Tim K

I will, I never have the time to watch the live shows anyway. But you won't be alone unless they do some serious upgrades.

I'll be leaving for finals I about ten minutes. I fully expect tonight to be Crown's night. Crown was better last night than they are getting credit for on DCP, and I ezxpect it to happen with a stronger BD show. I'm still predicting SCV over Cadets. Bluecoats will top Phantom. Madison or BAC will be seven, Cavies 8, and whichever corps does not place 7 will be 9, less than a half point will separate 7-9, Blue Knights will be 10 I'm putting Blue Stars ahead of Spirit though I hope I am wrong. That being said, the realist side of me thinks we will see a similar placement to last evening, but I still think Bluecoats will be five and Phantom6, and there will be less than half a point separating Cavies, BAC, and Madison.

Posters who recognize your name know you for your well thought posts and know you want to march with Troopers, hope it happens for you.

Last night Boston's show had a stronger emotional impact than on Thursday. It also lacked a penalty, but as I mentioned in another post, perhaps on another thread, it was only after scores were announced that people thought Thursday's show was flat. That being said, I would love to see Boston place 7th, and it's not impossible or even unlikely. What we saw last night and Thursday from Madison is most likely what we'll see tonight. "You'll Never Walk Alone" will be extremely emotional--too bad "Conquest" doesn't have words, but since they appear after Boston and before Cavies, that will hurt Cavies more than BAC. Cavies have scored well and to give them credit, have cleaned their show, but the same was true last year and Waldo roared. Speaking of Waldo, last year we saw a costumed Waldo at semi's? Did I miss it this year?

The original source material is from an opera and opera has a way of taking the trite and making it work. If television presented "La Traviata" or "La Boheme" as written as a made for TV movie, critics would pan it. Yet when poor Violetta and Mimi die, everyone is moved to tears and feels sorry for Alfredo and Rodolfo, but outside the opera world, the death scenes would make people laugh and both men would be criticized as louses. Then there's the convoluted and clichéd plot of "Il Trovatore" which would not have much literary but it works in the opera world. I think the narration works well in "Einstein on the Beach." It's what works in opera. If it was a novel, I'd probably agree but with opera, how the words fit the music and the emotions conveyed by both are what matters most. This could be why some writers who loved opera never wanted to see their novels or plays adapted to opera. As far as Crown is concerned, I am impressed the young man does such a good job and conveys such emotion night after night. Normally I hate voice overs, but for me it fits Crown's show and it works.

Not really. Modern opera has a hard time catching on with audiences. Glass has made it to the Met which in the opera world is about as good as it gets, but while Glass's works are considered interesting, they don't quite have the staying power of the standard repertoire, and given the fact you are competing against giants like Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, and Beethoven, that's not a failure. Opera fans also have their preferences: Wagnerians generally only listen to Wagner, perhaps Strauss (Richard, not the Waltz King and sons, except perhaps if they a e in Vienna on New Years' Eve), your Italian opera fans can range from those who just like a good tune to serious fans but it doesn't matter--there's little snobbery in this group, then you have the French opera fans who feel ignored because true French singing has died out and Italians, and gasp and horrors Americans try and fill the void. There are fans who like it all, even the Russian operas with the exception of "Eugene Onegin" which transcends categories, a d therefore doesn't count. Then there's your opera snobs who hate emotional music like Puccini but hide LP's or CD's of "Madama Butterfly" and "La Boheme" the way a health food nut would hide Twinkies. With all these groups Glass and other contemporary composers can't find a home. However, what has pleasantly surprised me this season is how well "Einstein on the Beach" had adapted to drum corps. My guess is that there will be quite a few drum corps fans who will purchase the CD set or download it, but if we can't convince the world, or even some of our own that there's a difference between drum corps and marching band, I'm not sure we'll get Glass in the standard repertoire.

I'm fifty. Based on the threads I read, we are probably the middle bracket. It seems there are quite a few posters who post comparing things a bit before my time and an equally good number who seem to refer to things that took place around 1996-2004.

I have found some of the posts regarding semi's rather interesting. For one thing, I don't recall seeing a dropped drumstick by Crown or a tenor from BD going down, though a close-up shot from Fan Network could spot something so precise that would get lost when you're two levels up at Lucas Oil Stadium. As far as a BD tenor falling, with no disrespect to the show, it could have looked like part of the show which may be why I missed it. Also, I did not hear a crowd response and usually dropped equipment or certainly a person falling gets at least an "oooH." As one poster mentioned, BD's show was not quite what it was at prelims and they had a somewhat off night, but most corps would love an off night that yielded a score of 97.6. I did not see too many overly smug Crown fans when the scores were announced and a block of Crown fans was sitting very close to me. I did not see angry Blue Devils fans either. The fact is the stadium was pretty much cleared out when scores were announced. I would say that easily more than half of the people were gone as soon as Blue Devils finished. There was more of a stir when a tie was announced between Phantom and Bluecoats. I do think there will be pandemonium if Crown wins this evening, similar to Phantom's "Spartacus." This will be due to a new champion being crowned (no pun intended, well maybe intended), a heated rivalry getting more heated, and an end to one of the most exciting seasons in years and one that has made many of us who predict find egg on our faces. If Blue Devils win, and yes they could win: they had in many people's opinion an off night, they know how to compete and I do not think the judges at finals have to support what happened at semi's as one poster suggested even if it seems that this is the case, I do think there will be rather vocal opposition to a BD win. I am no fan of "Rewrite of Spring." With "Cabaret Voltaire" I could at least be objective, but "Rewrite" seems a rehash of many of last year's elements and the jazz portions make me recall earlier Blue Devils shows with more appreciation than I expected. It's not a show that's worthy of the dumpster, and it can win, but to me, Crown's show feels like a winner and Crown has the confidence of a winner. I felt the same way last year, but as the season ended, Crown was getting more and more jittery, whereas I have not seen that this season. However, the focus does not have to be just on Crown and BD. The tie breaking show for Phantom and Bluecoats will be interesting to watch and I still think there could be a SCV medaling show though Cadets will not be giving anything away. Has Madison had its best show already or do they have more fire? Will Cavies return to the top 7? It was expected last year but BAC had a much stringer show at finals than most people predicted and the same could happen again.. Blue Knights are closer to BAC and Madison than I thought they'd be and if last night's show had been in an open stadium rather than a dome, the results could have been different (echoing did not help them, at least in my opinion). Then their is Spirit, who has a fan favorite show and Blue Stars who want to prove they belong in finals, especially since the hearts of many were broken when Troopers came so close to returning and Crossmen who fell after returning, who I thought did an outstanding job at semi's, although if any of the 13-16th place corps had placed 12th, I would not have objected, and as far as Blue Stars are concerned, they were a class act last year when they did not place in finals, so it's great they have a spot this year.

Blue Knights just finished. While they're not giving anything away, I did feel they were loud at times in an almost glaring way (I'm a how loud can it get person, so too loud is too loud) but this could be a Lucas Oil issue more than a Blue Knights issue and their circles were not always circular. Still they have some difficult moments in their drill that they did well.

No smoke for BAC!! That show had such a punch. Last night was not their night as post after post has already said, but today's show was outstanding. The horns had volume and subtlety. The guard has been great all year, today was no exception and I think I'm sitting with just about every BAC drumming alum who all appreciate the percussion. I think we'll see a higher score and better placement, perhaps breaking 90.

Spirit just performed what has to be their best show in years. It had the classic Spirit sound that was reminiscent of the 1978-80 era. The guard was fantastical well.this afternoon everything came together for them. Last week when Blue Stars out scored them, I thought they could be vulnerable, but I'm glad I'm wrong. I've enjoyed Spirit's comeback for the past three years.

I didn't think Blue Stars show was as good as yesterday, but not necessarily a show that will make sit out finals for a second year. I may also be the last person to critique this show since I did't buy into the theme. However, I thought it would take a year or two for them todo as well as they did this season, speak less of making finals, so I could easily be wrong again.

Crossmen just had their show of the season. Saw a few new added twists for today. The horns and percussion were on fire,the guard sold the show well. Blue Stars should be nervous. We'll have to see whether the ideal of change has more power than darkness and voodoo.

Troopers just finished and did a phenomenal job. In the past they have made finals by surprise, perhaps history will repeat itself? Although Crossmen are now up and at semi's last year they gave the performance of their lifetime.

I did not see Academy until Allentown, and i do realize they had a slow start this year,but their show is great, original, and a bit of a departure for them. I also realize that their major competitors this year:Colts, Troopers, PC, Mandarins, are also very good this year, but Academy's scores have been low. We'll see what happens today.

Surf had it's best show this year, at least in my opinion. They sounded great and the show went well. I think they are capable of stepping things up a notch next year. Hopefully they'll do just that while maintaining what is working well for them.

Genesis just finished. With five OC corps in semi's today, there is quite a talent pool to watch. This is the first show that was as good or better than yesterday's. Surf is now getting ready so the stadium is getting wild.They're all hugging each other. Can't help but feel the love.

Both Music City andSpartans were good, but both seemed a bit tired. I think Music City will be n OC corps to watch. Spartans had a good season overall and should be proud of their accomplishments.Their color guard is particularly good,especially with rifles, flags, and sabers. Music City has some great musicians and a great show. My issue so far--LucasOil Stadium. The show has been going for less than an hour and they are already out of lids and straws. The stadium staff that is supposed to keep people out while corps are performing are more disruptive than those attempting to get in. Enough complaining.

Since SCV and BD are the only finalists from the west, and since one of those barely acknowledges its competitors exist, I would suspect that if any corps pushed the issue, it would be one closer in Boston's scoring range, although as I say this there is a third corps that could be considered from the west though some might argue this state is in the western portion of the Midwest and they benefited from the penalty. However, penalties last night were assessed by Tony DiCarlo, and while he is a great guy, everyone loves him inside and outside the drum corps world (I have friends and family members who work with him) and he has close toes with many people associated with BAC both past and present, he's an honorable person who would give a penalty where necessary without being pushed. Penalties are often controversial, and my guess is that last night's penalty will cause all kinds of chatter.

I did not realize that penalties were still issued until last night. I knew there was a column, I just don't recall seeing any numbers other than zero in the column. I'd rather it happened last night than Saturday. While I do not think that too many designers or powers that be have the luxury of spending time reading DCP during finals week, in a stadium the size of Lucas Oil, the powder effect did not have that much impact and if it cost a penalty, that should be reason enough to ditch it. A few posts have mentioned numbers, predicting how things will go for Boston in the upcoming days. That's one way of looking at things. However, it does not take into account that BAC scored higher in Pittsburg and Ohio. I'm also not sure they have "peaked" yet considering they had more steam in Lawrence and Allentown though in both shows they scored lower in key areas than last night which meant that technically last night's show was better. Add the same spark as Lawrence and Allentown and I'm assuming Pittsburg and Ohio (I wasn't there so I can just assume) and tonight and tomorrow will be memorable shows. Audience reaction to Boston last night was very good, of course since I'm in the BAC section that's not a surprise, but it was only after scores were announced people started seeing the show as flat. Since no one knew of the penalties yet, I wonder if people would have considered it flat if the score was higher. Cavies could prove to be more of a challenge than at least I anticipated. I do not care for Cavies show but to be fair I was surprised at how good their show was, and it was much stronger than at Allentown. However, perhaps it's where I sit but the uniform change is still sloppy and the flag toss from the sidelines still looks a mess. With no disrespect to Madison whose show moves me, I think last night may have been the best it can be. My guess is that BAC will be stronger tonight. I have no doubt they will pass BK and will either pass both Madison or Cavies or at least be in closer range.

I remember hearing a comment that Crown and Bluecoats had a higher percentage of marchers from New England than BAC. Most kids in BAC seem to hail from Florida. Most corps in World Class have members from all over the country. High school and college band directors who have connections with a corps influence recruits as does word of mouth, for example a kid from Kansas City joins corps in another city and convinces his friends to join the same corps.

I just got back from Lucas Oil Stadium. You actually learn more from DCP than being there in person, specifically the one point penalty for BAC. It does explain why BAC was below Blue Knights. Just a few thoughts before I go to bed: I'm not a percussion person, so I can't add anymore than what has been said regarding Crown's percussion problems. However they have tied BD with low percussion scores and they have also topped BD with similar point spreads. It's almost a repeat of last year but for me, the big difference is that Crown's show is more controlled this year, there is time to absorb what it is they are doing, and they are far more confident. BD is not as strong as they were last year and the show is not as original. I did think BD was somewhat off visually, but they did have some strong musical moments. I still think the victory could go to Crown, and I don't anticipate that Cadets will win as one poster mentioned. If anything I could see SCV placing third. Bluecoats and Phantom surprised me a bit. I thought Bluecoats were very good but Phantom was on fire. Cavies show is not my favorite, but they did do a very good jib this evening, particularly musically. Really enjoyed Madison this evening. Tonight's show may be the best they'll do this year, though if they break 90 you won't hear any complaints from me. BAC's score without the penalty scored about right. Cavies and Madison should not take comfort in the point spread either with or without the penalty. Boston was a bit flat this evening which happens from time to time. As long as it doesn't happen on Saturday, that's all that matters. Blue Knights did have a good night this evening, but I don't them higher than tenth. Blue Stars and Spirit also had good shows this evening. I thought both scored a bit higher than I expected. I was particularly happy for Spirit. I wondered after Allentown if they'd be vulnerable. For Crossmen or Troopers to make finals, they will have to have the best show of the season and hope Blue Stars or Spirit have a bad night, but Blue Stars want to return to the top 12 and Spirit wants to make it three in a row. Still some of the most enjoyable moments of the day were when Troopers, Crossmen, Pacific Crest, and Colts performed. I'm not sure why Academy has scored as low as it has this year. I really like tier show and it's a bit of a departure for them. Tomorrow should be a great show. I expect BAC will have a better night and if the smoke did cause the penalty, I hope they get rid of it. I'm not sure it added all that much. It will also be interesting to see what happens with Phantom/Bluecoats and if Crown tops BD, tings will really get exciting.

Colts filled the place with sound, no surprise. I love the solo by the drum major at the beginning. The show went very well for them and the audience loved every minute of it .it's too bad the will not be in the cinemas this evening. Though it's too early to say since Troopers, Crossmen, And Pacific Crest have yet to perform, Colts set the bar high. So too did Oregon Crusaders as I mentioned in an earlier post. There could be some surprises. Great show so far. Since this chat room is supposed to end when the movie theater broadcast begins and I'm going to have some dinner, this will probably be my last post in this thread.

I will have to admit, Oregon Crusaders did not impress me all that much at Allentown or on Fan Network, but today I was blown away. Maybe my seats are better. Solo in "Rising Sun" was great. They will be a corps to watch next year.

Mandarins show packed a punch.they' e had a great summer and today's show was phenomenal. The music and props fit the story. Has to be seen live to get full impact.