George Dixon

Agreed. Looking back it is one of my most remembered finals I also LOVED the 12th place corps - COLTS - and their Seasons show. Great soloist and the horn book was FANTASTIC. A very small corps that marched its feet off to find a place in finals! Cavaliers second place show was very good as well - I just wish they had done a better job limiting / hiding all the flags used throughout the program. Maybe the most sets of flags ever??!! Musically that corps was stellar - especially percussion.

1991 was a game-changer show as well -- really incredible. And I agree, the ballad was classic.

I thought it was a great "mash up" - extremely well done. I also loved that entire show - my most favorite yet from Crown.

Agreed!!

Very much agree the adoption is extremely organic. You really have to look back years later to see where the "game changer" really changed to direction of things.

The fed won't raise rates and the market will fall on the initial news and then rally :)

great post - agree on much of this! Especially the "Mic-drop" aspect

Thanks for the link - and you get it!

That's actually the (predictive) point of the thread. I "think so" and "time will tell"

And we'll see in the coming years how much it is.... Q: would 2015 BD have done "KPOP" without 2014 Bluecoats success with the "TILT CHORD"??? I honestly think not. Success with the moment reassured designers and opened up the idiom a little. JMO

so - to define the word being used here: (sounds to me like it refers more to uniforms that change color, sashes that light up, big banners of fabric - there's nothing wrong with those but Coats was more of a complete "approach" than a "trick") gim·mick ˈɡimik/ noun a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.

well- that's not what they did. They approached the entire design of sound in more of a "sound field" way (like a 7.1 channel surround system) - whereas prior design was mainly in 2D (stereo)

It was an approach across the board to the musical design and arrangement of the voices and sections. Not a "gimmick" A "gimmick" would be 2015's SCV sashes lighting up, or 2014 Cadets cumbers changing color for each tune. JMO

Agreed "we'll see" - but changing the entire way the drum corps idiom is orchestrated isn't really a "gimmick" - a gimmick (for example) is a great big fabric banner. JMO

nah. In my view the 2014 show was a good show with one (well, two) great moments. The 2015 show is a masterpiece of design from start to finish. Not relying on a single bit WOW. JMO of course.

I'd vote Crown - they've had a run of terrific ballads. Say 2009 Somewhere (from WSS) mashed up with Over the Rainbow and then 2010 Nimrod. Woo hoo!

Sounds cool to me. Something even more "out there' would fit the bill. Something few of us have every heard of before. Maybe some contemporary American symphonic stuff!

Star's program was extremely challenging - in quite different ways than Coats 2015. And I think you've correctly identified an area where Star's program was "more challenging" in the brass exposure and writing. However - in modern drum corps frankly difficulty isn't really rewarded anymore - hence we are seeing more creativity in design and less challenge in the horn, drum and drill books. Guard is the exception - they've never been tougher or better. You only have to look at the Cadets finals score to realize this is the case / by challenge alone they should have won high everything. And they barely snagged brass.

The cost of fielding Star 1993 was quite large at the time (a top corps budget) - and they had one of the most talented memberships of all time. Possibly, in regards to percussion battery, THE most talented corps of all time. The same can be said for the design and instructional staff - with exception of the modern BD team So - there are elements of Coats that other corps can do with a lesser budget and resources. Similar to Star's influence early one. Things like staging of sounds, some horn effects, the sampling ideas - and exploration of sound from different vantages and velocity. Some of the simpler ideas in Coats program were the most effective IMO

they already have - this season we're seeing a lot of "Tilt" imitators in the band world. Next year it will spread IMO into other corps I'd also argue that BD may not have tried their "K Pop" without the blatant success of the TILT chord the prior year - BD was quite burned for some of their earlier attempts in this direction

I am too. The other corps is Blue Knights (for me) - that one moment and this past seasons "because" just both did a terrific job of bringing a WGI guard show "feel" to a football field. Bluecoats - that design team has been batting strong the past couple seasons - I can't wait to see where they go from here Sadly we'll never see a Star 1994. Coats 2016 could be something special!

Yup!!

I agree on all this. My people's champ was actually Bluecoats - but we all have our favs and certainly Crown had more than others I just hope they do something that doesn't feel so Star knock off - I'd love to see them get their own identity. I know others don't see it this way but they (still) for me have way too much from the 92/93 Star program in their shows. When they venture away from that a bit - say the rock show - it hasn't been as successful. Last year felt like a blending of Star & Regiment - which was interesting - but the drill really left me wanting more. I'm hoping the percussion line will reach the elite status and we'll have five or six groups in that category. Brass was surprisingly weak this year - and for a while I thought they were being over scored based on reputation but that worked itself out in the end The guard was downright STUNNING. I'm hoping they can build on that greatness and win a guard trophy, certainly their program is deserving I'm hoping they play something modern and more percussive driven - and return to a more aggressive drill. Doesn't have to be cray cray like 2012 but something more the "grass is always greener" realm. Tough. Makes that brass sound all the more impressive Edited to add - I also want to see them open the drill back up and really use the whole field. The past 2 seasons the first restricted the drill with the props and this past year 90% of it was between the 30s in front half. Just some thoughts I believe with improved percussion - assuming all are retained - they have a great shot at once again finishing top 3

Agreed. And AGREED!!!

it's also wasn't loved enough to be hated in 20 years, lol Certainly, it's a more "approachable" product than Star 93 was - but as you suggest, we won't know for years and years how influential it ends up being over time I just have my suspicions :)