max.meigel

I might be a little biased, living in Chicago, but I've been going to Finals with my dad every year since 2008. We've never cared about the city, really. The trip has always been about drum corps. Not having to worry about rescheduling an event due to weather is tremendously helpful, and that security makes it possible to plan this trip far in advance. Would I still go if it were somewhere else? Yeah, probably. And there might be some merit to some of the rotating systems proposed further up. But I think that the city itself is small consideration compared to getting to experience the shows.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees the general perception of the Colts that way. I've been excited to see what Sully's done with the visual program this summer, and everything seems to point to that being a fantastic decision. I was disappointed (to say the least) with the Allentown results, only because it keeps Colts out of a well-deserved BLL spot. Either way, I'm sure they'll put on fantastic shows today and tomorrow for the Indianapolis crowds. I'm proud of my corps and of all of my friends who have worked so hard this summer, regardless of what place they end up in on Friday. And Colts fans should think about sticking around for the age-out ceremony after Semis. Just sayin'.

I can't wait for the show on Friday. I was already excited for Semis, but this will be unforgettable.

I wouldn't be surprised to see six OC corps move in on the Semis action, as much as I'd really love Surf to make it. I would guess we're probably looking at the top OC corps (either BDB or SCVC) placing 17th or 18th on Friday.

If you're not going to take advice seriously, you shouldn't take jokes seriously. And if that one phrase was all you got out of what I said, you should consider why you're trying to find ways to take the internet personally.

There are plenty of traditions, even if they're not immediately apparent. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but it seems like a lot of these are somewhat guarded by the members/alumni, especially as far as the ones that alumni could participate in. I would ask your corps, rather than DCP.

There are way too many of these kinds of gimmicks in shows today. I'd rather see a little less artificial flash and more focus on the musical and visual abilities of the performers.

I think it's a shame that nobody seems to want to talk about shows outside the top 13-ish. I'd love to get more people's opinions outside of individual shows, since I can make it to a very small portion of live productions. What do you all think about the change in the visual program? Does anyone have information for me on Sully and his history with the activity? What does the corps need to do to have a legitimate shot at challenging the Blue Stars/Troopers/Crossmen block (even to only overtake one of them)?

Yes, though I'd actually take a class that led to marching a summer of drum corps.

I would totally take that class.

That's a perspective I can get behind. Though there may be some inequality in the amount of time different corps have to rehearse, it's not directly proportional to differences in scores. There are SO many other factors involved. I really don't care that I had one week less in my season, and I love my corps family unconditionally (regardless of where we placed competitively).

I found Ohiobando's comment funny, not offensive. He didn't disparage you, call you an idiot, or insinuate that you're unintelligent. He pointed out a commonly misspelled word in a lighthearted way. The way you reacted was "incredibly unnecessary." You need to be able to laugh at yourself. Take a chill pill and figure it out.

I'm not sure what you're even going for. The corps have a chance to say when they feel a judge has made a mistake, and that is at critique. And any sort of break in the flow of the show could be disastrous to the performers. Not to mention the effect it would have on audience enjoyment. This is ridiculous.

That's a little unfair. I'm not saying that this will work (because it probably won't). Too many of the top corps would be harmed by this and their directors exert too much influence on the system. But as someone who came from a corps that could not reasonably begin full corps rehearsals until after Memorial Day, I'll say that this rule, in theory, would even the playing field somewhat between corps with different membership ages. What it wouldn't do is stifle creativity to the point of pointlessness. I hope that your comment was hyperbole. Either way, I do think there are enough negative consequences of this that the benefits would be outweighed.

I think, in situations like that Bluecoats solo, the amplification plus distortion (or whatever more technically correct term you want to use) can be an effective design tool. And while the reasons above are well and good, I think we are seeing an overreliance on the electronic technology, both for soloists and for the front ensemble. There are times when it can help bring out colors otherwise impossible in a drum corps setting, but I've heard too many solos over the last few years that sounded like traditional drum corps-style solos (i.e. loud and cutting) just put through amplification. All that aside, the more technology we add into the equation, the more likely some piece of that technology will fail. One particularly striking example comes to mind from 2012, where the Crossmen flugel soloist's mic feed got crossed with the PA feed for the stadium, meaning everything he played could be heard from those PA speakers that remained active. Suffice it to say, it did not sound good. In any case, I recognize the possibilities that this added technology opens up for the activity, but I think (i.e. this is my personal opinion) the designers need to be a little more selective with where, when, and how much they implement its use.

I was at the show, but I was engaged in reunion stuff (mainly playing in the alumni corps for encore) so I didn't have a chance to post about it. Madison marched the CG on the field in a rifle block imitating military drill, and their horns/battery came into the stadium doing a "sound off." They lined up on the goal line (from one sideline to the other) and marched about 40 yards before doing their gate turn. It was pretty cool. I was pleasantly surprised by most of BK's show. I'm not normally a fan (Avian...oh, boy), but I was impressed with the maturity of their guard and hornline. I am distinctly NOT a fan of the amount of voiceover in the first couple minutes, but when the hornline finally came in, I enjoyed it. I'm partial to my own corps, but I really loved this Colts show. The design is miles better than last year, and the new visual staff is pushing these kids to excellence. I don't think the brass numbers are quite reflecting the kids' actual performance yet, but I also think the impact moments aren't big enough. But it's still a great show, and they have it in them to continue kicking down doors and pushing further up the rankings. Academy was entertaining, but over the top. I liked the concept, but they just kind of hit me in the face with it repeatedly rather than approach it with subtlety to allow me to come to love it on my own. Cascades had a decent show, but there wasn't a whole lot about it that stuck out to me. It was decent, but kind of flat. I'm wondering if the choice to use all original music was part of why I couldn't feel connected to the show. Pioneer surprised me. This might be the best show design I've seen from them in years. The performance level is...well, seemingly pretty normal for Pioneer. But with a concept I never expected to work, and music that I never expected to hear from a drum corps, they really put out an interesting program. I was pleasantly surprised at the effectiveness of the design. Legends and CC were great as well. Some really solid stuff coming out of Open Class this year.

Can't wait to see how the rest turn out. Thanks for doing this!

Just had to check. I noticed that as well, but it's hard to judge a show based on one photo (not that you did, just saying). I'm looking forward to seeing it live tomorrow night so I can judge for myself.

Are you referring to the two hornline members on the left? Because I'm pretty sure they're marching backwards at that moment.

Their ranking was low, but not as low as some years. And the margins are slimmer as well. For now, their other scores are buoying them enough to make up for it and then some. I think it's hurt them in the past, but the margin tonight made a definite statement. This is a viable contender for a championship. Personally, I think it's about time, since only five corps have taken a title since Star in '91. Of the 21 years since, only one has seen an outright victory for a corps that isn't BD, Cavies, or Cadets. It's time to shake things up at the top, and Crown is poised to do it, drums or not. That said, they'll have to continue to stay consistent in terms of growth or risk falling too far away from the three powerhouse drumlines on the field this year.

My first thought about Star staying is that we don't see Carolina Crown experience the same growth they've had. I've been informed by a Crown alumnus that they regularly had Star alumni come up to them during the season to say they felt Crown was the "spiritual successor" to Star. Another direct consequence of Star remaining in DCI competition is that Blast! would not have formed. Though this doesn't immediately affect DCI results, I've met a number of people who were inspired by that production to go march drum corps. While I realize that's a small impact, it brings to mind the idea that you never really know how such a significant change in the drum corps landscape (corps like Star, Suncoast, 2-7, etc. remaining active) would affect the visibility/growth in certain areas. I like OrlandoContraAlum's points about the leadership from Suncoast going other places and affecting the futures of those corps. Though I'm less versed the specific instructors, I'm sure the same holds true for some of those other strong contenders from the 80s and 90s who never saw drum corps in the new millenium.

I know what you mean. It's frustrating at times to see PC so high up despite their lack of available data. But I'm sure Hostrauser's system accounts for that. It really is too bad that we won't see those corps face off until San Antonio.

Believe me, I'd love to see Colts pull themselves out of the scoring funk of the last few years (and they're on the right track), but even DCP's weighted rankings still have them at 15. We'll see how things play out on Saturday, but I'd love to see the Red Team come out of Minnesota in 13/14.

Thanks for doing this. I'll be interested to see how any of this might change once all of the corps are in pretty regular competition. It's weird having some people not do shows for 5-7 days of the week. Personally, glad to see Colts with some upward mobility.

I felt you implied it by scoffing at my suggestion that BD might be at times overrated. If that's not the case, I apologize, but it sounds like you think that everything BD has won with is great, and I don't agree with that. Yes, it's good to push the activity. But in my opinion, I think they are getting too much credit for "pushing the activity forward" without really engaging the audience. And this is just my opinion, but a metaphoric slap in the face is not engagement.