Jurassic Lancer

They are all puppets. You know ... the guy behind the mixer board controls them all. It is known.

Oh a funnel cloud can't be denied!

Not this year ... the judges are trying to avoid being trapped by spreads!

This pic is unreal.

INT is the best! Especially the "This Is Kidney Tap" feature! Turn it up to eleven!

You mean I shouldn't buy tics for the Dublin show? Or are YOU the man behind the curtain?

Oh, it is just solid, no frills drum corps at its best!

And apparently you and I marched against each other. But you also marched with my friends Andy Wickstrom and Sue (Templeton) Deschene, and worked with my friends Joel Alleyne and Bob Stewart, so it's all good, brother!

Not only that, but he marched with Seneca! Thought you might like knowing that.

A bit of trivia ... in 1976, Etobicoke Oakland Crusaders and the Seneca Optimists who were both from Toronto were in DCI Finals. I think that is the only time that two corps from the same city made Finals.

St. John's Girls? Les Chatelaines?

Amen! I mean, no vocal "Amen" due to one point penalty. (How's that for a throwback!)

Sorry, my bad ... er, I mean I was counting in base 15 ... yeah, that's it!

Good to know! I was amazed that in Bowling Green all ten seemed to play both in tune and majestically ... and no one had to shoot nine of them to make it happen!

You are right, of course, but as June ends, hope springs eternal!

Wow ... that's too bad about the Frenchie feature in A-town. I saw them in Bowling Green, and my jaw dropped, it was so good. I suppose it's like the girl with a curl: There was a little girl, Who had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, She was very good indeed, But when she was bad she was horrid. But you are so right. This year, everything needs to be clean. At that same show, Carolina Crown came out, and in the opening statements, the 1st trumpets fracked. It didn't take away from the overall show, but then again, what was my take away: The 1st trumpets fracked. With the top five being so good, execution is going to be king this year.

So far, that horn line is scary good. I can't help but think it is only going to get better. The show is worth the price of admission for the French Horn feature by its self, let alone the 220+ beats per minute Shosti. Insanity in motion!

I will only include corps I have seen live in my early favorites list. I am pretty sure I would include some corps who have been on the West Coast if I only saw them live. So with that in mind: 1. Bluecoats - I have to admit a bias here as I live about 20 minutes from where they do their spring training, so I have been exposed to them a lot more than I have the other corps. Even so, what they are doing with integrating electronics into their show is unreal. The way they move the sound around the field has to be experienced live. I saw the show at the cinema, and it doesn't come off the same at all. I have heard it described as 3D sound. I describe it as quadrophonic sound, for those old enough to remember quadrophenia. The horn line is superb. I understand that 600 people auditioned for the 80 spots and it shows. I mentioned to some staff members that if I were a 21 year old version of myself, I would have been part of the 520 who didn't make it. The drum feature is impeccable, and the guard is doing some amazing choreography that perfectly enhances the outstanding visual production. 2. Carolina Crown - The horn line. Period. Also, the drum line is much, much improved, and the visual use of the huge tarps is breathtaking (when they work). A better transition from hell to paradise would be nice, but I have no doubt it is coming. Oh, and no trampolines - huge plus! 3. Cadets - Honestly, you can juggle the top three on my list (or maybe Blue Stars can), so I don't mean to demote Cadets by listing them third. They had me at 220+ beats a minute. Classic Cadets run and gun, with a brilliant waltz section that breaks things up nicely. And that percussion section! Surgeons can operate on those snares! 4. Blue Stars - A show that’s a lot dirtier than the top three, but so much is happening. Love the sideshows, and the show as a whole will only get more enjoyable as the dirt is scrubbed away, especially in the horns.

True story: Back in the winter of 1983, I drunk dialed George Zingali. I had purchased a recording of Bernstein's "Mass" and thought it would be a great idea to literally show a priest character spilling the communion elements and showing his resulting angst lived out on the field. George said something to the effect, "What are you, nuts?" Thank goodness he went the way of abstraction.

It really is hard to argue with that. This year the potential is there for a new champion, (anyone from this steller top five could win) and it is always exciting to see when that happens, but odds makers could legitimately make the odds, “Pick one, Blue Devils or the field,” at the beginning of any season.

I think that adding an iron throne made of 1000 melted trombones would look great on that stage And a flying dragon would really help GE. Just sayin.'

I can see it now, Brandt Crocker doing his best Michael Buffer impression. “From Canton, Ohio, Drum Corps International is proud to present, THE BLOO CRRRRTS! Are you ready to RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!?! Thanks, I came up with my screen name after consuming a couple adult bevearges. And I loved Cadets in 2000, though I only saw recordings of your show!

You're undoubtedly correct, and to be fair, I have only seen mid-west shows live so far this year. I can't wait to see what Phantom and BK bring to the table in particular. (I loved BK's show last year!) Perhaps it is my perception the top five are progressing so much faster than the 6-8 range, even though the 6-8 are also much improved. Then again ... I am basing my musings on what I have seen in June, which really isn't fair. I shouldn't jump to such judgements until August. Maybe the top five are just getting better at coming out of the gate.

Hi ... I'm new here but I have lurked for about a year now. I am very geeked by how tightly packed the top five are so far this year, may they continue to be so close at finals!. But something that has occurred to me is that the difference between the top five and the middle of the finalist pack seems to get more pronounced each year, and this year the gap is huge. Things are getting to the point that if the corps headlining a show isn't a top five corps, my personal inclination is that I might not want to travel and invest in a ticket to see the show, which for me, at least, is a new phenomenon. Has the G7 become the Fab 5? Is this a matter of the rich getting richer and the middle class being squeezed? Will there be an occupy Lucas Oil Stadium movement, the 99% versus the 1% (or the 95 point and under club versus the 95 plus club)? Yes, I know that the top two or three in any given year are usually heads and shoulders above the rest of the pack, but what is new for me is that in the past, the next tier of corps didn't pale as much in comparison. I used to get excited about the middle finalists’ battles, and of course, who squeaked in the top 12, or who was squeezed out. I suppose I am still interested in these battles, but not nearly as much as I have been in the past. Perhaps I should just appreciate how incredible the top five are, but it feels like something is getting lost underneath them.