Fantomas

Not just a long time, but they have never won drums on finals night, so I imagine the guys are just jonzing to finish things up tonight. Below I have a list of all the drum title winners since '72. Add Phantom to the list of this elite group tonight. Congrats to them! This is a tough group to break into, and Phantom has pretty much dominated the percussion scene this season. Percussion Trophy History Vanguard: 11 Drum Titles Blue Devils: 8 Drum Titles Cadets: 7 Drum Titles Cavaliers: 4 Drum Titles Bridgemen: 3 Drum Titles Star: 1 Drum Title ’72 Vanguard ’73 Vanguard ’74 Vanguard ’75 Vanguard ’76 Blue Devils ’77 Blue Devils ’78 Vanguard ’79 Vanguard ’80 Bridgemen ’81 Bridgemen ’82 Bridgemen ’83 Blue Devils ’84 Blue Devils ’85 Blue Devils ’86 Blue Devils ’87 Cadets ’88 Vanguard ’89 Vanguard ’90 Cadets ’91 Vanguard ’92 Cavaliers ’93 Star ’94 Cadets ’95 Cavaliers ’96 Blue Devils ’97 Blue Devils ’98 Vanguard ’99 Cavaliers ’00 Cavaliers ’01 Cadets ’02 Cadets ’03 Cadets ’04 Vanguard ’05 Cadets

I've got two words for Season Pass subscribers that are upset: CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Yeah, I've heard that Indy is going to be the venue for finals for the next ten years after 2007. I'll be dissapointed if that's true.

How could I forget this finals night story? One of the guys in the snareline in 2000 SCV is out of step from the beginning of Stained Glass until the first impact/halt. He wasn't even aware of it until I asked him about it.

Yeah, I remember that (I marched snare). We were marching on an oblique going backwards, I was trying to dress the line, and I was shocked to see two heads dissapear. The oblique move reversed, and the line marched back to where the two members fell down. I had to march OVER one snare player, and the other snare player was in front of the snareline, on the ground, drum off, gauntlets torn, aussie off, and sticks strewn all over the place. If I remember correctly, I think he made it back in time to play the snare feature from stained glass. It was a little intense, but everyone came out in one piece.

I think this prediction is pretty much right on the money. Cavaliers have a great, great show design, and the Casella/Ancona percussion parts blow my mind. I love listening to the combination of Saucedo and these percussion arrangers! For me, it makes all the difference for the music contribution, and I'm starting to like Cavies like I did in 2000 again. I think The Cadets will outperform Vanguard with a more difficult (albeit weird) show. And my guess is that SCV will start getting a handle on a show that has them running around the field like mad men/women. I don't know about BK. They put me to sleep when I saw them in Seattle.

1997 Blue Devils one of my favorite drum corps shows of all time. Maybe it's because it was the very first drumline I saw in the lot, and my mind exploded. And maybe it was the first drumcorps I ever saw live, and my jaw fell to the ground. However, to this day, I still LOVE THIS SHOW. My top ten (derived by how many times I've listened to each on my iPod): 1. 1997 2. 2004 3. 1996 4. 1998 5. 1999 6. 1995 7. 1994 8. 2003 9. 2000 10. 2001 It's too bad I wasn't born fifteen or twenty years earlier so I could have actually seen some old school BD live. I just can't get into any of the recordings of BD before 1994. I don't know--maybe it's a horn guy/gal thing.

After to listening to the APDs of Cadets, Cavaliers, and BD, I'm going to say it'll be a toss up between Devils and Cavies. I'm leaning on Devils. Cadets are just too weird, transitions too sloppily designed, vocals entirely inappropriate, and a re-hashed ending to boot. I like the Cavaliers show, but I'm not sure if they have what it takes to beat BD in music. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Wow. 16.50 seems pretty unheard of for June 23rd. When drums start breaking 17.00, it's usually a pretty big deal. If Devils break 17.00 within the next week or so, then I know which drumline I'll be watching out for.

You rock! Thanks.

Does anyone know who has won percussion on finals night from '72 to '93? If you know from any of these years, feel free to post. I'd like to fill in the many blanks.

I've been searching around for a little bit, but does anyone know who has won drums on finals night from '72 to the present?

For starters, if a judge is familiar with where they need to go, the risks taken to venture out onto the field are probably similar to the risks of the corps members on the field already. During a show it was easy to yell out at a judge to get out of the way. (I'm sorry it was) "Pardon me!" "Move!" and "Heads up!" Judges got out of the way...it worked. Granted I didn't march in the busiest of all lines drill-wise. But it was still pretty busy. And Crown93, please don't reference me as having some fantasy communication concerning drum judges. I was there, and those moment weren't fantasy. (I have tapes if you want to hear them) I was just trying to communicate that those moments contributed to the overall experience I had when I was marching. I would hate to see that taken away in the future of drumcorps. Also, I really don't know what your experience is like as far as standing in front of a marching percussion section, but I do know that I can get a much more representative sample when standing in front of the line than when sitting in the stands. One example is when the hornline is playing a passage that is well above the volume of the battery's pianissimo passage. Almost always in this example, the battery's parts become indistinct in the stands. It really does require a judge do go out there and evaluate a battery's lower level playing ability. That includes checking for uniformity, balance (touch), drum control, implement control, idomatic style (expression), and cleanliness. A better read on these attributes occurs when up close...period. Our staff at Cadets was notorious for coming up to us after shows to ask US how it went because they couldn't hear any ticks. It was always surprising to them when we felt like we didn't have a good show. That's because we (the line and/or judge) were some of the only people hearing the ticks on that particular night. Maybe the whole percussion staff at Cadets needs to go see an audiologist. But seriously, I've seen a great deal more guys/gals hurt themselves just marching the show than Percussion Judges run into the battery. I understand the reasons for "safety first," but I believe a judge can learn how to get around the field. It's drumcorps. Everyone is taking a risk for injury whether you would have a judge on the field or not. The probability of that judge (that knows where he/she is going) causing an injury on that field as compared to he/she off the field is most likely slim. Meaning, the chances are marginal or would consist of a small proportion of percent error. This is my CURRENT (meaning not set in stone) perspective anyway. I think it would definitely be interesting to evaluate some videos and shows and see if there is large association between percussion judges and injuries. To the extent of my memory, and as to what I have witnessed, I have never seen a judge cause his own injury or a corps member's injury. Perhaps I just haven't witnessed enough. (Gimme a break, I'm still pretty young) We'll see.

I second that. This proposal brings up a good point. Perhaps more preparation is needed from the judges to analyze shows (in other words, for them to understand where to go in the drill), and make decisions on sections of the show to which they would go out on the field and sample the battery's individual abilities. I would support a change such as this before seeing the percussion judge taken off of the field. In fact, I would venture to say that would rip my heart apart :( (No really, it would) The batteries that I marched in had such unique and gratifying moments with percussion judges. While I feel that the percussion judge's communication isn't the whole motivation for the battery or the activity as a whole, it certainly is an amazing rush to nail your role individually & collectively--then to receive cues from the percussion judge that he/she was absolutely blown away by the performance. (Or completely disgusted, or hysterically laughing. Even hearing Chuck King get vaguely emotional is great...I have anecdote after anecdote that I will never forget) Besides, what stories would marching percussionists have to tell to each other? "Hey man, do you remember that time out on the field when like,...oh wait, that's right...times like that didn't exist and nobody saw anything because there wasn't anyone standing in front of us." Or worse, (You have to read this next one in a Chris Farley show host fashion) "Hey do you remember that time when...you ticked alot and the judge wasn't there to check it out and...you guys won drums...Yeah, that was cool." <**> Boo I say, and that's all I say because collegiate studies are ordering me back to work. P.S. A Front Ensemble judge sounds overdue and very cool.

Nice review. Thanks!