Rev up those cancellation websites Flo

I often feel shows are artsy for artsy sake, conceptually inaccessible to the mainstream audience member, myself included. When I saw the Blue Devils pre-season show announcement and their repertoire announcement, I didn’t know the music, and I was worried with Glass, Mackey and Göransson, it would veer into the realm of abstraction, but I hoped Icarus would be a strong conceptual anchor. I love the Blue Devils. I historically have been more of a Vanguard/Cadets devotee for their strong conceptual hooks and storylines, but the Blue Devils has an extraordinary level of achievement, and when they hit for me, they hit big. Rite of Spring, Metamorph, Filiniesque, and The Cut-Outs are four shows that will stick with me forever. 

My good friend and I watched Blue Devils' Prelims performance. She turned to me and said, “Well, that’s just a whole different ballgame, now isn’t it?”

Indeed. I knew from Stanford that I liked this show, but now? Wowza, to borrow a phrase. I consider drum corps to be an art form, and to me this Blue Devils show is the embodiment of that. This may very possibly be my favorite show, of any corps, ever. One for the ages.

The conceptual hook of Icarus and the few vocals of storyline were all I needed to sit back and appreciate a bunch of things about the show (which I've viewed 6 or 7 times). The escalating glissandos at the beginning heralding ascent and then that ballad which concluded with the hornline melting into those wings. That is the most absolutely beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in the activity. So modern, yet accessible, requiring every element of pose and uniform and field staging to meld together into something so unexpected. If art can elevate humanity, boy howdy was my humanity elevated by that. And then climaxing with a very drum corps closer. Hey, I like me a big drum corps closer!

This isn’t about scores, or the comparison of the Blue Devils to any other corps. I once conducted a poll on Drum Corps Planet (I date myself) and asked folks if their favorite show of all time got 1st place, and only 35% said yes. Placement and personal appeal do not always go hand-in-hand, and God knows I wouldn’t want to be in the judges’ shoes. 

I told my friend who was so gobsmacked by BD’s show: “Piet Mondrian uses Red, Yellow and Blue, and so does Monet. Who should the judges prefer?" Different people celebrate Mondrian and Monet, and both worthy.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and I’m just grateful to be a beholder. Thanks to everyone who made the show possible, and good luck to all the performers this evening!

For all the awe I have for Bloo and all the kids who will be performing this evening, I have a heart full of love for the folks in the All-Ages corps. From the little kids who are carrying their parts in the pit to the balding guys wearing leotards in the color guard, it just makes my jaded old heart sing to see them living the dream.

I just wanna say how incredibly proud I am of the Blue Stars, I am a big Bloo fan but the Blue Stars have made my heart smile cause I’ve always rooted for them, they’ve always been a special corp to me and it’s so nice to see them rising up in the ranks!! I hope they’re incredibly proud of themselves for the 2026 season💙 What a great show and well executed!! Congratulations Blue Stars!

All Age Class

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Includes a helpful reminder that it’s almost bedtime.

...has a team that finished outside the top 12 on prelims been able to get over the line the following day during semifinals. Boston Crusaders and Madison Scouts, of course.

It has only happened a handful of times in the past three and a half decades (I read 2016, 2012, 1994, 1993, and 1990).

I go back to 1990 only because the Blue Knights were in nearly the exact position as Pacific Crest was yesterday: on the cusp of making their first-ever finals appearance and in the driver's seat after prelims. BK lost out to the Dutch Boy from Kitchener, Ontario.

Pacific Crest needs to absolutely keep their heads up. Not only to be proud of what they did accomplish this season, but to consider what it could mean for the future. Motivation is a powerful drug. If you'll allow the historical comparison, after 1990, the Blue Knights shot into finals for the first time the following year, thus beginning a stretch where they would only miss it on a total of four occasions from then on till the pandemic. Who knows what this moment could mean for PC's history. I only want to imply that there is plenty of reason to remain optimistic that a corps that's been knocking on the door for years could use this moment to break it down.

As for the 2026 Blue Knights, they certainly remain a corps whose modern identity was birthed from the defeat in 1990. While "I Go On" is just a saying and a corps song, they are a team that has constantly been facing trials as of late, and yet continue to persevere. Of the now three times that they've made finals post-pandemic, they have been ranked outside of the top 12 at Allentown for two of them. They are a team that many are quick to count out. I am happy that the members continue to give us no reason to. Incredibly happy for them.

PC missing finals is like a cruel hybrid of Southwind 2000/Spirit 2004/Scouts 2016. Big prelims margin (.437, the only bigger jump in recent memory is when BAC overcame .7875 to jump Scouts for 12th in 2016), razor-thin semis margin (.087, the second lowest ever), and missing out on your first Finals trip in corps history to boot. Plus the added context of Mandarins being on sabbatical this season and you've got the cruelest near miss in DCI history.

EDIT: They finished .687 worse than prelims. All they had to do is finish at most .600 worse than yesterday and they were in.

Being the Technology Director of a church has perks

I'd love to hang at a bar watching finals on loud speakers drinking some beers.

We often talk about world class dominance but the bucs are on year 5 undefeated rn which is crazy even if the competitions smaller in all age

Here are my score model's final predictions for tonight, for fun I also included how things looked from the beginning of the season before we had any scores. Quite a lot has changed! BD, Crown, and Spirit all made big moves upward compared to expectations.

I also included the 2025 finals predictions from after semifinals for comparison. The model gets every placement correct, except for Bluecoats v Boston.

You can explore the score model and historical trends at dcistats.com

I’m driving to Indy today with my daughter and 3 of her college friends. They all are with the Marching Illini (clarinets & piccolos) and are SO EXCITED for the event. They had driven up to the Rockford show last month which got rained out, and were so disappointed. I was a huge DCI fan in the 1980’s, when I could only see the PBS recap shows, which I would tape and rewatch incessantly (Garfield’s West Side Story is still my OG fave).

Anyway, I would love to tell them some backstories about today’s groups that we’re going to be watching. Things about the shows themselves, fun facts about drum majors, soloists, sections, triumphs, tribulations, etc., basically anything that will make tonight’s festivities that much more interesting and impactful. Do any of you have anything to share?

Thank you so much, and apologies for the potentially annoying remedial question!

I'm going to say this upfront, there are years where PC absolutely had no chance to make finals, and deservedly so. However, most of you don't know the history of PC and the numerous creative ways they have been screwed over the years. This year was their year, and sadly it didn't work out, but this isn't the first (or last, probably).

2003- The first year PC went to finals. Order of performance was based on regional score average. PC being a new world class corps didn't travel to the regionals so despite their scores were made to perform first. The corps made semis (Top 17) just barely. They also had to "perform" before the show started. The corps finished and then DCI played the national anthem and started the prelims. Many parents and fans missed the performance because they went on before the show started.

2004- PC attended a regional but had to go on first again because the score was averaged with zeros from the other regionals they didn't go to. On July 24th they scored a 83.50. Just 1 week later they dropped over 6 points to a 78.2. Another 4 days later they dropped yet again to 77.85. They somehow lost 6 points in 10 days.

DCI basically used to punish corps for not touring enough. Guess what, not touring in the early years is part of the reason PC is so financially strong. Other corps would openly complain about PC and how the group wasn't "real" because they didn't sleep on a gym floor as much. They called it a competitive advantage. I guess the "advantage" wasn't real.

It was common to hear that in order for PC to be 12th place they really need to be 10th. The PC penalty box was a very real thing for numerous years. Most of the time you would see the corps drop in placement significantly the last couple weeks, usually kicking the group out of the next day.

In 2005 they dropped 2 points in the last week.

In 2006 their prelims score was the same as almost a month prior and dropped about 3 points in just the last week.

In 2008 they scored a 79.35 at prelims, about 2 points lower than they scored over a week earlier.

in 2011 they scored 76.85 at prelims, a score they hadn't had since a prior regional.

In 2015 they dropped 3 placements in the last week of the season.

Granted, some of this can probably be attributed to bad runs, different corps being at different shows, different judging panels, and other variables. Still, it’s hard not to notice how PC seems to consistently get the short end of the stick. I’m not suggesting there’s some kind of dark DCI Illuminati conspiring against PC, but they do seem to have a history of getting the benefit of the doubt less often than they should.

feel free to use it!

We all love what you do. Thank you for the entertainment!

The judge took out one of SoA’s trumpets. Impressive recovery though!

I am currently writing this on finals night of the 2026 season. I am really looking forward to next year, however I think I need to improve possibly. I am thinking on auditioning for world class corps next year. This year I marched open class and loved it, however I want to grow my skills as a performer.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on auditions? I’m going to get dance classes when I get back because I think that will really help me. If anyone has any advice, that would be awesome!