Grumpy

If this is the case, why do we have young men and women auditioning for, paying tuition to and performing in corps that have no snowball's chance in heck of even making it to Finals, much less winning it all? Each year at DCA, I make it a point to make sure to get to the Alumni show specifically BECAUSE there are no scores...the only reason they're out on that field is to entertain, and top to bottom they always do. I can't always say the same for some DCI shows, IMO. FWIW, some alumni units still "kill themselves running around on a field all day" and most definitely "getting yelled at" (although sometimes the latter happens more at home than with the corps!).

double post

Newington, NH...tickets were $18, and I got charged a $2.50 "convenience fee" for 2 tickets (I ordered online in advance). I was surprised that there were maybe 40 people max in attendance. After reading/hearing past horror shows about the volume not being loud enough, I was pretty happy overall with the volume level in our theater. It could have been a little louder, but it was certainly OK and I didn't bother asking them to turn it up. As for the delay, we lost it part way through Bluecoats and after a couple of minutes, a message was superimposed on the screen that said there were issues due to severe weather at the show site, the message was updated several minutes later with the addition that it would resume as soon as possible. A lot of people in the audience pulled out there smart phones and said the weather over Indy was pretty active. It came back at the very end of SCV, we got about the final 30 seconds of their performance. I had planned to speak with theater management at the very least and DCI if necessary about the "missing corps", but then they announced they were going to show them in their entirety after BD so I decided I really had no complaint-I received what I paid for. The only complaint I have is that food and drink prices in this theater make LOS look like a bargain (seriously, $4.75 for a bottle of water???) and the fact that a trip to restroom from our theater was a 5 mile hike.

Keep an eye on dci.org, they will usually post the schedule for the following day as soon as the last scores are announced. My guess would be that top 8 would probably be going on somewhere between 8-9 pm (Indy time) depending on when they want to wrap up-last year, Star Alumni were scheduled to perform on Friday night (not sure if they have plans for anyone to perform this year) and the age-out ceremony is also held that night.

If you're even remotely into auto racing, visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There is a museum there and although it's been a few years, we were able to purchase a pretty comprehensive tour that took us to many "backstage areas" inside the Pagoda, a ride around and actually allowed us to walk around on the track at the Finish Line (got a great picture of my wife "kissing the bricks", just like the race winners each year), into the pit areas and the Winners Circle. Each year we've been there in the past, the Indiana State Fair has been running. The first year when we were in Bloomington, we took a side trip one day to French Lick to visit a casino.

This is top 15, not 17...according to the prelim schedule on dci.org, The Academy goes on at 6:40 pm...there is only one more INT scheduled, 20 mins, IIRC around 8:39 and last corps on Blue Devils, is listed at 10:58 with last score announced at 11:23. With prelims, there is no retreat and scores are announced throughout the event during the breaks between corps. In other words, we're looking at just about 5 hours running time. I am debating whether to leave right after BD and get the scores when I get home, or wait it out in the theater.

Newington, NH...I am really bummed though as this will be the first championships I've missed live since 1993

If you purchased the FN package that includes DVD or Blue-Ray, you have access to this year's Finals VOD two days after the actual event...Finals VOD are listed as available next Monday to those subscribers who are eligible.

IMHO, this is one way to put it to DCI: I cannot afford to go to Finals this year. You will not receive any revenue from me in Indy. I already have FN with the Blu-Ray option, which means I will get VOD's on Monday. If you live streamed Finals this year for an additional fee, I would have gladly paid it unless it were completely unreasonable. You would be receiving money from me that you would not have received otherwise. In future years, my first choice will always be to attend Finals live if I can, but if I can't I would pay extra to see a live stream.

The Colts also don't need to factor in a massive black curtain hanging on one side of the stadium that could really cause a train wreck if it started blowing around, especially in the middle of a performance. If you don't have the curtain, the echo is even worse than it already is. DCI had announced last year (or was it two years ago?) that they were going to open the roof on Thursday for the corps performing BEFORE the break for the top 15 theater broadcast, as an experiment to see if the sound WAS better...but then, a heat wave hit and the heat index was over 100 for most of the week. For the safety of the performers and spectators, it was decided that the roof would remain closed. And as has been mentioned, that multi-million dollar project decided that they would skip a drainage system for the field, as an effort to save money...so the field cannot be exposed to rain at all, because there's no way to get rid of it. Even the remotest chance of rain means the roof stays closed. I'm sure it's that way whether it's the Colts or anyone else using the stadium.

This For myself and my wife, tickets to Finals plus the airfare puts us over the $1,000 mark and that's BEFORE we've even decided where we're going to stay, car rental/cab to and from the airport and food. In the past, we have arrived on Wednesday and left on Sunday; that half-week ends up costing probably close to $2,000. This year, I am sadly having to miss Finals live for the first time since 1993 simply because we just cannot afford it. If DCI lowered the price for tickets for all three nights, and showed all three events either at the theaters in their entirety, or on FN in their entirety for an additional PPV fee, they would generate a significant amount more in revenue than from their current structure (IMHO, of cours). Drumcat has said elsewhere that the live stream of Finals is a topic that comes up every year at DCI, generates a lively dialogue, and is something that he feels will happen at some time in the future...guess for now, we'll have to go with that!

I've said it before, but it bears repeating...the fact that a show is or is not entertaining doesn't have a whole lot to do with the corps members performing-they're doing what they're supposed to be doing with what they've been given. It has more to do with the corps directors and staff for those 15 other corps who chose those themes, designs and musical selections for their members this year. And if I am spending my hard earned $ to be entertained and I'm not, I'll let my wallet speak for me.

Just happened to catch this on the news...at least I don't think it will hang around 'til Labor Day!!!!!

My guess is that they couldn't stay...they had to be in Allentown on Saturday, I'm guessing they had a 6-7 hour bus trip ahead of them AFTER they fought through Boston traffic getting out of Fenway. Since you've been to Fenway, you know what I mean. The easiest way to get to and from that ballpark is via the subway located several blocks away, and even that can be an adventure.

Bridgemania Part II There's still a whole lot of the old Bridgemen stuff I'd love to hear again, and every time I either saw Surf live this summer or watched them on FN (and trust me, I watched them a LOT on FN) I got goosebumps when they hit that first note. They kind of remind me of the Madison Scouts back in the 90's, you KNEW they were easily going to be the most entertaining show of the night but the judges weren't giving them the love. Madison was ALWAYS the crowd favorite and multiple standing O's and a 45 second to one minute ovation at the end of the show were part of every performance.

YEA had their hands in a LOT of corps back about 10-12 yrs ago(? Could have been even before that). Besides Cadets and Crossmen, they were involved in Sunrisers in DCA, Magic of Orlando, Carolina Crown (yes, you read that correctly) and were rumored to have been in talks with BAC. IMO, in Hop's own mind, he was trying to establish the G7 even then, just by virtue of YEA controlling the majority of the voting corps and they would have been able to push through just about anything he wanted.

Unfortunately, bias/slotting/order occurs and is largely a result of the first shows of the season. Although I know it will never happen, I would like to see the first show of every corps at the beginning of the season be completely anonymous to the judges-the corps proper in black bibs and t-shirts, completely random performance order, no mention of the corps name or anything else-just "Corps A, take the field for competition" and that would remove any bias or slotting. Unfortunately, it would establish the benchmark for the rest of the season because then it would be common knowledge as to which corps was playing what. IMO, our current judging system almost won't allow corps like Jersey Surf, Teal Sound, and Pioneer to score above Academy, Troopers or Colts. Every corps, no matter how good, is going to have an "off night" occasionally; but in our current system, nobody has off nights-the outcome can be pretty well predicted before the competition even takes place. My parents get a good chuckle every year when we go to a show with them, because I will predict beforehand what the final placement will be. I am correct a good percentage of the time before even hearing a note or seeing any of the visual.

Thanks for your review! I'd like to put in my thoughts as well...my first thought about the evening was how incredibly rude people are becoming. As the Defenders began their show, there was total disregard by people either just arriving are those who dallied too long at the souvie trailers and/or the concession stands...there was a steady stream of people entering the seating area with total disrespect for both the Defenders and those of us who were attempting to watch/listen to their performance. Despite an announcement following their performance from Paul Cain (my all time favorite drum corps announcer) to show courtesy to both performers and spectators, it continued well into the Muchachos performance as well. Granted, these corps are performing in exhibition but they still deserve the same consideration as the units competing. Perhaps in the future, some volunteers can be assigned to usher duty which would solve this problem, and would also be helpful to people trying to locate their seats as this venue can be an adventure to navigate if you haven't been there before. As for the corps, I absolutely LOVE Jersey Surf's show this year, especially being a fan of the Bridgemen since their competition days. Besides playing the Bridgemen music, it sounds as if they are playing the old Bridgemen arrangements-or updated ones that are very close to the old ones. Their brass has a nice full, melodic sound and they have made some strides since I last saw them in Quincy. They have also added some comedy as a pre show that fits right in with their image. I was seated in the second row (hey, I didn't get the tickets-my friends did and like to sit low) and had a good close up look at the performers in their pit, and these kids genuinely LOVE performing this show and you could see it in their faces. I respectfully disagree with your take on Cascades...from where I sat, it didn't seem like the crowd was "getting" this show...and the people I was with, all of whom have drum corps experience, found the show "boring" (their words, but I felt the same way). I was kind of surprised from the size of the corps that they are competing in WC; my opinion is that smaller units like Cascades should be trying to maximize their crowd appeal (like Surf, and Teal the past few years) and this musical selection certainly didn't seem to be doing the trick. The pit performers were nowhere near as "into" this show as any of the other corps last night. I was very pleasantly surprised by SCV. I honestly wasn't expecting much from them this year after last, and I watched one of their first shows this year on FN, but what I saw last night left little doubt that SCV should not be taken lightly this year. Maybe it's just me, but I am starting to see in the Vanguard drill what we used to see in the Cavaliers about 10-12 yrs ago...what a coincidence LOL. They marched it well last night, still some dirt but nothing that can't be cleaned in the next week. Their brass was powerful and the percussion section IMO was the best one of the night. There is going to be some major fighting going on for third place in Indy. I am just not getting the Cavaliers program this year...the first thing I noticed was during the pre show and the voice synth, was that the amp was WAY too loud...but they didn't turn it down. The same thing happened to either the Crusaders or Cadets (honestly don't remember which) when they went on and they adjusted it almost immediately...with Cavies it was an issue througout the show. I don't think much of the guard uniforms, but their guard appeared to be the one bright spot in this show. I feel sorry for the guys on the field, they are doing the best with what they've been given but I feel that they definitely did NOT deserve either their score or their placement...I had them fourth by about 2 points. I saw the Cadets show earlier in the summer several times on FN, and then live in Quincy. I haven't watched them since and it looks like Hop is keeping the Cadet tradition alive-this show is vastly different from the one I saw on July 6. I don't have anything against the theme of this year's show, although I am not a big fan of some the arrangements they are using (FWIW, I felt the same way about their last incarnation of West Side Story) but they performed the first 2/3 of the program pretty cleanly and with the movement and sound that we've come to expect from them. As for the last third or so, I got the distinct impression that most of this was added very recently...the drill was not as clean and just seemed kind of tentative and lacking in confidence, maybe something that they are expecting to give them a push in Allentown and something they can get clean by next week. It's got the potential, but as I said above it's going to be a battle for third in Indy. I had the spread between them and SCV a lot closer than what the judges did. As for Crusaders, I would like to address your comment on the "timing" of the announcement...I was sitting literally directly behind Paul Cain-he made his announcement specifically at the prompting of one of the Crusader staff. If there's an issue on the corps being announced, it's on Crusaders own staff and not on Paul-he went right on cue from THEM. Again, I must disagree here with OP on their musical selection this year. I don't hate it, but I'm not crazy about it either. As far as the hometown crowd's reaction, remember that every year before this one, the "hometown crowd" will have had usually between three and five shows (sometimes more), plus spring training in relative close proximity in New Hampshire, before the East Coast Classic, to get to know the music and the show. This year, due to the corps doing move ins and starting tour on the west coast, a lot of these people were getting their first taste of the show-just like every other corps. As for myself, I've seen them on FN but there's a lot that gets missed when you're only seeing things from a hi-cam angle. They marched well, some dirt but again nothing that can't be cleaned by Indy. I had them solidly in third last night, and 7th-8th in Indy is certainly attainable. With the exception of the crowd issue which I addressed earlier, Lawrence is probably one of the best show venues in all of New England. Unlike Lynn, the setting sun is BEHIND the stadium and is such that it doesn't present a problem for the performers or the audience; the bench seating is adequately spaced so that adults fit easily and comfortably; there are no clouds of smoke from the food concession choking out the audience in the bleachers; the souvie area is not tucked away in some far off corner of the venue and it is MUCH easier as far as access, literally within sight of the nearby interstate. The highlight of the evening had to be the 50-50 raffle. The winner stood to take home a little over $2,000. The winning ticket was drawn and announced, for several minutes with no winner coming forward. Another ticket was subsequently drawn, with the same result. At the urging of the audience, it was decided to just donate the money to the Crusaders (show sponsors and the ones running the 50-50).

I think I recall them being based in Bensalem, PA at some point in the mid to late 90's?

Trust me, in Boston it's a MAJOR EVENT

Latest forecast from late news for Lawrence area is minimal chance (10-15%) of a passing shower, otherwise warm & sunny.

Tomorrow's weather forecast for the area is warm and humid with a chance of thunderstorms. FWIW, several years ago at the same show and venue, there were heavy storms that moved through the area up until about an hour and a half before showtime, and the field was fine-the show went off without a hitch and it was great weather for the remainder of the evening. In the past, when field conditions are too slick to be safe, corps usually perform in standstill as long as weather permits. Try checking weather radar before leaving for the show to see if the show site looks like it might get rained on...most local TV stations have a link to local weather radar...you can try www.wmur.com which is located in Manchester, NH. They have a great radar which shows most of New England and you can zoom the image if you prefer.

You, sir, are DA MAN. I appreciate everything you do for FN and the fact that us pains in the ### will always get answers to our questions (although we may not LIKE them, we WILL get them LOL). Please keep on doing what you're doing and THANKS!

I'm not really "tech savvy" either, but I figured out how to get it on my HD set. Our HD has several HDMI connections, I just bought an HDMI cable from Best Buy and plug one end into one of the HDMI jacks on the TV, and the other end into the HDMI port on my laptop. If your computer doesn't have an HDMI connection, there may an HDMI that has the HDMI on one end and a USB on the other? The guys at Best Buy or Radio Shack should know. Once you've pulled up FN on the computer, switch the TV input (the same type of selection you would make if you were using your DVD for example) and you should get the same thing on the TV as you're getting on your computer screen. I have been using this all season so far on the HD set so far for the live streams and it's a lot more comfortable and easier on the eyes than sitting at the desk staring at the laptop for hours on end...and the surround sound is better too!

Last week, my stepson asked my wife and I if we could help him out getting another car as the one he had was on its last legs. We went to a nearby used car dealership, and one of the salesmen met us outside. Eventually, we moved indoors to continue our discussions...my wife went in first, followed by my stepson, with me bringing up the rear and as I walked in the door, she said "THAT SOUNDS LIKE DRUM CORPS!!!!!" One of the other salesmen at the dealership had FN playing on his laptop and was listening/watching last year's Boston Crusaders. Turns out he marched 27th Lancers in the late 70's. Most surprising of all, is that the wife (goes to shows, but not the world's premier fan) instantly recognized DC!