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Hopefully they're updating it.

DrumlineMom states: There are some very high quality open class programs, and "teaching" world class programs such as Spirit and Pioneer who are always looking for young, motivated individuals who want to work hard, get better, and don't expect to skyrocket straight to the top at their first go-round. If that describes you, I'd encourage you to give those corps a chance and learn from some great staff, learn how to tour (yes, this is a learning process, and might be better to do it with people who understand that you are learning), and do all of this in an atmosphere with a bit less pressure. I am sure you are a lovely person and well-intended in these comments. I think Pioneer is pretty forthcoming with their competitive philosophy, However, I would imagine that most of Spirit's staff and members would not agree, and even possibly be highly offended, at being described formally as a "teaching" corps that looks for young, inexperienced members for their goals of being a "less pressure" thinking, acting, rehearsing world class drum corps. Though stating that the top 8 are not the only place to be, describing a drum corps as a teaching or training corps adds to drum corps problem of all corps not being viewed as of equal value (see G7); some corps are there to train and educate so their members can then move on to the competitive corps. This adds to the current perceived goals of drum corps as doing only one of the following three things: win, be in the top 8, or expect to not be taken seriously. I am pretty sure Spirit wants to be taken seriously as a competitive world-class drum corps and not a corps that trains members that may later decide they want to be on that rocket ship moving toward the top as part of a second-go-round drum corps experience.

Umm, I am still scratching my head over this one. I see here I am not alone. Having not been able to spend a lot of time with corps this summer and not visiting DCP often, I went into tonight's show unbiased and probably more excited for a show than I have been in years. I was in awe of Spirit's new look as soon as they rounded the corner and the positive impressions never stopped. They sound great. GE is high, especially music GE. Brass and drums are great. Guard best they have been in years. I did not even think about the score for them or Crossmen. My only question were for the top two scores of the night. When the scores were announced I wanted to demand my money back for my undergrad degree and three years marching and learning about show design and performance quality, not to mention the hundred dollar trombone lessons I have been paying for in New York all summer. This is an odd joke. Has to be. Someone is telling others that Spirit is not good and weak minded lemmings are listening. I think these lemmings own ugly green shirts, have lots of bad music on their ipods, and have never produced a quality band, drum corps, guard, or drumline in their lives. Somebody at Spirit please write a check, scream at someone, storm the Bastille. What is probably sad is that if they do get angry and seekfairness, they will be screwded next year too. I dare several judges to step outside their desire to be somehow elevated by being a popular or accepted DCI jude (do you think anyone besides you and a handful of bad band directors on the planet gives a $#^& ?) and stand up for fairness and write down numbers that are not based on consensus determined by those with the "big say". Dear Spirit, you are great. The best you have been in ten years with a solid show. Keep working, have fun, and be proud. Oh, and never aspire to be a DCI judge.

It was a fun night for drum corps. Here is my review. Jersey Surf- They entered the stadium with lots of confidence and kept that level up most of the show. They use an America themed show pretty well. I liked a few of the GE moments that were meant to get to your American pride. The show is a little safe but good for a fairly new world class corps. The music has a mix of styles and includes a solid bari jazz solo. Guard book is not finished. Overall they seem about where they were last year at this time. A good corps. Sorry I don't have more details. This show is certainly worth seeing, just not striking or not so striking yet. Spirit-As they came into the stadium, myself and fans around me were instantly struck by the new look. This uniform works really well. They look 8 feet tall and different from everyone but still classy and professional. Something went wrong with getting Drum major podiums out there, but some staff got it taken care of. The theme of making a delta at a steel mill is very clear from the very beginning. The guard is solid and their uniform fits the theme well. The drum line was very good and some things were already really clean and projecting up. The first hit was loud. The ballad is very pretty and uses alot of different sounds and tempos, styles. The drum solo is kicking. My favorite part was the closer. There is a well played mello feature, with great smooth sounds, and then a low brass feature with quite a few notes in it, then they build to the ending. The end is loud and has the guard spilling into the middle of the field with silver flags. The horn line ends in a company front on the sideline and their props and guard make a huge delta behind them. I was really impressed with their improvement over the past several years. This show is the one that has stuck in my head the most. Finals potential for sure. Crossmen-The corps came onto the field showing some marching technique that needs attention. I mention it because I kept seeing the same issues throughout the show. The guard uniforms are bright blue and seem to fit the theme but are too tight on many members and not flattering to most. I was distracted but not in a good way. The horn line sounds good but at half the volume of Spirit and they just aren't playing much. I kept waiting for a Methany groove to kick in and it doesn't happen. There are some kind of Methany moments done by the percussion, but the arrangements leave out melodies. The music just seemed very choppy to me. there are a few visual ideas that are good. The drum line seems rough this year. They were giving up tap rolls and straight up sixteenth patterns throughout the show. The guard is pretty good but didn't do a lot of their work. They seem better than last year at this time??? but I guess I was just expecting more based on their music choices. It seemed very band safe to me. Don't get me wrong, they are good, but the show just left me flat. See Spirit easily passing this once they clean. Boston-There was a good crowd reaction when Boston came out. I am not sure how the show theme is evident throughout the show, but I am not sure it mattered. They are again very good. The beginning music is haunting and then very exciting. Crossmen's softer approach helped Boston get the crowd going with the kinds of volumes that Spirit had earlier. All areas of the corps seems strong. The guard and visual is their strength. The drum line is good though I thought Spirit's was a little bit better. The horn line was solid, I wish there was a little more meat to the book, or maybe I just missed it. They ended the show as strongly as it began. I know the corps is coming off a good finish at DCI. They seem to have a confidence that could help them place very well again. A very good show. Phantom-Phantom always looks huge because of the all white. As they came onto the field there was a sense of a higher level of professionalism than corps before. Like Boston, not sure the theme is evident, but again, not sure it matters. I think the guard is better than last years and they do a good job of performing. The beginning and end of the show are the best moments. The horn book is hard and they are doing it very well for it being so early. The drum line is smokin' good and will be hard to beat come August, I just hope the judges don't slot them where the corps will finish. They move well but some drill seems almost undoable and awkward at times. There are some gorgeous brass chords and the impacts are right there. I do not see this show as being in the hunt, but if any corps can pull off a mid season rewrite, Phantom can. I liked Phantom better than Boston, but we will see how things shape up over the summer. Bluecoats-This was a whole nother level of drum corps for me tonight. Wow, I was blown away as was most of the crowd. I haven't really liked them since the criminal show. I felt they had let their new style go for something more heady. Maybe because I didn't hear a lot in the winter I caught totally off guard. The horn line is insane and the guard over the top. They are pretty clean for this time of year. There are many great applause moments including an awesome tuba feature. The show starts and begins hitting you in the face and then the next thing you know it is over. All captions are very very solid. I would have the drum line in third, but really close to second. The drums have some demand that just seems to be getting away from them right now. Not sure if the corps is contender level yet, but certainly seems top four quality to me. Loved it.

I am excited to see the show tonight. Gonna see some corps I saw in Louisville again and ready to check out the groups I haven't seen. The new corps I'm raring to see is Spirit. Like what I see on fan network and wanna see it live. Some great brass sounds and good GE. Have some Spirit alumni friends from 08 that will be there with me who say they are jealous that the corps is getting its act together and rehearsing well. Said some of the staff didn't push them hardly and there were lots of vet tude. Wonder what has made the change happen. Best of luck to everybody. Gonna be fun. I love drum corps.

No baggage here. The baggage was ejected when I pushed "add post" yesterday. I did say what I meant to say. EXACTLY what I meant to say. Again, best to Ray and the Colts.

Huhh, so much for that heartfelt letter. I must say I am surprised, though I did hear some rumors back in July at the Spirit home show. So how does it work again, kick people out of rehearsals who are there to support friends and a corps they care about because of perceived loyalty issues and hurt feelings of an adult, and then send a letter than gives an impression opposite of reality, then have reality revealed. Well, goes to show ya. I hope the best for Ray and the Colts.

AWESOME NEWS SPIRIT! This just makes too much sense for so many reasons. Lucky for returning vets and any newbies. What an eventful year to be in that corps. Good luck for a great 2010 season Spirit!

I agree that most people will tend to either like them or hate them. Traditionalist will hate them no matter what so be prepared for that. Although the current uniform is not traditional so maybe any slight move to something more recognizable will be OK with some alumni. I don't like the new on either. If it were me, make them look good on the move, make them not look like anyone else, make them not so dark, get rid of that smeared blue top, stay away from a large stinkin old school delta on the front, and do blue, just not baby blue. How about a darker blue, but not Blue Devils/Blue Knights, Bluecoats, like may be 82 or 83 season. Not sure which years , but it was a vibrant color. Baby blue is just that, baby blue. It is too passive of a color if you want people to take you seriously these days unless your show is about kittens. Remember that Devils were once all grey, some people balked but most let it go. I suspect that is may soon become common place to have corps departing from their traditional color aka Crown, or reinventing a new look that moves away from their traditional colors.

Well, it seems many have left the "dare not say" agenda for a more, "here is ten things I think about this year." So here are ten of my many thoughts. 1. I never tired of Crown's show and still want to see it again and again. Hate that I only have DVD now as opposed to live. Wanting to see it over and over whether I "got all it" or not, is that a sign of good GE? 2. I did not want to see Blue Devils again after seeing it once. I liked it. I thought they performed well, as they always do. Not eager to see it on DVD either. 3. Loved SCV and glad they were well received by the audience and judges. It was a risk in my view. Do think they placed where they should have. Maybe one place higher. I am curious how brass judges compare SCV/all of the groups relating to demand musically and visually. Cadets at one extreme of simultaneous demand SCV and Devils at the other. Just curious. 4. I remember two quotes from the past when I think of Cadets 2009 show. Steve Rondinaro saying (ten or so years ago???) "This place is electric!" and Michael Cesario saying "Its the achievement of the performer." I really liked Cadets. I have always liked this type of show from them. They like Cavies are in a tough position of having to reinvent themselves. Both revert back to what has worked for them, rightfully so. This show was hard. Amazing to think thyy can drum spin and play while doing that drill. Exciting but not quite as electric as it once was. The achievement is amazing. Not sure where they go from here though. 5. Cavies. I am just tired of it. They are DCI's most "perfect" executing corps. Now what. 6. Drill is no longer that important. Color guard carries all the visual/GE captions now. Glassmen, Bluecoats, and yes Blue Devils have odd drill to me. It has some arrival moments, with rare brass/perc drill movement effect. For the most part, their visual offerings seem more like getting the brass and perc out of the way for guard staging. Brass and perc drill is disjunct, doesn't seemed connected a lot of the time, seems to not tie into the big picture. How is this judged? Like comparing such various approached to simultaneous demand, does judging visual become so subjective that judges can't be held accountable? 7. While Troopers were so much better, I thought I was seeing and hearing a different corps than other people. The music was humorous to me. The salsa like motive that kept coming back through the show? It seemed very out of place. The cowboy movie filmscore quotes seemed very forced. I tried. I really tried. I have seen the show twice on fan network to see what I missed. Same reaction as seeing it several times live. Though I thought they completely dumbed down their show and concepts (maybe it is necessary for judges now) , Colts should have been in with no doubt to me. 8. The argument of what is good music is a debate in drum corps and band. I have feelings on many fronts of the issue. I do believe some are more qualified than others to argue this aspect, however, sometimes I hear a corps or band and just struggle to stay in my seat because of the music, or actually lack of anything my educated brain/ears identify as music. Crossmen's audio was that for me this year. What was that? Really. No matter what anyone could say, I don't get it and I don't know why they made these choices. What did music judges say on their tapes? Revisited the show on the network. Couldn't take it. 9. I was eager to see Spirit because of all of the negative rumors. I was pleasantly surprised. I am glad I got to see it in Salem because it definitely was more suited for outside compared to inside in my view. Like the rest of the audience in Salem, I was on my feet before the show ended. I thought the intro was a cool idea but the vocal cues moved too slow. The opener was OK. The ballad was great. The middle of the closer lost me. The ending was exciting. I have also gone back and watched this on the fan network. Seems too many ideas in 10 minutes. Thought they played much better than several corps that were ahead of them. 10. Last thought. A few years ago BOA and WGI seemed to move more away from groups having the same ordinal in each caption and sub caption. I know sometimes that could or should be the case. DCI still suffers from that especially with those corps that are clearly not going to make finals. Since they were my #9 subject, I will use Spirit as my example. They sounded so much better and played together so much better than groups ahead of them (brass and perc captions) yet they did not get rewarded. Seems the closer you are to making finals the more your captions may end up where they should be. In 08 Spirit's perc took a huge dive the last week or so. This year, perc and brass. If a judge does react to the fact that Spirit's music was so much better than their visual, judge(s) could cause a two, three, four placement jump. Judges rarely risk being that person. Seems that since they will not make finals, what does it matter. No matter what, should the members and staff not be clearly rewarded for what they do well despite where the will end up placement wise? Colts visually much cleaner than many corps ahead of them, why the placement? Scouts perc were extremely weak, why that not reflected? I could go on. I won't.

And this is the reason some from a finalist corps (not just one) are headed to Jacksonville on Friday. Many corps preach this philosophy, but don't live it. I know it is not perfect any where, but I want to check it out. I am also very excited by the show music and the brass instruction I know I will get. See you Friday Caitlin. Well spoken by the way.

OK, I am really torn and need some advice. So many of my friends and I listen to classic rock and we LOVE LOVE Kansas. There is just so much cool driving music and great ballads to. What is right when you march somewhere and are thinking about leaving due to a lot of stuff that is going on or actually not going on? I feel like a trader, but want a different experince, certianly with better music and a more experienced staff to help me be better not just get through a show. I would love to play Kansas and hear the brass people at Spirit are really good to study with, but some friends say they don't know if they will make finals. That is not that important to me, but it would be really fun to be part of a corps that is maybe taking a risk on music different from everybody else, especially because it is music me and a lot of students my age love. I would rather be somewhere that the passion for the music is very important. Things just sound so exciting for Spirit for the season coming up. Advice for me?

Yeah, most these guys were at Glassmen in 2007. Then they left for 2008. If anything, the 2008 Glassmen hornline should have gotten more credit because when these guys left, only 10 hornline vets stayed for the next year. So the hornline worked really hard with lots of rookies and deserved some credit for that.