DCI Finals on ESPN2

[Guest The Satanic Angel]

I know it's already past 8, but turn it on if you can!

[Guest Smues]

Thanks to work I only get to catch the last half an hour, but thankfully I saw the quarterfinals live at a movie theatre so I've seen all the groups.

[Guest The Satanic Angel]

I had seen most of the top ranking bands perform in PA at the end of July, but the only finalist I didn't see was the Cavaliers. I shit you not, I sat through their entire show with my jaw on the floor. I still get shivers just thinking of it! That was beyond awesome.

[Guest Felonies!]

I totally missed this thread.

 

I liked the Cavaliers when they played music instead of this Backstreet Boy crap where they drop their horns and do jerky synchronized dance moves. I was more impressed by Phantom Regiment, because their music was on another planet compared to the rest of the top 12, and the show clearly told a story. The Cavaliers did really crazy drill, but what did it convey? I appreciate the effort that went into writing and performing the visual aspect of their shows, but Jesus Christ, play a fuckin' song.

 

I think part of my bias may have to do with vantage point. I always elect to sit close to the field, so that I'm closer to the music, but I lose appreciation for drill. With your park-and-blow corps, e.g. the Blue Devils, Phantom Regiment, formerly the Madison Scouts, the whole thrill is just getting your face blown off by like a hundred horns, so they win their points in that department and have to punt visual to an extent because the demand--especially for Phantom--is so high that you really can't march a complicated drill because it'll compromise your playing, especially when you're playing loud, fast, or high, "hearing the drill," so to speak. Conversely, the Cavaliers work hard to get a clean and balanced tone that really does sound very clean and balanced indeed, but don't take a lot of risks musically in terms of high/loud/fast, and to me, that's not really what drum corps is about. It just doesn't impress me. A drum corps playing with control and restraint is like driving a red Corvette at exactly 30 mph as posted. You listen to some of those old Madison Scouts shows from their mid-90s "fuck the judges" era, it's amazing. The drum major would turn around and photograph the crowd after the Big Moments. You don't see much of that anymore (though someone in Carolina Crown took some pictures during retreat after it was announced that the Blue Knights beat them, much to our chagrin)

 

Now obviously you didn't make it up to Madison. I don't think it was really conveyed as well on the telecast due to all the editing and so forth, but of the twelve that night, Phantom OWNED us. Mid-show standing ovations all over the place, and you NEVER see that anymore. Part of it was being like an hour up I-90 from Rockford, part of it was the fact that it was just a great show, but they had that stadium in their back pocket. It was a lot of fun. Do get the DVDs.