ReturnOfTheSonOfSUAPYG

I mostly agree with this. Could arguably flip any of the top 3 ... all three of those shows were clear winners. PR and Bloo didn't dominate performance captions as much, but had enough GE (Bloo 2016 more so ... I personally thought BD had a better performance on finals night, but that's just me.) In terms of personal enjoyment: 1. Bloo 2016 - Just a breath of fresh air ... fun, relaxed, inviting, Pink Floyd. It's been a while since I've watched it so I'm not sure if it holds up, but I think that show is the best thing to happen to the activity in a long time. It's ok to be fun. 2. Cadets 2011 - It's so weird to see a Cadets show that's so clear and simple in design, but still high velocity and emotional. So many great moments ... no cringeworthy moments (something I always have with GH era Cadets shows). 3. SCV 2018 - I was originally going to put Crown here, but this show is so visually captivating. I've seen this one the least out of five, so I feel like there's more to be discovered. 4. Crown 2013 - Mainly down here because of the ballad narration. Otherwise, it's my favorite opening statement in drum corps. 5. PR 2008 - The mid-00s were a mostly dumb, boring, risk-averse era. I love that this show threw a kitchen sink at it all and changed the activity for the better. I only have it at #5 because I know a ton of people who marched this show ... and I'm jealous as hell that they have rings and I don't.

As much as I love the spirit of the OP's idea, this is the correct response. Too much variability between stadiums.

Still haven't seen that show ... 😞 I remember someone on DCP in 2004 complaining about the "take the penalty" wheel and how it gave the members a "poor educational/competitive experience" or some BS.

I'm personally looking forward to seeing educators' names getting tossed around and scrutinized as DCP transforms back into its offseason phase (akin to Philly Sports Talk Radio during the NFL offseason).

Certainly not "all." This summer saw a Beatles show dominate for the majority of the season, as well as a BAC show that concluded with a giant getting decapitated.

I'll take this era over the literalism of some of the 80s shows, or the over-reliance of wind ensemble music in the 90s/early 00s. Whether or not this era is too "Avante Garde" or "esoteric" is debatable. If anything, DCI shows are the "summertime blockbusters" to BOA/WGI's "arthouse indies." Even if groups are trending "esoteric" (the most overused/least understood word on DCP) -- I'd argue that the collective design staffs of all DCI groups are way better at programming/pacing/design/arranging/electronics than they were 10-15 years ago. Many people loved Crown's show this year ... and hardly anyone knows what the hell it was about (myself included). And that's ok.

This point gets always gets lost in the shuffle. Anyone who's surprised that this is a "rebuild' year has ignored the several other rebuild attempts (financial and/or competitive) this organization seems to get into over the past 20 years. Not sure, but there's really no such thing as "too early" for announcements of this type. I think the distraction element is minimal (at least based on chatting with a former student who's currently marching).

When in Rome, kick butt.

That's actually DCP's new tag line.

If by "recall" you mean "completely fabricate in a childish manner," then yes.

Culture is a byproduct of many tangible factors (location, finances, instruction, affordability, logistics, design, etc). Since this thread is talking football - the current trend of every single newly hired college/pro football coaches saying "culture" or "culture change" every other sentence is one of the most obnoxious things in sports.

Not surprising at all. I wonder who the oldest member in Reading is this year.

More or less, it needed to. A few older members -- who are into the current activity and want to keep performing -- still stick around. But every corps has needed to adapt to attract a younger membership base. Reading Buccaneers put out a stellar product year-after-year ... and win all the time because of it. Every other DCA group trends up or down based on membership and/or available staff. Well, yeah.

Searched this thread, but couldn't find anything: has anyone with Guidestar access checked the 990s lately? How's the corps doing financially? The Bob Wall/Sal Salas era left the corps in poor financial position, from what I remember. Until that's sorted out (or if the corps decides to blow money on higher-profile staff ... again) with or without a new board/executive team, placements not as high of a concern.

Wait ... what? I haven't seen the show yet. That just seems like an awful idea.

I'm just glad it's trending downward. A lot of people don't realize how ubiquitous cigarettes were in drum corps, even 15 years ago. There are so many staff members (some HOF-worthy) who were unapologetic about it. I hope local/state laws keep getting aggressive toward tobacco and vaping. That being said (my hot take): if it's between a dumb kid who smokes but stays reasonably active during the winter vs. a non-smoker who does nothing but plays video games and eats terrible food ... I'm taking the smoker. I've seen too many preventable injuries from people who may take their long-term health a little more seriously, but do little-to-nothing in the winter to prepare for tour.

Some (presumably drunk) person trusted me with a staff pass. I'll go to the usual 2-3 shows this year, but will spend far less than I did in 2017 and last year. I have no desire to shell out more money for the Indy experience, and I'm only supporting my former corps financially. I still love the overall progression of the activity, etc. But a full summer away from travelling bando tour is long overdue for me.