On the 50

I am down to one ticket left for the Murfreesboro show. It is an excellent seat (see above). PM if interested. Shawn

I have 4 extra tickets to the Masters of the Summer Music Games - Tour of Champions show in Murfreesboro, TN (July 27) for sale. They are prime seats - IMO the best in the stadium, especially for sound. And MTSU Stadium is just about the best venue in all of drum corps for sound. Specifically, they are Sec. 1RR, Row 4, Seats 11-14 (Seat 12 is directly on the 50). They are $45 each, plus the Ticketmaster fees, etc. - so total $49 per ticket. Would prefer to sell as a set.

Phantom Regiment did not do a standstill recording during Finals week this year.

For an audio-only recording (like a CD) you need a "mechanical license." For internet play, a "new media license" is needed. It seems that either DCI made the recordings available while they were in negotiations for that license, or it may have been granted initially and then denied/revoked. The rights holder has the right to do that whenever they so chose. This whole issue is turning into a nightmare for DCI/WGI/marching bands. The talent and quality of instruments is at an all-time high, yet they may soon be left with nothing outside of the Public Domain or original compositions to play! Carolina Crown's FULL SHOW (inc. the pre-show) "studio" (standstill) field recording from Finals week is still available for download at the Crown Store. I suggest you get it quick if you want it...

There would be no benefit to putting anything prior to 2009 on Blu-ray since those productions were not high definition to begin with. 2009 was the first year HD cameras were used in the World Championships' video production. DVD gives the same resolution and video quality as the original recording for the older stuff. In 2008 they used standard definition cameras, but in widescreen (16:9) mode. Now, you could take advantage of Blu-Ray's much greater data capacity to put more content on the disc (high camera, alternate angles, commentary, etc.) even if it's standard definition. Currently it's quite a bit more expensive to produce a Blu-ray than a DVD. There's a huge difference in blank media costs, for example.

All tickets are sold. Thanks for your interest. Shawn

The Thursday (Prelims/Quarterfinals) ticket has been sold. I have the Semifinals and Finals tickets still available. Asking $190 total. Shawn

I sent you a PM. Shawn

I have an extra set of tickets for DCI Championships in Indy. Sec. 140, Row 19, Seat 19. That is just inside the 45 yard line on side 1. Same seat for all three nights. These are Friends of DCI tickets. Would prefer to sell as a set - asking $250 and will ship FedEx.

The last time The Cadets participated in I&E was 1984 (when they were the Garfield Cadets). They won percussion ensemble, and I believe that was their lone entry that year. After that, they were just about the only corps not to participate in I&E. The explanation I heard was George Hopkins didn't believe in individual competition in a team activity like drum corps. Over the years fewer corps have participated. I believe the main reason is that the corps staff feels it takes away too much time from rehearsal during a critical part of the season (Championship week in the past). It only involves a fraction of the corps members typically, but rehearsal is pretty much impossible for half a day or so. The reason to move it to San Antonio was that, being earlier in the season, the corps would be more willing to take that time out of their schedule. Many corps were already having a "free day" on that Sunday anyway. Sadly, many corps still do not allow their members to participate. I know for a fact that there are DCI judges that feel that there should be a mechanism to reward those corps that allow their members to do I&E. Phantom Regiment decided not to participate in I&E in 1990 - after the audition season and the corps had been to at least a few camps. There were a lot of folks rather upset with that decision. Just ask J.J. Pipitone. They returned to I&E in 1991 and continued to participate for many years. In 2006 their housing for Finals week was a good distance from Madison, so they decided not to participate due to the logistics in getting the equipment there and back. Same thing in 2007 and 2008. Then it became an issue of simply not taking rehearsal time away as I understand it. They didn't stick around after San Antonio this year and went to Lafayette, LA on Sunday to rehearse. Looks like they are out of the I&E game for good. That's unfortunate. Just look at the excellent showing this year of former Regiment percussionists who are now at SCV. I imagine that could be a factor in deciding what corps to audition for - particularly if you are a top player. I would guess that's one reason Blue Devils get so much high level talent every year. They ALWAYS participate in I&E.

Julie was in the pit in 1986, her only year. That was the season that Lalo Davila (her future husband) was Caption Director. We did have a girl in the drumline that year - Melba Avila, Bass #2. Also, Peg Casey march snare in 1982 (and she can still play, believe me).

New to the DCI Fan Network is a standstill recording of the Phantom Regiment percussion section (battery and pit) made during Finals week. Here's a chance to listen to the Fred Sanford Award winner play through their show, "Into the Light." Just $1.99 for the whole show. Remember, proceeds from downloads on the Fan Network benefit the member corps. Here's the link.

New on the DCI Fan Network - a standstill audio recording of the 2010 Phantom Regiment done on Wednesday of World Championship week! The recording of the 2010 show, "Into the Light," was done in the stadium at their housing site in Frankfort, IN. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/2010recording

So, you're the other person who saw that show?http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/satisfied.gif Don't you hate when they end a season with a cliffhanger, then cancel the series? Sorry to get off topic. Please resume your discussion.

Lee Beddis was on staff in 1995 and was caption head in 1996. Kirk Gay was arranger and caption head in 1997. Going further back, Jim Nevermann was caption head (I believe) in the early 70s. Marty Hurley came on board in the mid-70s. Mike Mann took over in 1984 for two years, then Lalo Davila in 1986. Marty Hurley returned in 1987 and stayed until 1992.

The equipment contract is between the corps and the manufacturer and is typically a multi-year deal. Paul Rennick became a Dynasty artist in the spring of 2006, but Regiment continued to use Pearl through the end of their contract in 2007. The corps then inked a deal with Dynasty. Another case in point: Jim Casella was (and I believe still is) a Pearl artist. However, Cavaliers continued to use Yamaha throughout his tenure as caption director. So, if SCV's contract with Pearl goes through the 2011 season or beyond, I would expect that they will be using Pearl/Adams next summer. The other contracts (sticks, heads, cymbals) are more easily changed, since those items are replaced much more frequently. I would bet the farm that SCV will be using Innovative, Remo, and Zildjian next summer.

SCV: Slingerland in the '70s through 1980, Ludwig '81-'83, Premier '84-'86, Pearl ever since.

The reason the DCI Blu-ray discs are mastered in 1080i has to do with frame rate. Film is 24 frames per second. Traditional video (in the US) is 30 frames per second, split into two interlaced fields. Thus the second field is captured by a video camera 1/60 of a second after the first field. So, in effect, with video you see 60 unique moments in time every second compared to just 24 with film. This is one of the main differences in the "look" of video compared to film. If you look carefully at a movie, for example, motion has a "stuttery" quality to it (especially noticeable as the camera pans). This also applies to motion within a scene. As it applies to drum corps, the fast movement of the drill and especially things like rifle tosses would look much less smooth ("stuttery") on film than it would on video. High definition video comes in many different "flavors." The most common are 1080p24 (1080 horizontal lines, progressive scan, 24 frames per second), 1080i60 (1080 horizontal lines, interlaced scan, 60 fields per second), and 720p60 (720 horizontal lines, progressive scan, 60 frames per second). The first is used for Hollywood movies on Blu-ray, as they were 24 frames per second film to begin with. Thus, no conversion of frame rate is needed throughout the transfer and mastering process. What comes out of the player through HDMI is 1080p24. The display does not show this at 24 frames per second, as it is not a movie projector and would look unwatchable at that rate. (The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this discussion.) The display will convert the 24 frames per second data to something that the display can show - usually either 60 frames per second (hopefully not nowadays, as this can create artifacts and something known as "judder"), or a multiple of 24 such as 72, 120 or 240 frames per second. Most displays can be set to either show the same frame multiple times (in the case of a 120 Hz LCD set, for example, each frame would be displayed 5 times (24 x 5 = 120)) so that the "look" of film is maintained, or to interpolate the motion between frames and create new frames "on the fly". This makes the movie look more like video instead of film, but there are certainly problems and artifacts created with this approach. 1080i60 and 720p60 in Blu-ray are used for television shows that were shot with video, some music/concert titles, and many sporting events. Notice that 1080p60 was not listed above, as that is beyond the capability of most cameras. A very high data rate is needed for that. High definition video for CBS, NBC, and many others is 1080i60. ABC, FOX, PBS, ESPN and others broadcast in 720p60. I imagine that the original video for DCI Finals was captured at 1080i60, and that is what is on the Blu-ray. HDTVs today are all by nature progressive scan displays, so the interlaced signal is converted to progressive for display. So, you aren't "missing" anything. The only 1080p choices for Blu-ray in the US are 1080p24 and 1080p30, which would not look so good for drum corps (certainly not the look we are used to). Now, 720p60 is an option, but I guess Tom Blair decided to go with a 1080i60 workflow. Cameras and trucks set up for this may be more readily available and/or cheaper than 720p60 - I have no idea. Maybe he will chime in. I just know that the Blu-ray of the 2009 Finals looks incredible!

I'm not saying that the percussion judge is influenced by the guard or visual score. It's primarily an issue of performance order, and how many corps are left after a given corps performs. At a small show, particularly earlier in the season when there is tons of "room" above any score the judge puts down, almost anything can happen. Let's say the last two corps at a show are Phantom and Blue Devils. Well, Phantom has a good chance of beating BD in drums at that show with a great performance, regardless of how the guard does or what the Vis GE score is. But at Finals, if Phantom is on eighth from last (like they were last year) and BD is the final corps, I'd say Phantom has almost NO CHANCE of winning drums that night even if they played a perfect show. Judges just won't give out a number that high with seven other corps left to perform in Finals. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this in play in Minneapolis. Phantom has been right near the top in drum scores all season. But they are on so early on Saturday, I doubt they come close to the top drum score. My prediction for drum placements in Minneapolis is BD, Bluecoats, Cadets, Cavaliers, then Phantom, even if Phantom comes out and throws down an awesome show. I also agree that no way was Phantom only the fifth best percussion section last year. Recordings doesn't lie.

Well, if you go on eighth from last in Finals, about the best score you can hope for in percussion is a 19.2 - because the judge has to "leave room" for everyone else to follow. If not, he's basically admitting that the positions are slotted. And there's no way a 19.2 will win drums - too much pressure to get that top score near 20.0. Now, this wasn't the case in the tick system. That's how a corps like Oakland Crusaders could win drums in Prelims and the corps not even make Finals! The reality in today's judging, at least by Finals, is that the top corps will be at or near the top in ALL captions, the middle corps will be in the middle in all captions, etc. I'd be shocked if any corps outside the top 5 overall wins any caption.

To say that the target AUDIENCE for a drum corps competition is marching band kids is about as logical as saying that the target audience for a Broadway show is aspiring actors. I'm not saying that a DCI show shouldn't appeal to band kids, but if you are banking on them buying the tickets and traveling to shows at a level that can sustain and grow revenue for DCI, then I think you are in for a rude awakening. Plus, I think that the more you try to make a drum corps competition like what you think will appeal to a high school band kid, the less-appealing it will actually be - not just for the band kid, but especially for the long-time fan. When I was in high school, I was attracted to drum corps not because it was like marching band, and certainly not because the contest was aimed at my age group, but because it WASN'T! It was DIFFERENT, more ADULT, more PROFESSIONAL, and, yes, just plain BETTER than marching band! Take the audience at a typical BOA show. If you take away the parents/family of the kids on the field, and the other performers, you have NOTHING LEFT! Why should DCI try to go down that path?

At first glance, this move is surprising. When I asked Dan Acheson after Quarterfinals last year why in the world the roof was closed on a perfect day weather-wise, he said that the roof will ALWAYS be closed, as if that were the plan from the beginning. He almost seemed incredulous that anyone would want it opened, when "we have have the ability to present a uniform and predictable environment for every corps." He added that the building gets too hot when the roof is open (no A/C) because there is very poor circulation. However, he also said that they can't use the curtain system with an open roof because wind could damage it or bring it down. After further reflection, this tells me that they must feel that the as-yet unspecified "enhancements" to the sound/echo-control measures that were discussed a few months ago won't make much difference. Imagine - they say they are going to put up more curtains and other sound absorbers, etc. that will make it sound great inside LOS even with a closed roof. If they left the roof closed for Quarterfinals and the sound is still bad, even with the enhancements, then people will still cry for the roof to be opened. If they open it, even if it makes no difference and the sound is STILL bad, at least they can say they tried and people will shut-up about it. I'm afraid that is what's going to happen. The question is, how long can DCI afford to keep the Championships in LOS if the fans stop coming?

In 1984, a crew from PM Magazine was at a get-together at a park in Denver with Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara. This was the day before DATR. We played our shows for each other (standstill), and the combined hornlines played "Elsa's" and "Send in the Clowns" (my god, was that INCREDIBLE!!!). We then had a picnic where the members could mingle and get to know one another. The crew interviewed some members and staff. I never got to see the piece that aired - not even sure it actually made it to broadcast. It was a great experience, though - one of my fondest memories of that tour. The combined hornlines played a couple more times later in the tour after retreat - in Ankeny, IA, where we tied, and again in Bloomington. What I would give for a high-quality recording of that...

Sorry, not going to happen. For one, the cost would be enormous. But more importantly, what we want in terms of acoustical properties in that facility are exactly the opposite of what is desirable for football. Make no mistake; this is the Colts' stadium. What they want is the law. Any acoustic "treatments" would have to be completely removable and easy enough to put up and take down quickly for various events. I just don't see any significant changes here. The bottom line is this: either the drum corps community accepts the situation as is and continues to buy tickets in sufficient numbers to make Championships viable in Indy, or ticket sales fall below a point that DCI will have no choice but to move the Championships to another location, or go under completely.

It doesn't hurt that MTSU stadium in Murfreesboro is one of the best venues on earth for a drum corps show! Stanford is a tad better, but beyond that, Murfreesboro is hard to beat.