ThePlanets

For those of you who have been around a long time... Do the electronics/props add more to the "dirt" of an early season show/performance? I know early season shows have a long way to go before finals but the extra props/amps/visuals seem to add a lot more factors to clean. These "new style" shows are mind blowing come finals week but I would imagine they have a lot of bugs and kinks out west. Is this more of a case where the "best" shows since 09 have been from Allentown to Indy and he just hasn't seen the final product? Not that I am a particular fan of over the top staging and amplification...just something to think about.

This is what gets me. Even in a commercial it's normal.

Seconded. A list of the 00s without the Cavaliers is pure blasphemy but 2010 was the only great Cavaliers show. And there are a lot of other great 2nd place shows.

I did the appropriate 1:1 vote. 4th place. Rach Star in. I wouldn't be opposed to the 1:1 2nd place. Inferno in either....but I loved both aforementioned 2nd place shows. I would take Inferno over Rach Star but it doesn't make sense to eliminate 4th place. On another note...great list and thanks for putting this together. My personal favorite won 4/12 times but I have a strongly favorable opinion of 10/12 winners.

I cited 2 shows that I thought SHOULD have won and many others that COULD have won. I never said the other corps didn't deserve their ring. Plus I said (also in the case of these 2 years) that there are often more than one championship caliber show in a season. ...then I went on to say, which applies to 2019 in particular, that I am a little salty because being not as knowledgeable and/or more careless about visual aspects of the show I heard and felt that the Bluecoats were better (but not in Percussion). But I didn't necessarily SEE which corps was better and visuals are a huge factor especially when both corps are so close. As for 2007 there were clear show design issues. Before this thread I was thinking of starting a thread about other shows that COULD have won a ring. Worded a bit different to keep the language that implies keeping the linguistics of something such as "1980 27th Lancers were robbed" and saying "wow the 27th Lancers were great in 1980 and certainly championship caliber"

Nah. It's all in fun. There are a lot of years where there was simply more than 1 great performance/show. Plus many of us are more knowledgeable in one area (i.e. brass or percussion for music majors/minors or those that work in music education) than another (I know nothing about color guard) so when a show that we feel is stronger in our more knowledgeable area doesn't win we might get a little salty. BUT there may have actually been robbing, rioting and pillaging in 2012 if this call wasn't reversed.

I was going to start another thread but title it "in an alternate universe" Not to claim the judges "got it all wrong" but, when appropriate I will list another show I feel had the chops to win but didn't. There are a few that I think there was no contest with the champ and I will list those as well. 1987. Santa Clara Vanguard- beautiful, powerful, accessible show. I didn't do a frame by frame with the Cadets but I feel like this show is championship quality. 1989. Phantom Regiment- SCV did a rehash a year later. Come On. 1996. Phantom Regiment (alone)- one of the best musical shows I have ever heard. 2000. Cadets (Alone)- my gold standard drum corps and still gets my nod for the best all around DCI show of all time. Niagara falls looked cool but wasn't as good musically 2001 Cavaliers- it seems they should have dominated 01. BD/Cadets not close 2002- Cavaliers. See 01 but better musically (I personally like 01 better though) 2003 Cavaliers- Can't win 4 a row but this show had the chops to do it. 2004 Cavaliers- In a time that pushing drill to the limit reigned supreme- Cavaliers were king. No other 04 show was even close 2005. Blah. No thanks. Pass. 2006 Phantom Regiment- this show really is beautiful and did have the chops to win. 2007- Cadets. Ok. Unlike most years where I can accept the champ...I really do feel like the Cadets should have won in 07. Unfortunately nobody likes incessant narration. 2008- Blue Devils. But I am very happy with the legend of the PR Spartacus show. 2009- Blue Devils- Dominant with what I feel is their best show of the century so far. 2010- Cavaliers. Mad World. One of the few total package championship caliber Cavalier shows. 2011- Blue Devils- One of the most liked and accessible BD shows of its time and it gets...2nd place. No wonder they followed it up with Cabaret Voltaire 2012- Carolina Crown- one of the most beautiful masterpieces to ever take the field...I know... Percussion. There's always next year right Crown? 2013- Cadets- It really was Crowns year but if not I could see this show taking it all. 2014-SCV. Not going to subtract from the pedigree of 2014 BD...but this SCV show was extremely well performed and well balanced 2015- Bluecoats- Honestly I think a legitimate case can be made for any of the top 4 winning in 2015 but my choice is Kinetic Noise. The musical arrangements and GE flow of this show was perfect. Music Technology was used in a way never seen before. Percussion and brass were on point...etc. 2016- SCV- This was probably the best performance for any corps of the year and it had good GE to go with it. 2017- Metamorph- in retrospect there is no other answer. This is a great BD show and Ouroboros was technically very good but didn't have the punch to contend. And below that It Is and Men from Mars. Hard Pass to both. 2018- Bluecoats- I do think the judges made the right choice with SCV but I think Bluecoats had a strong enough show to win too. 2019- Bluecoats- They scored higher than the champs in GE and Music and still didn't win. Yes BDs percussion was killer but otherwise they were just stronger on the sheets visually. I'm personally more of a Cavies 06 visuals kind of girl...so...Hard to swallow especially considering the difference in brass and music analysis. Probably my 2nd choice after 07 for championship change. so really I would only riot and push for change in 07 and 19 otherwise these are just championship caliber shows regardless of the actual champion.

It's all good. I wasn't trying to call anyone out and I honestly thought I read it multiple times.

Marching Timpani and Trombones

Yes and yes I was referring to the 5th place Out of this World show specifically not E=mc2. Crown was very deserving of their championship. And I couldn't have written how I feel about Tilt better than you did above. My point was when you put the show itself aside and just compare 2014 corps Bluecoats weren't quite there yet (top tier) but they did have a whole lot of passion and emotion in performing on their side. Couple that with a world class innovative show design and they get 2nd place. Which is awesome. As you said Tilt PUT them in the top tier and helped change power/balance. (2000-13 they were GOOD and improving but not too tier). Today's Bluecoats and DCI would be a lot different if Tilt never existed. Given the time table for Bluecoats history I really don't think this show would have been the champion in another year which is the argument some posters are making.

I agree with you here. I omitted some other inflammatory parts of your post. Here is how I see 1-5 in 2014. OOTW I think had one of the most amazing brass books of all time and the chops to pull it off...but what was so great about that show other than the brass? Yes I think brass is the most important piece to the puzzle but it's still only one part of the whole and it's about the sum of it's parts. I do think they deserved the Ott. SCV- one of the best on the field but it was a rehash of another show of theirs and the uniqueness and creativity of the design wasn't there. Maybe, in an alternate universe this show could push for the championship. Cadets- Championship level corps, poor design. Bluecoats- definitely a championship level design with one of the best ballads of all time. A great corps but not top tier. BD- this show is a score sheets dream. Many fans and folks in the drum corps community agree that this is the greatest show of all time.- Whether you or I think so is a moot point. We all like,see, and feel different things. Nobody should mock you for your opinion though.

Goliath! Or do you mean Subterra?

Bluecoats Downside Up if only for personal reasons. I am still really bummed I missed it live but I did get to see it in the theater. Besides this show was a huge game changer. 🙂 Still looking for a Dark Side of the Moon shirt... It probably is my favorite by a nose though. Crown 13, SCV 18, and BD 17 get HMs

Haha me too! But throw in Mad World. Incredibly hard! Some of the best shows of the decade!

This is probably the hardest decision out of these threads. There are many 2nd place shows that are dear to my heart extending back to SCV 87 and Phantom 89. I am sure there are many more from the 70s/80s/90s that I haven't seen film on. As for this group. This group is host to 3 of my all time top 10 shows and 5 of my top 20. All 10 of these shows were phenomenal in their own right. I think it's also noteworthy that I like the majority of these shows MORE than ALL of the championship winning shows of the last decade. 10. Ouroboros- incredibly clean from start to finish. SCV had their act together. They moved all over the field too! Somewhat sterile and it didn't have the charm and beauty of SCV 12-16 or the power and awe of 18/19. 9. As Dreams are Made On- I liked this show and found it much more accessible than many of the BD shows from 10-14. I just can't separate it from Ink and they have too many similarities in my mind. 8. Re:Rite of Spring- I found this show to be very powerful yet interesting that BD would dedicate an entire show to this particular piece of historical music literature. It never really did take off though- leaving the door open for Crowns first championship. 7. The Beat my Heart Skipped- the most entertaining BD show from 2010-2015. In my opinion. 6. Dreams and Nighthawks- were as 19 was a 1/2 battle for BD. I felt the top 3 overall shows and the top 4 were all very close musically in 2018. This is my favorite hornline of those I have heard live from BD and I just can't get over those chords. I don't think any other corps can do that. GAP (sorry BD. Those shows are great but don't make my all time favorite list. The shows below do) 5. The Bluecoats- Absolutely genius musical arrangements and the Bluecoats at their absolute best. Fan favorite for sure. I can't wait to see what they come up with next year. Amazing how such simple, popular music can be arranged into a masterpiece 4. Tilt- Another one of the most well written and accessible shows of the decade. Simple concept, beautiful music. I still get a tear in my eye listening to Hymn of Acxiom...even though it's the creepiest song ever. My mom's all time favorite show. Funny I asked her after finals this year and she still picked TILT over the Bluecoats. 3. For the Common Good- this show is one of the most beautiful, clean drum corps to take the field and the show that started my obsession with drum corps after my husband took me to 2012 finals. This gets my award for cleanest, crispest brass of all time. Man this show is just great. The coolest thing was given the theming of Cabaret Voltaire and this show it was a total good guy vs bad guy. Now 1st and 2nd here are 2 of my top 4 and some days top 3 drum corps shows of all time. They are a virtual tie but I had to pick only one show. (If anyone is curious Kinetic Noise and That One Second are my other all time favorites). 2. Inferno- This is probably the most impressed I have ever been with a live show and my husband would argue that it's the best DCI show of all time. Their use of minimal props, guard, and acting of the hornline was unbelievable. Then there is how fantastic the hornline is in general. The funny thing is I liked it better than Kinetic Noise live but it doesn't get as much replay for me. 1. Mad World- Definitely my favorite Cavaliers show. It has the total package of what I am looking for in a perfect DCI show and that can't be overlooked. It has great, well played, accessible music; a killer percussion feature, typical mind-blowing Cavaliers drill, and a GE/story telling/impression giving component from the MMs that is unmatchable. This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life