to the boys returning home to their sweethearts. A friend I sat with was a Navy pilot in WWII and Korea and is a professional singer. He had never seen a drum corps, but I took him so he could see his granddaughter march in Southwind that summer. He was blown away by the the calibre of all the corps, but especially Cadets. I thought it was just SPECTACULAR..not in my top 5, but for sure in my top 10.

God, I Love that song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A friend and I argued about this in 1978 when a member of the rifle line of Phantom dropped a rifle and they got a .10 penalty and lost by that much. It was not just her fault. This is of course from the "tic" era As he said....it was also the horn players who missed a note or cracked, a drummer who had a higher stick than the others, anyone of the corps who was out of step or out of phase or not perfectly in formation, etc. If Blue Devils had their 4 -10's from Friday night in Visual had pushed their horn line a bit more ( they stayed the same) their color guard had the score they had Friday night ( they dropped .10) It wasn't just the drum line.............

What was amazing as it permeated through the movie screens at various locations (as reported by many members here). I know I felt it. I have been a take it or leave Phantom fan. Loved '91 Knew they were special in '96. But they really had to convince me, as I was not all that fond of the 80's version of Sparacus and they certainly haven't been my favorite corps over the years ( falling wll behind SCV, 27th Lancers, Bridgemen, and mid Garfield ( (the 80's and some of the 90's shows)), the Cavies, Madison). But I am a true blue Phantom Phan now. WIll buy some t-shirts from them. I have to have the DVD and probably will attend Indianapolis after a 8 year complete hiatus from finals. It was almost as moving as when I went to a clinic in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1974......Santa Clara who?........all those drum corps do is play just patriotic music and usually very badly out of tune.................they don't even lift up their feet.................. Vanguard changed my life that day. I went to finals for almost 20 years straight as well as numerous midwest shows, or East Coast shows. We spent our honeymoon in Atlanta in 1984.

I actually meant this as a tongue in cheek, but with good music and good theater it is not a rehash. Do people not go to the Symphony because they are playing Beethoven's 9 th again or because they are doing the Sibelius 3rd. Often they go for a different interpretation. Theater is the same way. I saw Phantom of the Opera twice in Toronto ( Icould actually see that show every 3 or 6 months). Each time I saw something different, felt something different. The second guy was as close vocally to Michael Crawford as you could get. The parents where I teach often come to all 5 productions of the spring musical. It is different each night. When we did Fiddler 12 years ago we sold out 1 or 2 nights. A year or 2 later we sold out the seats for all 5 performances after 4 days of ticket sales. Another year or two later we sold out in one day and one hour. THe next year we sold out our tickets in one hour. The next year their was a millage proposal for a new theater with twice as many seats that passed hands down. I thought it would take us 10 years to double our attendance. It is our 5th year in the new theater and we sold out all 5 performances.

Sorry Mass excerpts were 82 and 83. Jeremiah was '85 I believe.

You mean almost as bad as Carolina's this year. They were an excellent playing and marching unit.............I just didn't care for it for their music. In 1980 I went to workshop with Georgge Zingali and he talked anout how disco music had no climaxes at all and so you had to build them in. This show had too much climax material......it sounded like a record I bought in HS.........100 greatest Classical Masterpieces........about 30 seconds for each one. Didn't you get it. Mine was a joke taking it a step further. LOL:felloff:

Sorry forgot... Phantom Regiment ...Beethoven's Ninth.with the walk-over and guard changing flags..........or this year's

Dedicate to strictly Drum Corps Endings..........like: Madison....Ballet in Brass coda Kilties........Auld Lang Syne 27th Lancers....Oh Danny Boy Cadets...Rocky Point coda with the Z pull Blue Devils...don't know the name of it....... .might have been a Wayne Downey original...the drums start it and the whole horn line is on the 50 and rotates Bridgemen....the Civil War Ending Santa Clara...Bottle Dance Feel free to add your own

What I would like to hear is: I Don't Know How to Love Him Rocky Point Holiday Salvation is Created all of 1987 and 1984 and do it in 10 1/2 minutes

Well said!!!

I agree totally. Even if you were given a simplified arrangement of "Mary had a Little Lamb"....you do your best. Save all those other emotions for the bus or parking lot or the next day. What if DCI had brought in some strangers to drum corps....possible sponsors........possibly new supporters.......what would they have thougt??? I always said Drum corps was like a professional marching band. That person(s) could have the best chops in the world, but if I had known he had done that.....no job for him.....or if I were the corps director.....no slot for him next year and would call all of the other directors and warn them. They aren't middle schoolers.