rkfdPRphan

I wish to deeply, and publically apologize to the entire Phantom Regiment organization, staff and volunteers. I also apologize to those outside of the immediate Phantom Regiment organization who help design the emblems, characterizations, and designs that go into this program. And, especially, I apologize for my construed misrepresentation of the fine products this drum corps receives from the Fred J Miller Inc (uniforms and costumes) and McCormick's (flags). I apologize and deeply regret my choice of words in a blog involving why it takes so long for guard uniforms and show silks to get in place. The email I received showed just part of what I wrote trying to describe a process that still takes many hours of work for fitting of each uniform to each member. I was not, in any way, stating that the uniforms were not of the best quality and workmanship just that additional alterations are needed to make a custom fit look. There was the question of tailoring of the uniforms and I wanted the reader to understand that there are still alterations that go into the final fitting. In no way was I implying that the uniforms were half made or of bad quality. As for the flag and silk comments; again, I deeply regret my choice of words and it was not my intention to offend the Fred J Miller Inc company. Again, and in the strongest terms, I deeply apologize to the Phantom Regiment organization, corps members, staff and volunteers; to those who have a hand in designing this years show and to Fred J Miller Inc, whos wonderful uniforms and flags make drum corps shows very, very special. Please understand that I meant no harm while trying to explain to those who havent volunteered how much work goes into each drum corps show. After posting this retraction, deleting the original posting as requested, I will ban myself from further posting on DCP and delete my account. I am deeply sorry for what I have done, please accept my apology. Best of luck to the Phantom Regiment organization. Ellice K Ford rfdPRphan

I wish to deeply, and publically apologize to the entire Phantom Regiment organization, staff and volunteers. I also apologize to those outside of the immediate Phantom Regiment organization who help design the emblems, characterizations, and designs that go into this program. And, especially, I apologize for my construed misrepresentation of the fine products this drum corps receives from the Fred J Miller Inc(uniforms and costumes) and McCormick's (flags). I apologize and deeply regret my choice of words in a blog involving why it takes so long for guard uniforms and show silks to get in place. The email I received showed just part of what I wrote trying to describe a process that still takes many hours of work for fitting of each uniform to each member. I was not, in any way, stating that the uniforms were not of the best quality and workmanship just that additional alterations are needed to make a custom fit look. There was the question of tailoring of the uniforms and I wanted the reader to understand that there are still alterations that go into the final fitting. In no way was I implying that the uniforms were half made or of bad quality. As for the flag and silk comments; again, I deeply regret my choice of words and it was not my intention to offend the Fred J Miller Inc company. Again, and in the strongest terms, I deeply apologize to the Phantom Regiment organization, corps members, staff and volunteers; to those who have a hand in designing this years show and to Fred J Miller Inc, whos wonderful uniforms and flags make drum corps shows very, very special. Please understand that I meant no harm while trying to explain to those who havent volunteered how much work goes into each drum corps show. After posting this retraction, deleting the original posting as requested, I will ban myself from further posting on DCP and delete my account. I am deeply sorry for what I have done, please accept my apology. Best of luck to the Phantom Regiment organization. Ellice K Ford rfdPRphan

....but this last incident was in Toledo November 2011, at the championships for their football conference. Still, same football team, different music group but same result - just different location. The incident was just 'settled' this past May. Google niu+player+hits+toledo+band+member

But WHY do you want 2 shows at the same venue in the same year? Whitewater has its Classic and the Cavies have their show in Michigan City. Why not a venue that isn't being used right now? The colleges need their stadiums for football pratice in July in the Midwest, so it leaves us with high school stadiums. Most of our high schools don't have the number of students that Texas has, so our stadiums are smaller and often older. I've climbed up those bleachers at Boylan for over 40 years and there has been no problem, but a handrail sure would be nice (always my biggest gripe as I age....) Also keep in mind that last year, in a lot of peoples opinions, the TOC series was a big FAIL. No one would come. There was no reason to put this event in a huge stadium that would be near empty! But alas, the Rockford show has been very popular. Would I be unhappy if the Northern Illinois TOC was in a different venue? No! I want my Show of Shows back!!!! Seeing the main stands were packed, about 1/4 of the back stands were packed, several dozen people brought lawn chairs and sat in or near the south end zone, neighbors brought up their chairs and watched at the chain link fence (yes, we don't hide our drum corps shows from free public viewing in Rockford) and a heck of a lot of people stayed in the Alumni beer tent....it just might be time to move ONLY THE TOC EVENT to something bigger. But DON'T TOUCH my Show of Shows!

It comes up way too L O U D!!!! "Startled" is the right word, thank you cowtown. I jump each time I've seen that show. If I remember right, the music on the field is very soft and beautiful, so you are almost straining to hear it.....when......some really LOUD conversation from Charlie Brown's Christmas almost blows out your eardrums. Last night, the lady sitting in front of me jumped so high (at that sound byte) she almost lost her seat cushion. ....I just cant seem to remember that sound is coming and it surprises me every time.....

I thought I saw you at last night's show Granny! Still suffering from heat stroke myself, but some of those Christmas songs did the trick as I was instantly revived for my beloved Phatomettes.

this season, I have seen way many more slips/trips and falls on the astro (or whatever artificial is called) turf. Falls in Minnesota/Whitewater/Michigan City, but none last night on the grass field in Rockford.

most of it I can take or leave......the '15 minutes of fame' Cavies recording was a lot worse the first few shows has been toned down.....I have pretty much toned out the foreign voices during Blue Devils can't understand a lot of what is said because of thick accents but it fits the show theme so its OK....but towards the end of the Cadets show some child's voice is amped on the speakers and scares the #### out of me every time (and I know its coming as I've seen the show several times!) the Christmas voice montage does nothing for me because it is too loud and almost creepy. The rest of the smaller voices and sound effects dont bother me as much this year as last. Went to one show where the home corps did not set up their amps (Scouts maybe?)and it made the show sound weird.....missed the voices and sounds.....

7 of 8 played. Phantom stayed on the sidelines to 'recover' as Dan Potter put it. Someone help me on who the Drum Major was - he stood up a ways in the stand (I think it was SVC????). All 6 of the other DMs stood on tall ladders and followed his lead. Blue Devils brass tried to infiltrate the rest of the corps. Could see some blue in most of the other corps. No idea what was played but it was pretty good and VERY LOUD! Some of the guard from each corps did a dance at pit level and in the very back. SVC had the only percussion on the field and did a good job supplying the beat. Guards had some fancy drill work with double flages (large pinwheel sectioned flags with bright colors). It was fun, and did I say LOUD???

I agree with this. We have to remember that the percussion score ALSO includes the pit - where ever it might be located. Last night's judge might have been looking for a specific skill that say a vibe player had during the BD show.......and then when SCV came up, no one had that same skill level. Might be time for SCV to add some more difficult skills to the front pit? I believe it is something that Phantom is doing, and all the corps need to do once one of the corps has raised theirs....maybe that is what hurt the SCV score - a new skill that wasn't quite perfected yet. I don't know if this is true, but just something to consider.

....as much as it pains me to admit this: Phantom's guard still needs some cleaning. New stuff has been added and it isn't quite at the same squeeky clean point it was at the beginning of the season. BUT, it WILL get there! I've seen BD live now a couple of times and there is some rifle work that is spot on. You can hear the rifle hit the guard hands - a sharp clean pop. Visually, they movement is spot on too. I will give them points for that. But, will the guard work get better between now and the end of the year? I like seeing a little dirt this time of year when the guard is adding items to their show. Perfection in July scares me. Have the guard members done the best they can and end up having to holding on to that perfection while the other corps clean and catch up???

You, sir, have nothing close to the Show of Shows in Rockford. Very few historic drum corps venues left. This is one of the best. Close to the field. Members can feel your appreciation we feel their passion. Much better setup this year. Only people buying onsite tickets waited in line. Not many drum corps shows come with BBQ pork, beans, potato salad and BEER! Much better layout of souvie wagons. FREE, up close safe parking. .... And dang it was warm! Would it be even better at a larger venue? Maybe! I'm sure DCI could use some more venues for the tour so bring it on, set one up yourself and the crowds will come. Go for it if you can do it better!!!! I'm getting real tired of hearing that EVERYTHING out east is so much better. Been there- done that. Same kind of history. Changing venue, except Allentown. I'll take a Midwest venue any day!!!' Show of Shows overhyped? Hardly. Not one word about it but once a year.

Hard to beat Crown's show IMO. IF they manage to clean it and tweek it a bit more, it'll be on top in August - maybe even TONIGHT! ....on my way to SoS right now to get some BBQ. Might sell my VIP ticket and buy a back stand seat in the shade. Maybe a couple shows might be easier to understand from the back side???? SUTA!!!!

83.65 ! 4th place! WTG Phantom! Carolina's score wasn't too popular!

Looked for a funnel cloud - that would have changed the warning! Plenty of wind, hail, black clouds and spinning/rolling clouds! Got a few new dents in the mini van. Hope LaCrosse got their show in tonight as it was heading their way..

move Cavies to 7th with a score midway between 8th and 6th. move Crossmen up 2 spots from last year, raise their score accordingly and that is how I think they will finish. I don't see any upsets tomorrow.

Wow! Went tthru some horrible thunderstorms on my way up here just now. Tornado sirens sounding south of Minnie Ready. Large hail stones too. Didn't rain much at the stadium. BD are holding a clinic inside and outside stadium Be sure to leave early when coming here. Everything is under construction. Some lots and side roads are closed! Sounds like better weather tomorrow. Maybe cooler but very humid!!! Can't wait!

I believe all of Phantom's audition camps are now in the Northern Illinois/ Southern Wisconsin area. 2012 was. Next year?????

Why did Phantom finish so low in percussion last night? IMO something went wrong during a drum feature in the middle of the show. I didn't review the show last night because it had changed so much in the weeks since i last saw them! But the one drum feature looked and sounded really odd, like one of the lead drums mid-stepped and it did something to the sound too. I don't know if this is absolutely so because I haven't seen them at a show in weeks. The flow of the show almost stopped IMO. The show starts strong and the guard looks great. The brass sounded much stronger than what I have heard on FN. The field is lined on 3 sides by 'heads' on poles. Not sure if many notice that. The heads could use some color. Maybe red streamers? The beheading is more interesting. The pit is getting better and better as they take the lead musically several times. The drums are getting lost sound wise as the brass gets louder. Mid show, as I mentioned above, IMO , either a drum feature got messed up or something was missing. It looked odd as they were front and center. And it sounded odd. Some great guard work in the middle of the show. Fast moves, flag work....great look to it! Group brass features need work, especially the mellos. Should be easy to fix. ND solo is SO GOOD! As long as Phantom has room to tweek and clean their show I doubt the ending will change. It's just teasing the audience and very few stood for the ending. A lady sitting next to me wanted to jump up, instead it was a ahhh moment for her and her family. Save it for closer to finals Phantom! Overall I liked the show even more. I can see why it scores so well, can see where some cleaning/tightening can be done and there is so much room for changes especially at the end. Heading up to Minneapolis in a few hours. It will be interesting to see how everyone lines up score wise in this first real regional competition. I'm looking for Phantom to settle into 4 th or 5th and be given some strong incentive to push even harder in the second half of the season.

SUTA!!!!!

Madison Scouts Posing starts in those sharp red costs! Looks good! Speakers crackled a bit Strong opening Give me more pit work! Nice drums!! Lifting a snare that catches a rifle More flags please Strongest of horns so far Bad line spacing still time to fix Guard work around frame props is good Can hear these contras and the drums! Clean the spacing Scouts music is fine Clean rifle toss They are trying to get the crowd up Singing stops them but its great singing Crowd stood Great ending

SoA. Love the props in this show. The guard work is fantastic. 2 front DM stands is great as seems to help corps. IMO the ercorded Vegas stuff is a bit much but it IS part of the show Strong brass Pretty good marching and spacing. The show girl draws whistles Good solo Good use of chip pile props Come on drums bring up the volume! King queen flags are beautiful! Tons of great solos The young black guys flips off the field- how does he do it? 16 contras far right side can't hear them. I love the chip pile in the middle of the field at the end. Clean it up corps it'll score lots of points (I heard there is major changes coming on Saturday. )

Blue Saints is a small corps. Maybe 5guard, 9 horns, 5 drums and 5 pit. They sure tried, but need lots more practice. Good to see them on the field. Pioneer is slowly getting better. Adding difficulty Did they have 10 snares before tonight? Solos are getting better. They got a bit lost in the transition to the last set but caught it and finished strong. Crowd appreciated the effort. I'd not seen Crossmen this season. They looked sharp Looks like a full 160 or whatever the limit is. The sillouettes were interesting field props. It would be tough on windy day. My only gripe is the members seem to feed off of each other rather than follow the drum major. If first horn is off the next is a bit more off. Same with the marching as it doesn't all follow the DM lead. I'm sure it will improve as they have a strong sound. Love the flags! Clean the guard work and it will be one of the best. Good looking show. Clean it!

WELL???? It is PHANTOM'S show! Central High School 24617 75th Street Salem, WI 53168 7:25 PM Blue Saints 7:42 PM Pioneer 7:59 PM Crossmen 8:16 PM Intermission 8:46 PM Spirit of Atlanta 9:03 PM Madison Scouts 9:20 PM Phantom Regiment* Contest Coordinator - Dan Omilianowski Chief Judge - John Bell Color Guard - Gary Czapinski GE Music - Paul Hinman GE Visual - Kyle Miller Music Analysis - Luther Appel Music Brass - John Bell Music Perc. - JJ Pipitone Visual Analysis - Mike Anderson Visual Proficiency - Sal Adamo not sure if I will post pictures or comment online, but 'heading' up there shortly! SUTA!!!!

Altho public high school programs in my city are near dead (my once proud HS band had 13 members march in the local Memorial Day Parade - none wore their uniforms and only half even brought an instrument to play!), I do read about other areas where they are thriving. Probably a lot of private support for those programs - similar to drum corps. To me, the whole DCI model has gotten too BIG. Too many members per corps and too much travel. I doubt if many (if any) high school programs have long, national tours. IMO, until we get over the notion that we HAVE TO HAVE corps from the East Coast compete out West and we have to have the corps from out West come east to compete so the 'scores' are more believeable.....drum corps is going to slowly die. Smaller corps competing in a smaller area, with the top 4 finishers at the end of a 'regional tour' go to a real tournament of champions. THEY duke it out in a similar set up to what our DCI Finals are today. WE REALLY DON'T need to know everything about a corps before we see them compete at Finals! As the DCI tour goes right now, and someone already stated this, most of us pretty much already 'know' who the top 6 corps are right now.....how about a little suspense to draw a crowd to Finals for a change? It would be so much easier for a new corps to start or a smaller corps to build if it didn't cost so much money to develop and sustain larger and larger corps that travel further and further on less and less money.