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Sorry to be so late to the party this season (graduating college and job hunting has been a little chaotic to say the least) but I am so excited to see what Boston has in store for this show! I also cannot wait to see what their outstanding color guard has to offer!

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3 hours ago, craiga said:

Hmmmm.....BAC staff including caption heads high fiving each other after tonight's run.  What could it mean......?

Well, the Red Sox did win another game today, (albeit not bringing them any closer to the Yankees). I suspect the drum corps will finish higher in their division than the ball club.

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18 hours ago, craiga said:

I arrived late yesterday and was able to watch full ensemble last night.  I actually wrote a lengthy and detailed review of what I saw last night, but the dcp servers wouldn't let me post it...perhaps due to the length of it.

So, I'll now try to give a brief summary:

Last night 6/14, BAC did another full performance run of the entire show....that's Parts 1-5, top to bottom with no stops and no met.  This is the strongest corps Boston has ever produced. The 48 member guard is again pushing every envelope they can find, the drum line is at another level this year, and the 80 member hornline is made up of mostly brass performance majors from various Texas colleges, and it sounds like it.  9 of the 12 tubas are vets, the 26 member bass trombone feature is worth the price of admission, and who would expect Boston to unleash several trumpet screamers?

At 165 members and the most aggressive visual and music program they have ever displayed, this is literally a MONSTER of a drum corps...complete with new age technology while still employing legacy elements such as an incredibly visceral weapons package and an actual company front near end!

I could go on and on, but I will leave it at this. With this drum corps firing on all cylinders right now they are arguably in contention to end up at or  very near the top in August.  And for those who would dismiss me as a typical, clueless homer I get it. Hope you enjoy the Boston Crusaders!

Thank you so much for posting this super detailed report.  Sounds like they are in great shape for a great season. 
I do have one question in regards to amplification.  Mainly the mic’ing / amplification of the brass line.

Are they balancing this well  or is it overdone/overpowering ? 

Reason I ask is they nearly blew our ears out via the  speakers  last season which is never good .  

Similar to Colts in 2018 For those who would like a reference 

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35 minutes ago, Triple Forte said:

Thank you so much for posting this super detailed report.  Sounds like they are in great shape for a great season. 
I do have one question in regards to amplification.  Mainly the mic’ing / amplification of the brass line.

Are they balancing this well  or is it overdone/overpowering ? 

Reason I ask is they nearly blew our ears out via the  speakers  last season which is never good .  

Similar to Colts in 2018 For those who would like a reference 

This is actually a great question. I think in this activity there is a natural dichotomy between the sound techs, who frankly just like to make things loud, and the music people who are obsessed with balance and blend. Lately, I have noticed BAC investing substantial time in combined brass and percussion rehearsal sessions in the late afternoons,  and sometimes they literally are detailing one musical phrase at a time adjusting those levels.  Regarding the above mentioned dichotomy,  I will say that Gino's opinion carries the day....in every case.

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1 hour ago, craiga said:

This is actually a great question. I think in this activity there is a natural dichotomy between the sound techs, who frankly just like to make things loud, and the music people who are obsessed with balance and blend. Lately, I have noticed BAC investing substantial time in combined brass and percussion rehearsal sessions in the late afternoons,  and sometimes they literally are detailing one musical phrase at a time adjusting those levels.  Regarding the above mentioned dichotomy,  I will say that Gino's opinion carries the day....in every case.

Most of the time, in DCI in particular, it's the opposite, actually. The music (brass folks in particular) just want it super loud, and the audio guys are saying no! I will say that the vast majority of audio folks in DCI are actually former members or music educators themselves, not just random rock n roll guys that take a gig with a summer marching band for fun.

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13 hours ago, craiga said:

Hmmmm.....BAC staff including caption heads high fiving each other after tonight's run.  What could it mean......?

I'm going to guess that it means BAC has a great show design in their eyes, and maybe it's being performed well for this time of year....

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Brief update from Castleton:  Work on the show continues with a special emphasis on the back end of part 5.  It's a beautiful ending to the show, with the entire guard on flags.  They cover the entire field front to back and from 5 yard line to 5 yard line.  An elegant ending, to be sure.

The corps was about 30 minutes into full ensemble tonight when Gino suddenly stopped rehearsal and moved the entire drum corps under cover.  The skies opened up only 5 minutes later. There are several options for indoor rehearsals here, so my guess is that they'll be inside until snack at 10:30.

Excitement is building in preparation for Saturday's Community Performance, which is free for all.  It's considered to be a thank you to the local villagers for hosting the corps over the past month. Also, I can report that I did hear Conquest being rehearsed the other day....with 80 brass!

The members are excited for Saturday's Performance.  Not only will there be a huge local turnout, but a lot of Boston area alums are planning on making the 3+ hour trip up on Saturday. I understand the hotels in nearby Rutland are filling up.

One last thing....even though the corps now owns three equipment 18 wheeler trailers plus the new kitchen truck, they are only taking two of them on tour.  The remaining needs will be met by a couple much smaller box trucks towing tandem axle trailers.   Adapting to the new normal...

 

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3 hours ago, craiga said:

One last thing....even though the corps now owns three equipment 18 wheeler trailers plus the new kitchen truck, they are only taking two of them on tour.  The remaining needs will be met by a couple much smaller box trucks towing tandem axle trailers.   Adapting to the new normal...

 

Hopefully that will allow them to deal better with the anticipated sky high diesel prices!

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