Mark G

Seen on the field: (Clifton show) 'Coats, Crown, Boston, Cadets, Spirit Seen only in the movie theater or on video: SCV, Devils, Cavies, Phantom, Blue Stars 'Coats: Very very good uniform/costumes. Very innovative. Seersucker suits with porkpie hats, in various blends of light blue and off white with various patterns or no patterns that vary throughout the drum and hornline completely randomly. Off white berets for drums. The pit is dressed in all black turtlenecks with berets, and wearing sunglasses. They probably snap their fingers when they're not doing anything else. The whole thing might seem some sort of cliche of a fictional 50's jazz scene milieu, but it doesn't bug me in the least, because, it's extremely well done show-biz. Brilliant. Guard is mostly in mauve, and the drum shells are the same mauve color. Again brilliant. They are selling the hell out of their whole package. This is the show to beat this year. This is the best show out of their last three by far. They seem to have cannily chosen to out-Blue-Devil the Blue Devils style-wise, and I think they have cannily succeeded. Best Boston: These guys are still on a terrific tear this year! Wow! If they're allowed to, they really should jump another place or two in the placement hierarchy. Seeing them immediately follow 'Coats at the Clifton show was just wonderful; they more than held their own, another verification of how good they have gotten. Uniforms/costumes: -this is the most audacious costume choice this year that actually does work. The whole musical corps wears a form-fitting outfit of purple and yellow that leaves their shoulders and arms completely bare. No headgear. It works very well for the show. Cadets: Gotta be the most bizarre uniform design ever- they sorta look like frosted and decorated marching cookies with matching shakos and plumes, except... could they be on acid or ecstacsy? Worst Crown: Hard to figure what they're doing this year- the outfits seem to portray then as bugs, with bug abdomens below their waists SCV: They have been my absolute favorite corps for decades, but in the last few year they have forsworn their vaunted classicism in pursuit of the gold. For shame. What's become of them? This year looks as dreary as last year. Uniforms included. WTF? BD: They are what they are. But do they always have to be the leader and win even when they are as routine and mediocre as they are this year. Cavies: They are back on track on all fronts. Phantom: I guess the hoods are alright Blue Stars: no comment

Crown shows how not to pander to trends as much as the other guys and why them that do are schmucks to do so. Bravo!

Thought George Hopkins and his designers were overreaching last coupla years, but this year GH has got it right! LOVE all the audacity of this show!

Kevin! above and beyond! L Cohen is the the greatest greatest, but I didn't know that one

Q: -btw, what does BK robot voice-over "next thursday night..." refer to -sounds like an sf novel or more likely a movie, huh ? thx

Kevin, would you be able to give us 2 or even 3 photos per show tonight ? -Mark

GEVisual, a very good post. I for one appreciate such thoughtful analysis in the forums every year. And I agree with the vast majority of what you say, including order of finish.

Kevin, enjoyed your running commentary and photos all day yesterday. A very good year this year. (Only show I've made this year has been Chester PA, last Thur.) So at 5:30 yesterday I broke off from following the DCP commentary to go to my local theater off union square nyc; (always has been a good venue; this time fine also. About half full; crowd restrained but nonetheless not unenthusiastic, as usual here). -I resumed and caught up on the rest of the prelims thread this morning, great to relive and remember, the day after! Very brief opinions: -heartbreaking it's between Scouts and BAC for 12th; I thought BAC were better, but a tie would be great and solve the problem! Top 3: -To me, Crown is so much better overall in brass and drums execution and difficulty, and drill as well, than the other top 3. BD seems to be in an off year; Coats yes are off the charts in GE, I really love what they've come up with and I do want to see them get a first title. Thanks again, Kevin and all.

I read this thread earlier this morning and enjoyed the discussion however exercised! Me, I can understand the Cadets' staff's decision not to take on Stalin's genocidal purges in a drum corps show! -But Maneuvah, you clearly did get under Hoppy's skin: -what else could the completely black uniforms be but an acknowledgement of Shostakovich's inspiration/subject? And the Cadets are even risking their GE score and a chance to win in making this very eloquent gesture.

Thanxs for the tech input, Soundman G. It was hard NOT to think about the sound problems all through our broadcast (Union Sq. regal NY); I heard nary a tenor drum all night, except for the occasional big feature, and marching bass drums were virtually just as inaudible. Just judging from that, what percentage of a full hornline sound were we actually getting? We sure got an overpowering level of pit, and I've never heard concert bass drums live shake a stadium like they did in the broadcast. Then upon learning later how spotty the sound was for the live audience, in the stadium itself, I was, frankly, completely nonplussed. Good thing, then, that SCV came through so utterly stunningly all the same. So good it was a wow no matter what. And, was that Rodney Learned on snare in that Kilties klip? But anyway, if movie theaters are showing broadcasts of live event pop concerts, dci, and even opera in their theaters these days, don't they at least have a good range of intelligently preset EQ modes to switch between that could at least reasonably well compensate for the different types of sound each might require? And couldn't dci also at least pre-provide specs or a spec recording for this purpose? What kind of "Live Event" are we paying for? Peace, Mark

What about an all Cole Porter? Anybody done that?

Was that Rodney Learned on snare in that Kilties clip?

50, not a DC parent, marched '71-'76, forgot about it, started looking in on PBS broadcasts late 90's; since '05 have attended a few shows and movie theater events, as well as online FN broadcasts. Yea!s: Allentown; most FN livecasts, FN "legacy" archives; Nea!s: Giants Stadium this past Sunday (I still hear everything accompanied by a 3-second echo)

Anybody know, are there or will there be any of the on-demand videos of this season's competitions in multi-camera format, the same as what we see in most of the live 'casts, or will they all be in single camera format, as they were last season? Thanks