bkbass98

We essentially got this (musically) in 2013 with Cadets. The first half of that show is iconic Vanguard 99/00 material (Barber's Symphony #1 and Adagio for Strings), and the second half of it is, ironically, the controversial show they squeaked out the championship over 20 years prior with Star 93 (Medea's Dance of Vengeance) with a coda return to Adagio at the end. Not many corps have the stones or the talent to pull something like that off, but Cadets at that time had both. Even though I wanted Vanguard to get 3rd that night in 2013 something fierce, I couldn't help but have an awesome appreciation of what Cadets had accomplished. (Having an all-time great drumline on par with the iconic 93 Star line didn't hurt that effort either)

Giving my personal top 4 based almost exclusively on musical productions. Because it’s my list and I say so. 😎 1 - Crown - it took a good part of the summer, but the musical integration of the Jackson/Shah sound to an obviously already world class brass staff caught fire the final week. Everything about the musical program felt urgent and driven, with the perfect mix of that Broken City-ish ethereal nuance mixed with the utter brilliance and power that only Crown’s hornline can really bring to the field with something like Tristan and Isolde. Going into Finals week, this was my 4th favorite show out of the top 4. After Prelims, I was 100% sold on them and they just commanded the stage for me from the first note to the last. Can’t wait to see what another year’s growth as an overall design team brings them. Mike Jackson, you are a wizard sir. I’m still in mourning to not have Mike at BK with the home team, but Crown is the perfect spot for him to reach his full potential as a creative force in DCI. I just hope they create the continuity there and keep all those talented people together to carry out a cohesive vision for years to come. Speaking of… 2 - BD - Sigh…truth be told, this truly was my favorite show of the summer. I don’t think I’ve said that about a BD production - any BD production - since maybe(?) 2000. 2017 was close for me, though I was too much of a Vanguard honk that summer. But yeah, absolutely brilliant in every way. And musically just so….gah, ALL of it was so goooooooooodddd! The buildup and opening impact statement was the hype, JoJo was an absolute banger, once I learned the background of the French speech translation in the battery drum break it brought that whole section together and led even more dramatically into…the musical highlight of the summer. I’ll admit I was skeptical at anyone (even BD) bringing Joni Mitchell to the field and making it truly work. BD went so far above and beyond that. I literally have not been able to stop replaying it over and over in my head. Hope no one else is planning on trying Both Sides Now anytime soon - it belongs to the team from Concord now. Closing production took some time to really gel with the rest of the show but by LOS everything was seamless and the ending delivered the punch it needed to complete a truly special production. Also...BD BASS...sigh, you win dudes. 3 - Cadets - If the BD ballad was the #1 musical highlight of the season, the Cadets ballad was 1A. And on any given day, the two could switch spots for me. Hearing Cadets sound like CADETS again was one of the most welcome things of this season. From the first video I found of theirs from an early season rehearsal run, I was sold. They sounded ballsy and the drumline sounded like what I’ve come to expect from Cadets over 30+ years. Still some room to go to get back up on the footing with the medalist contenders (moreso visually, which still feels so weird saying about Cadets) but I’m down with this direction. Keep going. Oh, and flugel girl during Immortal…*chefs kiss* 4 - Cavaliers - Mike MacIntosh (and Clif Walker), you mad geniuses. Well deserved Sanford trophy, and the little nods to the past were inspiring to see woven in to the fabric of the book. Musically, the show was a touch uneven, and at times some of the more obvious comparisons to past memories didn’t come off as well to me as maybe I’d hoped they would - this was especially true with the turnaround Gloria impact at the start. I hear those backfield chords building, I’m bracing myself for that brass opening statement of 1990. This opening statement was...not that. (And yes, I know I know G - Bb - etc...don't @ me. My list!) But that's just a minor dinosaurish quabble of mine. Truth is, as I know many of you did as well, when I saw that first Flo-ivised performance of Cavaliers, my reaction was: "huh." That was pretty much it. Drums sounded really good, brass sounded completely out of breath, and the show itself seemed forced and disjointed. In the end, it was my mistake to write them off. Because along with Crown and - in my opinion, Blue Knights, who I also basically completely wrote off making it back into Finals after seeing them at Drums Along the Rockies - Cavies production was one of the 3 most improved shows start to finish in the Top 12. Each of those 3 shows grew in their own ways and on their own timelines, but the Green Machine just seemed to have something *click* into place when I watched the flo-cast for Atlanta. From that point on, it was clear to me they'd turned a corner, and the show just seemed to settle in and find it's way to be the best version of what it was meant to set out doing: honor the past with the nod to the future. There are SO MANY subtle little nods (and I'm just specifically talking musically, because of course the visual ones are all over the show as well) that it would be impossible to name them all. Aside from the obvious charts or trick like Gloria, WSS/Over the Rainbow, Niagara Falls, Casey Claw and such...one of my favorite spots was the little homage to the 98 ballad with the cascading mute brass line (originally from Phillip Sparke's Lento from "Dance Movements") this time with a similar effect by facing backfield as they led into the "Somewhere" portion of the show. Just really made me happy, as that's probably my favorite musical moment I've ever heard from Cavaliers. But my favorite super quick little nod was the snare/bass writing near the end of the opener, and it goes by in a flash - this is just before the mello/quad soli starts working across the field, at around the 3:55 mark of the Flo-cast (if, you know, you can recall that specific moment of where that was in your mind's eye, since it'll never be seen again). Brass hits a big chord resolution, and Snare/Bass hits the Mars rhythm 2x which leads straight into an (abbreviated) nod to the 92 tag!!! If any of you drummers grew up with DCI in the 90s like myself, this was the ending that was often simply referred to as the "Please Stand Up" tag. You know the one: Please Stand Up. Please Stand Up. PLEASE. STAND. UP. PLEASE. STAND. UP. PLEASE! STAND! UP! (to be clear, it was a joke and if anything it was mostly out of jealousy of them at that point anyway lol, besides everyone was already on their feet well before that anyway) Other random thoughts, because like someone else said the rest of the lineup is basically a tie for 5th for me: Has there ever been a stronger year in DCI for soloists?!?! Boston, Bluecoats, aforementioned Cadets, of course BD and Crown, Phantom. It just seemed like everyone was nails. I kept getting so nervous for that Boston girl because that's such a tough and exposed and extended and famous solo line from the Bernstein, until I finally just realized "oh, so she just...doesn't miss. Ever. OK cool." Then it was much more enjoyable to watch her on Finals night. Bluecoats blow my mind with some of the source material they turn into "Bluecoats" material. That ballad might be the most impressive feat I've seen them pull off yet. Listening to (being introduced to) Bon Iver, I had no idea how they were going to translate that onto the field. I couldn't have even imagined the moment they'd make out of that. So many other shows out there that I wish I could include just based on the musical productions alone...Mandarins (my body was not ready...good lord), Troopers, Crossmen, Pac Crest, Music City (yeah boys!) But in the end, even if it wasn't my favorite program they've ever done, I gotta give mad props to the home team for closing the deal and making it back to Saturday night. Blue Knights...it's been a long and winding road for 4 years now. Congrats on persevering (especially those of you who marched 2020-2022 and kept coming back) and making it back to Finals! Trust me when I tell you that you made me and my fellow alums so proud and happy for all the work you did, and thank you to the leadership and volunteers in Denver who have helped steer this organization through incredibly tricky times (yet again). As always, I Go On...

This being the thread with the most action the day of Finals is the most DCP thing ever.

Gotta give a shout out to my boys at Music City. 14th in drums just behind BK and Xmen, toppled Academy overall and almost took down Scouts. Super proud of the efforts going on there.

I Go On... SATURDAY NIGHT!

yeah did a deep dive on this the other day. Five 4th place corps have scored above 96. 2013 SCV 2008 Crown 2016 SCV 1999 Cadets 1998 Cavaliers Never been a 4th place show above a 97. Still not sure that’s gonna happen, but it’ll be dang close.

don’t forget Bluecoats 08

Ummm...Brandt? You awake?

Huh. I just keep getting ads for those male enhancement pills. Weird.

I thought Bret was still the caption head in 99, but maybe he had handed the day-to-day reigns over to Mac and was focusing on the arranging? I know Mac came aboard in 98 so I guess he was probably the caption head...then he eventually went to Bluecoats in the mid 2000s and brought them into prominence before simply becoming the most entertaining WGI Percussion judge tape every year at Finals. Oh, and running the ship at Carmel HS this whole time...yeah that too. Also, shout out to a guy people don't know as well in Clif Walker. Clif is the front ensemble arranger for Cavies now, and a friend and colleague of mine. Brilliant mind and talent. He and Mac makes for a mad scientist kind of combo, so it's not surprising to me really that they've achieved what they have this year. I mean it's still mind-blowing, but yet not surprising.

First 3 times they made Finals they did selections from WSS. 72, 74, 75. Probably others in there as well but couldn't tell you.

Yeah, last night as Cavies were about to take the field that the Battle for the Sanford officially had begun. K...it's officially ended now.

Likewise 100% the other direction. Didn't expect that from Bones - well, either of them since I wasn't hot on BK early in the season either - but definitely didn't see Bones coming on like that. Loved their musical production and that's a show I can watch on repeat for a long time to come. Thought XMen drums were hot tonight. Either way, whoever makes it earned it because both brought their A Game. Good enough for me.

Can we just agree to have BK and Bones tie for 12th right now and save me and @ContraFart about 5 more hours of indigestion?

Give 'em hell, Bones.

Throw 2000 with the Bernard Hermann in there for good measure. Methods of Madness is one of my favorite BD shows ever.

Also, I see you Crown Bass. Favorite subsection of the night.

they have a great clarity of sound but I thought they let some low level stuff go. BAC quads on the other hand…got DAYUM! Straight 🔥

oh it’s just a flesh wound

Troop is in the 9-11 range, no more no less. Unfortunately for them, they had one caption (guard) tank them. Regardless, they’re still within 2 tenths of BS.

Agreed, and I kind of did a deep dive into that in the predictions thread the other day. also, jmo but I don’t think that corps is gonna be Crown. Mega impressed by what they put out there tonight.

yeah and that new Ben and Jerry’s flavor is the TRUTH.

Not sure about that, but it does remind me of a humorous anecdote from 98 that involved BK and Phantom alike. After the season and after long last, we finally got the CDs in the mail. Phantom and BK were the first two on the 2nd disc. Of course, I went to play BKs first. Our opener was 192bpm (Shostakovich #10) and I listened to it and was like "holy #### we sound AMAZING!!!" Long story short, DCI messed up when they dubbed the master onto the 2nd disc and it sped everyone's show up by like 8%. So when I heard our opener again for the first time in months, I was listening to it at approximately 208bpm. Then DCI mailed us out new copies with the corrected tempos and it was...kinda deflating lol. Never forget hearing that sped up Opener the first time. It was like the episode of Friends where Pheobe's voice gets dubbed over by a professional singer for the Smelly Cat commercial. Whoops.