[Your favorite Shows and why]

Now pre-90's I'm not too familiar with, so I'll start with '91.

Cavaliers 1991: Such a bada** hornline and colorguard, and the percussion parts were pretty awesome too, especially their feature (obviously). That was just totally my style of music, and they had a very very entertaining show.

Vanguard 1991: Mainly the beginning and especially the end stick out to me. I love the way they enter the stage, and I love the 80x150ft flag (just a guess at dimensions) that they bring out at the end of the show. The first time I saw that, I couldn't believe it for a second.

Blue Devils 1991: Although not the most technically clean I think, it was still a very entertaining show. Ballad and closer are highlights for me.

Crossmen 1991: The opening statement and the ballad stuck out to me, but I really did love the rest of the show.

Freelancers 1991: Awesome show, especially with the short piccolo trumpet player and his two friends. :)

Cavaliers 1995: The planets is an awesome visual book, and an even better visual book. I like it.

Blue Devils 1995: I love the entire show, especially the closer that never seems to quiet down or slow down. Percussion is a highlight for me too.

Vanguard 1995: Trumpet duetists in the beginning give me the greatest energy. The rest of the show is typical Vanguard, which is awesome.

Cadets 2000: Awesome percussion feature, and I especially like how the brass fingers the other's instruments. But I still wonder, how did the people on the left finger theirs? They must've just laid out or something.

Cavaliers 2002: Cleanest show ever, and though I wasn't too excited about the musical book (even though it was #### good and clean), the visual book was stunning. Yes, stunning.

Blue Devils 2002: I love the jazzy show, I'm entertained pretty much all the way through.

Cadets 2003: Malaguena is my favorite part, then they play Rocky Point Holiday, what's not to love about this show.

Blue Devils 2003: I feel like this show was really clean, not so much as in really together (which it was), but extremely well designed musically.

Cavaliers 2004: My favorite show of all, 007. Every part of this show kept me entertained, beginning to end. My favorite ballad as well, very very emotional.

Blue Devils 2004: Honestly I don't think I'd like this show as much with out Mr. Scott Dean, but nevertheless it was an awesome show. Especially where they marched... what.... 220bpm?

Vanguard 2004: Scheherezade, a bada** musical and visual book was really fun to watch. Can't really explain more than that.

Crossmen 2004: Another bada** musical book and some more trumpet screamers, I can't help but love the entire show, especially the chords a little after the opening statement.

Scouts 2004: The beginning and end really speak out to me, especially with the really exciting closer.

Phantom 2005: Rhapsody was a really fun show to watch, especially the contra feature!

Blue Devils 2005: Another show where Scott Dean made it a show to download.

SCV 2005: Even though it's the lowest SCV might have placed, its still one of my favorites. I love the USSR theme and the musical book to go with it, and I honestly think that they should've placed higher.

Cavaliers 2006: 3rd favorite show musically and visually. Very good show that's easy to understand, with some awesome drill and visuals added into it. Watch it, it's awesome.

Phantom 2006: Awesome. Very entertaining to watch, definitely deserves to be in the Countdown this Thursday.

Blue Devils 2006: Mainly opener and closer are the parts I listen to. I love the percussion in the opener, just to point out one thing.

Bluecoats 2006: Connexus. Distorted's awesome, and I love the production and trumpet feature. Drums sounded very clean too.

Cadets 2006: A very different show, which is why I love to watch it so much. Percussion feature is amazing, which leads right into the ballad which is one of my favorites also (the singer helps I think). Musically, the ballad was written very dramatically and performed very well.

Vanguard 2006: I liked Russia 2005 better, but this show was very well done and was entertaining watching that there was something moving all the time.

Carolina Crown 2006: First Crown show I've seen, and I really like the musical book. Opening statement is really fun to watch, and the ballad really speaks to me.

Cadets 2007: Narration was never really my favorite, but I really think it's growing onto me and it could really make a show easier to understand, and more entertaining. The brassline was really bada** and loud (seeing them twice, once in Boise and Portland right up front), and the whole show seemed very hard. I think it was the hardest show all year, and although not as clean as the Blue Devils, it was a lot more entertaining.

Cavaliers 2007: Drill and music-wise it was a very entertaining show. Once again, the Cavies kept me entertained the entire show (especially the opener). Sweet trumpet screamers too.

Phantom 2007: Loud, fairly clean, and very entertaining. Spoke to me and kept me awake the entire show.

SCV 2007: Opener, perc. feature, ballad, closer, all very entertaining. I can listen to it 50 times over if I had the time.

Crown 2007: Best crown show ever obviously. Loud bada** hornline, sweet percussion and percussion feature, and it was definitely a show to stay awake for.

Bluecoats 2007: Very easy to understand, very big sense of theme, and the musical book was awesome. I love watching the percussion on the videos, and the colorguard made the show for me.

Now that I've spent an hour writing this, I'm done.

[Update on Bluecoats 2008 show]

The fact that there's a specific "announcer" role is still worrisome, IMO.

However, the musical selections sound pretty good.

I'm not, I think that the show will be even better with it than it would be without. I'm sure they won't overdue it.

[And the 2008 champion is.....]

I was just thinking about the upcoming season, and I can't wait until that first show. And am really looking forward to final in Indiana this year. I was also thinking about placements, and while I really love the Cavaliers, Blue Devils and Cadets, I was thinking it would be really cool to see another champion this year. I think it would be really cool if any of the following corps won this year.

SCV The most likely of the group to win. Always a crowd favorite with innovative shows. I haven't ever seen a show from SCV that I didn't love.

Madison Scouts A great corps that had a rough season last year. It would be so cool to see them win after falling to 15th place, their lowest since the mid 70's. I think the crowd would go absolutely nuts if they were to pull out the win.

Bluecoats Have had amazing efforts the last few years. Really proving to be a contender for the championship in the next few years.

Carolina Crown One of the relatively newer corps in the activity today. They have really had the crowd pulling for them the last couple of years.

Troopers After being inactive for a season, and coming back really strong, it would be so cool for this corps to win it all. It would really give hope to some of the other corps who have gone inactive recently.

Pioneer After all the recent years of having members come and go, and using Pioneer to gain valuable experience to be able to compete for spots in higher placing corps, wouldn't it be so cool to see them win it all? They achieved some great success at the DII level, and have put out some great shows, but it would be cool to see them go from last place to 1st place in one year.

Spirit After having major financial problems in the last couple of decades, I have heard they came close to folding on more than one occasion. I am so glad they ended up with some extra supporters and alumni coming together to save this corps, and their association with JSU has really made them a great corps once again.

Blue Stars After being a consistent top 5 corps in the early 70's, they stepped down to DII and DIII for many years of competition. They always performed great shows, even at the smaller division. I know the crowd would be excited if this corps could pull offa championship.

While I have the feeling SCV is the only one of these corps that really has a chance of winning this next season, I think if any of these corps deserved to win next year, and pulled out the championship, it would be absolutely amazing.

Although Bluecoats are extremely entertaining, I really don't think that Criminal would ever be a championship show, and if "The Knockout" is anything like Criminal (not performance wise, just the show design), I don't think they'll get champs either. I could be completely wrong, but that's just the feeling I get.

Phantom Regiment has a good shot of getting it I think, but I'd put my money on the Cavaliers. They're doing a show that I think has huge potential scoring-wise, but also visual-wise (another one like '06, '04). Obviously I haven't heard any of their music, but I'm betting on the Cavies this year. SCV, as much as I'd like them to win championships this year I don't think that they'll be able to make that big of a jump, but hey shoot me if I'm wrong. The Cadets I think will still be in the top 4, but I don't get that weird tingly feeling that they'll win the championships.

Madison Scouts? I think they'll do very good this year, back into finals but I really don't think that they'll take home the championship either. Just another tingly feeling (or absence of it). Oh, and Carolina Crown I think are going to have another very entertaining show, and my tingly feeling tells me that they'll break the top 5. Just my tingly feeling though, you can try to squish it if you like.

That's just me and my tingly feelings, don't laugh at them please... lol.

BTW 2000Cadet, I love your signature. But how does the person on the far left finger his notes?

[What ever happened to the lessons drum corps supposedly taught us?]

Ok, well anyway the lessons drum corps has taught us, or our parents or teachers or mentors have taught us, goes straight out the window when you mix the internet (where it's very easy to post without thinking) and impulsiveness. A lot of us only think to use those lessons anyway in drum corps itself, or at least in a professional world (work, school, etc.).