Final Thoughts on 2016

[DrumManTx]

Almost done with my thoughts.

o.o

[corpsband]

Almost done with my thoughts.

o.o

[luv4corps]

Hi all, what are everyone's final thoughts on 2016?

I attended all three nights of finals. My opinion:

Bluecoats were magnificent. To me the skate-board ramps weren't the only reason why they won. It was the unbridled enthusiasm and unleashed freedom of the musicians. It was part playground, part wild fiesta, part heavenly joy, part freedom of flight, etc. No wonder people have written this is the show that will change drum corps moving forward.

Carolina Crown's changed ending, where the guy showed him grace, instead of shooting him was a smart move. It was a show that tugged your heart strings. A brilliant visual show. LOVED the theme. Very well done.

Blue Devils - I'm not a BD fan, but I was this year. This show was so creative and so well done. The 20 or so trombones...oh my Lord. This is the show I would want non-drum corps people to see to introduce them to drum corps. It just blew me away. Most dramatic show. Love the tarp and wave. Very triumphant towards the end. Bravo!

Cadets - I didn't think they were as bad as a lot of people are saying. Great show. Very entertaining. Ok, from a design stand-point, a little unfinished, but still a very very good show.

SCV - sorry SCV. I didn't understand it. My eyes needed a break because of all the white...white pants...white posters, white trees. The beginning was sublime, but everything else was confusing, had no coherent theme (even though it's supposed to be force of nature), the pink color guard clashed completely...the music was boring (except for beginning) and content was vague.

Cavaliers - WOW. WOW. WOW. Visually exciting and brilliant. Tremendous music and horn line. Creative! Not ideological or divisive AT ALL...just explaining the phenomenon of propoganda. A show to be remembered.

Academy - WOW. WOW. WOW. One of my favorites. Drum Major was SUPERB.

I agree with absolutely everything you said except SCV. My reaction to their show was almost visceral as it elevated me - it was integrated, subtle, aesthetic and beautiful.

My final thoughts:

The Bluecoats show absolutely mesmerized me from start to finish every time I saw it. My thoughts never wandered. They had me. It was a wonderful spectacle to witness and hear.

This was the first Blue Devils show I've liked start-to-finish since I became a fan in 2010.

The Cadets opening with the Respighi transported me every time. I didn't mind the problems in the show. Adonis was easy on the eyes.

The Academy was a delightful inspiration. Those skeletons were to die for!!! So clever without being too cutesy.

Cavies were on fire this year.

I'm really proud of the Mandarins for upping their game and now I want to see Oregon get into the top 15 and make that theater broadcast - a natural next step for them.

I really enjoyed Pioneer's offering this year. The gal who played Joan of Arc did a great job of acting before being burned at the stake.

Edited August 17, 2016 by luv4corps

[snare_guy_83]

My thoughts/opinions. Not looking for any fights...

BLUECOATS: Well they sure had us waiting for a while on this one. This design team sure hasn't let up. Percussive, groove based music with slides and new take on uniforms? Yes, please. This was flat out fun and entertaining, continuing Bloo's path of creativity and innovation. The "staging" approach to the visual component set this program up very well. This felt unlike any other drum corps show. Will this be the new trend? Only time will tell. Got to give credit to these performers, they really put themselves out there and it was clear to see that (thanks to the new uniform). Less we forget "The Wink" and "The Wink 2.0". Man, LOS lost it at Finals. Rockstar. The percussion book was tremendous. Rarick brought it and I loved it all. Percussion was tied with Vanguard after Semis, which would have been great to know when watching finals. This show could have been 20 mins long and I would have still been on the edge of my seat.

For Me: BEST GE | BEST MUSIC | MOST INNOVATIVE | MOST ENTERTAINING DRUMLINE

BLUE DEVILS: As per usual, they are contenders, and set the bar for Visual GE and Analysis. Case in point: the opening ripple movement and tarp wave was very impressive. And then the come out strong musically (with a quad feature/trombones) after that. They had a hard battery book this year and played it very well. I felt the quad tuning wasn't as clear as year's past though. Maybe it will be more clear on the APD. I truly thought outside of the the Bieber/Dance section this could have won. I found that part a little disjointed from the rest of the show, just my opinion. That ballad, oh wow. Beyond amazing visually and musically. The hurricane/whirlpool sets were very cool, just wish I could have heard the battery more, but props to them for that drill.

For Me: BEST BALLAD | BEST OVERALL VISUAL

CROWN: I was really excited from the first teaser clips and the program release. I went to Sprint Training for a day (I live in Charlotte) and got to see the first 4 minutes of the show. I was completely BLOWN away by the brass, and it was just May 27th. The battery was having an on/off day. At one point the quads did like 20 reps of just 2 count triplet rolls and were having troubles. But hey, it was May and 100 degrees out. I like the percussion book, but it just doesn't see to be at the same level as the other top corps, and you can see that in the Content scores (Championships Ensemble average was 2.33 behind 1st place and Field was 3.33 back). They still finished 4th overall in Percussion which is a step up from the past few seasons for sure. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to play more aggressive and cleaner again and take the next step into the top 3. Brass was stellar all season, well deserving of the Ott. And oh look, the Blue Devils didn't win guard. The "Relentless" title however, was confusing at times. I thought the story line would fit more of the actual definition of the word, "oppressively constant; incessant", expecting there to be a gang of outlaws the son would have to fight through to get to his father's killer, ie a constant battle throughout. He ends up dance fighting, which always made me think of Zoolander's "They're breakdance fighting!" quote. As for the endings we saw, I'm not sure if I there is one I liked more than the others.

For Me: BEST BRASS | BEST OPENER | BEST GUARD

VANGUARD: This was one of the most beautiful shows I can remember. This had a traditional meets new age vibe, and was amazing. It was simple, the seasons. Color Guard help to reinforce that visually. The lightning rifles were a great touch. The Spring opener is, as many DCPers said, was what entering Heaven would be like. Front ensemble and tubas straight killed it. Then BOOM, Brass! They improved so much over the season, and almost ended up 4th (just 0.033 behind Cadets). This battery was outstanding from day one. Snares were great and they had one of the best Quad lines in DCI in years. They earned that Sanford trophy for sure. I wish that tree would have done more. Although, would have they been able to catch up with Crown, probably not. It sure was great to see Vanguard finish so strong after they lost Fiedler.

For Me: BEST OPENER | BEST PERCUSSION

CAVALIERS: Wow, what a turn around. It's been a interesting past few seasons for the Green Machine. It took me most of the season to get behind this program, but once it was cleaner and locked in, it got me. They took a risk with this show and hit a home run. They were very aggressive at the end and earned that 5th place spot with what seemed to be a, "This is who we are and what we are going to do, so deal with it attitude." and I hope that continues, especially the pylon kicking. Liked the 2003 melody phrase in the closer. How loud was the ending? Cracked to 11! I think some people's heads might have exploded. The final sound bite said, "You are men!", but they were a machine, and hope to see more of this in your face attitude.

For Me: MOST ENTERTAINING CLOSER | MOST IMPROVED

CADETS: Well that was quite the journey of a season. I feel like I saw a handful of versions of the theme throughout the summer. No doubt they have the talent. Brass and Percussion both very strong, but that many changes is tough. I honestly had no idea what was going on with the show until maybe Atlanta. After seeing all the early season videos, I thought percussion would compete for the Sanford, but their staging at times didn't help them, such as a feature behind the back hash, nearly on the sideline. I don't have much else to say, if the season were a few week longer they might have been able to be top 5.

For Me: MOST LIKELY TO GIVE ME NIGHTMARES

BLUE KNIGHTS: Boy, oh boy I was super excited after Because and seeing the source music. I thought they could crack top 5, but they got off to a slow start, seemed that the weather really set them back in spring training. Gorgon seems to always bee a bit loose, but after that I thought the music was great. I personally thought the Saturn closer would have a different approach, more subdued like the original piece. Not that it was bad, I just had a different expectation. Mike Jackson's battery book was delightful. I dig their orchestral approach. I think it was more musically challenging that it was given credit. Overall, I still really liked what BK was able to do, especially wrapping up the trilogy. I'll be interested to see where they go next.

For Me: BATTERY BOOK I'D WRAP MYSELF UP IN AND DRINK COCOA FIRESIDE

ACADEMY: This was super entertaining. DCI's 2016 darlings. Not only making finals for the first time, but 10th in GE, Visual Analysis, and Music Analysis. It'd been a while since I cried because of a drum corps show, but those young men and women took me there. Their smiles before their Finals performance was so wonderful. They truly deserved to be there and hope to see them again. Start to finish this was great.

For Me: BEST MOMENT: PREFINALS JOY/EMOTION

[Ghost]

Still wish Phantom did the leg extension. Sort of a salute to the alumni on their 60th. But, I do not expect SCV to do the bottle dance or play send in the clowns next year.

[UKSuperman]

Still wish Phantom did the leg extension. Sort of a salute to the alumni on their 60th. But, I do not expect SCV to do the bottle dance or play send in the clowns next year.

THEY MUST BOTTLE DANCE!!!

[D41145]

Hi all, what are everyone's final thoughts on 2016?

I attended all three nights of finals. My opinion:

Bluecoats were magnificent. To me the skate-board ramps weren't the only reason why they won. It was the unbridled enthusiasm and unleashed freedom of the musicians. It was part playground, part wild fiesta, part heavenly joy, part freedom of flight, etc. No wonder people have written this is the show that will change drum corps moving forward.

Carolina Crown's changed ending, where the guy showed him grace, instead of shooting him was a smart move. It was a show that tugged your heart strings. A brilliant visual show. LOVED the theme. Very well done.

Blue Devils - I'm not a BD fan, but I was this year. This show was so creative and so well done. The 20 or so trombones...oh my Lord. This is the show I would want non-drum corps people to see to introduce them to drum corps. It just blew me away. Most dramatic show. Love the tarp and wave. Very triumphant towards the end. Bravo!

Cadets - I didn't think they were as bad as a lot of people are saying. Great show. Very entertaining. Ok, from a design stand-point, a little unfinished, but still a very very good show.

SCV - sorry SCV. I didn't understand it. My eyes needed a break because of all the white...white pants...white posters, white trees. The beginning was sublime, but everything else was confusing, had no coherent theme (even though it's supposed to be force of nature), the pink color guard clashed completely...the music was boring (except for beginning) and content was vague.

Cavaliers - WOW. WOW. WOW. Visually exciting and brilliant. Tremendous music and horn line. Creative! Not ideological or divisive AT ALL...just explaining the phenomenon of propoganda. A show to be remembered.

Academy - WOW. WOW. WOW. One of my favorites. Drum Major was SUPERB.

Are you serious? You didn't understand SCV? It's literally what you experience every year. The seasons...... Literally.......... The seasons.

It's fine though.

[KVG_DC]

Still wish Phantom did the leg extension. Sort of a salute to the alumni on their 60th. But, I do not expect SCV to do the bottle dance or play send in the clowns next year.

THEY MUST BOTTLE DANCE!!!

Something fun to think about. SCV wins a gold...for the encore performance they intentionally line up a moment to the bottle dance then....NOT! in a homage to VK.

[CaviesFan17]

All in all, another great year of Drum Corps International, taking our minds away from the real world if only for a little while...Loved a lot of the shows this year! From a competitive perspective, really hard fought all the way till the end..I can't wait until next year, I have a feeling the shows next season are going to be the best shows we have ever seen.

[BoyWonder1911]

I thought this season was a step up from last season. All corps had a better show than they did last season.

Glad to see Bluecoats win a title. They deserved it. Wasn't my favorite show, but I did like it, it was bad-a** and bold and had a lot of energy.

Blue Devils - glad to see them go in another direction than the previous years since 2010. Trombone use was a little heavy, hurt my ears. Great show, great visual program - can't believe I'm saying this about this corps - great visual program.

Crown - took a long time for the show to grow on me. Not until I saw it live in Massillon. Great brass section, great colorguard - thought they could have conveyed their message a bit better. Another great creative program by Crown - proving that they DO have staying power as a perennial medal contender.

SCV - what a refreshing program. After the heaviness of Cadets and Cavs, it was like a breath of fresh air. Wonderful program, very aesthetically pleasing.

Cavs - didn't think they'd get back up the ladder this season. Wow was I wrong. Hated the show at first, then grew to love it. Loved the closer - hated the final set - kinda high-schoolish to me. But wow what a comeback season for the Green Machine.

Cadets - they were up against stiff competition but boy did the judges hose them. Brass was excellent. I didn't personally like the show all that much, but respected the fact that it was so different.

Blue Knights - favorite show of the year. I wish they would have tugged at my heartstrings a little more, wish their closer had more power, wish they ended with power and emotion - I wanted to see a babies-must-be-thrown moment, but fell a little short. Still, I loved the concept, and what's more is that I absolutely LOVED how the mm's gave this show all they had. The only program that made my cry.

Blue Stars - what a beautiful artistic program. I felt things could have been done differently - more Picasso-ish, drill was okay - music was great. This show was another example of Shapiro's brilliance. Blue Stars are lucky to have him. Glad to see them pushing again. Thought they should have beaten Phantom.

Phantom - Same with last year, another generic, bland program. Nothing about this program was memorable save the brass quartet in the closer. That was done brilliantly. That girl on the trumpet, my goodness she has such a beautiful tone. That quartet was great. Great job. Will Pitts did a fine job arranging the brass in this program - just wait until he starts getting good at it. He's probably going to write some very special brass books for Phantom.

I just didn't like the program as a whole.

Academy! Congrats on Finals! This staff showed us they can design a program Finals-worthy - and the mm's showed us they can execute at a Finals-worthy level. Things finally came together for this corps, and I couldn't be happier for them. Hope to see them stick around in Finals - at whose expense? I couldn't care less.

Other shows I thought were memorable - Colts, another great program, just not enough to push them into Finals quite yet. Would love to see them back there soon. Oregon Crusaders - loved your program. Great job.

Making Finals is getting to be more and more difficult - all corps raised the bar, and probably 18 of them could have made Finals 20 years ago.

I think it was a great season for DCI - a big bounce back after what I thought was a disappointing 2015.

I hope 2017 has even more in store for us.