The Concord Blue Devils

DCI Backlot

BD Finals Week

Finals "Box Blog"

11:42 pm
Well...that's the gig! Congrats BD on a great year and congrats Cadets for winning the Championship.

Thanks to all for tuning in and we'll see you back here next year!

Do it up!

11:35 pm
The corps have entered the field and set up in the familiar setup...end zone to end zone. Here come the scores:

1	The Cadets	99.15
2	The Cavaliers	97.63
3	Phantom Regiment	96.83
4	Blue Devils	95.25
5	Bluecoats	94.45
6	Madison Scouts	92.63
7	Carolina Crown	90.73
8	Santa Clara Vanguard	88.65
9	Boston Crusaders	88.40
10	Blue Knights	88.23
11	Glassmen	87.70
12	Spirit from JSU	86.08

10:55 pm
The corps is facing me again...or not. Suddenly, there's another schoolgirl, but I guess it's TOOL TIME! Some crazy drumspeak...by far the most interesting drum solo of the night. How is this part judged? I have no idea. Is there a separate judge for drum-speak?

Now, the princess, the Tool Time girl, the raincoat girl and the original suitcase girl are all on the field together. I think this signals the edge of the universe.

The Zone theme and the show is over. The crowd is on their feet. They are probably confused, but still on their feet - they loved it!

Now we have a bit of a break before retreat. We'll return and keep you updated as events transpire.

10:46 pm
Twilight Zone... I think this is a great, strange, unsettling and very intersing show! The strange alien-head colorguard and the backward/forward unis make them look like faceless andriods - a great effect!

"DON'T DO IT!" She opens the door anyway and all kinds of zanyness begins.

A smooth, well-executed mellophone solo leads into sharp attacks and the usual wild Cadets drill.

10:45 pm
The effect of watching Cadets from the back of the field is very eerie. With the two sided uniform, they look like faceless androids when they are facing away from us.

10:40 pm
The crowd response at the end of Cavies show was friggin' nuclear.

Cavies are playing their classic Bass Drum cadence off the field. I really miss that at shows these days. Santa Clara deserves a shout out for playing their 'SCV' Cadence as they exited earlier tonight.

10:37 pm
Cavies are jazzing it up. They have some hot soloists out there. The hornline is backing them up with some sweet chords. The guard has brought out orange flags and are moving in a block across the back of the corps. The drill is crazy. Michael Gaines has a fresh approach to visual design the keeps you engaged all the way through.

10:32 pm
It's time for baseball! The guard has donned baseball caps. They added a real baseball to the "Home Run" section. I wonder if there is a penalty for hitting the ball of the field??

The horns are playing backfield, which we really appreciate back here.

And here come the ladders! Mellophones have ascended the ladders for their feature. The guard is spinning vibrant red, orange and yellow flags.

10:30 pm
Cavies opening production features the color green very heavily. The color guard wears green hats and spins bright green flags.

The horns just played a traffic jam. In the old days, the New York Skyliners were famous for their traffic jam scene that they put in their shows.

10:25 pm
Cavies are coming on the field, setting up their ladders.

10:21 pm
For the big push at the end of their show, the guard is using bright orange flags and is wearing tall feathered headdresses. Last few chords of the show, and Phantom is done with their show. The crowd is roaring their love. Big response. HUGE response.

10:19 pm
Phantom's drumline is really solid. Paul Rennick has got them playing at a high level. They are in their feature right now, which features a tap dancing soloist trading off with the sections of the drumline. Big crowd response.

10:17 pm
KICK HALT!! The crowd loves the old school stuff. You should have seen their reaction to Caballeros Alumni last night!

10:16 pm
Phantom's Tuba section just got some love from the fans after their feature.

10:13 pm
Phantom hits the last note of their opener and gets a healthy round of applause from the crowd. They are moving into the slow section of American in Paris, gathering into small groups. Most of the corps featured a segment of their show with the horns and drums moving into small pods or clumps.

10:08 pm
Phantom is on the field, umbrella's in hand...

10:00 pm
Another sweet double C from Scott Dean! The crowd is eating it up. The fugue section of the show is extremely difficult and the crowd definatly appreciates the challenge as the applause was HUGE!

The big finish...DANCERS ARE YOU READY??!?!?!? What an amazing production this group put out in '05. We'll see them back here for retreat in a few hours.

9:59 pm
The Blue Devils' color guard is simply amazing. The level of personal detail they add to the performace is a show in itself.

9:58 pm
Scott Dean just hit a FAT Double C and the crowd went nuts. This guy has been a staple of BD for the past few years and he ages out tonight.

9:55 pm
"Blue Devils, you may take the field for competition..."

9:48 pm
Here's a flash from the Parking Lot. John Meehan has the hornline sounding great. We recorded the brass playing space music. Check it out here. We also checked in with the drumline where Scott Johnson had this to say, "We are Jammin', and are ready to go out and see what we can do." The Blue Devils are on the field. They played the tuning sequence right at us - it was amazing!!!

9:33 pm
They're not booing...they're BLOOOOing. That line never gets old.

Roaring into the end of their show, the Bluecoats are maintaining strength and intensity.

The weather is still holding at "nice". There hasn't been any rain, no more thunder and all the fans are still in their assigned seats. :)

The show is over...and they are still BLOOOing.

9:18 pm
Just posted on the video page: "Welcome to the Parking Lot"

On the field now is Madison Scouts. Green team, Blue team and one Red girl. She is definatly the main talking point about this year's show. The show is "Carmen" and the female guard member plays the character of Carmen. In 1971 they also had a female guard member in their Alice in Wonderland show.

The show starts off fast, with sirens and a very cool loud trill which builds to an impact facing front field.

You can't really tell from this photo, but that's Madison Scouts on the JumboTron. Notice also the Dunkin' Donuts ad. For those further west, this donut chain is EVERYWHERE. I heard that they opened a Dunkin Donuts in the bathroom of a local Starbucks. You get the idea.

Anyway, back to the show: There are several wonderful moments in this production. The hornline just played a musical quote from Malaguena. This quote seems to make it into every show over the past few years. The crowd really likes the reference.

A typical Madison POWER finish and the crowd is electric.

And now for some "Cool".

A big rush for Carmen followed by red streamers. Her character is dead. They are carrying her off the field.

9:05 pm
Carolina Crown. Big push to the end of a song and the stadium resonates with the chords. Now for some contrast with a softer more intimate "Arms of an Angel." This is a beautiful arrangement.

The show is pushing faster and more intense as it grows to the climax. Now a park & blow to the crowd and a push forward.

Here's the big finish! Great job this year, Crown!

8:46 pm
On the field: the hometown team - Boston Crusaders. First big impact with very vibrant flags.

Next up: a ballad with very lush chords and expressive guard work...and the "Simple Gifts" theme. The guard is spread from 20 to 20 with large silks which echo the grand feeling in the music.

And now for something completely different: a drum groove and "Sing, Sang, Sung"!

Boston is on their way off the field and Carolina Crown is on their way in. As expected, the home crowd loved the home team.

8:40 pm
Bass Drum legend Kent Cater has joined us in the box. He reports that the Vanguard had their best show of the season tonight.

8:30 pm
Ok, now we are back in action...for real.

SCV has the crowd cheering with their first major hit in Russian Christmas Music.

Random side note: The first time I saw SCV this year was at the San Jose show on July 4th weekend (their home show). Above the stadium throughout their performance (almost in sync with the impacts) were fireworks. Very fun effect!

Several very beautiful moments in this show. Well played chorals and instense hits. There has been alot of discussion reguarding the placement of SCV this year. Although their scores are unfortunate, just remember that at this level, every corps that performs tonight is world-class and incredible.

There's the big "VANGUARD!"

OMG...the crowd is crazy loud after the show. The corps put on a great show and the energy of the rain delay really boosted the intensity in the stadium.

8:24 pm
The corps is still ready...standing in the tunnel waiting for a green light.

What does a crowed stadium do while waiting? That's right...the wave. We've got the Finals wave going on in Gillette Stadium...not very strong, but it does make it about four sections before it dies.

As the crowd screams delight and chants "SCV" the Vanguard is marching onto the field. Welcome back to Finals Night!

(FYI, as far as I can tell...it didn't actually rain...just a threat.)

8:19 pm
As the crowd moved back into their seats, SCV guard did their re-warmup in the tunnel - a treat for the fans nearby.

Currently, the pit is set up and the rest of the corps is ready to go. Everyone is happy to have the show running again!

8:02 pm
"This show will go on." The stadium is being repopulated. According to the announcment, the Fire Dept. made a call based on a "severe weather warning." They have never cleared this stadium before. The show will begin again at 8:30.

7:58 pm
Still on lightning delay (it's not raining). The Foxboro Fire Marshal has cleared the stands in case of lightning. I'm not a historian, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time that the stands have been evacuated with no rain on Finals.

7:38 pm
Guess what, kids....30 minute rain delay. It's a bit inconvient but with all the metal on an open field it's better to not tempt lightning. The flag lines carry what amounts to a lightning rod with a silk. Safety first!

:)

From Dave Gibbs: BD is warming up. "They are excited and ready to do it!"

7:19 pm
Short rain delay again. Blue Knights started to enter the field and then abruptly turned around and left. I'm sure they'll be back in a few minutes.

For those who have been to a drum corps show when the rain starts let me describe a familiar sight: Suddenly 10,000 people bend over and pull out their raincoats.

It's really not raining that hard...A couple minutes have gone by and Blue Knights' pit has started to set up again.

And here we go! A stong opening...this corps means business. They've got a few screamers who really work the crowd. Next up is their drum solo - not only is the drumline featured, but the guard is in the center of the field with some awesome rifle work.

6:59 pm
"The storm may be moving around us." Good news indeed! The Glassmen are setting up the pit and the horns/drums/guard are headed out to the field! The show is still on!

The Glassmen are warmed up and ready to go! This show is an interesting take on the Dvorak New World Symphony set to many different styles.

6:57 pm
Bit of a potential-rain delay: there is a storm headed this way, so the Glassmen are waiting at the gate. The officials don't want to have them start their show only to pull them off after five minutes. I'll keep you posted.

6:41 pm
Spirit has just begun their show "The Spirit of Broadway." "They're Playing Our Song" is strong as the opener.

Beautiful "Phantom of the Opera"....Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again... Hmm...and then some distant thunder??? I might have to take back what I said about nice weather. It's not raining yet though! Fingers crossed!

A "Wicked" ending to their 2005 season (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!). The stands are filling up and the stadium lights are now at full brightness.

6:26 pm
The Marine Band has just finished playing Stars and Stripes and the Star Spangled Banner. The crowd sang loud and proud and the drum corps show is ready to begin!

The announcer is reading the list of judges for the 2005 Finals competition.

First up: The Spirit.

6:21 pm
Weather today was HOT! It was over 100 degrees where the Blue Devils are rehearsing! As of 6:25 the temp is slowly dropping and it should be a comfortable night to sit and watch drum corps.

Before the show takes off, I'd just like to give a shout out to the people behind this BoxCast:

Ricky Fritzsching: Senior Developer for DCI.org and his whole team of wonderfully talented people.

Chris Nalls: BD Board Member and Video Short Guru
Hans Kloppert: BD volunteer and corps photographer
Brian Haslanger: BD Webmaster
Todd Tanji: Semi-finals blog contributor
Brian Marsali: SCV Webmaster and neighbor in the box for Finals Week

5:58 pm
And here we go! The Marine Drum and Bugle Corps is the opening act. Every year they amaze the crowd with their precision. As they march onto the field, the first full-crowd cheers of the night are heard.

This group isn't flashy and doesn't march at 240bpm, but their sound is clear and the mesage of their music is clear: precision and patriotism.

After playing Bernstein's "America" from West Side Story, they busted out some swing with "Rock This Town!"

5:45 pm
Just posted: a video from BD Karaoke Night! Better be sitting down to view this one! Also on the DCI Videos page we've posted a parking lot Phantom Regiment brass warmup.

5:13 pm
The BD webteam arrived in the stadium early today. We thought we'd take a look around a bit. We visited the Marketplace, stopped by the FJ Miller booth, Dynasty booth, BD booth (of course) and several others. The early bird fans were picking up merchandise by the bag-load.

You at home can also quench your merchandise thirst by visiting the Online BD Store.

We'll be back as the show gets closer.

Special Thanks to our friends and partners at DCI.org for making this joint 2005 Championships Coverage a reality.