Phantombari1

After reading a bunch of the post I have seen the conversation focus on props and little to do with the music. I know many will disagree, but, if you play nothing but rehashed classical/old music there's only so much reward you can give when it comes to relevant props and show design. For Phantom to get back to being competitive with the top corps I think reinventing themselves is in order. Let them expand their playbook with "Modern Classical" music. I cringe to say it but It's time to cross that progressive bridge and reach the modern kids and judges of today. The activity is ever changing and the classic car look is being replaced by shiny new objects of desire. I can see nothing but benefit from heading in a new direction for Phantom. Newer musical choices, more design options, and more kids joining Phantom. It's time for the old fogies to pass the torch. Nostalgia is growing old.

I feel I'm the only one who had Phantom placing higher than they finished. I can honestly say that the work they did in the last month was the best I've seen from any corp since I marched. I think that bodes well for this next year. Add in the recent hires and Phantom could be top five BUT it all will fall on the music and execution early. They need to be top 3-5 starting off the season. Whatever they did to clean things up at the end of the season needs to carry over immediately at the start of this upcoming season. Expect the best!

You're right on the money, you've echoed my sentiments from their first show review...I also don't feel this show fits in with current top corps design...still old fashioned compared to all the corps above them. I know I've been against the previous leadership and board for what they were doing and ultimately did for Regiment (Sadly some are still holding positions) but (IMO) its time for Phantom to start migrating to modern classical or dare say it out of classical all together in order to compete on a regular basis and not just on the rare occasion. They are getting the staff but need someone with a modern vision. J.D. is the right person for the job but he needs others around him to fulfill that vision. From the Kids perspective they have the talent, they just need to have the old fuddy duddy's get out of the way. Sorry for the ruffled feathers Fuddys.

We are familiar with the dry heat and Haboobs!

What's the walk? Not familiar with that description.

Tears are so delicious sometimes...Its no secret that west coast scores over the course of history especially for the top corps have been inflated, but always level out when all the corps are together. It hasn't effected the top west coast corps for the most part but impacts those below them. I'm not saying the Mandarins don't have a great show but I expect the separation will occur when all the corps are together. The anger is amusing at best...My prediction was updated as promised and I stand by that prediction.

At least it wasn't Ricky Bobby!

Things will change dramatically once all the corps are together. As long as I can remember west coast scores have always been higher this time of year with the exception of BD and Santa Clara. I betting Mandarins will be top 9 at the end of the year. Cool show!

Before we dive into this, I have a disclaimer. I love all the corps and have enjoyed all the productions this year. Having said that I have nothing against any of the corps and only take a subjective stance when predicting/guessing finals. Based on what I’ve seen I expect this to be the most competitive year yet top to bottom. Each color code represents the competitive positions finals night. TOP 4 Blue Devils Typical Blue Devils clean show. Very Strong in all categories. What I found surprising was the color guard didn’t seem to be as strong as years past…Maybe just an off night but seemed to be the weakest part of the show if you can call it that. Will compete for the title. Very enjoyable show. Blue Coats Seem to have found their design groove. Super clean brass that sounds like they are holding back a tad bit compared to other corps around them. I expect more power as they unleash the hounds. I love the uniforms as they add an extra visual component compared to other corps. I expect this show to compete for the crown. Strong all over. Great percussion, brass and color guard. Could use less narration. Low brass needs more power to balance out the sound. Synthesizer needs more balance with the horn line. Santa Clara Vanguard This year’s show will compete for the crown. Very clean, Fantastic brass, percussion and color guard. I expect percussion to take the crown this year. The Corp is strong everywhere and I think they have a real shot at winning. Drill is very challenging and executed very well for this early in the season. Right now the weak part are the color themes throughout the show…I expect that to change very soon. Carolina Crown Another fantastic show from Carolina, horn line will compete for the crown if more contrast is added to the arrangements. They are clean as hell but the power level is high and doesn’t change enough to create beautiful moments that I’m used to hearing from Crown. That’s just something I expect and admire from Crown. I believe their percussion and marching will hold them back from winning but as usual they will have a shot. 5-8 Cavaliers After my second view of this show I expect the Cavaliers to leap frog over BAC. I believe their brass and percussion execute at a higher level. Their weak spot is the color guard that just feels underwhelming to me. I’m not sure if it’s the size or if they’re getting lost in the design. Their uniforms definitely don’t help. They need to make some quick changes soon or they may end up behind Boston. Boston Crusaders I’ve faced a lot of criticism fans from every corp. over this prediction, needless to say this is just my opinion based on what I have seen and heard. There are a few things I believe will hold Boston back this year. Primarily the simplicity of the production. The drill design has a lot of follow the leader and scatter drill which in my opinion will hold them back. There are also restrictions in the brass arrangements that will not allow much room to improve on G.E. scores. There are more than a few spots were only a small ensemble plays while the rest of the corp. marches around. This makes the show less difficult and even goes so far as to expose the percussion to unnecessary observation and critique. There is no place for them to hide. Execution from all area’s is outstanding but not strong enough to compete for the top spot. My biggest problem is that I expect this show to max out well before Championship weekend. Before I continue, from what I have seen and heard the top six just may be the best top 6 in the history of the sport. Phantom Regiment My expectations for Phantom has changed due to the recent covid outbreak and no one is talking in their camp as to the severity. I may come back and amend this within the next week should they make it back into competitive play. I expected Phantom to move up dramatically due to their execution and difficulty of their show. Percussion and drill execution seems to be a weak spot this year however the use of the platforms/cheese cake/ gurneys have more negative effect on the show than they a worth. I’m not sure why it is taking this long to make them a useful part of the show. I’m putting them no lower than 7th. They must make a move soon. I’m starting to believe the drill is too tough for the kids to execute and that it's tough for the sake of being tough. Covering down and spacing seems to be a fundamentals issue as well. I’m looking at this as a building year and hope that the coming years offer everything need to compete for a top 5 position or more. The Cadets Another building year for the cadets as this show is lacking in all area’s. For the cadets its unexpectedly sloppy and not nearly clean enough to rise above 8th place. 9-13 Mandarins I really enjoyed this show. I found their soloists outstanding and their music a step up from previous years. Execution will put them out of reach compared to corps below them. Hoping this becomes a regular thing for the Mandarins. I’d love to see another West Coast corp competing with the corps above the top seven. Blue Stars This show should keep them in the top 12 as it is another nice show. I found myself a little bored and underwhelmed with the production. There is in my opinion a definite gap in difficulty compared to corps. above them. I’m a little disappointed and expected more from the Blue Stars production team. I don’t expect this show to have the staying power in the end. Colts The colts have a nice show this year with a very good horn line. The arrangements have some nice moments which allow the hornline to impress, especially their low and middle brass. Only thing is they seem a tad bit strong compared to the trumpets. The weak point to me is their color guard. Another that seems to get lost on the field. The colors just meld into the rest of the corp. I expect them to make finals night Crossmen- This show is another nice show from the Crossmen. I’m not totally convinced this will make finals night. The main thing holding this back is the drill design and execution. For me, it doesn’t have much difficulty in it. The execution is off all over with innumerable gaps throughout. I love the color guard and the props they maneuver around the field. I would love to see them get over the lower corp hurdle. Madison Scouts Madison has a very entertaining show this year. Several issues come to mind as I examine this show. Brass have a nice clean sound but are underwhelming for the Scouts. Throughout the show there are moments where they could rip your face off or provide a beautify sound but you’re left wanting more. The percussion remain an issue and seem to struggle with a relatively easy book. The color guard get lost in the field and appear to be struggling to sell their portion of the show. Maybe its just me, but this is not the Madison Scouts I competed against. Blue Knights This years corp. has me a little perplexed. I like the opening drill work but the hocky pucks just don’t do it for me. I’m thinking they will add color to these eventually but if not I’m not sure how they add to the show. Right now there is a lot of dirt in all area’s and will need major touchups to make it to championship night.

Baseball is the best example I can see that shows how a parity system can work...Baseball has more new champions than most any other sport. Yes the big guys make the playoffs most of the time but they don't get to the world series...Payroll isn't everything...Just ask the Yankees!

I think you agreeing with me in part...My wording said "Dramatically" better. I believe if you took for example BD's staff and paired them up with Madison preseason, they'd move up to the top 6 instantly because of the staff. Just my opinion.

I'm sure this has been covered before but what is preventing parity in Drum Corp...As History shows, there is parity with the top 3, 4th through 6, and the rest of the pack...The point spread is dramatic from top to bottom. To me the only thing keeping this scoring gap all falls on the staff...(IMO) Though it sounds and looks like it, I don't believe the talent level is dramatically better at the top than it is from the bottom. Show design, be it Drill, Music, or execution all fall on the staff and not the kids (For the most part.) I think we can all agree the kids perform the heck out of their shows regardless of what they are given. We've all heard the phrase practice makes perfect...But the reality is perfect practice makes perfect. Its mind boggling to me watching particular corps have major issues with spacing or form and not address the issue immediately. Not a word is said. The "we'll address this later," seems counter-productive to a corps progress yet this happens all the time. I would love to see things tighten up from top to bottom but until staff solves this mystery we'll continue to see this wide gap in scoring.

All the corps that have won championships are all elite not matter where they place today. Winning multiple championships only belong to a select few...Those are the Elite of the Elite! BD Santa Clara Cadets Cavies Phantom Madison Are the current top spots the new generation of Championship Corps. with multiple championships? Only time will tell.

Its a secret we keep even to this day!

I base the Cavies rise solely on their starting point and the first 2 weeks succession...From my point of view the show has the complexity to rise dramatically. Whether they do that or not depends on the next week in my opinion. Only a few corps have been able to pile it on in time to win finals. I'm hoping for the best.

I'll have a more in-depth critical review in the very near future but my last viewing saw a big improvement in music G.E. (From my point of view), so I still hold out hope for their finals performance. I'm sure its just me but it seems like the current drill designer didn't appreciate the work done during the championship years. I wish they'd immolate their previous drill work as the only corp. who came close to them were the Cadets.

Hostrauser, shame on you for putting BAC at 5th...Their warm up alone has them in 3rd. JK you know who!

Some of you are touching some of the points/issues I see with BAC...I'll elaborate more in the near future but some of you are right on...

I personally think its the same sales rep telling all the corps you'll be the only one out there wearing white and that's why we are giving you a deal on it. Cha Ching!!!

Its just a matter of time before we see electric violins and or ensembles.

Maybe some of you will remember what High School Band had the Big Wheels but it feels like DCI is headed in that direction. I want to say it was Broken Arrow but I'm not sure. My point is it seems DCI is taking from High School bands what High School bands use to take from DCI...Some would call this progress but for me its becoming stale to the point of we've already seen this at the High School level. DCI is supposed to set the example of the future and not the other way around. (IMO)

That's why I've placed them 3rd.

Based on that reasoning, Crown should have been Champions many times over...gods horn line would never use a ouiji board.

To each his own...I wouldn't use a warmup to predict future placements in any category, but that's just me.

I'll give a complete breakdown after my next viewing but I noticed a lot more than the few things you've mentioned. My predictions are completely subjective and not based on corp. loyalty. (Not suggesting your opinion is.)