brichtimp

That was not close to the Cadet's best performance, and they still closed the gap with BD.....the suspense continues.

Michael Boo has a live blog

It's just another piece of their puzzle, I think. What may be more important is whatever they come up with for the last minute or two in the show. The level of demand for the brass and percussion is already good enough for a medal, IMHO.

As I was 'bathing' in the sumptuous sound of Crown's brass last year, I remember thinking that there were very few if any brass sections in my listening experience with drum corps, going back to the early 70s, that could stand up to that luxurious combination of blend, balance and more than enough volume to pull crowds out of their seats. And, that is not to diminish the great solo screamers from back in the day, etc.

I'm confused...on the one hand, we can't compare modern brass lines with those from 30-40 years ago; but then we go ahead and do just that?? Curious...

We will enjoy seeing what the Cadets can bring to the party tonight....licking their collective chops :-)

No doubt that Blue Devils are a fabulous drum corps. Tomorrow night, the other monster in the room (Cadets) will be chomping at the bit to lay it down. The top 5-6 corps this year are truly excellent!

Seamless execution of high demand with minimal park and blow......love it!

Delivered by a brown shoe square in the dead of night, but never on Sunday.

I think new is often better for reasons expressed previously, but there are exceptions. In my listening experience, I have never heard a better recording of Sousa marches than the early '60s "Hail Sousa" recording by the legendary William Revelli and his University of Michigan Symphony band.....a 100 piece ensemble playing with the nuance and precision of a chamber group.....just one example that is an exception to the rule of progress.

Chicago's principal trumpet marched DCI.....Chris Martin.

It would seem that ticks, if applied to elements like phasing and spacing, can be objective to a degree, and would potentially depress scores we are seeing in today's DCI?

If by 'they,' you mean Cadets, then we are agreed. BD's line is awesome of course, and they also lay down mad skills. but much of it is not at high velocity and much of it is mid to front field. Some of the coolest and most challenging techniques laid down by the Cadets line is backfield and on the move....if the drum judge (like the one on 7/14 who failed to track them back there much of the show) isn't diligent, he won't give it proper recognition. Both Prosperie and Fugett were very diligent.

Actually, there is no 'best' orchestra......certainly Philly is playing as well as ever, and the Chicago brass thing is an old cliche.....the latter has fab winds and a luminous string section these days in their love affair with Muti. Cleveland rocks, of course, and Berlin is a beast under Rattle.

In my mind, playing clean on a front field platform < than playing clean at 192 bpm for a sustained duration.

Blue Devils are a wonderful ensemble, and I enjoyed their performance except: I think they 'silo' the sections they feature, as in: let's showcase the quads, then let's showcase the snares, etc. etc. Their slow marching stride is very cool and exposed for phasing, but how does that measure up in demand? I wonder. At any rate, we have a real knife fight shaping up this week; and I look forward to seeing how the competitive landscape evolves.

Nice job, BD.......Some sections very clean; super talent for sure.

Oh yes...and then the battery advances to the front while continuing to kick butt and take names....it is epic!

This goes along with the real possibility that a significant percent of the audience would not be able to match up some of the presidential quotes in the Cadets narration with their source. If true, then it might be argued that the Cadets are providing entertainment and education :-)

Just the DCI mantra: "Marching Music's Major League" implies a certain level of elitism, that is well earned in spite of the views of some fans who long for 'the good old days' (which were never quite as good as we might think).

They were formerly known as the Black Dyke Mills band.

Much of the Cadets battery awesomeness this year happens in backfield or on the move.....running backwards while executing licks at all dynamic levels is incredibly challenging but not as likely to grab the crowd's attention as a 30 second shredding exercise parked in field front. I love how a line can be seamlessly featured while simultaneously integrated into the musical arrangement and drill.

Blue Devils are awesome.....period!

Re the verbals in Crown 13......the whole love story angle was something I had to get past because the playing was so glorious in that show...but, there was little connection to Zarathustra other than to showcase that brass sound....so lots of disparate elements....unlike the more cohesive Cadets approach this year, IMHO.

Another huge factor in the enjoyment equation is for those of us who may never have marched DCI, but now have a son or daughter in one of the top groups. Seeing up close (and though interaction with that kid) what the process involves to keep perfecting the details of a show at the highest level is rewarding way beyond the ultimate medal results in August. Couple that with quality arrangements of great music and wonderful instruction by the staff....well...it's a once in a lifetime high for a parent.