jwillis35

All I know is I LOVE that feature. Great show by SCV in 1984.

I like Cavaliers chances. That percussion line alone got a standing ovation from me when I saw them in Pittsburgh. I enjoyed all the music they played but it was the busy arranging in some cases that likely got them in trouble when trying to lock that in with their visual program. Early season I thought if they could tweak and edit the show while cutting the fat that they could be top 6 or higher. But it's hard to put your finger on what. I couldn't do it so I am definitely not throwing any shade at the staff. Fine-tuning a show at that level is not so easy. We admire when Blue Devils do it, and we always assume they will, yet we sometimes fail to realize just how difficult the process is. Having said that the Cavaliers show hit me very differently when I saw them live. I loved it for the most part. I'll be rooting for them.

True. In 1982 Dr. Santo was the Executive Director of the Cadets. But because the incident happened on New Year's Eve of 1982 it could be that GH had taken control of the Executive Director by then. I believe Dr. Santo handed the reigns to Hopkins after the 82 season. And yes, YEA did not exist until 1988. Either way, I do believe the accuser has every right to get what they deserve and sadly that means the current organization must pay up and try to get good legal help to make sure the settlement does not cripple the corps for good. I think New Jersey did the right thing by allowing this case to move forward and I feel for the victim (and other victims) of the assault. We all knew that today's Cadets were going deal with many cases from the past. That getting rid of GH and the old BoD was not the end. I don't even know if the law suit with GH has been settled. Maybe someone has that info. There could be other cases coming. We will be lucky if this corps makes it back. And it's my favorite corps of all time. As much as I love Bluecoats, BD, Crown, Madison and all the others. I was a HUGE Garfield / Cadets fan and remain so to this day. It's sad enough they don't get to march in 2024 for their 90th Anniversary. NINETY YEARS is a BIG deal! Will we ever see it? sigh... 😞

I have definitely seen that commercial a bunch of times and kept thinking Bluecoats 2022 and the music they use when the wheel runs over the brass line. Cool music for sure. Leave it to Apple to find this music and make it work in their commercial.

I know, I messed that up...even though I was only joking. And of course now The Cadets are out for this coming season. 😞 But yes, Boston is one of my favs and I loved their show last year. In reality Boston will be top 2 to top 4 without a doubt. The top 4 from last year should be the top 4 this year. I don't see that changing even with SCV back (we think).

These are my predictions and I stand by them (sort of) 🙂 Carolina Crown The Cadets (I can dream) Blue Devils (love BD and I know I am likely wrong here) Mandarins Madison Scouts (yes, I am crazy but it's what I want darn it) Bluecoats Phantom Regiment Tie: Cavaliers & Troopers (10th place) Crossmen (11th) Santa Clara Vanguard (12th) Blue Knights OK, in reality I have no clue. Wishing all of them a successful offseason and much health financially.

Nice job! Site looks great.

Amazing man, incredible legend in the drum corps activity, his marching band charts were first rate, and his concert band pieces were outstanding. His Troy University bands were incredible. There probably is not a band director in this country who has not conducted several of his works or arrangements. He wrote or arranged so many good DCI shows. I think my favorite is his 1985 A Florida Suite. HIs Les Miz for The Cadets in 1989 is top shelf. As Bocook noted in the DCI Artcile his 1988 score for Suncoast changed the activity and the other arrangers took note. We lost this man way too soon. 😞 R.I.P.

Tears...Thank you Madison Scouts! 🙏

Thanks. I knew I had some of that timeline wrong.

I wrote about this a little in my review of the Pittsburgh show but I fell in love with the Seattle Cascades. The show music and theme were wonderful. But more specifically it was watching those young members absolutely busting their tail-ends to march that show. They were mostly young. The one instance that will remain with me was this young mellophone player (? I think it was mello). The kid was maybe 13 or 14 years old. Toward the end of the show the drill was picking up and I could see this short kid with his hat beginning to fall to the side as he/she just kicked it into gear and made a few difficult moves to keep up with the others. I began cheering loudly and others joined in. The effort was 110% electric. I stood up and began cheering even louder...yellow "go go go" as he and the corps completed their show. Big standing ovation from the crowd. I honestly had a tear in my eye as I was telling my girlfriend how much I love the show and the effort from all those kids, esecpially that little mello player. To me...that is the DCI experience and this fan loved it. 🙂

The G7 wanted more control of ticket pricing, payout, more control of what would could be done on the field, more control over DCI (a direct attack on Dan and his power), and they wanted to run their own shows their way. They felt they were the big dogs and the reason most fans came to the shows. GH often spoke about how there would only be 7 or 8 corps left in 10 years so the activity had to move in a new direction and operate in more of a top-down survival mode...trying everything and anything. All of this resulted in TOC shows (Tournament of Champions). In 2004 (??) I believe Finals were in Denver and there was this TOC tour after Finals. The tour went west to California. This was the first time we heard the term TOC I believe. Feel free to correct me if this happened in 2003 or earlier, but I think it was 2004. Out west on the TOC tour the corps did their field shows (exhibition only), then some combined ensemble performances and small ensemble productions (like the Cadets little William Tell skit). They did a few indoor performances as well. Funny that it was called Tour of Champions yet the Bluecoats took part and had not won a championship at that time. I forget if Madison did that tour and also Crown.?? Madison may have not taken part but I just cannot remember. My first impression on all this was they overworked those kids to try and make a point. At the TOC shows that followed in seasons after they would rotate the lineup so each corps would take turns going on first, last, and all other positions in the middle. Not a bad idea but the focus on these 7 corps was not a good thing for the other WC or OC corps. It was a top-down approach to grab what's left and weaken the lower end of DCI. Fans were more likely to attend the TOC show and not some other DCI show featuring other WC and OC corps. The members of the 7 TOC corps often had to perform for fans while they were entering the stadium, then again for their field show, then again in some mass ensemble selections, and then again as they were marching off the field. I personally thought they were using these kids to further an agenda. Those kids should have been paid for all this extra work. To Me: DCI is only as good as the lowest placing corps in WC or OC. It's only as good as the total balance and depth of the corps and the members interesting in marching in this activity. GH and others did not see it that way. GH was convinced their would only be 7 or 8 corps left in so many years. He and others wanted to get their piece of that puzzle. They were playing a doomsday game of survivalist. They did not care for the other units...or at least this is how many fans thought about the G7. I am glad it died. It was a good-ole-boy network that needed to die.

Finals I have attended: 1982 Montreal, 1985-1987 in Madison; 1989 Kansas City, 1990 Buffalo, 1992 Madison, 1995 Buffalo; 1996-1998 Orlando; 2000 College Park, MD; 2001 Buffalo; 2003 Orlando, 2008 Bloomington (semis only); 2009-2011 Indianapolis; 2014 Indy, 2016 Indy. So 20 Finals total. Favorite Finals: 1990 in Buffalo, NY (followed by 1992, 1995, 1987, 2011, 1996, 1985) Coldest Finals: 1992 Madison (we camped out that year and I froze my rear-end off) Hottest Finals: One of the Orlando years...thinking 1996 or 1997 Rainiest Finals: 2003 in Orlando (I believe at Semifinals BD had to step off on the field at like 5 or 10 minutes after midnight ??) Favorite Singular Moment: Garfield Cadets performance of Candide to end their 1985 show, followed by Phantom Regiment moving up to tie Blue Devils for 1st at Finals in 1996. I remember my buddy (a big Phantom fan) lighting up a cigar in the stadium and smoking it while we watched retreat after scores and no one saying a word to him. Favorite Location: Madison, WI - It's a drum corps town and on a Finals week it seemed no matter where you went for food or drink or to hang out after the shows you always met so many drum corps fans and you heard amazing stories. My WISH for a future DCI Finals Location: I know we are contracted with Indy for the next 10 years or so but I would love DCI Finals in Las Vegas, NV. I think that would be cool.

This was really well written. I agree with some and disagree with other things...but I like that it is written in a non-offensive tone. I think even die-hard BD fans would have no issue with the way you have crafted this even if they disagree.

Carolina Crown Blue Devils Boston Crusaders Phantom Regiment Spirit of Atlanta Mandarins, Bluecoats, The Cadets, Troopers all amazing too. The surprise for me was Spirit partly because I saw them live and the show just grabbed me.