desertrat68

They are in very good hands. Great leadership at the top. Not afraid to make changes when needed. The organization’s motto is “Building great people through great performances” and they mean it.

I think the thought flittered through my mind the first time I heard the show that I had heard it first in that movie.

Ugh! This has actually been the roughest year in a while for vehicle/trailer issues for Academy. No show for them tonight so time to catch up to the corps if its something more than a flat tire. Was that this morning or last night?

All the corps had to walk nearly a mile to the stadium. It was easier for the FE's to push their stuff 3/4 of a mile to the stadium than try to get there the way DCI wanted them to go. Add in the heat to the long treks, after swamp tour, and you get tired performers. Should be better next year once the construction is finished and the loading docks are reopened.

Just spoke to my husband who is jumping on tour this week as a volunteer. The logistics of the stadium situation this year are a nightmare. The old stadium may be gone, but the rebuilding of the infrastructure isn't done and its a mess. If some of the corps seemed flat tonight, you shouldn't be too surprised.

Edited to add - yeah, but the Keating's Triumph wouldn't be right without the "oh caption" line.

Let's hope this isn't another 2011. We were with The Academy on tour that year and we didn't know where we were staying until the morning we left Rome for Allentown - and that was after Rome let us stay an extra day. That was the year a school district pulled out of a contract about this same time. I think they lost housing for something like 9 corps.

I think that looked like a drum corps that has spent most of the week tossing their cookies. The hornlike should be a lot stronger next week.

The stomach flu they had hit them seemed to take 2 days to run its course and the Thursday pull out was due to a second wave through those perviously unaffected. Hopefully its behind them now.

And The Academy. Race for last one in finals is heating up.

My Blue Devil thought they were fine until the ballad and then it got a little rough from there to the end. Me, I have no clue.

The Academy has been dealing with tour crude the past few days so I'm pretty pumped at the score. And yes, the logo at the end got me the first time I realized what they had done.

About the only time their rehearsals are closed is in Buffalo - and that's because the stadium says so. And bring sun screen! the best time to attend is the last block of the day, the last two hours or so when they are in full ensemble. It's really an eye opening experience to watch how they rehearse.

Home from the show. Only saw the last two corps march. BD - wow. I'd need to see this a lot more times to take it all it which is par for the course for a Scott Chandler designed show. Oh, and they are gonna break a freak'n lot of brandy glasses between now and Finals night. Academy's show has really evolved since I saw their send off show 3 weeks ago. Loved the changes, especially the mellophone solo. Really makes a huge difference. Someone said this is a show you have to see live to appreciate and that is so true.

That was a much better show than what they had on the field last weekend. Go Academy!

uhm, they are playing the music from "that scene" from Dead Poets Society

Lindsey Vento just spent the week with them. It's her first year as a drum corps creative director so it's not unexpected that she has a learning curve - no pun intended. I'm also pretty curious to see the changes tonight and then finally in person on Monday night at the home show.

Pretty sure that will be in the gym. They may use their auditorium. Your best bet is to find the food truck and ask where they are. It's probably going to be parked on the west side of campus between the buildings and the football fields. I'd use the east entrances to the campus. Academy stayed their last year and that's where everything was for them.

If recent history is an indicator, BD didn't start to "learn" their closer until this past week. It seemed pretty obvious last night even to this untrained eye that there is are a lot of things to be filled into the show over the next 6 weeks. I haven't asked my Blue Devil, but I suspect their "organic approach" keeps things interesting for the corps, most of whom have marched several years of drum corps already. The constant adding of layer upon layer has to keep them on their toes and mentally checked in at every rehearsal. Can't wait to see it in Mesa next week.

Academic needs work, and School for Scandal has come a long way since I heard it 2 weeks ago. But dang, they put in the "A"!

Looks like BDC has some plus14 year-old members this year.

BD provides the soloist for the National Anthem at this show, as well as the shows where they are the home corps.

Tuba for the National Anthem? Yes please!

OH, and I like the uniform too.

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who thought this. And I'm hungry, too! Time to fix dinner.