Euphscott

I do have a G Euphonium - it is a 3 valve Dynasty. I last played it in 2009 and it was fully playable then. But I'll be honest - I have not pulled it out of the case since then, so I would need to look after it and make sure it's still in good condition! I'll check to see how it looks.

Random posting - but I am at work listening to headphones. My library is on shuffle - here comes "Happy Days are Here Again" et al... Man I loved that show. I have my toes tapping and trying not to lean too much into the good parts. Nothing else here - just grinning at work and needed to share with someone, anyone that would get why! Carry on off-season...

I completely agree - the Cascades were the "dog" of the show - but they were entertaining and high quality. I noticed a number of corps hyping during live performances. It's bad show. Any corps doing that does deserve criticism in my opinion.

I'll echo the others that attended. Big cluster in the stands. Getting inside the stadium was also a bit of a nightmare (although I found a "back" entrance and had less trouble parking than most) and with two entrances - always look for the less utilized one and you can get in faster! Too... those that chose to show up after intermission found seating issues because the rest of us had already worked through the kinks - then we had to deal with mayhem with each new batch of newcomers. I'm not going to advocate going back to Lake Highlands as that is exchanging one set of issues for an old set (the devil you know or the devil you don't?), but some serious improvements will be required at this venue if it's going to be successful going forward (Captain Obvious at your service). All that said - it was a BIG crowd and no space for marching members to settle in once their shows were complete. First time this year to catch shows live for me. Crown does not come off as well on the Tubes of You as they do in person. Vanguard is on fire, I do believe it's a race for second if they just keep cleaning and adding minimal upgrades. I don't generally enjoy Blue Devils, but some of the show really worked for me last night. Bluecoats are a lot of fun, I am pulling for them to grab silver. Cavaliers - I'll remain positive and observe that their brass sounds better than it has in years! Welcome back Spirit - I liked this door show better than the Cadets :) Interesting design choices with Troopers - brass was a bit off last night Cascades - one of the most fun (and well executed) 10th place shows (outside of Finals) I've seen - the low score has no bearing on the enjoyment of what they are doing Genesis has grown up since I last saw them - they had some really nice moments And hooray for health in The Academy - I feel smarter for watching their really well executed show

Dinosaur alert: Ahhh - G Bugles and melodic lines... Back to current drum corps (which I do mostly enjoy - but if you never felt a G line...:( )

Spoke with a '91 contra via chat regarding the final ending - here is what he wrote: "It was in Boston, Mass for sure. It was at the university downtown. First performance of it was at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Mass. Then to Bloomington for that regional and then to UTA (University of Texas- Arlington) for housing during finals. I think we had a total of 9 days of time with that cross to cross" "We went through several endings that season. The one before the cross to cross was a cross folded down into a crown and back out to a cross."

That was my point if not eloquently stated...this year is a bit of a shadow of previous achievement. Nice show - but not where they have been.

Warm evening - but we got a bit if a heat respite from the morning rains. Hopefully the corps got good work accomplished. As mentioned previously - this stadium has been outgrown - but alas it's a band fundraiser, so it's not likely going anywhere. This school took a chance on drum corps back when Texas was of no value to the tour. They deserve it - but they could draw SO much more. As a result of bad decision making on my part, I was left with scrambling for extra seats. I ended up on the 15 yard line. Bad news is the same as the good news - you can't/don't hear the electronics well out there. The good news is I missed most of the Crown singing (I don't dislike the performer - I abhor the design - I want the brass, not the pipes), but some shows, you actually miss a bit of the content without hearing what is transpiring. Again - bad design if the entire stadium can't get your show. BD has no problem having their low end heard though - I think the meter peaks at level 12 on a 10 point scale with the left hand. Jersey Surf was a bit of a mystery - not sure what they were doing, although they sound nice for a young corps. Troopers have some work to do - hard to fathom they were a finalist not that long ago. I so want them to be good. Colts looked nice - they move up a bit. I enjoyed their presentation. Mandarins are quite good as we all know from their somewhat surprising scores. Must be tough going on so early and still achieving! Crossmen play with a lot of swagger - I like how they are presenting their show. Boston sounds like Cadets (I wonder why? :)) and really are on fire (no pun intended). Cadets looked a good bit better than when I saw them last Thursday night, although from my seat, soloists seemed a bit off. Blue Devils are throwing a lot out on the field. I normally don't care for them (but respect what they accomplish), but this year I don't hate them right away. The old school is awesome up front, Bumblebee is magnificent and then it just gets busy. Rough run for the guard last night. Crown is solid and almost looks plain in this new DCI with no major props. That is refreshing - but sadly, I think that holds them back and allows 'Coats to catch them in the end without some added oomph - a great brass line isn't enough. Bluecoats came with more energy tonight and changes from last Thursday were noticeable. I don't think they can catch BD, but I think they can get into third when it's all done. So - for what my opinion is worth, my heart is with SCV at the end, but my head is with BD. I think they get number 18 (see it in the show?). Of course this is all subject to changes and cleaning that happens - we have a good distance yet to travel. Performers = GREAT Designers = Frustrating at times No more live drum corps for me this year - off to the talkies and the interwebs for the rest of the season!

And then the hat he left behind became a stumbling block for a few brass and guard members. I was disappointed a judge did not remove the hat - this happened early in the show and was quite the danger the rest of the way.

I realize this is not aimed at me - but this was my first read of their show - so it was ALL new to me! :) I was a bit perplexed in that the three corps were so tightly bundled scoring wise - I thought there was a good bit more separation there. But I don't get paid to run around a field with a mic on - so what do I know?

I don't think cost will be an issue - the crowd keeps swelling...I suspect ticket sales could cover it. Apogee holds 30,000, CH Collins has 12,000. I suspect that Apogee has a little more seating on home side than visitor where Collins has it split evenly. Also - suites can be sold at a premium there - not sure about parking situation there... But it's getting tighter in there and as the night goes on and marching members and family start filing in looking to take seats, it gets cramped!

Vanguard was on fire last night. They have a full show with all the goods. No doubt in my mind they did beat Bluecoats. Their whole show was stunning and full of "things" to watch. Bluecoats (I was on their bandwagon last year!) have the more amazing closer. The front part of the show seems to be hamstrung by the ramp. Cool stuff going on and under it - but they don't seem to have the field coverage as a result of working around this structure. The Zappa is smoking...truly reminiscent of last year and feels as if it could fall right in line as a sequel. They will be in the top 4 - but to repeat, the front part of the show needs a little more something. Any thoughts that there is a costume change to come? Only two corps cranked the volume last night (acoustically speaking) - Blue Knights and Vanguard had the volume. The rest of the lineup was a notch below volume wise - perhaps the heat? Admittedly I am an old guy - but I am SO over the body lean and movement in the brass. It's almost like the chop and bop arranging is done to insert an opportunity to have the non dancers...dance. Leave that in the guard please! Vanguard seemed to do this the least - and their brass playing seemed to have a stronger presence. That said - I can handle the new world we are in with miced horns and some of the effects that with which corps are experimenting. I even get into the costuming over uniforms - but all the unnecessary body motion... sigh Oregon Crusaders got the short end of the judging stick tonight I think....They should have been on the top of their grouping. Sad to see Phantom dip into territory previously only reserved for the Madison Scouts - sad to see the traditional power not able to adjust to the new DCI. BIG show as usual...it may be time to start looking for a bigger venue...

Except - the shirts don't appear to be green this year! They were gray colored last night.

I agree with jwillis above - the one show that comes to mind instantly for me that would never be made in this environment is Phantom Regiment of 1996. No way that opener survives the season without some major retooling. Such a slow burn to start a show, but with a huge emotional payoff. I do agree with the example of Hymn of Acxiom from last season as a fine example. Hopefully more of these gems make it to the field this summer.

I took a newbie to a show this summer and Bluecoats were at the show. This newbie is a choral person so gets some of what we do, but was blown away (they usually are..) by the Bluecoats take on Hymn of Acxiom. She also is very familiar with the source music so after hearing a recording of the Finals product she made a statement that I found interesting. She said "they made it sound so much like her voice in her recording." This then led to discussion and wonder if that was intended or just a healthy coincidence that a really well balanced hornline can sound a lot like an autotuned and processed voice. So, any Bluecoats or those close to the brass program this summer - did the design and staff go for sounding like the recording or is that just a nice coincidence?