Tenoris4Jazz

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope there is a tie for 12th. I would hate to see Madison miss Finals, but I DO NOT want to see Academy or Boston miss out this year.

Good performance. Now they can go hug and cry let it fully wash over them.

July 1980 RIP Jim Ott

Whatever you do, do not miss Blue Stars coming out of INT tonight. It's going to be a run for the ages...

Horses are completely out of the barn on that. Give it up.

Still a lot of folks in the area that remember Crossmen as the local guys.

I've been told by someone who marched from 1978-1982 that not only did MM go judge hunting, but the drill was specifically written at times to try and trap the judges.

Maybe it's my 20+ years in corporate accounting, but I'm rather shocked that no one has brought up the main economic factor in travelling through the west vs. the east in late July or early August: fuel. As of today, in the east it's $2.00 to $2.30 for regular gas vs $2.30 to $2.60 out west. Diesel fuel is $0.25/gallon higher than that. All those buses, trucks, and vans will have an increase in their fuel expenses by ~15%. Given the travel expenses I've seen on the 2014 IRS forms for Devils, Cadets, Crown and Spirit, that would mean, on average, an additional $50,000 in expenses PER CORPS!. (Crown's travel expenses for 2014 were over $840,000; $100,000 more than Spirit's entire budget.) If only 10 corps make this trip, that's half a million dollars in additional travel expenses to make up. I'm sure most of you will be surprised to learn that in 2014 Devils and Cadets both lost money on their total operations despite net revenue of over $4.5 million... EACH. I'm willing to listen to ideas for this, but until you figure out how to generate as much money as DCI currently does in the East PLUS another $50,000 per corps, it's a moot point.

Now that I think about it, I could get 50 mb or faster service if I wanted to pay the extra money and my wife had a business need for it (she works from home).

I'm trying to say this without it sounding like an a-hole, so forgive any unintended subtext... but how the hell did you get 50 mb service in rural WV????

Crap, I don't wanna leave, but I've got other stuff to do. See everybody again tomorrow!

Exhibition only performance at home.

I went 10 years without buying anything and this past fall I bought it all to catch up. Lucky I killed it investing for my car.

Field percussion, yep.

It just seems very "Hollywood ending" to have Bluecoats win their first title and Academy make Finals for the first time on the same night. After watching the lovefest between BD and Bloo in 2014 at retreat, it would be great to have the reverse.

Then there's Terry Hampton of Atlanta CV. Marching in his mid 50's... with cancer. Dude is a rock star.

I stand corrected. I didn't realize how many kids with DCI eligibility marched DCA back then.

Except for 1981, '83, '85, '88, '95... well, you get the idea. They've gone into Finals week undefeated several times and by Saturday night they're looking up at the top of the podium. Now, the last 5-8 years they've been Secretariat down the stretch, especially last year. I thought Crown had it locked up and BD put the pressure on them and they stormed into first.

DCA is "all age" which used to mean over 22 and under, well... dead. Now it's a combination of kids not ready to march open or world class yet and old farts who still want to perform, but have a job Monday through Friday.

Oh Gawd no... she would have gone all "Scanners" on me!

Remember, these are Bb trumpets, not G bugles. It's easier to get a good sound out of these and a helluva lot harder to go climbing up the staff. The higher you went on those bugles, the more the overtones took effect and it sounded like you were shooting a lung out the bell!

Ditto. I've got a 27" monitor on a raised stand showing the video and a smaller monitor beside it for you guys. My wife thinks I'm nuts. That's about right.

My wife has been "subjected" to drum corps a bit in the 20 years we've been together, so I used her as a test subject this evening. She's been to one show over a decade ago and it was too loud for her anywhere in the stands. I had her watch and listen to the ending of Academy. Her initial impression: "Where am I supposed to look? There's too much going on all over the place to see anything." She essentially couldn't even rate the music because she spent so much energy trying to focus on something to watch. I hope this is not the same way other casual fans see the modern show designs.