ThePlanets

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

O I won mine. Too bad.

I feel you. These were so close competitively and the coin flip didn't sit well with me either. What rubs me the wrong way the most is probably BD and SCV coming in at 4th and 5th in brass respectively. I place the most weight on brass, music analysis, and GE. Bluecoats had BD on all 3 and Crown had SCV on all 3. So 🤷. Percussion is important to me too. SCV smoked Crown there and BD won over Bloo. I am not going to go as far as saying either corps was robbed or ripped off though.

That's definitely the case for me. My favorite winning show is outside of my top 5 all-time. P

Easy for me. Kinetic Noise. Probably my favorite DCI show of all time...or at least the one I go back and listen to/watch the most. Mr. Maps is my favorite percussion feature of all time. The show has seamless transitions and an exceptional use of music technology...I also feel it was the cleanest performance the Bluecoats put on the field until Session 44 and, well, The Bluecoats. Tier 2 (HONK HONK) Session 44 Metropolis Tier 3 (great, clean shows, but I just couldn't get vested in them) Side X Side Relentless XtrodonairY Turnadot Tier 4 Vox Eversio- probably the best corps on the field of 2019 and some great musical moments but what was going on really? Tier 5 (great corps, awful designs) It Is- After some studying I understood the theme and what they were going for but why? This show is never going to live down the fact that the best hornline of 2017 played backup singer to a vocalist. Promise- the never ending narration, Lincoln Portrait, the stage in the front of the field so you really couldn't see the Cadets upfront. Just no.

Going to try to stick to world class. I generally attend Massillon which is usually all finalist corps and started going to Semis in 2017 so a lot of shows will be more recent. Espicially considering access issues and the difficulty of finding old recordings of shows outside the top 12. Off the top of my head: Madison Scouts 2019 Colts 2019 Jersey Surf 2012 Music City 2017 Troopers 2015 Academy 2015 Spirit 2018 Mandarins 2017 Cascades 2019 Oregon Crusaders 2018 Spirit 2019 Troopers 2016

I do have to admit the "make drum corps great again" shirts were catchy

Another tough one. Given it's basically the same 3 corps (and one Cavies show) I feel comfortable ranking these. 10. Cavaliers Men are from Mars- total miss for me and I am still bitter it passed the jagged line 9. SCV Les Miz- I am just not a musical person, espicially this musical...blah. SCV did a nice job though 8. Crown Second Chance- the weakest of the 4 Crown shows here. Great musically. Just hard to latch to and some dull moments GAP 7. Cadets Power of 10- the Cadets had their act together and at the beginning of the season I thought they might have another championship run with this show. 2015 was such a strong year and this show got the shot straw. 6. 2016 SCV Force of Nature- Absolutely beautiful eloquently performed show. Underscored and underrated 5. Crown Beneath the Surface- Somewhat sterile but absolutely beautiful brass and they moved a lot. Percussion issues fixed. Should have grabbed 3rd. 4. SCV 2014- I think this is the best of the 4th place shows but not necessarily my favorite The opening with the trombones and the percussion is just OMG. 3. Cadets 12.25- bizarre choice after a championship but still a fun, great, clean, easy to follow show. It was fun to see all the Christmas shapes on the field. 2. Crown Beast- this show finished appropriately but it doesn't get enough credit. I personally felt the beast looming the whole time. Loved the ballad and the feature (THATs how you celebrate women), and the closer. I was into this show the whole time. 1. Rach Star- Personal preference and I don't need to explain. Really though 1-7 on my list were close.

Great idea! I was thinking of this myself espicially with regard to Bluecoats and Crown. To some extent SCV too.

Let's see. 2010 Cadets- actually my favorite Cadets show of the decade. I just really love this show. 2011 Phantom- Although they got the bronze in 2012 I feel like this was the last truly great Phantom show. My husband listens to Elsa at least once a month 2012 SCV- beautifully done and extremely classy 2013 Bluecoats- fantastic and underrated show. Easy to get lost in. 2014 Crown- I think this was one of the best hornlines of all time with one of the craziest brass books 2015 SCV- Big, bold opening punch, interesting use of pit instruments, lots of visuals with marching and great field coverage, fantastic ballad. Great from start to finish. 2016 Cavaliers- Big show with big message. I relate more to the general message of beware of propaganda and the govt...much like 1984 or V for Vendetta than the specifics. Hot mess at the beginning of the season that really came together in the end. 2017 Bluecoats- My favorite 2017 show by far (I voted for Boston 2017 yesterday). The opener and the closer were AMAZING. The ballad was okay...very pretty 2018 Boston Crusaders- visual and color guard monster with very fun ending 2019 Cavaliers- My husband's favorite of 2019. Powerful and fun from start to finish with probably one of the best hornlines the Cavies have ever had. 10 fantastic shows...tough to pick one but my vote goes to....... 2015 SCV

Great show. Definitely my husband's favorite 6th place. He listens to PR 10/11 ALL THE TIME.

This one was a lot harder as will most of the rest of these I am sure. These were all enjoyable shows. 10. Triumphant Journey 9. Unmasqued (this will be the only time ever that I rank the Bluecoats 9/10 for any list. Funny it was in my personal top 5 for 2012). 8. On Madness and Creativity 7. Immortal 6. Awakening (can't ignore Pines of Rome with the Bones) 5. Goliath 4. The Devil's Staircase 3. Into the Light 2. Because 1. Wicked Games

3. Bluecoats Brave New World (Creep) 2. Blue Knights- the Great Event (very strange but I LOVE IT) ...and you all know what's coming 1. Blue Knights ...I remember everything

Yes. While with 11th place I probably could pick any one of 5 or so shows including Drum Corpse Bride for 8th place there is a sharp drop off. Probably 78th and Madison for a very distant 2nd place.

I'd always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all that one second isn't a second at all. It stretches on forever like an ocean of time. For me it was lying on my back watching falling stars. And yellow leaves from the maple trees. Or my grandmother's hands and the way her skin seemed like paper. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax and stop stop trying to hold onto it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment. You have no idea what I'm talking about I'm sure. But don't worry. You will someday. I couldn't find this written out anywhere online so I extrapolated it from the end scene of American Beauty- may not be 100% accurate to the show. I've watched and listened to it enough to say it's pretty close. It's amazing how BK took a profound moment from a movie I don't like at all and turned it into something so beautiful and powerful. I would argue that BK 14,16,17,19 have the best use of narration in all of DCI.