Precious Roy

At least BK DM still does the bent leg/toe point thing on the salute. I miss the old BK pre step on the stepoffs.

JBC stadium is where I learned, lo so many years ago, that there are parts of the world that refer to carbonated beverages as something other than "pop."

♥️ Right back atcha!

Radar looks fine at this point. Unless something blows up in the next couple hours, I don't foresee weather being an issue tonight.

Yes. (I haven't been paying attention to this thread).

The sun is back out, and it's getting hot and steamy again in the bleachers of love. No upstream showers currently on radar. Looking good!

Absolutely. He's going into his senior year of high school, and his goal is to make it into the bluecoats before his ageout year. I'm sure he's soaking in as much in as he can. I'm going to go ahead and issue a rainbow watch.

Pretty good shower going through right now. So far, no thunder. Radar shows low echo tops, which suggest low thunder potential (so far). Fingers crossed. Although I did get to see the run through last night, so if they have to standstill I won't be completely disappointed. I'm as much here to watch my son in the Bloo Way camp anyway.

That would make a cool game. Try to guess the DCI show, by listening to it while it is played backwards.

My wife and I work the weekend at the local Nascar track to raise money for my son's band fees. The company at the track has the leadership and organizing staff, and the grunt work is done by "volunteers." We usually work the hospitality catering area, or the luxury suites. The company then donates a fixed amount of money, per person per day, to the band program. The band director then divides it into the band accounts of the kids who had volunteers working for them. One kid had his mom, and the wait staff from the restaurant that she usually worked at, volunteer both Saturday and Sunday. Eight workers, times two days, times $120 per person per day, equals nearly $2000 to be applied to band fees (and trip fees).

I wasn't even thinking of the movie. But, having mentioned it, the music would then have to include Deep Purple's Child in Time.

That's frequently the last ditch "solution" to get everybody through the gates. I've seen that happen at some sporting events and concerts as well.

As a meteorologist, I approve of this idea. I would love to see anybody handle any weather/force of nature themed show. Other ideas would also include: Tempest (how a tornado impacts a community) Monsoon (a drought stricken area rejoices when the rainy season hits, but can they overcome too much rain in too short a time?) Tidal Forces (nautically themed music, and a drill design that shifts from one side of the field to the other, twice during the course of the show) A Perfect Storm (different sections represent different weather elements, like wind, rain, clouds, etc., and they all come together at the end to produce an intense whirling drill with stormy thematic music)

I think a lot of the issues recently are because of paperless ticketing. BITD, you would hand the ticket taker your ticket, they would rip it in half, and hand the half with your section/row/seat back to you. Now, they have to wait for people to get their phone out, open the right app to get the QR code for their ticket, and hope the ticket scanner gets the right angle with the scanner gun to properly scan the ticket. Add in the usual issues with cell phone data coverage in large crowded venues, as they try to bring up their electronic tickets, and it has become a mess. The whole process is way less efficient than using paper tickets. More secure, yes, but less efficient when it comes to gate entry. College football is the same way. Even schools that used to could handle 100,000+ fans, like Alabama and Penn State, have had a horrendous time getting people through the gates and into stadium. They are having to make videos for the fans to show them how to download their tickets and store them in their phone's "wallet app," to expedite the entry process. So, no, I don't think it is a problem completely unique to LOS, or to DCI events. It is largely a result of the switch to electronic ticketing. Although, having fewer open gates would certainly multiply the inefficiencies, which will certainly need to be addressed.

Best Opener: I forget if it was Gold, or Genesis. But one of them started their show with a horn blast -- not the typical slow build up to the first hit, but an FFFF note on the first downbeat. I wish more corps would do that. Best Closer: Phantom Regiment. Because each kick-halt is a 1.5 multiplier. Loudest: The single most effective loud note was in Bluecoats' show. It was an FFFFF finish of an FFF chord, in the keytar section right before the horns reposition from front and center to behind the keytarist. Listening live at the Atlanta show, it was fun to see the spectators in the front section visibly move their head back at that note, as if the power of the note was causing it. Best Soloist: Crown's ballad soloist. There's one part where he goes up in pitch during a moving part of the ballad, and he NAILED it every time. It is so exposed, and it would be so easy to frack that note -- but it was always perfect, and so effective. Best Snare line: I'm not a drummer, so no clue. I'll punt, and say the Bluecoats Alumni, because it was so cool to see so many of them. Best Uniform: Troopers. I think it's the hats. The "Babylon Horn-Snap Memorial" Moment of the Year: The release at the end of the SCV ballad. The transition from FFFF to nothing, except an echo around the stadium -- sublime. Best Personal Moment: My 15 year-old son playing "rock-paper-scissors" from the 15th row with a Crown guard member, during their pre-show in Atlanta. And him subsequently telling me last night, "Thanks for getting me interested in drum corps." I think he really wants to march next year.

So, I would assume that a corps' competitive inertia can become "reset" after some period of time outside of the top 3, top 5, or top "whatever." Post #1 in this topic, from 2007, includes Madison as an example of a top corps (as it was at that time). Obviously, Madison's CI ran out, or reset, some time between then and now, and they would have to reestablish it before they could make a push for another title. Correct? Just curious, @Bruckner8, if the data shows what that "reset point" would be. Could Phantom or Cavies jump directly to #1 next year, or would they also have to make a top 3 first?

I can't believe I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out watching that Bloo alumni performance. Well, yeah, I guess I can believe it. That was fabulous.

Meanwhile, in San Diego... https://www.facebook.com/NWSSanDiego/posts/pfbid0nXNG6EndQL42CRSQ1gnzN4Mfzjx3jcU71NczVkZNjC6vNUXxkPJHz7YS71ii2YU5l

Saw a HS band last year that had converted all their flutes to piccolos. Was very effective.

BD is so good, they KNEW this show would get rained out when they did their schedule. So they said, "Why bother -- we'll just get a full day of practice somewhere else instead."

Should be a loch then. And yeah, I'm not saying to move it back to the Vet. Although there's a lot of memories for me of that place. I'm just saying that LEF is synonymous with Erie Vet Stadium, and they should call the current show something else out of respect. I'm just being nostalgic, rather than logical.

Edinboro is a fine venue, but you shouldn't be able to call it the Lake Erie Fanfare if it's not at Erie Vet's Stadium.

The storm is moving right along, but its still gonna be another hour to 90 minutes at least before the rain and/or lightning are done.

This isn't my work -- source credit is in the bottom right of the map.

I now live in Alabama. They (along with much of the south) call it "coke." As in, "What kind of coke do you want?", "Make it a Sprite."