BDCorno

Sure, you can find great deals if you want to drive. I won't need a rental car, won't have to drive anywhere, can go back to the hotel in five minutes and take a nap during prelims if I want, don't have to pay parking, etc.. Certainly a convenience factor there. I can pretty well predict that the bed at the Omni will be juuuuust a bit more comfortable than the ones at the Super 8. I've stayed at a couple. I'll be having a few adult beverages during the week too...nice to have to only make it to and from the elevator lol.

Sadly, even though the motorcycle race isn't in town, the airport hotels aren't the deal they were a few years ago. You could get rooms at around $100 a few years ago, but now they're creeping up toward the DTI prices.

Yeah, Brian is a sharp guy. Maybe it's more the sound engineers than anything. They're all functionally deaf...was at a Tower of Power concert a few years back, and if you got within 50 feet of the speakers, you pretty much got vaporized. How all those people managed to stand/sit in that zone for two hours is beyond me. The new line array speakers that many corps have gone to now, allow the sound to be better distributed around the venue. Subwoofers and bass speakers? That's the goo, and it needs to be managed. It's always going to be heavier in a closer proximity, so I think in smaller stadiums on tour, it's bound to be too much. Would hope they'd dial it back in response, but maybe it's not thought of. I'd also hope the music staff would see/hear that as well, but...

$200 a night is better than the normal rates, but there's nothing reasonable about them. But I know, it's a large city and downtown. Comes with the territory.

I get ya. From my couple of days watching them live, I thought the bass was too heavy and that the solos were juiced too hot, but they're dealing with all new equipment on both sides of the equation, so it's going to be a process. To hear the same reactions from others, two weeks further into the season, makes me sad. I'm hoping that they dial this in more finely to help the listening experience. I have faith. Oh, and I don't think there is much of an effort at all to amplify the larger hornline, other than to achieve balance. They're plenty loud.

Interesting. Other than the bass, I felt that there was far less than last year. The new line array speakers do get the sound up, so there is less saturation down low in the stands. But they only have two, and Bluecoats have four. Can't imagine that BD would be louder than Bloo.

Shapiro's is DA PLACE. Traditional pre-finals dinner. Went there last year before semis as well...got the chocolate cake for dessert, and was in a food coma up until the final six.

What are all you people smoking? If Cavies end up ahead of BAC, I'll eat my hat.

Actually, BD did Bird and Bela 25+ years ago, and snippets back in 2012. Just for clarity.

I have zero issues with my Roku Stick.

Well shucks, Crown Phan. I might have three tickets, but they're not for people with stopwatches and a huge blind spot. Oh well...

It's going to be a long process as they solidify and dial in all the effects and intent of the show. Anyone who would count out BD, based on their show this time of year, does so at their peril. The process of building their show is methodical, well planned and executed. So many times in the past few years (INK was a perfect example), have sat there at midseason wondering if they'd fix this or that. "In BD staff we trust" should be the motto. SCV has the momentum, sympathetic "crowd favorite" status and corps to win it all, but they're not going down without a fight from the Blue Crew. They're going to need a high powered ending to combat/compete with Metropolis 1927's finish...which might be the modern equivalent of Rocky Point, when it comes to closers.

Seems to be plenty of that going around with those that don't like BD for whatever reason. Make no effort at all to open the mind to what's really going on out there. Simplify and dismiss the show as shallow, lacking demand and inferior. Blue Devils consistently put on well-constructed shows with highly competitive and usually unique demands on the performers, whether percussion, horns or color guard. The dance features in the show are mind blowing. Difficulty of the horn book is highly competitive, and they take chances in terms of range that some top groups eschew. The drum line has already knocked off SCV once, so they're clearly competitive there. Will they prevail at finals? No way of saying at the moment, but there is no question that the program will give them a shot.

That is what he said...that is what saxfreq1128...said.

So you're looking for Friends of DCI sections. Might be tough. Can tell you that DCI has no more anywhere in those sections, because I bought the last five yesterday. You would have to be a FoDCI to have access to them anyway. Best bet is keeping your eyes peeled here and on the DCP Facebook page.

Thank you! People simply don't see these things. As they say "the Devils are in the details"...and it's really true. To better describe the move, you have most of the horn line on the far left in a large, spread block. They start with a line of trumpets and mellos near center. It starts undulating like an octopus arm, and progressively picks up people from the block, eventually collecting everyone. So the line gets longer and longer. Constantly changing directions and perspectives. Hella hard stuff. Another great example of what you describe is the drill that followed the ballad, all the way to the clump and horn push as they recapped "Children will Listen". Some outrageously difficult drill and builds, done almost spotlessly. Easy to miss and appreciate the quality of the design and performance unless you watched closely. It explains why many "don't get" BD's scores in visual. EDIT: I'm thinking 2016 really, but both years are similar in the types of things they did. Lots of blind builds, reverse marching of forms that look like "follow the leader", etc.

He's been only marginally involved the past few years, but he has been around. Chatted with him at length at Grand Terrace last year. It was time to retire. 45 years with one group is amazing, and he has so much going on elsewhere, it only made sense.

French Horns of the world, unite!

Yeah, you won't find a more welcoming bunch.

Well, BD won percussion last night, along with color guard. Brass second, but right there. Getting beaten in GE fairly soundly at the moment, which I disagree with slightly, but they're still tinkering with the program. SCV seems more complete, at least until their closer. It's an impressive and in your face show with many big and trendy unison movement features. The tuba/percussion ditty that's reminiscent of the Grambling/Southern genre sousaphone grooves is kind of cool, and the kids in the audience just lit up. Lots of appeal in that respect. It's going to be a battle all season. Truly an apples and oranges thing.

I'll be there at about the same time. If I'm lucky I'll get back by 1930, grab some dinner on the way up and make it by run throughs. Sadly, wanted to check out BK but being out of town, and with the alumni hang taking me away early Saturday, I won't have a chance. I'm sure all the usual suspects will be at GT to watch tomorrow. See ya there.

I'm gonna try to make it. Working in PHX, driving home tomorrow nite. May go directly to the rehearsal.

Doing their normal routine. They're pretty methodical about it. Most of the show is blocked in before Stanford weekend. They usually "start tour" midweek before Stanford. They'll typically do a once through of the program, refining and focusing ideas. Also time for the first real cleaning to occur. I'd say this is a time of year when they improve about a point a day. The difference in the BD of DCI West and the SoCal swing BD is pretty dramatic. They'll normally push 80 by Riverside. Tomorrow (Friday) is a System Blue camp. It doesn't really interfere too much with the schedule, but a ton of kids descend on Grand Terrace HS to get some instruction and rub elbows with the corps. The BD kids are really fantastic about it. I'd say for new members, this is the weekend they really start feeling like Blue Devils. The Riverside show on Sunday is a de facto second "home show". Lots of RCC connex and many alumni attend the weekend shows, and there is some alumni/member hype in the lot at Riverside. We usually don't attend the show (the stadium is really poor seating), and opt for the lot. BD allow the alumni to walk with the corps to the gate, and hang on the track for the performance. After the show, goodbyes for everyone and they pull out and off the West Coast for the summer. Bittersweet, but such a great atmosphere for alumni and member alike.

I get ya. I'm excited too. Just like the old days, when I marched. Steel sharpening steel. It only makes both groups better, and that's good for DCI.

20 seats across in the center sections in the 100's. Seat numbers run counterclockwise, so from right to left as you look at the field from the stands. So seat 1 in 139 is on the outside, seat 1 in 141 is closer to the 50.