FuriousSoundbyte

I'm not sure about last on the list, but I'm inclined to agree. There are other reasons Pio can't crawl out of the basement, programming being the most obvious culprit.

I think many of the members that marched Star 93 turned out just fine.

I think you have a point with the last little bit, but aside from that, I think you're being just as brash as the people that you're trying to censure.

As if BD is going to read this thread, and say "hey, you know what? Let's forget about designing a championship show with music and ideas that no one has ever seen on the field, and bring back some jazzy classics to please a few diehards on the internet". I understand voicing your opinion, and the powers that be may very well read these messages. I'm also fairly certain they're just going to have a "so what" attitude. And they should. They've won 14 titles, and 3 in the last 4 years. They know what they're doing, and I don't think they're going to stray from that.

1. Apasionada 874 - The single most underrated show of the decade. 2. On Air - Another underrated show overshadowed by its predecessor, which I thought wasn't nearly as entertaining. 3. Spartacus - Mainly because I was there for finals, and it was completely electric. Otherwise, I don't know if this would be as high. 4. Into the Light - Significant step up from TRV on all levels, beautiful beginning and ending, visual mess. Highly entertaining. 5. Virtuoso - Solid show, fun to listen to, not hard to watch. 6. Masters of Mystique - Would probably be better than Virtuoso were it not for the visual disaster. Fantastic music. 7. Faust - Slightly overrated, though not on the same scale as some other shows from PR this decade. Ave Maria was wonderful. 8. Heroic Sketches - Good source music, not a great brass line, bad drum line, bad visual. Could have been much, much better. 9. Rhapsody - Not last because the corps played the crap out of the show. Can't stand the source music though. Not a Gershwin fan. 10. Harmonic Journey - The most overrated show of the decade. I don't see the massive allure behind the show, at all. 11. The Red Violin - Not much to say here. Just not a good show on any level.

Pioneer was one of the hardest corps for me to watch this season. Not because they weren't talented - they were clearly competent musicians and marchers. And that is exactly why the show was so hard for me to watch. The corps is as good, if not better than it's been in a decade, and the design team gave them a show that was almost built like it was meant for last place. I understand the corps prayer is an integral part of the corps identity, and that it means a lot to everyone involved in the corps, but watching it from the stands was borderline cringe worthy. It was a show that tells people still of age to march that, while Pioneer has morals to pass down, they aren't giving you a vehicle to contend with. So much talk has been done on these forums about Pioneer being competitive from fans, members, and even Pioneer staff. All of the pieces are there... it's obvious watching the corps perform that they can do their part. But if Pioneer truly wants to succeed, it's not going to happen with shows like this past year.

1. Blue Stars 2. Bluecoats 3. Cavies 4. Phantom 5. BD 6. Boston 7. BK 8. SCV 9. Glassmen 10. Crown 11. Cadets 12. Madison