ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

Ditto. I liked the tracksuit look.

Great review. Thanks!

Scouts have the most to prove with their newish design staff. Last year's finish -- after a slow start -- was a welcome surprise (to a lot of people, at least). Cavies and Phantom appear to be more solid than last year. I keep hearing good things about Blue Stars. IDK - Madison is the biggest unknown to me.

I fail to see how uniform colors are a reflection of society today. Anyway, if you want to get socio-political on it: we live in an era of on-demand/specialized entertainment. Your favorite genre of cat videos is a few clicks and key strokes away, and our children's most beloved entertainer is something called "PewDiePie" (I don't know who that is, but I already hate him). Even if today's media is objectively "darker" (which I would argue is not), I'll take something with darkness/depth over feel-good entertainment fodder. I would argue there was way more spectacle/variety in DCI through out the last 2-3 years than there was 10+ years ago.

The activity could use a fresh set of eyes when it comes to uniform design. That being said: I love the ridiculous outrage and hype that comes from new unis getting revealed. It means the offseason is almost over.

Self-explanatory. What is the full competitive field for DCA this year? Any new corps?

? Event is still going on with the full line-up (I've been told). Same day as scheduled, just 2 hours later.

The Bluecoats 2010 soli in the second movement ("Aha") gets me every time.

Awesome. (those Facebook comments though ... "OMG U GUYS R STEALING CROWNS SHOW" ... idiots)

Bluecoats ... pretty much every year since Thrower started writing. Also: all three groups in the OP's first post use Yamaha ... jus sayin.

As far as MMs, BD snare Brandon Olander immediately comes to mind. Not too many drum corps performers get YouTube famous at 12, make BD's snareline at 16 (and this is after marching with the Academy's line), get featured on the CBS evening news and other national outlets like Modern Drummer, and win the snare I&E at 17 (he had two stick drops and still crushed his solo). http://www.moderndrummer.com/site/2015/11/on-the-beat-with-brandon-olander-of-the-blue-devils-drum-and-bugle-corps-worth-the-hard-work/ Edit - here's a good video of his solo shot in 60 frames per second.

Congrats! (I didn't know all-age corps needed to be evaluated to perform in DCI shows ... is this a new thing?)

Start making some powerful friends in the UW athletic department. Maybe buy Barry A. some drinks?

I'll concede that any negative PR this athletic department gets is a drop in the bucket. But I don't see how a recruiting meet-and-greet equates to big income (maybe in the ultra-long term, but it's not like the coach was meeting with major donors). Exactly. It should also be noted that 48% of the stadium's financing comes directly from the state. Again: DCI is not above criticism, but this whole situation stemmed from an amateurishly operated athletic department and a green coach on a power trip. Strib article on the reversal: http://www.startribune.com/drum-corps-show-will-go-on-university-of-minnesota-says/378348331/

That would've been Norwood Teague, the previous AD. Current interim AD (Beth Goetz) is getting stretched thin trying to deal with the fires set by the previous idiot. A more accurate image would be this.

Heh ... http://www.dci.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=33500&ATCLID=210934806 Looks like it's back on for Saturday, but delayed for 2 hours. Hopefully no corps got bumped.

Very likely, but it might have been different if this didn't involve a new coach, an interim AD, and an athletic department that's in shambles (as evidenced by the BS-artist former AD resigning in disgrace, an uphill battle for fundraising a massive athletic facility, donors vocally pulling their support for aforementioned project, constant scandals among the athletes ... not to mention underachieving revenue sports ... and these combined aren't even the tip of the iceberg of how inept this athletic department is). I'm not saying DCI is blameless -- Dan A. even acknowledged it in the article -- but this isn't the action of a university athletic department that has its #### together.

And we all know how Bud Dry captured America's heart I should have clarified: the redditor admitted that he had never seen a Fellini film. He just based his opinion of Fellini's works off of BD's show. So yeah ... vulgarian in the truest sense. To be fair: I'm not much of a Fellini expert myself. I've seen three of his films: Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, and Amarcord (which I enjoyed quite a bit, but not as much as the other two). I'm in no rush to watch his whole filmography, but I definitely wasn't bored by these three. I totally get where you're coming from, however. Some of the best auteurs aren't immune from making self-indulgent crap. Regarding BD 2014: 100 percent agreement. There's just something about the underlying emotions/attitude within the show that just charms the hell out so many who watch it. edit - formatting, grammar, everything.

Interesting. I keep reading how UW would welcome DCI back with open arms and blah blah blah ...

I got into an argument on the drumcorps sub-reddit with someone who kept lazily throwing labels like "pretentious" and "inaccessible" at BD 2014 (and Fellini films in general, for that matter). I'm feeling vindicated.

Slightly off-topic, but relevant: can anyone tell me why there hasn't been a DCI show at Camp Randall in years? The last show was a DCI Madison regional in 2008. I keep hearing how people would love to see DCI go back there, but has a local group reached out to UW? Is the climate within UW's athletic department less favorable to hosting a show compared to year's past? Don't get me wrong: I want some sort of DCI show back in Madison, but it wouldn't surprise me if there's a reason DCI hasn't gone back there.

http://www.usbankstadium.com/faq/ "The MSFA will maximize the use of the stadium by attracting events that create economical, fiscal and social benefits to the State and local communities, including NCAA competitions, a Super Bowl, college bowl games, concerts, civic, community and not-for-profit events." It's owned/operated by the MFSA, not the Vikings. They are way more open to hosting events like this than you would think. Also: http://www.youthinmusic.org/

I wouldn't mind seeing it move to the new NFL stadium. A new UofM athletic director isn't going to change the culture of incompetence/unaccountably in the department (the board of regents haven't helped things, either). Not having to deal of the UofM's BS would be a huge plus. That being said: I think the novelty would wear out fast for everyone involved (staff, members, fans), for these reasons: 1) Parking would be more expensive and limited for fans. 2) Fewer warm-up spots for corps. 3) That section of downtown is kind of a crappy area. Lots of walking along some high-traffic areas to find a decent bar/restaurant. Campus/Dinkytown has more options and is a better/more open environment for a major drum corps show. I know a nearby park is in the works, as well as some other redevelopment in lieu of the Super Bowl coming, so maybe it might get better. 4) Already been mentioned: indoor stadium. Even if the giant side doors are open, the acoustics will probably still be terrible. IDK ... I just want there to be a show. The audience is there.

University Athletics: http://www.gophersports.com/feedback/minn-feedback.html University President: http://www.cems.umn.edu/people/faculty/eric-kaler University Regents: http://regents.umn.edu/about-board/meet-regents Governor Dayton: http://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/