tommynev

Drum corps isn't just a bunch of spoiled white kids. A lot of them give up semesters in school to raise enough money just to be able to march. And there are plenty of members of every corps in DCI that are gay, or come from various ethnic backgrounds.

No, not especially. I've just never heard someone hyping how good a corps' speaker system is. Unless you sit in between the 35's at a show you can't hear them anyways.

I know that in the past the competitions broadcast on this service were available to watch even after they were completed. I work nights and wouldn't be able to watch them live if I subscribed. Is it worth it for me to sign up, or as the name suggests they are only viewable live?

Is the new sound system better than the one they had in '94?

I'm 99% sure the close up of the guy in the black hat with black plume is the drum major. The DM for The Cavaliers has as far back as I remember always had a black velvet hat. I can't imagine the corps proper not wearing white hats. The white hats, contrasted with the green tops and black pants makes the drill pop (when clean obvs). Regardless what they wear I'm excited to see what kind of show they've put together. Early word has been very positive.

I'm just glad I marched in a period right before socal media took hold of people's opinions and thought processes. One of the best things about being in DCI was how it secluded you from society. We lived in a total bubble, and if there was any criticism about the corps we never knew about it.

I don't understand how, after decades of DCI recording and releasing these performances, that this is all the sudden now a pressing issue. Most people can barely force their friends to watch a drum corps vid. It's a niche market of people buying this stuff. Just makes me wonder how this escalated so quickly.

Not sure if they performed this at their encore tonight, but I took a vid of The Cavies drum line performing in O'Fallon. A lot of fun. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAqi-Tt0_E

Cavies had their opener and closer flags in last night. The opener one is lime green with a black and white checkered pattern near the pole. The closer flag is red, yellow, orange and silver stripes. The "Run, Boy, Run" flag wasn't in yet. Both show silks look really great under the lights!

My bad. Go BD.

I know BD's staff has been around forever, but I almost get the sense from them that they are trying to do the opposite of what you said. Look at 2010 and 2012. How were those shows "tipping the hat" to drum corps that people love? If anything it was the designers telling the crowd they didn't matter. Sit on your hands all you want, we've got the judges eating out of our palms.

I haven't read through this thread, so forgive me if this has been mentioned before. When I saw their musical selections flash on the screen the other night at the cinema I was stoked to see "I Will Never Leave You" as part of their repertoire. When they played it in the show I almost had to strain my ears to pick up the melody. I know it's super early in the season, but I don't get the arrangement at all. Here's a link to the original cast. Do yourself a favor and listen, it could be one of the musical highlights of the season if done right. http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=tStUnyvr8gQ

Exactly, TimK. It's way too early in the season to be worried about who leapfrogs who on what night and how close the scores are. It's much more interesting watching the performers progress while the designers add all the bells and whistles. (Just an opinion, obvs.)

Cleveland, sure. But right now they end the show with a figure skating lift.

It's June 20th. If people don't "get" a corps' concept it's probably because the production isn't complete! I mean, The Cavies don't have show silks yet, Crown has a place holder ending that has nothing to do with Hell, and even The Cadets are counting nonstop to get across that their show is about 10. Give them some time.

The Cadets guards in the 90's were pretty legendary. They pushed the envelope every year and were always so clean. 92 is my favorite show the corps has ever done, and the cg played a big part in how effective that show was. Now they just kinda blend into the background.

I was a member of one the corps with a more "relaxed" rehearsal style. We typically got more floor time than other corps, our water breaks (Gatorade was always available as well) usually lasted about five to ten minutes, and in sectionals the staff would always try to find shade for us to rehearse under. We typically got more free days than other corps too. But.... given all that it was still bar none the hardest thing (mentally, emotionally and physically) I have ever done. No matter what corps you go to you will get used to the fact that, aside from meal breaks and precious sleep time, every single second of your day for months you will expected to be doing something to make the corps better. Every person who has ever marched, regardless of the corps, has shared experiences. Freezing cold showers. Scalding hot showers. Gyms that are 90 degrees with lights that won't turn off. Trying to navigate your way through a sea of bodies in a pitch black gym in the middle of the night because you need to take a ####. Unbelievably hot days with no clouds. Never ending bus rides. Having to gather all your belongings in the middle of the night because your bus broke down and you may not see it for a couple days, or ever again. Thinking laundry is the most exciting thing you've ever done. The list goes on forever. These aren't a negative, I swear. They are part of what makes marching during the summer so unique, amazing and memorable. Long story short, you shouldn't overthink it too much. If it's you're dream to march, go with your gut and try out for the corps you like the best. And don't get discouraged if you don't make the first one you try out for. There are always corps looking for members. My sister tried out for Star in '92 and got cut in April. She ended up marching Colts and absolutely loving her experience.

I saw the top eight perform three weeks before finals, and most of them had major changes by finals night. SCV didn't even have their ending in by then. Crown got rid of the frisbees in the guard in their second piece and the last forty five seconds or so was completely new. The Cavaliers overhauled the entire ending as well, and it was 1000X better than what they had in Warrensburg. Phantom changed a ton, getting rid of those huge black tubes just one example. And The Cadets... well they went full on "American Variations".

geluf, And for that the activity must be heaving a huge sigh of relief. Hopefully everyone will take their lead. Who ever watched drum corps for drill?! Idiots if they did.

I'm just curious. What did the white plastic trash can that was sitting on about the fifteen on side 2 represent? I only saw the guard grab flags out of it then throw their streamers in it a couple minutes later. How did that tie into the show?

I don't know if there's much they can really do about the 95 audio, it's so pit heavy and bright. There is no bass. Sucks for all those great shows to be preserved that way :(

Should re name this topic "Let's discuss Star 93 again". Their show was mesmerizing, haunting, genius and perfect, but they aren't on this DVD. How about the shows that are? Some really great picks.

We were fortunate enough to tour CA twice while I was a member, once in 93 and again in 97. The crowds were amazingly receptive to us, I'm pretty sure a Midwest corps was a rarity back then. We had some really neat experiences that you couldn't get in places like Streator and Otsego. We got to do a full ensemble practice at Mars while BD looked on and then share a meal with them. We also got a free day in SF, the only time I've ever been there. That said, both years we went there were tough on the corps. Extremely long bus rides (a lot of bus break downs too), which led to limited rehearsal time and even less floor time. I think those first few weeks of tour are so crucial to set a rhythm in the corps schedule, (so much learning and improvement goes on, especially for new members) and we didn't really get that. And after a week and a half we still had to drive back to the middle of the country and compete in DCM. It was exciting to go out West, sure, and kudos to our org. for giving us that experience, but I think it hurt us in the long run.

Since most topics on this board at this point in the season tend to (obviously) talk about who is going to win this year, who is the dark horse, etc., I thought I would ask what show from which corps (that you weren't a member of) would you like to have marched. I'd go with Cadets 92. Such a hard show but still a favorite of mine.

My all time favorite guard has to be Cadets of Bergen County 1992. I saw that show live multiple times that season, including their first performance (which was a train wreck), and on video hundreds of times. They were so perfect, their book was state of the art at the time, and they just captured to essence of their theme so well. Such a great flag line, and really just a great show all around. A list of my faves: Cadets: 1989-1996 (all amazing) Cavaliers: 1991, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003 (wow), 2004, 2010. Carolina Crown: 2007-present. (Always close to flawless with amazing musicality and demand) Phantom Regiment: 1991, 1996, 2005, 2011, 2012. Santa Clara: 1989, 1991, 2013. Star of Indiana: 1993 (holy crap) Blue Knights: 1992, 2012. Blue Devils: 1994 (never really understood all the hoopla about them, they don't march under their work most of the time) Sure there are others, these are just the ones that pop out in my mind.