Favorite 2016 Programs?

[Cappybara]

After the last two days in Broken Arrow and Denton, these shows stood out the most to me, in no order.

The Academy

Blue Stars

Bluecoats

The Cadets

Carolina Crown

The Cavaliers

Crossmen

Oregon Crusaders

Santa Clara Vanguard

A good few of those might be all time favorites too. WOW.

WHAT A SEASON!

I can sense your excitement from my computer

[DrumManTx]

I can sense your excitement from my computer

I feel like I've discovered the activity again. Omg.

[BRASSO]

My 5, no particular order... Santa Clara Vanguard.... Boston Crusaders.... Carolina Crown.... Blue Devils... Phantom Regiment.

[BoyWonder1911]

I haven't seen Crossmen yet, but I'm liking Blue Knights, Blue Stars, and Troopers.

[snare_guy_83]

Thought I'd do some reworking of the percentages for the top 5 on this poll since the ones shown above are thrown off a bit by people voting for multiple corps:

SCV - 48.9% of the 131 people who have voted as of now have this show as one of their favorites

Academy - 43.5%

Crown - 42.7%

Bluecoats - 39.7%

Blue Devils - 21.9%

UPDATED at 149 Voters:

1. Vanguard - 49.0%

2. Academy - 43.6%

2. Crown - 43.6%

4. Bluecoats - 40.9%

5. Blue Devils - 26.2%

6. Blue Stars - 17.4%

7. Cavaliers - 16.1%

8. Blue Knights - 14.1%

9. Scouts - 12.1%

10. Cadets - 10.7%

10. Phantom - 10.7%

[MikeRapp]

Sad to see BAC isn't getting many votes. They were the biggest surprise when I saw them live, especially after some of the animosity I had read on here. I really like their show, the props, the drill, the music, and the front ensemble.

I'm not a BAC homer, and really didn't like their show last year, but they deserve a lot more credit than they get, I think.

I really like their show and especially their prop idea, but I feel as if the windmills are a hindrance to the show about midway through. Feels like they need to trust their music more and get the props out of the way.

It just feels like they are playing ring around the windmill.

[luv4corps]

After the last two days in Broken Arrow and Denton, these shows stood out the most to me, in no order.

The Academy

Blue Stars

Bluecoats

The Cadets

Carolina Crown

The Cavaliers

Crossmen

Oregon Crusaders

Santa Clara Vanguard

A good few of those might be all time favorites too. WOW.

WHAT A SEASON!

I'm glad you've got the Cadets in this list. To be quite honest, they are my #2 after SCV. And, for the first time since 2010, I absolutely love BD's show (curiously not on your list) and it is my 3rd favorite. For these corps to be my top three is unprecedented. Makes things really fun this year.

Edited July 22, 2016 by luv4corps

[luv4corps]

My 5, no particular order... Santa Clara Vanguard.... Boston Crusaders.... Carolina Crown.... Blue Devils... Phantom Regiment.

Boston - yes. I thought I was the only one. They are definitely in my top 5.

[JurassicWorld]

Bluecoats: reminds me of the audience gasps at the groundbreaking Cadets in 1982
Blue Devils: three-peat not only possible, probable ... and deservedly so

PLUS:
Santa Clara Vanguard, Phantom Regiment, The Academy (nice to see a quality specialty show again)

ON THE CUSP ... by season's end, perhaps?
Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers, Blue Stars

Be nice to the newbie poster / Jurassic fan ; )

[N.E. Brigand]

Sad to see BAC isn't getting many votes. They were the biggest surprise when I saw them live, especially after some of the animosity I had read on here. I really like their show, the props, the drill, the music, and the front ensemble.

I'm not a BAC homer, and really didn't like their show last year, but they deserve a lot more credit than they get, I think.

On the Indianapolis broadcast, I preferred Crusaders' show to Phantom's, although both were strongly marred by an overused pit.

At Akron two days later, I reversed my opinion, even though Crusaders' pit was much better. Seeing the show as a whole, it seemed the mult-icamera shots, for once, had actually made it seem more cohesive than it was. One point in particular that I recall was that the "drunk" (or lonely? or despairing?) trumpeter soloists was staged, and miked, in such a way that we could hear his solo but not spot him on the field until he was done.

And in videos I've seen since, I haven't yet felt they've developed the potential that seemed to be there. The theme certainly isn't coming through for me at all. Yes, the windmills, the drill forms, and the occasional sound effect all bring Don Quixote to mind, but to me, they're not conveying the "exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical", i.e., the very definition of "quixotic"? The right comparison would be to Cavaliers in 2011 with "XtraordinarY", where element after element drove that concept home.

I hope they can yet turn it into something special. Last year didn't really work for me until Finals night, whereas "Animal Farm" the year before, dirty as it was from start to finish, had a strong conception and tremendous energy right out of the gate.