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OK - a couple of random thoughts from watching my first DCI event live...

Yamato was nice. The Troopers were actually very entertaining. I really enjoyed their show, it had a great sense of humor and a lot of people around me were commenting on how different the troopers seemed. They were good.

No one sucked. They were all good, but it just kept getting better and better...

Glassmen were better than I expected. They took some musical risks. I understand they changed the show in the last few weeks. Definitely my favorite from the first half of the show.

The Blue Knights were good. Solid but not awe-inspiring. I remember watching them and not finding anything wrong, but not finding much that was memorable.

Capital Regiment Is amazing for a 7-year-old corps. They weren't spectacular, but they were solid. They could get pretty good in a few years.

The last two of the day were the Blue Devils and the Cadets. The Devs were solid and entertaining and big. There was something missing, tho and I can't describe what it was. One of the things I miss are those musical moments where everyone cranks up the volume for a phrase and has about 15 seconds of pulse-punding raw energy in the air....it wasn't there. I was hoping for more power. There was one moment where I said "wow!" out loud, but that was it.

Finally, the Cadets came on. They started the show before they were officially announced. It was weird, but it was part of the show. THe uniforms were two sided for both the guard and the band. I won't even try to describe it...I was memsmerized the entire time. They totally kicked ass...It was unreal. It was so good I bought a Cadets shirt (and I am a broke teacher). It wasn't perfect...there was a rough spot or two...but they still kicked the sh!t out of everyone else there. I will try to get some pictures up here if I can get them off my phone.

For those of you who can - go check out the q-finals at your local regal cinema and definitely watch the finals 9/6/05 on ESPN2.
The Cadets or the Cavaliers will win this year...I think the Cadets do it.

Thanks for the review.

All of the big corps are practicing in the SE PA and Lehigh Valley, PA area today as they are getting ready for the Eastern Classic in Allentown.

I am hoping to slip out of work and go watch the Cavaliers.

I can't make it to Allentown this year but I hope to be able to be in a theater for the Q-finals.

As for the show on ESPN2 don't get too excited. They show less and less of the shows every year. It is a recruiting tool for players and money. It used to be great on PBS but they went another route for a couple of reasons.

My advice is to go on the DCI web site and order the DVD for 2005. I get it every year plus some of the back years (all the way to 1974, I believe). They do a great job and it is every corps in finals. You can see different views.

Forbes wrote:Thanks for the review.

All of the big corps are practicing in the SE PA and Lehigh Valley, PA area today as they are getting ready for the Eastern Classic in Allentown.

I am hoping to slip out of work and go watch the Cavaliers.

I can't make it to Allentown this year but I hope to be able to be in a theater for the Q-finals.

As for the show on ESPN2 don't get too excited. They show less and less of the shows every year. It is a recruiting tool for players and money. It used to be great on PBS but they went another route for a couple of reasons.

My advice is to go on the DCI web site and order the DVD for 2005. I get it every year plus some of the back years (all the way to 1974, I believe). They do a great job and it is every corps in finals. You can see different views.

Are the Cadets and the Cavs both in Allentown? The cadets are based there now...it would be interesting to see if the Cadets beat them again. They are 1-6 against the Cavaliers, but they won the last meeting and have been on a huge upward swing.

I will probably get the DVD for '05, it is fun to get into DCI seriously.

The Cavies perform on Friday and The Cadets perform on Saturday. Pretty much everyone is at Allentown over two nights.

It is good to see The Cadets great again this year. They have not been a real competitor for several years.

It is also the Crossmen home turf. Both corps get great receptions in Allentown.

Last year I was at the show on Friday night. Right when the Glassmen went on the field it started to rain. Halfway through the performance it was pouring. Then they saw lightning and stopped the show.

After the storm passed, the Glassmen went out and performed their whole show. They got a standing ovation. Not because of the show but the performance under duress.

The Glassmen are just a tad boring. The last few years they have practiced at our high school before Allentown. There was just no excitement in their shows.

The question of the year is what happened to the Vanguard. They fell of the face of the earth.

After the Music is Cool show at the Meadowlands:

Cadets - 96.850

Cavaliers - 96.050


Only other corps that is close is the Phantom Regiment with a 94.9

This should be an interesting finals.

Wow!

After Quarterfinals:

The Cadets - 98.050

The Cavaliers - 96.500


A friend saw the shows last night. he said that The Cadets show is very clean and very deep.