The Phantom Southerner

This is the Crusaders first year in World Class, having won the Open Class championship last year, and after you see them, you’ll probably be wondering what took DCI so long to convert them to the upper tier of competition. I’ve been reading a book about near death experiences, so this opening has particular resonance with me (sorry Phantom Regiment, but even though I'm a lifelong Phan, Dvorak’s “Going Home” Southern gospel theme has never been more effectively presented). It’s a show about the passages of life and death, set in the South (this is going to be a big hit in Atlanta), and it’s clear that the theme is embraced from the beginning. The music is wonderfully intertwined with the show concept and drill throughout (example, using the New Orleans funeral procession with the combination of custom written music and Gershwin is a perfect coupling in terms of style), and very well performed by a group of musicians who will develop over time as they are challenged by a very strong and complex musical book. I was impressed by the sophistication that still engages the audience throughout. The guard is talented and utilized very well in providing framing and interpretive color, and their uniforms enhance the Southern feel. The cross motif shows up throughout, especially at the end, as their closer is their own take on the classic Star of Indiana double cross move, albeit a bit slower. The electronic pieces (synth) are effectively blended with the music so that they aren’t nearly as distracting as they might otherwise be. This show proves you can be cerebral AND entertaining (anyone listening out there in Concord?), and I simply can’t get over the degree of nuance and attention to detail that the staff has exercised in developing it, because you normally don’t see it to this extent with a corps at this level. Once they get this show cleaned, it will really impress with the points they’ll realize before the year is out. Consider this a shout out and thanks to everyone in the Crusaders organization for a job well done!

Curtains would improve the sound by removing more of the echo in any domed stadium, but DCI might want to make that investment in San Antonio first. The acoustics in Atlanta are probably better simply because the roof, instead of being a hard shell, is actually fabric, albeit a very tough fabric, and that fabric probably does a good job of absorbing some of the sound as opposed to reflecting it. I don't know for sure about San Antonio's roof, but the folks in this thread who have experienced both stadiums seem to think San Antonio is worse off that Atlanta.

When DCI adopted the new judging sheets the idea wasn't to make entertainment the sole measure of a show, but an important component alongside execution, innovation, and overall musical excellence. The Blue Devils did what they always do in response. They analyzed the daylights out of the new format, calculating how to squeeze the most points out of the system and then designed a show to accomplish victory. The result is highly esoteric, and creative in the sense that it is truly different and exhibits an ability to think outside the box in terms of what constitutes entertainment. I actually get the concept of what they're doing. They also have the strongest base of musicianship and marching experience of any corps, simply because they've become the New York Yankees of the activity (Age catching up with you and you still don't have a gold medal? Take your seasoned veteran skills to Concord and better your odds of winning). Their organization and financial stability is top drawer, and the show connects with the judges. The only problem is that it simply doesn't connect with the fans. I was right below the judges in Atlanta, on the 50, and observed the following; a) About 50% of the Blue Devils show is spent doing scatter drill or masking the possible errors with random body motion or positioning - it simply cannot be judged visually the way their competition is being judged because there is no way to see whether the form is right or wrong. This leaves the remaining 50% as the focus of rehearsal, so that what can be seen by the judges looks cleaner than the 90% of their competitors' shows that can be judged. b) When the Cadets, Regiment, Bluecoats, SCV, Cavaliers, Crown and others are ripping out 32nd note runs, they are marching, even running across the field while executing those challenging musical segments. When the Blue Devils play at that pace and level of complexity, they are almost always standing still. c) The aforementioned competition for the Blue Devils each received long standing ovations at the end of their shows and frequent standing ovations during their shows. The 20th place corps, Jersey Surf, though certainly not even close to winning a championship (no one in their right mind would suggest they deserve it), connected to the crowd in a way the Blue Devils could only dream of with this year's show. Madison Scouts are placing about where they deserve to be placing, but the end of their show literally compelled the largest and longest standing ovation of the night. I was WILLED out of my seat by the Scouts. The Blue Devils received a standing ovation from only about 5% of the audience at the end of their show, and almost all of that 5% was wearing Blue Devils shirts and hats. During their show the crowd was mostly silent, and at the end the majority appeared to be wondering what happened. There was more applause and excitement generated by the Phantom Regiment simply by walking onto the field BEFORE THEY PLAYED THE FIRST NOTE. I don't believe the Regiment deserves the championship right now (love the show, but it needs more to push it over the top). I'm not blind to Crown's visual errors, but I also know I've never heard a harder horn book. What stymies me and most of the fans I talk to is how the judges can continue to reward the Blue Devils with visual or musical points when they are clearly not as exposed to error as their competitors and they are equally clearly failing to connect to the fans in the way that the new judging sheets were supposed to encourage. They have the talent to produce any show they want with full exposure to both error and the judges' scrutiny, and still win. Perhaps the judges are so used to Blue Devils winning that they can't help but assume that everything that comes out of Concord is worthy of greater latitude that results from a sort of momentum of historical victory. That's the only way I can understand how the Blue Devils continue to win with this show, because if the focus on connecting to the crowd means anything, the Blue Devils should be getting less points in that one area of the sheets than Jersey Surf. That won't make the Jersey Surf beat the Blue Devils, but it might encourage the Blue Devils to return to the entertainment value they put in shows that older fans like myself thrilled at back in the seventies and eighties. I know the activity has matured, and I'm not looking for the return of G bugles or color presentations or the tick system, but I am looking for the same tradition of excellence PLUS entertainment that existed in the seventies and eighties to continue today and beyond, and that isn't encouraged when the judges and/or DCI officials fail to recognize the reality of the sound of crickets that is only overcome by the Blue Devils music when they're on the field.