ech2os

DCP must be run on VM Ware.

I admit I skipped through the thread.......I want to hear Calypso and The Eagle and the Hawk by John Denver by Reading.

Don't let Napa spoil you. I've never been there, but I know oftentimes we get forced fed things to the point where we think we are stupid if we disagree with the norm. I was supposed to believe the remake of Last Dance by Pearl Jam was actually a good song. :) I've had Pizza in NY and Cheesesteaks in Philly at Pat's.......frankly, I've had better of both multiple times elsewhere. Point being......you just might enjoy the wine in Ra-cha-cha :)

I hear the great Wedgie Centorino made a guest appearance on basedrum at your last rehearsal. :)

So yeah....Dad if you are reading this, I'm coming up for DCA's after all.

I'm going to hi-jack your thread for a 2nd Gene..........I just bought my plane ticket from Atlanta to Rochester on Delta for 159 bucks out the door (138+ Taxes and Fees). So if you are in the Atlanta area and plan on flying, you might want to log on asap and buy one.

Hey John.......I know who Frank is. I was just being smart. :)

FYI.........my TO analogy was a little fuzzy, but I think I know what I meant. :)

Frank.....I noticed in your signature that you marched with Hawthorne. Which one were you ? Would I have noticed you out there when I saw the alumni corps perform for the last 15 years ? :) Yep. Exactly. Its like when TO showboats.....nobody is supposed to get mad at it and if a player decks him, he gets the flag. One person is expected to control their emotions (the defensive player) while the other is not (the showboater). More people need to thicken their skin as opposed to running away from criticism.

$3 in 1965 is worth just under $20 in 2009. The real increase is probably in the concessions :)

Now if Reading would play Syliva everything would be right with the world :) Interesting that you made the comment about Hawthorne not moving........I have only seen the Youtube upload from the show last weekend, but in my opinion (and I have said this on here many times) Hawthorne moves so much and so quickly that I feel their scores have been impacted negatively over the last 5 years. From what I have seen over the last 10 years, Hawthorne has been the corps upping the tempo drillwise, but maybe I am just not seeing things clearly.

So many comments so little time.........I'll try to be brief. 1) Fastone said MJ sold 70 million records worldwide. Maybe he forgot the 0......its 750 million record worldwide. Only Elvis and The Beatles have sold more. After that its Bing Crosby and then nobody is even close after that. That is why you have cover to cover coverage. If Elvis or John Lennon died the other day, we would have the same thing going on. 2) He was a genius. Nobody sounded like him. He was to the 80s what Elvis was to the 50s and what The Beatles were to the 60s. I haven't seen anything else in my lifetime rival MJs popularity in the 80s. 3) I'm sure one of the "geniuses" of drum corps could come up with arrangements that would be out of this world. 4) With all due respect to Farrah Fawcett, I am sure she was a great mother, girlfriend, daughter, and friend, but she isn't as "important" as Michael Jackson. This whole situation over the last few days reminds me of that scene from Talladega Nights when Will Ferrell tells his wifes father that the only thing he ever accomplished in his life was making a pretty daughter. FF was on one season of Charlies Angels and then.......well.....kept her looks up for the next 30 years. 5) I remember sitting around all week waiting for the world premiere video of Thriller. This entire country was losing it over that record. Don't get me wrong, its no "Circus" or "Get Low", but its pretty influential. 6) I used to be on the "he's a child molester" bandwagon until one of my best friends was accused of molesting his daughter. Then I watched one of the finest guys I have known burn through 30k in cash defending himself. Watched him pay 1200 a month in child support for one kid that he never got to see because of these allegations. Watched him check himself into the hospital over anxiety induced ulcers. Watched him defend himself against the charges 3 different times. Then finally the judge ruled that his ex-wife was a headcase that needed help, gave him custody, and apologized for the inconvenience and promptly ordered the mother to pay 200 a month support to my friend. Ridiculous. Anyhow, there are plenty of fruit loops out there. Hang out at any small town bar or strip club and listen to the drama around you. Look at the stripper down here that acted like the guy she had been money grubbing from raped her in the cabin in Tennessee.......oops....sorry.....she made it up. Anyhow......that's all I have to say about that.

Great. Nothing like competition without any drama. I'm a Cabs fan and if they won it 4 times in a row I would feel uncomfortable that my corps was taking the "fun" out of it for a lot of fans. I may or may not be in Rochester this year, but I'm not looking forward to another Buccs victory. Kind of boring if you aren't pulling for them. Having said that, I certainly appreciate the effort and consistency. Just doesn't make the season real exciting for me.

I had a big long response typed up, but frankly, its a debate better had in person, so I'll be succinct. I just don't go to the shows anymore. I don't feel like I am missing anything. "This I Believe" was the final nail in my DCI coffin. I certainly don't need to hear synthesizers.

Sweet. I would enjoy seeing MBI win it this year. I loved their show last year.

Mike.........not to sound like everybody else with an opinion :) but if I could make a suggestion..........I think you guys should have your printer make up the t-shirt that your guard wore a few years ago. If I remember correctly, they were light, light red (not pink) and on the front of the shirt was simply the "The Hawthorne Caballeros" insignia that is on the cover of the legacy album on your site. Sweet shirt and I would definitely buy one or two of those.

Gary.......any truth to the rumor that the corps has secured funding from local Hotel/Restaurant Millionaire Nick Scott and that your first production will be entitled "Roman Images" ? jk. Seriously.......good luck. Can't wait to see it.

lol. I hear ya.

I'd rather read how he really feels than read "Thanks......you have a very nice corps".

I guess that wasn't a rumor......the recap shows a big big disparity in the Visual Captions for the Kilties between the judges.

Good honest review. I didn't agree with a lot of it, but that is what I find almost comical. I can't tell you how many people who have marched or do march that I spoke with over the weekend that had completely different impressions of who was doing "How" and "What". For example, I heard through the grapevine that two judges in prelims had Kilties Visual 3+ points different from one another and those are judges watching the same show. I can't speak to the "How" and "What".......but here is what I thought was going on Sunday night for a few corps.......I thought Corps Vets were way better Sunday night than they were on Saturday. I guess the judges didn't agree with me. I thought Hurricanes were better Saturday than Sunday.......again judges didn't agree with me. I thought Empire was maybe a little bit better on Saturday, but not much. I guess the judges agreed with me. I thought Hawthorne was WAY better on Saturday than on Sunday. The judges agreed with me. I thought MBI was about the same on Sunday as Saturday. I look at it this way........I finally had to realize that when my wife looks at a paint swatch at Lowe's and asks me what I think, I can't talk her into seeing the shade of beige I like over the shade of beige she likes. We both know what the couch looks like in our living room and we both know that we are looking at shades of beige, but her eyes don't see the same colors mine do. Clearly, some artist (DCA Judge) could probably step in and settle our disagreement by pointing out that one shade of beige goes better in our living room than another and why, but at the end of the day we are probably going to still see what we see. I guess that's what makes these shows interesting. I was glad to see the big score differences between Saturday and Sunday......makes me think there is hope during the season when you are down by two to the lead dog you can tell your folks........hey.......its like a golf tournament on Sunday........you put together a good round and the leader comes back to the pack a little bit and bam......your in it.

Chris.......I could be wrong, but I think we met the other night at the bar in The Clarion.......if so, it was nice meeting you. I don't necessarily agree with your assessment above, but I definitely appreciate your spirit and candor. I think there is too much verbal glad handing on this site (and everywhere else in America for that matter) and personally I think its counter productive. Rocky Point is probably my favorite piece of music ever performed by a drum corps. It seems to me to be the perfect marriage of harmony and complexity. Having said that, I agree that Star United was the creme of the crop, but they weren't my favorite either. There was a guy in front of us that yelled out "This isn't DCI ya know" after their first number. I would consider that poor form. I love the Mission From God quote earlier. That's funny.

What a great night in Rochester. Frankly, I enjoyed about 4 corps more than I did Reading. Of the impending 4 years in a row they have won it, this was the least enjoyable (for me). I typically don't get excited about Empire......but I thought they were fantastic tonight. Hawthorne was awesome ths evening. MB, was dynamite. I still say Reading isn't doing anything M&M-wise that Hawthorne or Empre aren't doing, but what do I know. I am not deaf or blind, so I obviously thought Reading was good, but not crazy miles ahead of everyone else like I had been lead to believe all season. Clearly, the judges begged to differ. Hawthorne's snare line just looks awesome. In reference to the Bucs vs. Brigs debate a few months ago.......no way Reading beats Brigs with the show they performed tonight. JMO and I was never a big big Brigs fan either. TIFWIW (which isn't much :))

Kind of like the bar in Atlanta near a couple college campuses named "The Library".

Great review. You touch on a common theme here with Rochester, Hawthorne, and Reading........movement. I haven't seen anyone this year and won't until Labor Day weekend. However, one thing that has always bothered me is the "speed" of the drill in DCA's these days. I personally think stamina issues introduced by the pace of the drill undermines the overall production. A lot of the folks marching DCA aren't exactly in "Phelpsian Shape" (couldn't resist). Neither am I for the record. But I believe a corps like Hawthorne (my favorite corps by the way) have cost themself a few placements over the last 5 years by over pacing their drill. I don't get that feeling from watching Reading over the last few years. Then again, I would never pay to go see Janet Jackson or Madonna lip synch because they are too tired from dancing and running all over the stage. I go for the music. If you can do one without the other suffering, then go for it. If not, give me a less aggressive drill and more balance from your hornline. Again, great review. I can't wait to see everyone in 10 days.