Tim K

I think the same holds true for most shows. I think a lot of folks who attended semi's and finals last year are planning ways to sneak in food.

I'm impressed with Crossmen. Someone I know who had sons who marched with Crossmen years back, is friends with a key staff member, and keeps close eyes on the corps, claimed once the newer members got a bit more experience and were seasoned a bit, the corps would soar and could possibly make finals. It turns out she may be correct.

I doubt it. First, I do not believe it is the first time a harmonica is being used, though if a harmonica has been used in the past, it was not as featured as the Troopers' solo this year. Second, with all the technology available today, something in the pit could probably recreate the sound and the soloist could just go through the motions.

Somerville could probably open a second screen if need be. When they broadcast the Met Live in HD two theaters are used. Unless it’s been remodeled in recent years, Lowell has only one theater with live broadcasting capabilities. That being said, when I say “day off,” I don’t mean walk up. I always buy online. I won’t have to worry about a ticket for August 10th. I’ll be in my seat at LOS in section 140, though with airline delays and cancellations, maybe I should get a cinema ticket just in case!

Spartans will not be performing at the time BLL is broadcast.. They will be competing but the Open Class corps compete earlier in the day. It will be available to subscribers of Flo. That being said, I saw Spartans a few night ago at their home show and it is excellent and most likely will be the OC champions.

I started another thread on this topic, but DCI posted on Facebook the top ten theaters for advanced sales of Big, Live, and Loud. Nationally Somerville is first, Lowell, third, with Milford, CT in the middle. Do you think there may be some local excitement about BAC’s prospects this year?

DCI just posted on Facebook the Top Ten early ticket sales for BLL 18. The top three are: 1. Somerville, MA 2. Milford, Ct 3. Lowell, MA i go to the movies at both Somerville and Lowell frequently and when I have gone to drum corps events at both, I have no problem buying tickets the day of, speak less in advance. I’d say there’s a bit of excitement about Boston Crusaders prospects this year if advanced sales are higher than in current strongholds like Florida, Texas, and California.

Murphreesboro and Atlanta will be the last time Blue Devils, Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, and Carolina Crown meet together until prelims. Should be interesting!

I saw them in Manchester, NH the other night. They do appear to be more drum corps like than the last time I saw them. They had a variety of props, including Bluecoats-like slides and a dome similar to one Colts used a few years back. The show was excellent and enjoyable. They also featured some great woodwind solos so I’m not sure they would scrap woodwinds.

Depends how you define “sound quality.” I will not deny the music is often performed better today and it’s been a while since I’ve heard a corps grossly out of tune, but the volume today, even with amplification is not what it used to be, especially with smaller corps. I attended a show a few nights ago and was late arriving. I did not know a corps was on the field. I don’t think that would have been the case prior to 2000.

I like the catchy thread names, and since as of this comment there are 1,957 pages of threads, date or not, most get lost in the wilderness after only a few days.

First off, as I have said before, Blue Devils “hate” today is nothing compared to past years. Overall, this video is good and thoughtful. I do somewhat as to whether Blue Devils design with judges in mind. I believe they do. So do the other corps that hope to win. If you design a show to get the best score, that is designing for the judges. I don’t think this is a bad thing. Even if you go back to the days of tics, shows were designed to be clean. It’s the same thing.

I went to the show last evening. I was a bit late. There were thunderstorms in the area, it was raining, heavy traffic heading out of Boston, so I waited a bit before leaving for the show. This meant I missed Raiders and. Portion of Les Stentors, so I won’t comment on these corps. Southwind: they tell their story well, though a few props seemed shaky, especially when multiple members sat on a ledge at the end of the show. The show features “Rhapsody in Blue” which was very clean and had energy. Volume was good, but if they keep at it and blast it, the audience will go wild. Jersey Surf competed after intermission. This has been an abbreviated season for the corps and it has taken a lot of work to field a corps this year and I applaud the efforts. Surf appeared to be smaller than previous years. They used pop music and while it differed from last year in content, it had the same feel good vibe though it didn’t feel complete. I’ll be seeing them next week at their home show in Glassboro. I’m thinking if they can clean a few things up and gain some confidence, they could have a good ending to the season and gain momentum for next year. Word has been that Gold is looking towards moving to WC and I would imagine this year’s more extensive tour is moving in that direction. I think it’s fairly safe to say Gold and Spartans will be in the top three at OC finals, probably first and second. I thought Gold’s drill filled the field well which made the corps appear larger. There were also many powerful brass moments. Since there will be at least 4 spots open for semi’s in Indy, it’s a pretty sure bet Gold will earn one of the spots. I saw Spartans in Lynn and Quincy and thought the show would come together as the season progressed. That’s an understatement. The colorful props are attention getting, the color guard is on fire, the drill excellent. I would release a bit more power as far as brass is concerned, especially at the opening. I do think that they are in excellent contention for an OC title. Calgary Stampede Showband ended the show. I love this group. They have great uniforms, a swagger associated with the west, and they’re good. This year’s show is more drum corps like than in the past with slides similar to Bloo a few years back and domes similar to Colts. They just won a title at a show and contest in Maryland and are making a few stops before heading back to Calgary. The stadium was filled which surprised me since it was a wet Tuesday night and the audience response was ok, but considering how far Gold and Calgary traveled, not to mention the challenges to get Les Stentors across the border, the efforts of Surf, and the dedication of Raiders and Southwind, not to mention the work of host corps Spartans, everyone should have been out of their seats and cheering multiple times. Lecture over!🙂

I think you’re correct. I also think were all guilty of believing the judges got it wrong but wouldn’t have if they had consulted us first!🙂

I used to love the earliest PBS broadcasts which were live. This was pre-internet and pre-cellphone so most likely you did not know who all the finalists would be or the order of appearance except that the previous champions would complete last no matter where they placed in prelims. I remember the big shocks: the disqualifications of Muchachos and Bridgemen. There were other smaller surprises too, Kilties over Garfield and BAC in 78, Troopers returning in 79, SCV out of the top 3 in 1980. Soon there would be few surprises as to who the finalists would be and further down, who would place where. There still can be surprises. Though I enjoy Blue Stars even though they do not venture to the Boston area and your souvie people tell me “next year,” when Crossmen edged them out in 2012 it was pandemonium in Indy. Madison folks may not share the joy of Boston Crusaders squeezing into finals in 2016, but it was exciting. My guess is Blue Devils is not comfortable with one point separating them from BAC. BAC is not thrilled Crown won last night and both BAC and Crown do not expect Bloo to be sitting comfortably in 4th. 5-7 I expect Phantom, Mandarins, and Cadets to be 5-7, but there will be movement until Indy, 8-11 will have movement. I had Pacific Crest as a solid 12th place, but BK are making noise and Crossmen may surprise everyone.

My understanding with Crossmen this year is that there is talent but members are young and not experienced as far as drum corps is concerned. It’s also my understanding that staff expected it would be a slow start with steady improvement as the season progressed. Yes, I know we hear that all the time with various corps and more often than not it doesn’t happen, but it has happened with Crossmen before, and it could be happening this year. It will be interesting to see what happens this week and in Atlanta.

I haven’t heard or seen the Madison show, so I am peaking in general. I suppose it depends on why the solo is not working. I can recall two examples of great solos in 2012: one with Colts, the other Crossmen. Colts had the memorable “All By Myself” screamer solo, for Crossmen it was at the end of “Earth Song.” The soloists were cautious early on, but by Allentown had audiences eating it up. That being said, they hit the notes each time and it kept building and building throughout the season. For others, without naming examples, it just never worked. A few times the soloist would fist pump in the air after finishing which I’m sure was written in the show (in one case I know for certain) and you wonder why. At this point, if a solo is not working, it can be revised. After Atlanta it will be too late.

Someone pointed out in another thread that Oakland Crusaders won 1st in drums at prelims but placed 14th. I’m not sure if it was 77 or 78. Bridgemen did the same in the mid 80’s, but for Oakland Crusaders for certain it was still the days of tics. This is probably the first time it has happened with subjective judging.

I had to Google it too. I saw friends posting their Wordle results on Facebook and had no idea what Wordle was or why the results were important. After Googling it I tried it and 520 games later, I’m addicted. To save others the time, Wordle is a game where you have six tries to guess a five letter word. Some days it’s easier than others. Since yesterday’s game is now over, for those who do not play and wonder why this is in a Boston Crusaders thread, the answer was whale! 🐳

Does anyone play Wordle? If so, what did you think of Sunday’s answer? 🐳

I agree it has been a while since we’ve seen a late season surge by Cadets, last year they did hold their own throughout the season, vastly different from the previous judged season in 2019. I predicted 5th when I first saw the show live, and thought maybe Phantom might be a challenge. I didn’t expect Mandarins to pack such a punch. I did think Cadets show had potential and it did have a feel as if the best is yet to come, but they have to keep things from stalling. This week’s shows and Atlanta will be important for Cadets.

If the wait at LOS for food is as slow as last year, people may buy souvenirs just for the free food! It will probably be faster!🙂

You’ve watched 27 times? Did you do so under the guidance of the North Star? Do you now feel qualified to be a Defender of BAC against naysayers? 🙂

My guess is if anything was broadcast, it would be Tom Blair Productions who does the filming for Big, Loud, and Live.

I’m not holding my breath, but I signed it. Since I go to Indy, I don’t need the PBS broadcast, but I signed it anyway.