lanceengland

I've had good results using 20 Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster

In Atlanta theater , picture and sound STILL OUT. Aaaaargh!

Now we have picture but no sound. Missing all of Spirit...grrrr

In atlanta, and signal just stopped due to weather :(

Ah yes, I agree with you on Santa Clara Vanguard. It just rolls off the tongue and has a regalness to it.

Phantom Regiment. Everyone else is competing for second place, IMO. Though I also like 27th Lancers for obvious reasons

The guy stepped in it and apologized. Moving on.

Thanks for sharing. Go Spirit!

Full disclosure: I'm jumping to the end of the thread and replying without reading Taking a 100% subjective competition (while acknowledging the efforts to make it more objective) and comparing scores for: Different performances Different shows Different judges Different years is a completely futile exercise. IMO, Crown's percussion has made major strides the last 3 years. That said, it's not like the the previous years were bad.

I just watched the new chord additions to the end of the ballad and in my opinion that is a big improvement. Keep working Crown. We love you!

As long as Blue Devils are in existence, no one will ever "run away". They have to claw the titles out of BD's grasp ever year. But I get your point.

I was at the Drums Across America show last night. Bloo's show is very impressive. The use of the giant chairs was very effective and they have done what I never thought I'd say: I look forward to the singing She does a fantastic job, and the corp blends *perfectly* with her. Just a hat tip all around for how they pull that off. BAC's guard is very, very good. To me, the past several years, Bloo has SO MUCH going on at the same time, guard doesn't stand out as much. I did notice some impressive moments from Bloo's guard, but BAC seems a little more exposed. Rifles were flying around non-stop. I am far from an expert in that area. Great shows from both corps, and really all the kids from every corp. So, we are all winners in a way.

Most of the criticism I've read seems to be meant as constructive. I must have missed the calls to fire design teams. CC has a killer brass and maybe the strongest drum line they've ever had. I think fans hate to see talent not maximized by sub-optimal design choices. Personally, I'll stop thinking about scores and placement and just enjoy it for what it is.

Oh my. That's embarrassing! The mind is a terrible thing to waste, lol. OK, yes, that makes way more sense! "Out of this World" did start a little slow, but by Atlanta I *loved* that show.

Crown is my favorite corp, but I do have some problems with this show: 1. I don't hate props. But, I hate when props are just rolled out on the field. Those "teeth/tusk" things could be statues, lollipops, or windmills and they would all about equally add to the show. 2. The ballad does seem a bit out of place. Some here mentioned 2014 was slow out of the gate. I disagree. When I listened to all the shows at the beginning of the 2014 season, Inferno immediately grabbed me. The show had a coherent theme and signposts, with gorgeous music. I have no doubt the current show will fix and polish, and they will excel in areas., but I'm not sure 2014 is a valid comparison.

I'm sure BD fans would disagree, but I think a year where BD places less than 3rd would be very good for the competitive nature of DCI and improve the overall product. IMHO, it takes away a tiny bit of enjoyment when going in every year it's "Does BD win again this year or does a corp put together a near-perfect show to eek them out?". It is a true testament to BD's greatness, to be sure.

All while flying around the field at breakneck speed. That show was a locomotive.

That horn snap in the ballad! That ridiculous drum line! Those guard moments! The drill! This show is on fire!

Hello SCV thread! The show this year is amazing! My early season feeling: SCV is the show to beat this year.

Clearly the Boston Crusaders mic working correctly was the result of witchcraft.

They had a mic in 2015? For the soloist in the ballad or something else? As for this year, I don't think a perfectly working mic was going to push the show to 2nd, but really hated it for the kids and for Anna.

My random 2 cents on last night's performances: My first time seeing Madison and I liked it way more than I thought I would. Lots of intensity and the brass sounds solid! I realized that while I'm meh on the visual program, the Crossmen music is great! I would totally listen to it in my car. My first time seeing BAC. ! That show blew me away. Massive jump from last year. Hot take alert: IMO, the best singing and best ballad this year! It really pulled at my emotions, and for me, that is the point of this artistic activity :) In fact, my personal enjoyment ranking: Vanguard and BD (tie, yeah its a cop-out). Crown BAC Bloo Performance-wise, I found something to enjoy from every single show. Special mention to Mandarins: Very cool show, even though the drum major intimidates me a little, haha!

####, BAC show was fantastic!

Every rule or allowance has an intended and unintended consequence. I personally loved the Bluecoats pitch bend, and would hate to see a rule that squashed that type of creativity. On the other hand, I don't want an entire horn line mic'd, or using pre-recorded brass to boost impacts (or even synth "goo", for that matter). Maybe small changes can reel it back a bit. Disallow wireless mics? Limit the number of cabinets or mics? Have the judge in the press box score corps lower if the amplification is louder than the brass? Maybe a compromise. Every 5 years DCI has a "throwback" year where the corps compete with zero electronics or amplifications?

The amplification wars will drive out fans if it goes unchecked. Maybe not all, but I predict many. I love creative use of electronics, but I don't love cranking the volume to 12 because you think it helps your GE score. Blue Devils show is jaw-dropping and amazing. I was 2nd row on the 50 in Atlanta (Powder Springs). The volume difference between BD and other amplified corps like Blue Coats was very obvious. My ears were still ringing the next day. I'm all for volume, but it was ridiculous. I do think some controls need to be put in place. I'll leave it to the sound engineers to determine that.