33 years of DCI champions

[^Michael^]

What I take from this discussion is that by and large we agree with the judges. Most of the posts indicate there are few instances where we think the judges chose the wrong winner. And further endorsing the judges, most of the instances where there were complaints were confined to years when there were ties (a coin toss for sure) or very tight increments between one and two.

For all we hear through the season about the mistakes the judges make, it appears in retrospect and in aggregate we think they do a pretty good job. Agreed?

HH

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You have my agreement. (of course that, and $4.00 will get you a coffee at Starbucks!) :P

[boxingfred]

1. 2003-Cavies should have beaten Blue Devils because they had a FAR superior (and very well executed) drill, and their music was SO much better than the Devils. This is probably where I lose most of you. I am talking about the arranging, folks. But in addition, I enjoyed the Cavies' music a lot more than the Devils. Spin Cycle was just a great little piece. A little hard to get into at first, but still... PLUS, the Devils pull out the same ol' freaking "run around the cymbal rack while whacking it" schtick that they did the year before (and it was to much better effect in '02...) They ALSO repeated the peddle tones (sp?) from the previous year...LAME. Don't get me wrong. I think that the 2003 Blue Devils did an awesome job of executing their show (like always). I just think that their show design could not match the Cavies' show design. My wife, who is a non-drumcorps person, and has only been watching corps for 3 years (she saw '03 with me...) agrees with me, and it really aggravates us both that the Devils won. I will say that the Devils' colorguard outfits were definitely better than the Cavalier's... Talk about uuuggly! :)

the machine didn't put the quote from Cardman frame up.

I'm not going to bash the Devils because they were great in 2003. But, I also think that the Cavaliers should have won.

The Cavies marched more in the first 2:20 of their show than the Devils did their whole show. That's not a slam on Devils. The Cavies just decieded to max out on visual content.

I don't think Cavies were as clean as the Devils but when you march as much content in your first song than most corps march in their whole show....

I agree with you Cardman. I wish people would take a second and third look at 03 Cavies and give them their just do.

I think Cavies guard uniforms this year were the worst. Michael C. does great! work but 1 out of a thousand aint bad.

Edited August 26, 2005 by boxingfred

[SFsmack]

1990 The Cadets with a Close Runner of The Cavaliers

1991 Hmmmm I thought Star and The Cadets should have tied!

1992 Definitely the Cadets instead of The Cavaliers

1993 The Cadets, Medea by Star was nice... but ummm yea that...

1994 Blue Devils no contest to that

1995 I didn't think champions of the Cavalier show, they performed it well, but The Planets is a really frequently done Marching Band show and I just thought they should have chosen a better selection. Blue Devils in my opinion.

1996 Phantom Regiment!!! All the way! Blue Devils did a great job but I thought Phantom Regiment touched the hearts of the audience.

1997 I'd have preferred The Cadets first with Blue Devils a very very very close second

1998 The Cadets or The Cavaliers, both were great shows

1999 Santa Clara Vanguard alone without the tie

2000 The Cadets alone without the tie

2001 The Cadets with Blue Devils very close behind.

2002 Honestly I wasn't impressed, but for technical executions The Cavaliers deserved it

2003 Blue Devils, The Cadets and Phantom Regiment should have tied, very impressed with a large number of corps out there

2004 Santa Clara Vanguard ALL THE WAY, with probably Blue Devils a close second in my mind

2005 The Cadets and Phantom a close second.

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HAHAHAHA, this kid cracks me up. He's so Anti-Cavaliers. It's all good, yo.

SMM

[GMichael1230]

The Cavies marched more in the first 2:20 of their show than the Devils did their whole show. That's not a slam on Devils. The Cavies just decieded to max out on visual content.

I don't think Cavies were as clean as the Devils but when you march as much content in your first song than most corps march in their whole show....

I agree with you Cardman. I wish people would take a second and third look at 03 Cavies and give them their just do.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Blue Devils marched a much more complex/exposed drill in 2003, based on sets designed to enhance maximum musical impact, utilizing transitions as support of music, actual technique, and execution. BD stepped up their velocity in 02 also along with playing much more demanding music.

Cavaliers offered us their typical awe inspiring drill, however, notice the down time, notice the feet when the brass plays their most exposed parts, notice they rarely offer two different tempos and style of marching at one time as the Blue Devils do this often, to full effect. Notice intervals during transiton, notice intervals during rotations.

Guard integration also goes in favor, again, to the Blue Devils, always on the move, in the mix and never just "background" . Also, moving, quite frequently while excecuting their most demanding content.

Visual storytelling of the music this year is close, Cavies "spin" quite a bit, fitting their theme, but the Blue Devils are masters of presenting their music visually as well as aurally. Their drill is very clever, full of suspense/release and written to enhance the entire musical score, not just brass, but the three main components, working together, as one giant, flowing unit. They are basically untouchable, Cavaliers being their closest rival.......

Which brings me to this "Cavies not getting their due ??? LOL LOL LOL, arent they the champions of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004 while taking second in 2003 and 2005 ????

If anyone needs to "get their due", it is Jay Murphy and Co.

~G~

[Cody]

1990 - Star over "Garfield's Greatest Hits".

[mobrien]

On further review (of some of the Legacy DVD's...)

SCV, as much as I loved them in '78, should not have been able to win with that performance. Only problem was that of the top four, only Madison really seemed to be "on" that night - and they closed the show with a friggin BeeGees tune. Can you say "retrograde"?... :P Perhaps this is a year where there should have been a four-way tie for 2nd place...

'93 Star presented a show that was much more intellectually and musically mature than Cadets (imho), and should have been rewarded for that effort. Cadets performed the #### out of what they had, but in retrospect, it looks like pure cheese now, vs Star, whose show is still as vital as it was then.

'96 Regiment should have been solo winners. I hated essentially everything about Devils' WGI'ish show that year ("oh, gangster costumes, how nice, how literal....is Corky St. Clair still designing your show?")

'03 Cavaliers should have had a four-peat. Devils' arrangements were so idiomatically INcorrect as to be painful (Miles never reached for high notes playing Gil Evans' arrangments, and Brubeck never wrote for brass FFFF impact points).

Aside from that, as I look back through the years I marched (starting in '74) through now, I really can't see any others I disagree with.

Edited August 28, 2005 by mobrien

[TommySopranoContra]

2003- Devils won with a show based on cool jazz tunes. I thought Cavies should have won. Spin Cycle,The most physically demanding show ever. Cadets crowd favorite!

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I thought Phantom Regiment, The Cadets were the crowd favorites. Blue Devils coming really close. But I really really don't think Spin Cycle was that demanding. The show wasn't very slow or fast. The music wasn't as difficult as the other top 5 corps. Having said that I did enjoy that Cavalier show 20 times more than frameworks.

*2003 The Cadets - I thought malaguena by Madison was the best, until I heard this remixed version, and a lot will agree with me that 2003 The Cadets had one of the cleanest drumlines in DCI's existence.

[boxingfred]

Blue Devils marched a much more complex/exposed drill in 2003, based on sets designed to enhance maximum musical impact, utilizing transitions as support of music, actual technique, and execution. BD stepped up their velocity in 02 also along with playing much more demanding music.

Cavaliers offered us their typical awe inspiring drill, however, notice the down time, notice the feet when the brass plays their most exposed parts, notice they rarely offer two different tempos and style of marching at one time as the Blue Devils do this often, to full effect. Notice intervals during transiton, notice intervals during rotations.

Guard integration also goes in favor, again, to the Blue Devils, always on the move, in the mix and never just "background" . Also, moving, quite frequently while excecuting their most demanding content.

Visual storytelling of the music this year is close, Cavies "spin" quite a bit, fitting their theme, but the Blue Devils are masters of presenting their music visually as well as aurally. Their drill is very clever, full of suspense/release and written to enhance the entire musical score, not just brass, but the three main components, working together, as one giant, flowing unit. They are basically untouchable, Cavaliers being their closest rival.......

Which brings me to this "Cavies not getting their due ??? LOL LOL LOL, arent they the champions of 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004 while taking second in 2003 and 2005 ????

If anyone needs to "get their due", it is Jay Murphy and Co.

~G~

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alot of words to say nothing.

You used that guard integration line before. And you are wrong again.

Have you ever written a drum corps or Band field show ? I have.

You attack alot of peoples opinions. why? Are you always that right?

The Devils were good visually. I think based on my vewing of the 2003 shows that Cavaliers were better. Pyware Rules! Internet Tough Guy.

[TommySopranoContra]

We're just sharing opinions, so no one is really right. It's an assumption we have to take what people Think is right.

[NR_Ohiobando]

We're just sharing opinions, so no one is really right. It's an assumption we have to take what people Think is right.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're wrong :P

I'm but a lowly high schooler, so my choices are based off of recordings...

93...Okay, at first I had only seen Star's show, and I couldn't believe someone beat them at their level of execution. ....Then I saw Cadets' show and everything made a lot more sense. That show was FAST! Holy Christ was it fast. someone previously said it was pure Cheese...eh...like the commercials say, "Behold the Power of Cheese!". I prefer Cadets' show that year even though Star was in a league of their own in maturity. (...wait, does that make me immature?)

96...haven't seen BD, but I wish they would've beaten Phantom just for the sake of Phantom still being the "best corps to never win Finals". It's always more fun to root for the underdog (no offense to Phantom...that show was EMOTION)

99...again, haven't seen BD, but even if I did my bias against them would put SCV on top

00...eh....Most people prefer Cavies, as do I, but I can't pick which one I thought should win more. Cavies had the visual and music(IMO), Cadets had...well, "the power of CHEESE"...again.

01...Liked Cavies more, they seemed to have the full package. Compare BD to them and BD seems boring. People say BD out-executed them at Finals...eh...they won in 03 due to that so everyone's happy.

03...Like I said, BD out-executed Cavies, but Cavies demand was higher than a hippy...they had to perform with those horrendous guard unis on too. I mean...I got the intended effect with the two sides......but JEEZ were they ugly...and a tad revealing for some

04...Same principles as the previous year except that Cavies demand was lowered a tiny bit and the music was upped for the audience; so do the math and it'll equal a championship for the Cavies. BD seemed like they performed the same show from last year(what with that same daaaaaa daaaaaa da da daaaaa daaaaaa da da being stuck in again), it just kinda brought me down.

05...Are you kidding? Get rid of the NARRATION you WGI wannabees!!! Unfortunately talking is now considered 'accepted' for many.... :( Execution you will get credit for. Narration you will get flamed for. In a perfect world, Phantom would've won, but eh...gas prices almost passed $3.00 recently, so I guess I have nothing to complain about.