Plan9

Much anger this one has.....if you see a guy approach you all in black ..with this light sword.....don't take the deal!

The standard argument has always been type of drill, speed of drill and playing while doing it. That's simplistic at best...therefore the treadmill comment. BD's drill IS always difficult...but on more levels then those just mentioned.

Sometimes when I read this stuff about demand I think that some of you on DCP would be happy to see the corps all on 150 treadmills. Then you could crank them up and have the corps play like it's a #### endurance contest. Demand and execution are not mutually exclusive. Corps directors and their designers need to understand their level of talent (MM's) and know how far they can take them in terms of demand. If a show is within the range of an ubertalented corps, it might not be in the range of a less skilled corps. A good example of engineering a design beyond the range of a corps ability to perform was Cadets 2009….it never got clean….it never could get clean….in fact, it was #### near physically impossible for the human body to manage….not to mention people blowing into things. So the object is to write the show for your level of talent and get it perfect! In short, an uberdifficult show that is dirty……….. is a just a dirty show. BD’s designs are geometric…from start to finish. They flow like segues in a well edited film. Props are obstacles and inanimate obstacles at that! They are integrated by BD in a way that extends the illusion of more in the space, and what the trained eye sees is not a prop…but an object that is interacted with much like another MM. Talk about difficulty …..a whole other level of difficulty….while playing and tossing. BTW...not directed at you Apathy!

Way to go Blue Team..........just another level...period!

Amazing Brass...but until CC brings their Percussion up they will struggle to stay top 3. Their Guard is much improved over the last several years and consistent....just need the same out of their Percussion.

Not only a badge honor..but a necessary survival skill. And thanks "rookie" for your comment, we'll be reviewing your meta data for anomalies.

#4) Closer for Madison Scouts 2013..."Never Walk Alone".....yikes! Major tearjerker! #3) "Laura" hit in BD 2010, amazing moment......also the reprise of "Laura" during closer and whole closing drill....breathtaking. #2) Company front and "Simple Gifts" during SCV 2009......are you kidding me?? You can't be interested in drum corps and not be moved by that! Period! #1) Personally, the entire Star of Indiana re-union production during Semi's 2010...but particularly serenading the age outs of 2010 with "When you Wish upon a Star"....holy ####!

G.... I have watched you from afar Grasshopper....you have done well in my absence. Grabbing the pebble from my hand, you have fearlessly battled the evil tribes from the lands of Brassovakia, Corpsbandwidth and the far Reamlands......even smiting the odd troll from time to time. Now I return to do battle alongside of you, as we approach the heart of Middle West and the great hills of the Indianapolises, land of the golf clap.

Lots of good reasons to have finals in CA, not the least of which are the sheer attendance numbers (25,000 at finals in 2007). I have no argument with Indy and their arrangement with DCI, but every 3 or 4 years, having Finals move west allows more exposure of the activity to States that are hungry to see these corps in their final rehearsed and peaked condition...with full shows. It's a win, win in my thinking. There have been enough corps that traveled to CA over the last decade to get a general idea what the reverse tour costs and of course all the corps have 07 as a marker. If the cost (for the corps) is too prohibitive balanced against the gates in CA (multiple venues with most of the top corps, the last two weeks) then it's back to the drawing board. But something tells me DCI can make an occasional Finals in CA work. Besides......Daisy Duke bikinis on top!

....and by "slotting" I'm certain you mean that there are 12 slots at finals.....and the judges put the correct corps in the correct slot (1st thru 12th place) based on how well they perform! Got it, thanks!

Bitter...party of one...your table is ready!

Well done Blue Team!

Hands down best Bluecoats design.....ever!

Congratulations to the Bluecoats design team this year. This is easily their most progressive, creative, intricate and beautifully designed show to date and it's definitely championship worthy. Were it not for another blue team out there....this would be a walk in park for Bloo. I like Cadets this year, but it's gonna be a Blue 1 & 2 kind a year.

Not sure I agree with your 3rd place possibility old buddy. Much of your analysis is spot on including guard inconsistency and percussion weakness, but the problem is more serious than captions and transitions. Design disaster?....no (relatively speaking), but a mistake none the less. IMO, Crown's very creative design team has gone too many times to the well....and jumped the shark. They had a remarkable design last year but, (again IMO) they've pulled a PR 09 by trying to return to the theme "what got em' to the dance". In other words, last year.....Space, SHOULD have been the FINAL frontier! In fact, this show looks like an amalgam of those things that didn't make it into the design last year, or popped up later. Now, having said that, the fact that they are in the top 5 is testament to the power of this corps..they are there on pure chops alone. It's not that it isn't entertaining, it's more like it's trying to be "E=MC part Deux". Additionally, this year's Crown design and outcome (at least so far) shows just how difficult it is to stay in the Top 3, year in and year out (not to mention Top 2....which makes BD's design run since 07 all the more remarkable). In short...it's #### hard!

Nice touch with the guy drumming on the plastic tubs in the subway at the end. Some nice riffs. Got me thinking, has anyone done a "stomp-like" effect playing on plastic tubs, et al in a drum corps show?

Yeah, my post may have come off a bit snarky...agreed. And yes, everyone has the right to be disappointed and manifest it how ever the hell they want! It's what we do here. Self-administer time out!

Like all things...half empty or half full! Often times it is out of frustration or feeling powerless that some suggest the demise of things when they are not going in the way they feel they should. So they declare them "dead or dying"...not that the OP did it, but there is always an air of that sense when we discuss the various (often overly dramatic) exits from these boards. It's just a yawner for me.

I didn’t really sense the OP was suggesting the demise of Drum Corps.... more like a fond adeus…But just in case, here are several predictions of demises that haven’t particularly panned out: 10. The Rapture (May 21, 2011) by Radio preacher Harold Camping 9. Y2K Scare 8. The American Car Industry 7. Boston Red Sox never winning the World Series 6. Mayan Apocalypse 5. David Parker (Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Berkshire, England) “Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past.” Predicted on March 20, 2000 4. “Television won’t last, it’s a flash in the pan”, Mary Somerville 1948 Education Broadcast Assoc; “TV won’t last 6 months, people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night”, Darryl Zannuck, 20th Century Fox, 1946 3. “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” -- Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO (April 2007) 2. "We don't like their sound, besides groups and guitar music is on the way out anyway." Decca Recording Co. after rejecting the Beatles, 1962. 1. One word…………Apple

Fair criticism.. but "that word" has been used often on these boards to describe big production performances across the board of which some would consider Drum Corps to be part of. In any case, it is getting harder and harder to amaze the public and keep them interested with their senses so thoroughly immersed and desensitized in "green screen and 3D effects" these days. In fact the definition "elaborate display, spectacle, grandeur, show" all seem to come to mind for me when I watch a good drum corps production....perhaps not for you.

The irony was not lost to me that The Rite of Spring was so prominent in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is Sochi. It proved itself again to be a formidable score for pageantry. My guess is that BD's designers had smiles from ear to ear watching it. Besides the music there was more than a few moments when you could imagine hash marks on the ice and brass in the hands of the performers. Several very familiar classic Drum Corps movements throughout. Many staggering visual moments and extraordinary uses of light and exotic visual effects. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these effects finding their way onto the field in the future.....light may indeed be the next new frontier in DC (oh yeah, daytime venues.....nevermind!). All in all, a well produced and spectacular opening ceremony. Dasvidaniya!

Thanks Brent for the honest appraisal of what it's like at the "receiving end" of thoughtless, nonsensical booing at a drum corps event. As you suggest, it is often regional which makes it even more senseless. I would suggest based on the question posed in this thread, that BD today has much more in common with Star, particularly from an individual performer experience perspective. Both have received the slings and arrows for pushing the envelop in an activity that, too often, prefers to see a reflection of itself and its past. Both, have performed at the highest levels (individually and as an ensemble), but received chiding from those with agendas instead of expected encouragement and appreciation for their effort. Although your comment about "nothing to do with performance, just the color of uniform" has merit, I still believe that BD and Star aggravated the traditionalists and view/viewed their success as a threat to DC itself. The brass connection with Crown is certainly accurate, but IMO in most other things concerning show design (both visual and music) and performance reception...BD (of recent years) and Star are most similar. They both did/do not fear stepping out on the edge....and the consequences. On a personal note, my youngin' was on the field in 2010 the night you serenaded him and the other age outs with "when you wish upon a star"...still one of my fondest memories of DC. Your's was a legendary corps.

"Because it's blue.... B.tch!!!"

This. Additionally, there are levels and rivalries throughout the band and corps competitions that have nearly as much weight as winning it all does.

DCI.....Sex, Drugs and Marching Band!