Here's a quick review from an "old fart" after seeing the quarterfinals at my local Regal Cinemas last night:

First of all, a GREAT idea to show it! Can't beat drum corps on the big screen - unless you can see it live. Picture and sound were both terrific. If they'd only eliminate those stupid interviews - although the Cavalier drummer's response was great!

So here's my review:

Spirit - I sure hope they beat Glassmen tonight and get into finals. They certainly deserve it.

Glassmen - make the 70's Phantom Regiment seem exciting. I fell asleep.

Blue Knights - hometown favorites. Solid, but nothing memorable.

Crossmen - vastly improved. Any other year they'd be much higher. Good drum line.

Boston - Another good show, but their narration was more of a distraction than an addition. Still the old look.

Madison - a reversion of sorts in show design, which is great for older fans, but once again is proving to be their downfall. Early and mid-season they were knocking heads with - and sometimes beating - Phantom, but there's corps in between them now. Second half is much better than the first half.

Crown - a GREAT example of why we DON'T need amplification! The singers can't sing, and the narrator...even the crowd in the theater was embarrassed. I can't believe I'm even talking about singers and narrators concerning drum corps. But what bugs me most about them is that their plumes are on the SIDE of their shakos! This bugged me last year too. It looks like the horn line is playing out of their ears, and it screws the alignment in every form. PLEASE fix this!

Bluecoats - great show, clean drum line. Best they've ever been.

Phantom - great horn line, 15-year old drill, can't march, never could drum.

Cadets - who told George that Jethro Tull would work on the field?!?!?

Santa Clara - finally over their "angry phase" (as Reliable Rondo put it last night). Best drum line of the night, easily, and they just keep drumming throughout - VERY fun. Just don't have the total show to pull it off. Must be frustrating - every year looking up at the same few corps.

Blue Devils - my question isn't whether they'll beat Cavaliers tonight or tomorrow, but how they ever beat them at all. There's really no comparison in show design and what the kids are asked to do. Horn show consists of lots of splats and very little melody. Every once in a while you think one is forming, but then it goes away. And their new uniforms look handmade.

Cavaliers - ok, yes, I'm biased, but they really are in their own world again - only THIS time, it's entertaining and fun, unlike last year's show. James Bond DOES work on the field. Drum line has improved VASTLY from early season, but they'll never catch SCV. Visually no comparison. And probably the best horn line the corps has ever had.

Nice documentary on the Cavaliers drummers reunion in May (which, unfortunately, I DIDN'T get to attend), and the kid from Blue Devils who couldn't walk 6 months ago because of an accident with a drunk driver.

But the BEST comment of the night was when the sideline reporter (a female Blue Devil alum) was interviewing the Cavalier tenor drummer and asked how she could become a Bond girl. His response was "I'll show you later." The theater howled!

Overall the corps were more entertaining than past years. Maybe they're finally listening to some of the fans they've been losing the past few years!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

Bob,

I was in Denver yesterday August 5 and got to see the Cubs Rockies game at Coors Field before taking off of the airport. The Cubs won 5-1. The place was packed (close t to 40000).

Drove by Invesco/Mile High while DCI was in progress in late afternoon and waved as I went buy. Didn't appear that parking lots were filled, but then again the big show is supposed to be Saturday.

I guess you can tell what my priorities are when it comes to DCI versus a baseball game.

I do agree with your comments on the Blue Devils costumes (they are not longer uniforms). I'll also add that when I saw them in June the costumes reminded me of something modeled after the outfits they used to wear in low budget 60s sci-fi space movies.

Gee, I don't know. From the review comments made (and the various comparisons), I'd have to admit that I wonder why anyone would spend time (and big $) to see DCI shows.

Narrations? Amplification? "Costumes"?
Sounds like "Big 10" marching bands from the 1960's!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71; quartermaster 1964-66

What years were you a Corps member? member 1958- 1963

Dave,

Having watched a lot of Big Ten half time shows from 65 through 72 at Northwestern, I take acception to your comments. I don't believe that DCI corps compare to even the "average" bands from Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota of that era, let alone powerhouses like Ohio State and Michigan. I also don't remember costumes. Their uniforms didn't compare to what the drum corps wore in the 60s but they still were more military than the one piece outfits the DCI corps wear today. Also, Purdue had the Golden Girl and the Silver Twins which is something we haven't seen in DCI--yet.

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 1959-66 (Cadets 59-61 Imperials 62-66)

John,

Sorry to burst another bubble, but Cadets use a baton twirler this year...sad but true.

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-83, 78-79

Bob,

Next you're going to tell me that corps are using formations that spell words. I am actually surprised some corps hasn't attempted a variation of Ohio State's script Ohio formation--maybe they need more people on the field to do that. Or maybe the visual judges wouldn't be able to read the words so it wouldn't work. Sounds like something the Cadets might do as Garfield used to play the "French National Defile" which is the song Ohio State plays in that formation.

(Got to go see if Greg Maddux can win number 300 versus the Giants. Will have been to two Cubs games in one week--don't know if I've ever done that before.)

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 1959-66 (Cadets 59-61 Imperials 62-66)

John: I am not sure that going to CUBS games is a good substitute for DCI. Overpaid and underworked baseball players compared to music majors dancing in costumes? Sounds about the same to me!

What did you do in the Corps? drummer 1958-63, asst. instructor 1964-71; quartermaster 1964-66

What years were you a Corps member? member 1958- 1963

Dave,

I have to respond to that remark about baseball.

Having had some exposure to what it takes just to play baseball at the college level and keeping track of some of my son's friends in the minor and major leagues (the minor leagues are probably the only form of "indentured servitude" that still exists in the United States), it takes a lot more work, skill, and mental toughness to do what Greg Maddux or Sosa do than marching in Drum Corps. Both activities require some level of talent, but it’s a lot easier to teach someone to play an instrument and march (I am an example of that), than hit a baseball coming in at 80 to 90 miles an hour. Being able to throw a baseball accurately at 90 miles an hour consistently in a game isn’t taught easily, if at all (Bill Blomquist can say more about that than I. My son is a catcher because he couldn’t throw consistently with high velocity.)

Also, most fans don't understand or see the preparation and the mental part of the game--there‘s more to it than throw the ball, hit the ball and catch the ball. So most players who make it to the major league level deserve the big money despite their big egos.

Although the umpires occasionally seem to influence a game (and occasionally a fan like last year‘s incident in Cubs-Marlins playoffs), they sure do a lot better than subjective judging at DCI and dog shows. In baseball the result depends on what the players do on the field. In DCI (and I guess all forms of present day drum corps), the outcome depends on how some judge feels the corps did relative to other corps.

(Greg Maddux did win his 300th game today.)

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 1959-66 (Cadets 59-61 Imperials 62-66)

I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about the
DCI contest,I got a big kick out of this topic.It seems like they keep adding and adding to this.Now
they have narration,amplification,costumes,oh I can't
forget the BATON TWIRLER.What's next?Hey how about
audience participation,wouldn't that be fun to watch,
or how about a cheerleading squad like they have at high school and college football games.They can do
acrobatics,throwing some of the girls up in the air and catching them,just like at the football games at the college level.Oh I'd better be careful,I wouldn't
want DON WARREN to read this he just might try to
influence someone in DCI to use some of these things.
Pretty soon you won't be able to tell a DCI corp from
some of the good marching BANDS you see today,and you
know the sad thing about it,is that you see it happening in some ways now.Too bad.

What did you do in the Corps? French Horn

What years were you a Corps member? 1957-1963

John,

Well, once again I am the bearer of bad news. Carolina Crown - the one using singers and narrators - DID spell out SEVERAL words this year. But they weren't the first. The Blue Stars, from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, spelled out CHICAGO and CTA in 1975 when they were playing music by the group Chicago. And Santa Clara spelled out SCV several years in the early and mid 90's.

Maybe you should stop making comments so I can stop making you feel worse!

What did you do in the Corps? Snare, Drum Major, Drum Instructor/Arranger

What years were you a Corps member? 1970-73, 78-79

I wanted to go to a theater and watch it also, but we don't have many theaters close enough to where I live showing it. It's a great idea. I do miss seeing the complete show on PBS though. Wasn't it broadcast live?? I can't remember.

I like to think I'm open minded about modern day drum corps. I think the visual portion of the modern shows are incredible. I'm still amazed at what the 2002 Cavaliers did on the field. I can't imagine any marching unit of any kind, any year, marching better than they did that year. Amazing!! Was it amazing enough to score a 99.something using the old "tick" system? No. They lacked the musicianship, or the music charts played it a little too safe.

It's hard to tell how the musicians of 2002 Cavaliers would have stacked up against the best of previous eras. Musically, they really didn't play anything that stood out. I think it's interesting that most would agree that the "music major kids" in modern corps are probably better overall musicians than in past eras, however the shows fail to showcase that part of it....if it is in fact true.

To be fair, I have yet to see a corps that uses amplification. Being a member of the Royal Airs, we didn't get much exposure to DCI corps' this summer. I'm a little nervous about seeing the results of such a thing. I'm trying to keep a open mind about it and segregate "what was" with "what is". Without seeing it, I have to ask "what would they narrate during a show?"

What is the next evolution? My guess would be either electronic keyboards, or light shows. Can you imagine corps dragging out their own light shows along with the pit equipment? Of course, there would have to be new rules put in place to regulate how much amperage you can draw.

What did you do in the Corps? 2nd Sop

What years were you a Corps member? 1979

I live too far from the cinemas where they showed the quarterfinals, and for that I am really sad. However, I am glad that I didn't get to see the Crown's show if they were singing and narrating. It seems out of place to have something like that in a Drum Corps presentation. And, BATON twirlers??? Next, we'll see "Rockettes" style dancing girls and cheerleaders being tossed into the air with Chineese acrobats and plate spinners!

I think the Cavaliers did well to pull off another win. I saw them last year and from what I understand, that show was a continuation of the previous year's theme of spinning circles. How many drum corps get stuck on a theme and try to re-do their ideas year after year? Did any drum corps use a similar show/theme as they did last year?

Bob, your comment on Jethro Tull reminded me of how we tried to make "Live and Let Die" work for a few months before the 1974 spring camp, until we realized it was better to let it die... Rekindling MacArthur's Park, Watermelon Man, Birth of the Blues, and Rock-a-bye My Baby were good ideas.

What did you do in the Corps? Fr. Horn Bugle, xylophone, flag

What years were you a Corps member? end of '72 to 1977

Bob,

I guess I am going to stick to baseball. I might catch the Blue Devils Family night (it's free) once a year. Since the Blue Devils seem to be consistently Best in Show or second pick, I'll get a good sense of what's going on (I will walk out if they start to sing, add saxophones, spell words, or have baton twirlers).

I am going to be in the Chicago area next week so I'll be able to avoid the temptation of attending the events DCI has planned for California--probably a combined choir of the Cavaliers and Madison men's chorus or maybe a presentation of a ballet (the six corps probably have enough dancers).

Following on Rich Biver's comment about adding cheerleaders, I can only think of one interesting combination of cheerleaders and drum corps. If the San Francisco Renegades senior corps became the Oakland Renegades and added the Oakland Raiders Cheerleaders to their show it might be interesting to watch. But for now the Renegades play for the other team.

What did you do in the Corps? Baritone

What years were you a Corps member? 1959-66 (Cadets 59-61 Imperials 62-66)