ShainaBassoon

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I own 2000 DVDS/Blu-Rays to the present, but none of the Legacy Collection and after seeing what the restoring technology can do, I'm a little hesitant to start buying the DVDs from before 2000 because of that possibility. At the same time, I'm not as well versed in shows during that time period as I would like to be. When it comes to Santa Clara, I'm really excited for that show. I enjoyed the '04 show tremendously and the music lends itself to Vanguard's strengths. Can't wait to see it live at Allentown.

I own both of the Essentials volumes and I am astounded, especially at the second volume, of not only the audio restoration but how video from the 80's looks so clear and defined. Being born in 89, I had never been able to hear what the trumpet solo was at the end of the Cadets '89 Appalachian Spring show before the Essentials Blu-ray was released. I think this is a great series but I've been thinking lately that there are a lot of very very popular shows that did not win a championship. If DCI ever released of fan favorites in the Essentials collection, what do you think would have to be included? First ones off the top of my head include '93 Star of Indiana, '89 Phantom, '91 Phantom, '87 SCV. I also have to throw in, for my own want to see and hear it remastered, '03 Phantom. There are of course many more I could name but I just wanted to start the discussion and see where it goes. Also, do you think DCI will ever consider doing at least one volume of fan favorite, non-winning shows? In my opinion, the willingness of, at least myself, to pay for something like that, it shouldn't be too far down the road. I hope.

Awesome. I always love hearing Mahler on the DCI field. I had hoped that we would see some Mahler this year and I'm glad to see we will. Can't wait to see what they chose.

Crown's field recordings from Finals week are up for sale right here and may I just say the brass only recordings are out of this world (minus some cheering in the background in the beginning. Apparently not aware a recording was going on?)

I can't speak to the rules of this particular football league, but when this guy addresses the band playing while the clock is ticking, where I went to high school if a play wasn't being run, the bands, visiting and away, are allowed to play. I still think the QB in the situation he presented would have to yell to be heard. There's a lot of noise without bands playing even at high school football games. But this is beside my main point. I think this is a prime example of the chasm between 'band people' and 'football people'. It was a problem in my high school and the football coach and our band director got along fantastically and cooperated with what music would be played and different things of that nature. When this guy referenced turning over the ball on downs while being down a couple touchdowns at the end of a game and he was upset the band was playing a 'rah rah' tune speaks to the fact that he sees the band as there to show off. In fact he says so less blatantly elsewhere and in my high school that's how a lot of players felt and even some of the fans. But even if this band is a competitive marching band, as mine was, they aren't there to play their halftime show and try to get people to pay attention to them. They truly are there to root on the football team. I think this gets lost between football players and fans seeing band people as stuck up and band people not understanding the game of football. (These are generalizations, not an attack on either party.) I said before that this rift was a problem in my high school, and it was, but really only between certain people. The football players, if we performed after the game, would stay to watch (even if the coach was making them stay, many enjoyed the shows). And one of my favorite memories was coming back from winning championships to a playoff football game and being able to perform an encore at halftime and those football fans cheered for us like they did for their team when our championship was announced. I hope this editorial doesn't drive the two 'sides' so to speak apart in this town, but sparks an open talk to help people understand. Because with cooperation can come some really awesome memories.

Now they're just messing with us

So in order of release: I got absolutely nothing. Closest thing to a good idea I've had is an Exodus type show. But I don't know why there's division in the first two but it's a full chevron in the last one. There's a part of me that's just imagining Hopkins going around to message boards like this and laughing at our attempts to decipher his clues. That part of me is still laughing. The rest of me is just confused haha

Also, just looked at that photo, this is the one they posted on Twitter and what I saw: http://the-cadets-official.tumblr.com/image/61694092467

I've seen people suggest half jokingly half serious that the show won't have a point. (haha get it?) As for me personally, I got nothing. No idea what it could be.

Looks like placeholder art to me. Until they decide on the real pic.

Santa Clara too? Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I desperately want both of them.

I gotta put up 2003. Between the Cadets, the Blue Devils, Phantom, Cavaliers, Boston and down to Crossmen and Carolina Crown, I can't stop going back to that year. Rocky Point, Canon, Blue Rondo alla Turk just a great year musically.

Oh wow. Definitely didn't know about that. All I've ever seen is the show as it is now with the cut. Thanks for the info.

Please excuse my ignorance but what problems were there with Phantom's show in 08? I wasn't aware that there were any.

Just a brief aside, but preorders are up in DCI's store and there aren't any licensing problems with Crown's show. I don't know if I expected them or not but I am relieved the show can be seen in full.

When it comes to Paul Lovatt Cooper, I agree wholeheartedly with the idea for Immortal on a DCI field but for my money, I think Where Eagles Sing would translate extremely well too. I could feel that in a show about air and it's movement. A more uplifting type show that just leaves stadiums ringing with the pure brass sound. I'd really like to see something like that.

Here's a great video focusing on the drum line. You can really hear how the drum book works with the brass book rather than standing out from it. I can't remember if it was said earlier in this thread or another but this year's drum book wasn't bad, it was just a different mindset than most other DCI drum books.

I'd say a fair number of people in my region know about drum corps. Just the other day I saw an older man wearing a Blue Stars hat. But south central PA especially in the York and Adams counties have really strong competitive marching band programs and you can find former DCI marchers on staff. When I was in high school our drill writer and instructor had marched Madison in the rifle line in the late 70s. Our percussion guy worked with DCI corps occasionally. Our staff let us know about when the finals were on ESPN and even one year brought in the Cadets to visit. The closeness of the Cadets and formerly the Crossmen who have now moved to Texas really helped too. It's hard for me to really say because I grew up in an area where marching band was pretty popular then went to college where a fair amount of people marched DCI in the summer. But I think while it isn't as well known as we might hope, there's more people out there who know about it than we think.

Has anyone brought a bigger party to the field than this? That ending with George's Barry Manilow modulation just kills me every time.

It's really sad to hear that from the Glassmen. Especially after the incredibly sad news from Music City. It's upsetting.

It's not the sound quality really, it's the sound mixing. It was obvious coming in the recording mixer live during the show only had a very loose knowledge of the show. And since the vocals are tied in with the pit amplification, when there are the narrations and the counting, the pit is overbalancing the brass. Even when the mix is working the way it should, it still seems as if the live mic portion of the recording is set a little lower. Frankly, I considered complaining about the recording with the mixing problems for the price it is. But I knew what I was getting into with a prelims audio so I let it go. EDIT: Sorry, just realized you said the Cadet's mp3 not Crown's to which this reply was directed. My apologies.

Phantom went from 1st in 2008 to 9th in 2009

When those mellos hit their top note for a moment I lost them in the trumpet sound it was that in tune and I just started laughing because it was so absolutely insane. Man were they locked in. That's a finals warmup too. I would do unspeakable things to be able to hear how they sounded in person that night.

My first show was Allentown this year and boy was it memorable. I distinctly remember my jaw dropping as The Academy, first on Friday, put those horns up and played. I had competed in the Cavalcade of Bands circuit in PA all 4 years of my high school career and I had regularly gone on DCI youtube binges all through college. I went to college for music and the bands and orchestra were no slouches. In fact I heard that a few trumpets marched during the summers. But I never had heard anything like that sound before. And of course it only got better as the night went on. I couldn't get enough. I couldn't hear enough and I never had time fly as fast as it did. I remember walking out of the stadium and realizing I had a dull headache and smiling like an idiot because of it. My band director through high school always urged us to go to Allentown if we could for the shows and I'm kicking myself I didn't do it before now.

I want to have the Troopers show to watch, but I'm not necessarily interested in the DVD/Blu-ray set for all of the 13-25 corps. I'd have to wait over a year to be able to buy that video download?