cwillpayne

WOW this has been fun to read and read all over again. I remember when I was marching in a small DIV 1 corps--and we were in last place like every stinking night (not discrediting LIFE CHANGING experiences i had there)-- and yet there were still some members in our corps who would complain about how "out of tune (insert 3rd place corps) was" or how "bad ____'s guard was"......... And then I would notice that these were the same people who wouldn't run back to their sets in rehearsal, or they were the people who wouldn't push as hard as everyone else during running block, or they were the people who were "injured" during a rehearsal day that lasted longer than 6 hours..... <**> <**> <**> I was EXTREMELY embarrased when any member of any corps/organization that I belonged to ripped on anothers performance. I unfortunately see this too often in the fan-base of drum corps. Thanks for trying to tear other people down for the sake of your own insecurities. There are too many critics in this activity. Go to a drum corps show (and try forking up some cash so you aren't sitting on the 0 yard line) and enjoy all of the good things that are going on out on the field. Live it up, love it all, and remember the memories it created. We are all going to cringe when there is a mistake or an overplayed note or something like that, but i think that it is important to remember that there are 130 kids (or even 30 or 60 kids) out there trying to connect with YOU, the audience. WHICH Phantom 03 did very very well. and so many other corps that I have watched besides them--including MANY DIV 2 or 3 corps--have done the same thing for me. It all depends on how much the audience is willing to connect with the corps i guess

Just pulled out some DVD's, watched some Cadets, some BD......then some Phantom 2003. Thank you to everyone involved with that organization that year (and any other year for that matter). WOW. what a show. I remember seeing it live in Utah, and that show honestly made my eyes well up with tears. Beautiful....just beautiful. I'm gonna go cry myself to sleep on my big huge pillow.

It is a FANTASTIC place to have a show....now if we could just get more drum corps' to come out to UT more often (they used to come for a show and sometimes 2 shows every year), they might be able to witness how awesome it is.

Since this was the only drum corps that the state of Utah is going to see this year, a group of drum corps junkie friends and I drove to Ogden to watch their nearly all-day rehearsal. The setting was Weber State University's stadium; apparently some alumni of the university got the stadium for PR if PR would let them record the whole thing. Great stadium for drum corps! HORNLINE: All I can say is that they are loud. Yes, this was the first taste of drum corps that I have had all year, but they will continue to get louder I am sure. Though I didn't hear the contra's as well as I normally can, but i am sure it will come. When i looked at the whole hornline though---PURE POWER. They are doing great. PERCUSSION: Pit has a lot of fun licks and what not, drum line is getting pretty solid. They had a injuries that sidelined 2 tenor players so hopefully that gets worked out soon. I really enjoyed their intensity. GAURD/VISUAL: All the girls in the gaurd to FANTASTIC! but this guy that they brought in to play the Gene KElly or whatever part it is.....I don't know so much....I was impressed with his rifle work but that was about it. It honestly looks like they put him in the show last week and he is still trying to figure out what is going on. Just from watching his rehearsal technique---his body language seemed really...not like the phantom regiment---kind of paumpus and arrogant. He has clearly been made the visual star of the show, but I didn't find any significance for him there. During the ballad, there seems to be some sort of love aspiring or something between he and another girl, but it just didn't seem to work for me. I am guessing that they are going to give him some more work/movement to make him work with the ensemble better overall, but right now; he is distracting. The show overall is really different for what I am used to seeing them do since as long as I can remember (95)....but it works out really well for them. The ending left me wanting more of course, but I hear that the new tag has already been written. Very professional group of people. I salute them and wish them the best of luck!

So I just watched the SCV 86 show and thoroughly enjoyed it. Is there somone who could tell me how they did all of their "magic tricks"?

random request: I am looking for the top 6 from 1997 on video. I owned it previously and have lost it somehow. I am willing to pay around $20 for it. So if anyone out there has it, let me know. my email is cwillpayne@hotmail.com Thanks

Sent you an email just recently. Thanks Cameron Payne cwillpayne@hotmail.com

Ya gotta admit, that was good. Tusche!