perc2100

And seemingly getting less power by the year; B1G & SEC calling most of the shots nowadays

This is a shame, that Mandarins are taking the year off (and in significant debt); it's almost like having Championships perpetually 2000+ miles away from the CA corps is a substantial financial burden. I know, though: a DCI tour is a substantial financial burden regardless and it's almost amazing that in 2025/2026 the activity still existing feels like a bit of a miracle in and of itself. But dang things aren't easy for CA corps, huh...

I 100% agree, and I think that's when corps/bands go WAY bad: when they focus far more on the funny schtick than they do they execution & design. There were years in the mid-90's when VK even felt a bit cringy when they weren't executing well, though maybe even their "worst" show of the 90's (placement wise) had some cheeky humor that still made it interesting while also maybe having my all-time favorite Bottle Dance joke w/the Imperial March

And I feel like drum corps, at least since DCI's inception, has _always_ had old-time alumni complaining about modern trends. I heard pre-DCI alum complaining about G bugles that had valves & rotors; who complained about women in the horn line and men in the color guard; who compared about guard wearing costumes. You know we can go back super far with 'this isn't drum corps anymore' nonsense to the aspect that what my grandpa who fought in WW2 considered drum and bugle corps was NOTHING like the new fangled stuff in the early/mid-1070's. You're right that especially since DCI's inception that activity has constantly changed and evolved as directors and designers (naturally) wanted to push what was creatively possible. I think it's amazing how wildly different just a 10 year timespan between aged-out-and-now can be for any era alum when it comes to design trends. I aged-out in 1998 and by 2008 the activity was already really different IMO; and 2018 vs 2008 is also radically different, I think! I think it's a really cool thing that activity can change that drastically and still survive!!

My sense of smell is generally pretty awful: like, most non-existent except in the most extreme ends of the smell spectrum. I was never so happy for that gift/curse than the years I marched drum corps and couldn't really smell the bus that often, though I knew the rare time I could smell...The Stench...things had reached an untenable state (typically near the end of tour)

.1 between you and Garfield? I totally see that could be controversial (though .7 deficit in Semis is a fairly 'commanding' win for Garfield, I'd say). Interesting recaps: * Garfield pretty high up in GE by .9 * BD & Garfield tied in brass * BD way up in Percussion by .9 * Garfield takes Vis by .1 to win it all, w/a perfect 10 (+ .2) in Ensemble Vis. That perfect 10 seems to be what won them DCI in 1984, I'd say (since BD were +.1 in Field Vis: just like the perfect Percussion score put them on top of SCV in 1987. So at least you and 87 SCV folks can commiserate on something together! 😐🤪

It was such a great show to watch live, to watch them develop and clean throughout the season. I had some friends in that corps, one in the snare line, and I heard camp tapes of music that never made it to the field that was pretty insane. Like, I want to say there was a section in the percussion feature that had 8 or 10 or something basses, and it sounded like flight of the bumblebee in BD form or something!

True, and most of those were (rightfully) not Top 3 shows. I don't recall the Copland show very well from 2014, the one Top 3 show. I do think said one person was indulged well-past their expiration date as far as design ideas are concerned

Speaking of knee surgery and other long-term issues, I've heard of some former members of some corps that were incredibly physically active in the late 90's/early-mid 00's before body movement choreography became the norm, that have had long-term back and knee issues that may or may not have been related to specific show choreo moves

Oh man, not just merit badge worthy: it was an actual sport! We had vis staff who would tell us places where the drill writer wrote 'judge traps' where they hoped to ensnare a judge. I won't say said vis staff offered bounties for any judges who got clocked by a horn or drum (PURELY accidental, and not an intentional extrajudicial swipe)...but I'll say there might've been 😏

IDK, I have OCD so I think I may be distracted if I see this at a HS band performance; I'd not only be captivated by the third leg & wonky figures, but I maybe play the "find all the faults with this picture" game.

and 12 fingers

I feel like that show & Star were such a brilliant 1-2 punch in 1993 that still hold up thanks to their great designs & performances.

I agree, and I don't think this was necessarily a "bold" idea so much as a "not great" one, IMO. I think 2007 may be the perfect example of a great staff that took a talented group of members to perform the snot out of a not-good show concept. I almost feel that Cadets design staff did was Star's did in 1993, only in a not good way: they went reactionary based on fans complaining about stuff they wanted to do (with Star 1992's "lets go populist with an America-themed show," with Cadets the mic'ing and talking/narration and other stuff) and went in a "if fans want to get negative, lets give em something to be negative about" direction. With Star, they went about that in a much more artistic and revolutionary way; with Cadets they went in more of a stubborn-feeling way that wasn't artistic necessarily conceptually and execution could overcompensate for bad broader design/concept flaws. Maybe I'm as stubborn, but I don't think this is a great concept that could've translated to greater success than Cadets got. I think placing 2nd is a testament to the instructional staff, music arrangers, and visual designers moreso than whomever drove the design conceptually. I honestly don't care necessarily about "fan friendly" designs. I think Star 1993 was brilliant & ahead of its time, even if plenty of fans that summer didn't like the show. I remember sitting in the Rose Bowl admiring the great playing/marching of the corps, and guard work, while feeling like this is such a dud concept. I would never boo a corps, and didn't that week, but I remember conversations with plenty of fans around me that also didn't like the concept but appreciated the performances (I do remember one person near us, who marched Blue Stars BITD, who couldn't get passed the concept enough to care about the performance). I think in hindsight Cadets 2007 was a great corps with a not-great show that the members & staff did their damnedest to make as good as they possibly could. Their performance + Cavaliers having a not-as-great show design conceptually (and, IIRC, lost several key caption heads after the 2006 Championship season), & Phantom Regiment having a solid but not Championship/Top 3 caliber corps (minus the percussion section) **of course, if you/whomever likes the show who cares what I think, right? The corps performed great & if you're going on that alone this is a worthy Cadets favorite

Flying out to SoCal, wow! Nice way for a drum corps to travel! 👏

Yeah, I was in HS from fall 1990-spring 1994, and discovered drum corps at that time. Seeing stuff like Garfield 1984 impressed me, but stuff from the 1970's or pre-DCI falls in the "I respect that stuff but I'm likely not listening to most of it just for fun). Even some of those earlier 1980's shows felt modern in the early 1990's, in a way that maybe early 1990's show didn't feel super modern in the 00's/10's so I totally get why younger folks wouldn't be super into 1900's drum corps (to borrow a phrase from my 11 year old, or high school students: "that _was_ all the way back in the 1900's" 😒😆)

Not just the extra leg, but the wonky-looking fingers (with possibly one missing). I personally _LOATHE_ AI slop artwork for sooo many different reasons so I think everything is wrong with this prop

Yeah, 1991 was my first year following drum corps/going to live shows, and my recollection was that people were pretty behind Star, and they were the corps to beat. It must've been a blast as a fan going into Finals week, when everyone in the Top 3 had never won a DCI Championship before so it was almost certainly a 'New' DCI Champion being crowned! I think it's safe to say in 1991 all of the Top 3 were pretty popular (add in #4 Blue Devils as well; I heard plenty of stories that there were some...complaints...about Cadets' show, several of which were over the racist variety down south), so depending on whom you talk to one may think Star beating their favorite other Midwest corps was 'controversial' but I think broadly Star was pretty well-liked

I kind of a remember a guard member 'catching a rifle with her face' in a rehearsal and losing a tooth. One of the more embarrassing 'freak accidents' for me: My age-out year, in August not long before Finals, we were in town rehearsing before the Crown home show. During morning PT, which the drum line did separate from the horns, we were running in our block and someone decided to run through the football blocking 'machine' that was in our general path. Me and another tenor apparently didn't duck down low enough and ran into the upper metal bar. We both went to a doctor and got staples in their forehead (he got 1, I needed 3) and the doc told us to not march for a few days until staff was positive there weren't an concussion issues. We got back to the site as the corps was doing their final rehearsal run, and luckily the show was rained out so we didn't miss anything. I still have the scar on my head 😐

I would if I could, though as a movie snob I'd need it to be 'real' IMAX and not the nonsense that most theaters pass off as IMAX so they can upcharge the ticket. If I won the lotto I would 100% have a state-of-the-art screening room with incredible audio and visual presentation (and still go to the movies a few times a week like I do now) 🤷‍♂️ I guess conversely why suffer mediocre sound/video if you don't have to?

Are there any major symphonies nowadays that perform 100% "acoustic" with no sound reinforcement? I honestly don't know. I'm 49 and at my age I just want to get the best possible sound when I pay premium money for any type of live entertainment, whether it be at the movies or symphony or rock or whatever. The last time I went to a live musical production, at intermission I ended up checking out one of the 'hearing impaired' headsets so I could control the volume as I was apparently in a bad spot in the huge hall for sound & that helped tremendously (the first time I've ever done that). I'd much rather hear mic'ed instruments run by pro audio sound folks than acoustic and bad sound. A good pro audio person won't make you feel like you're listening to amplified symphony

If performing on a professional stage/Performing Arts Center, with a pro sound mixer, why not? I used to poo-poo amplified band stuff, until our local symphony bought a state-of-the-art outdoor venue, with 150+ stage mics and a professional sound team, and the sound is AMAZING. Why not strive for the absolute best sound, especially if we're talking scholastic student ensembles?! I can't recall the last time I saw a professional symphony in their home performance hall that weren't substantially mic'ed and mixed for optimal sound.

*it's only "criminal" if I'm caught, prosecuted, and found guilty 😏

Same, and I would 100% love to see what they do with the "alien" costuming

I once knew someone who designed a winter guard show around the concept of the guard listening/performing to a judge's tape: complete with a drop and some intentionally not-pristine/clean flag work at one point (and a moment where something was slightly 'off' but the member 'recovered' much to the 'judge's' recorded hype). A corps could do similar to what you say above: "Our Favorite Tropes" ala Cadets 03 🤪