What are you excited to see from the corps next year?

[olddrummer34]

Boston Crusaders – A legitimate repeat contender and possibly the start of a new era of dominance. It’ll be fascinating to see how the design identity evolves without Keith Potter.

Bluecoats – I’d love to see a shift that’s less “look at us experiment” and more direct and emotionally clear—Tilt or Change Is Everything energy. Still innovative, but grounded in recognizable drum corps DNA.

Santa Clara Vanguard – Lean fully into the weird, abstract, esoteric lane. That identity fits them now—no need to sanitize it.

Blue Devils – A return to the 2010–2014 design era would be perfect: elegant, understated, and devastatingly effective.

Phantom Regiment – Last year gave us beauty. This year, give us dark. Full-on intensity. Black uniforms wouldn’t hurt either.

Prediction: this thread lasts about one page before it gets hijacked by negativity. Prove me wrong.

[keystone3ply]

OK, I'll play. I'm excited to see the corps out on tour since the activity is dying. 👍

 

  

[olddrummer34]

15 minutes ago, keystone3ply said:

OK, I'll play. I'm excited to see the corps out on tour since the activity is dying. 👍

 

  

See, people here have no interest in talking about the actual drum corps. DCP is dead. Congrats boomers who are not as talented as the current members and weren't talented enough to become teacher or designers. 

[Jeff Ream]

1 hour ago, olddrummer34 said:

See, people here have no interest in talking about the actual drum corps. DCP is dead. Congrats boomers who are not as talented as the current members and weren't talented enough to become teacher or designers. 

i'm excited to see you man up and say who you really are.

[KVG_DC]

lol.  its the offseason.  DCP is always dead in the off season. The people who like to talk about the activity's creative side don't have new shows yet to talk about so all that remains is the 'behind the scenes' interested folk for the most part which spawns the threads we'e seen.

[cixelsyd]

2 hours ago, olddrummer34 said:

See, people here have no interest in talking about the actual drum corps. DCP is dead. Congrats boomers who are not as talented as the current members and weren't talented enough to become teacher or designers. 

I have some good news, and some bad news.

The good news is that your prediction was correct.  This thread has been hijacked by negative content before completing the first page.

The bad news is that you are the author of the negative content.  

[olddrummer34]

Still not a single comment about the corps. Insane. 

Readers - if you go the the r/drumcorps Reddit page - there is lively discussion about shows, corps, history, all of it. If you are tired of the same people/negativity that plagues this place, head on over there. 

[waliman4444]

46 minutes ago, olddrummer34 said:

Still not a single comment about the corps. Insane. 

Readers - if you go the the r/drumcorps Reddit page - there is lively discussion about shows, corps, history, all of it. If you are tired of the same people/negativity that plagues this place, head on over there. 

Nah..I'm good, but thanks for the info..peace

[cixelsyd]

I might have chimed in naturally, but:

1.  The two-hour time limit for responses was not stated up front.

2.  If I dare express a design preference, a scolding will be coming.  Probably something like this:

3 hours ago, olddrummer34 said:

 

4. Critiques of Corps Performance or Style

Innovation and style shifts are part of the activity’s evolution. Corps aren’t failing because they experiment or stick to a certain design philosophy, they’re building a diverse, professional landscape where artistic vision meets logistics, finance, and audience expectations.

---

5. Personal Attacks or Armchair Expertise

Respectfully, the inner workings of DCI and corps management are more complex than any forum post can fully capture. Critiques are welcome, but blanket statements about collapse or mismanagement often ignore how professional standards, safety protocols, and sustainable business practices actually operate behind the scenes.

That does have a chilling effect, you know.

[NewArpege]

8 hours ago, olddrummer34 said:

 

Boston Crusaders – A legitimate repeat contender and possibly the start of a new era of dominance. It’ll be fascinating to see how the design identity evolves without Keith Potter.

Bluecoats – I’d love to see a shift that’s less “look at us experiment” and more direct and emotionally clear—Tilt or Change Is Everything energy. Still innovative, but grounded in recognizable drum corps DNA.

Santa Clara Vanguard – Lean fully into the weird, abstract, esoteric lane. That identity fits them now—no need to sanitize it.

Blue Devils – A return to the 2010–2014 design era would be perfect: elegant, understated, and devastatingly effective.

Phantom Regiment – Last year gave us beauty. This year, give us dark. Full-on intensity. Black uniforms wouldn’t hurt either.

Prediction: this thread lasts about one page before it gets hijacked by negativity. Prove me wrong.

Pretty aligned on your thoughts. 

Reading the room at end of last season, I won’t be surprised if it’s gonna be a SCV/Bluecoats brawl for top spot this year and go very weird and odd. BAC is a huge unknown with the Potter change….it may or may not make a difference at all in terms of quality of their themes.  I do suspect Crown and BAC will end up with closer design language again.  Crowns def got an all-around stronger staff this year, and if recruitment goes well, they may be more competitive again this season. But looks and sound, I expect Crown will shift towards the BAC design model and move away from dark and moody. BD I’m still holding out for a Rhythms at the Edge of Time reboot….just something with an aggressive shift in sound that packs a punch. PR, I’m all in on dark and nasty.