Caviecub

What the hell? Is this just a case of kids pulling a prank, or would they really try to sell the stuff? Is there that much of a percussion black-market??? If they can't recover it I can only imagine what a hit the org will take. ABC story link Thoughts?

Cavaliers 1988. Goshen, IN

rayfallon wrote: "It was that time just before sunset when the mid-August light filters sideways through the trees, very soft and incandescent, warm, the air smelling of farms, and summer, sun-screen, and mid-west life. I stood on the end of the hill, looking down on the corps, which I had just become a staff-member of after trying to retire, and I was overwhelmed with the realization that there was literally nowhere else in the world I would rather be, and nothing I would rather be doing." Couldn't agree more!

What I love about drum corps... I love hearing the early season announcements of what corps will be playing! I love when the season schedule comes out and I start looking for the shows that will be near me! I love finding which shows are near my family and friends, then putting together an email informing them when, where, which corps will be there, and a quick description of this year's show and how phenomenal it will be! I love when family or friends go with me to a show and really love it! I love when family or friends go with me to a show, even if they're more entertained just seeing my reactions! I love parking and walking to the stadium with the sound of percussion thundering in the distance! I love getting a peek at a corps that is filing to or from their show practice area! I love that feeling of belonging when you are at the Championships along side 30,000 fellow drum corps fanatics that love drum corps as much or more than I do! I love seeing out of the corner of my eye the next corps gathering across field! I love a really good pre-show warmup! I love hearing the words "Drum Major <name>, is your corps ready?", the Drum Major salute, followed by "<corps name> you may take the field for competition!" I love the opening build up to the first huge blast that blows my face off! I love the first huge blast that blows my face off! I love a good percussion feature! I love a sweet guard move or huge rifle catch! I love when a corps makes an awesome company front! I love seeing mind-blowing drills from high up in the stands! I love hearing the pit and the loudness of the corps when I sit way down in front! I love when something awesome creates a standing ovation! I love standing up to stretch in the stands from the time one corps finishes and the next corps begins! I love beaming with joy when a corps' show is over, and just wanting to see it again! I love when a corps' show almost tugs at your heart strings! I love when everyone in the stands stand up and claps for the corps! I love it when everyone then turns to excitedly discuss what they loved in the show! I love when a corps exits the field with a good percussion cadence! I love when all the corps come in for the scores, each lining up in their 10-yard slots! I love watching the little silent things the corps do while waiting for scores! I love the excitement of seeing all the fans huddled around the souvenir booths after the show! I love playing drum corps CDs in the car on the way back home! I love blaring drum corps music way louder than anyone else can handle! I love thinking about the next show I can attend and which corps I will get to see! I am sad when the season is over. But then I love anticipating the next season! I also love... telling a new person about drum corps, about the personalities of different corps, the shows they've done, and anything else I can get in before their eyes glaze over from too much information! I love listening to a drum corps season I haven't listened to in a while and being reminded how great that season's music was! I love hearing a random corps' music and being able to name the corps, the season, their placement, and their show theme- from only hearing the first few notes! I love being able to visualize what was happening with the drill while listening to the music! I love that I get goosebumps just thinking about all these things! I LOVE DRUM CORPS!

I LOVE the cheering from the crowd! It adds to the impact of the show, and I love how it comes out on the CD's and DVD's after the season. It reminds me of how exciting it was to be there in person. I've been to a number of shows in smaller towns. Most folk don't understand that it's ok to cheer until they get a few corps into the show, and even then it's more of a polite acknowledgement. And the early season theater shows - the one earlier this week - there were probably 10 people there. You could hear a pin drop. I felt like I was going to burst holding in all my cheer excitement for fear of being hauled out for disrupting the movie. I just want to yell at everyone saying "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT WAS AWESOME! THAT PERCUSSION FEATURE WAS SICK! THAT COMPANY FRONT WAS PURE JOY! THAT INSANE BRASS RIFF WAS... INSANE! GET UP OFF YOUR BUTTS AND CHEER UNTIL YOU'RE HOARSE! CLAP UNTIL YOUR HANDS HURT!" I feel so much better getting to a regional or championship show so I fit in with all the other nuts! I am fine with individual people yelling something out before or after the show. That's just part of the excitement. I don't care for when some dork yells during the quiet intro that builds up, or when there's a quiet section in the music. That's a bit rude.

Chambersburg, PA. Was a beautiful night for Drum Corps. Not too hot. Sun behind a few clouds. You could hear the sounds of drums thundering a few blocks away on your way to the stadium. There were only 4 corps performing - but they did so in a slightly different format. Each corps performed twice! "After traditionally judged performances by The Cadets, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders and Spirit of Atlanta, each corps will re-enter the field for an encore performance of their full program, this time with live commentary from their programming staff. The show designers want to answer your questions, so be sure to play your part in #TheFanShow by submitting feedback and questions on Twitter with #TheFanShow" Spirit of Atlanta "Magnolia", 4th place - 66.9 The warmup was quiet, with only a recording of Alison Krauss' "Down to the River to Pray". The front pit very subtly joined as more voices join Alison's. Felt like I was sitting on a plantation porch swing at sunset - the drenched hot summer air hanging in stillness amongst the giant magnolia trees. First time I've seen this show. Thought it was really well put together and enjoyable. The flags were perfect throughout the show. They were not bright flashy stab-your-eyes colors. Very soft and natural looking as if they had broken the flags right off a tree or shrub. But they still had enough impact to get your attention. The opener started with a little Porgy and Bess - drawing first goosebump of the night! Boston Crusaders "Animal Farm", 3rd place - 72.7 I saw Boston at the Preview show in theaters earlier this week. Music and drill are very difficult, dark and symphonic. The show takes its imagery from the Orwell book of the same name. The guard does well taking on characteristics of the animal masks. My favorite point of the show is when the guard makes a human windmill 20 feet tall. Happens at a nice swell in the music, drawing applause from the crowd. I wasn't thrilled about the show in the theater. But it started to click in person. I'm sure this will pull together really well by finals. Bluecoats "Tilt", 2nd place - 77.6 I personally thought Bluecoats should have won the theater preview show. Entertainment wise, I felt they should have won tonight as well. "Orange Is The New Blooo" is their show's tag. They surround the field with an orange border skewed a few degrees - effectively tilting the entire field. Large wedges are put to great use during the show, permitting guard, brass, and percussion to tilt in different ways. And of course the big corps pitch bend in the finale brought the crowd to their feet! It was nice being in person so the brass could blow in my face! The Cadets "Promise: An American Portrait", 1st place - 79.8 Clean and laser sharp already this early in the season. But this is the norm for the Cadets. The show is based on Copland (God I love when they play Copland!) Lincoln Portrait forms the backbone of the show. They take quotes from Lincoln Portrait, but add on quotes from a few other influential presidents in the same line. The narrator has the perfect voice for this show. He does a great job in the spotlight. Throw in a little Appalachian Spring, Symphony #3, and The Promise of Living and you have all the ingredients for placing 1st or 2nd in Finals! Commentary half The second portion of the show had each corps come back on in full-show exhibition (a second viewing of each corps!!!) The difference here was the live commentary from a show designer or director. Each corps gave an initial intro describing the show in general and some things to listen/look for. They would play one or two pieces and then stop. They would offer a little more commentary about the next section, and the show continued. They did this a few times during each performance. Corps put so much blood, sweat and tears into the design and performance. So much is probably completely lost on the casual fan that attends once a year or that is attending for the first time. A couple quick things I learned: Boston's new uniforms have the corps song written on the inside of their jackets. Each time they put it on it ties them to the long history. Bluecoats show started with only the music. All the design and drill came after the music. The show format could to a lot to interest and pull in new fans, as well as help the hardcore fans catch something they didn't know! I hope this show idea continues.

1985 - Toledo, Ohio. The rents took me - I thought it was just a 'band competition' they were taking me to. Little did I know how big a part of my life it would become. The Cavaliers "Planets" show blew my mind in all the good ways. Have been raging ever since.

Review of the 2014 Drum Corps Preview show in theaters, replaying the 6/21 show in Akron, OH. I depend on the theater shows as I can't make it to many live shows anymore. --Boston Crusaders had slick blood red/black gradient uniforms. It matched the mood of their "Animal Farm" show. I can kinda see where they were going with the concept. But I didn't care for the masks, and there was a bit too much "Old McDonald" in it. They placed last. --Madison is all (mostly) white this year, still with a military look. I enjoyed their Kenton/Ellis music - they gave me my first goosebumps of the night. Unfortunately, I cannot remember much of them. But I do know it was cool, and I really want to see them again. 6th of 7. --I'm having a bit of an identity crisis. My beloved Cavaliers have really not grabbed me the past few seasons. And it appears this year is the same. Earlier this this year they announced their show would be titled "Immortal". I cringed, and hoped 'please Cavies, please don't be doing a vampire show- please make it any other kind of immortal in any other way than with vampires.' Unfortunately, they brought a vampire show. It's 3-4 years behind the period when people were already *over* vampires - let alone when vamps were the rage. I could do without as much theatrical facial expressions and evil grimaces. Personal preference, I suppose. I tried hard to ignore any vampy stuff and keep focused on drill or brass or percussion. They had a few good things going... An interesting visual of stealing souls by pulling black silks out of the corps members chests. A crazy slick keyboard set with marimbas pulled out on the field. Suh-WEET looking drums. They finished in 5th of 7, but they took high percussion. I've always been a fan of the Cavie's kick-### percussion. --Phantom placed in the middle of the pack. Performing Swan Lake - but a bit of a darker side. They started in their classy black and white smooth-as-french-silk-pie look. They later went all-angry black. Kinda like their '87 White Ballet show meets Faust. --Cadets won the night. They performed "Lincoln Portrait" and a couple other Aaron Copland pieces. They can do no wrong with Copland! Lincoln Portrait is not an easily accessible piece to the uninitiated. It has narration throughout it as it saunters through musical... um, 'portraits' of Lincoln's life. The Cadets brought that narration into their show while adding passages from other influential presidents. LP can be really powerful if you have a great narrator. It choked me up when I performed it in a college concert. And I completely squeeed for all the other Copland music too - Appalachian Spring, Symph #3, and Tender Land. They were so clean, it seemed like I was seeing an Allentown show instead of a first week. But that's the norm for the Cadets. --Carolina Crown - the defending 2013 world champs, put on another out of this world show... entitled "Out of this World". A very spacey theme that was really fun for the audience. Had trampolines for some gravity tricks- they didn't add too much to the show tonight, but I'm sure they'll fill that in before Finals. They had a percussion set banging on steel car mufflers and a few other chunks of 'huh-never-would-have-thought-to-percuss-on-that' steel. Again, they were so clean they looked weeks ahead of everybody. They placed 2nd. --The corps that blew me away was the 3rd place Bluecoats from Canton, OH (BLOOOOOOOOO!!!). Their show is called "Tilt". (See how I tilted the word 'tilt'? I'm so cool.) Their percussion tied for 1st place with the Cavaliers. They did some phenomenal acts of tilting performers on large triangular wedge pieces that they would stand on at different angles, balancing and using them as giant levers. They even tilted the field- with a big orange rectangle covering the entire playing field, but skewed about 5 degrees. Nice eye candy. Toward the end, the brass did a mind-bending full-volume chord pitch slide tilt thing that is really, really difficult to put into words, as you can see by the words I just used that don't really help. Unfortunately, no one can be- told what "Tilt" is. You have to see it for yourself. (Goosebumps!) They were my favorite corps of the night. I MUST see this live and from up high somewhere this season! Love to see them in the top 5 in Indy. I apologize for not being able to remember more of the shows. This is far more due to my bad memory than to any lack of memorable material. They were all great!