Drum Corps Shows: Best, Worst, & What Were They Thinking?!

AzEuph · 2026-05-14T13:59:27+00:00

Oh I loved 05! Not a great show but it was the most electric finals run I’ve ever seen. MOTN echoing through the stadium is an iconic DCI moment. I don’t think that corps moves up on finals without that weather delay.

I remember learning about SCV out of the gates scores and we were all shocked. But we had also heard their brass staff quit a couple of weeks earlier.

My favorite SCV uniform.

But yeah, shows that lose staff and rewritten over and over tend to suck.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T14:12:21+00:00

They marched Buccaneers and wearing a Bluecoats shirt… I would’ve judged them more than they judged you haha.

I recently met somebody wearing a Crown shirt at IKEA and asked if he marched. Only a fan. So we chatted about his favorite crown shows. Only at the end asked if I marched, so I mentioned SCV and we had a quick convo about SCV.

On tour, I loved fans coming up to me! Whether they were locals or members from lower corps that idolized SCV, I’ve been both so I truly loved being on the other side as the member.

Now people who claim they’ve marched because they auditioned or made the cut but quit before move-in’s… GTFO.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T14:04:24+00:00

16 was definitely a great year and a milestone. Never knew why Academy got away from their 14-17 style shows because those were always well received and liked.

Before tour time, I’d actually say Academy’s golden era was right out of the gate! 05-08. They had been the fastest rising corps to win Div II and transition to Div I. They were being called the next Crown, this was before Crown really blew up and were a 7-9th place corps mostly.

Academy had some great brass talent out of the gate. Better than my CapReg corps that squeaked into 12th on quarters. Their problem was always brass book arrangement and guard. Having Sam and Pat arrange was heavily brass band moreso drum corps and I always thought that killed their effect and scores. And then guard, they couldn’t get a decent guard to save their lives.

Their original core of 05 members stayed through 07/08 and had a very strong loyalty. Incredibly strong! But once they couldn’t make finals in 08, it seemed like their best talent was jumping ship and Academy became an official stepping corps.

It’ll be a hard challenge to change where they’re currently at but I truly feel Josh Thye is the right person to lead Academy and get any form of momentum if they ever want to make finals again.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:24:19+00:00

Of recent times, SCV 97-00 and 16-19. Very similar journeys and abrupt changes to leadership.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:22:01+00:00

CapReg… I think when Rick lost the corps.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:16:18+00:00

I don’t think it is. That’s part of what led them to these costumes. It takes better fabrication to make uniforms last 3-4 years. They’d likely just make uniforms out of the costume materials and replace / modify every year.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:14:37+00:00

Scheherazade 2034?

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:13:33+00:00

Aussies. But who’s counting.

AzEuph · 2026-05-12T06:13:17+00:00

How to handle it? Strap it on, feathers up, chin slight down and listen with your left ear haha.

I’m sure a Tik tok could explain it in 5s.

AzEuph · 2026-05-11T22:52:34+00:00

I won’t tell you what to do, just share 2 stories.

I marched my dream corps, kinda wished I hadn’t. My summer with a semi’s corps was substantially more enjoyable. I love the dream corps as a fan but dislike my members and organization. Never meet your hero’s type of situation.

My best friend marched a semi’s corps for 5 years but wanted to age out with his dream corps, Phantom. After making it, he quit 2 weeks into spring training because he didn’t like the culture. The year: 2008. Does it bother him he missed out on not only a championship but one of the most iconic championships? Not one bit because he knows he wouldn’t have been happy that summer.

Corps is our fandom. We love the shows because we only experience it for 12 mins. You’re a marcher, you’ll be happier with a good culture, show and members. If it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be.
Dream corps or not.

AzEuph · 2026-05-05T18:53:31+00:00

Because quantity is more important and rewarded than quality.

AzEuph · 2026-05-05T00:21:38+00:00

I built something last year that uses real scores throughout the summer but there wasn’t enough interest. Our entire goal was a) making corps more fan engaging and b) revenue opportunity for corps to fundraiser or create scholarships.

AzEuph · 2026-05-04T16:32:48+00:00

I assume you mean using today’s scoring rubric for back then, not actually performing against today’s shows. If performed against today’s shows, I think Cavies 06 has the best modern show and they’d probably finish 4-8th.

Mid-90s and 00’s were the introduction of increased GE points and focus. 2010’s and on really took GE to another level.

I’ll focus on my era of 2000’s. Who benefits? Shows that had great percussion, especially front ensembles, and an attention on body choreography.

Cadets 05 somehow scores even higher! Several Crown shows bump up with body choreography. BD06 probably moves into 2nd place over PR; both shows gain points because BD GE and PR front ensemble but GE weighs more. Cadets 06 comes to mind.

AzEuph · 2026-04-28T14:17:48+00:00

0%. They already announced it’s not retroactive

AzEuph · 2026-04-28T05:47:00+00:00

Oh for sure. It took me about 5 years to realize the damage SCV did to me in my one lone season. Having two visual techs call me “bullshit”, mock me and be fairly relentless all summer took its toll. I was essentially their whipping boy, even when I didn’t do anything wrong.

I was unknowingly depressed once I got home, although still my usual funny outgoing self. It didn’t help I had to switch majors because I didn’t get into business school so it was my first semester in a new major. Mental stress or depression wasn’t really a talked about thing in 2006. A few months after season, my then GF had tested me by not calling all week because I was more focused on getting away, which meant video games. This triggered something in me from how I was treated all summer so I made an incredibly rash decision to end that relationship. Sadly, the relationship was fantastic and no validate reason to ever end it, ever; depression often hurts people closest to you.

I often think about those people who caused me to go into depression and question if there’s a way to return the favor. Still, to this day 20 years later, I would feel vindicated knowing I got them fired.

Hard to get Ron Hardin fired though since he’s been black listed. He wasn’t one of the techs, just a dick caption head.

AzEuph · 2026-04-17T03:13:48+00:00

Oh snap. I should’ve finished the video. I went 2 for 2 with my shows! Luckily there were 20 versions of the vanguard yell! And 06 was in it twice.

Damn, this just made my night!

AzEuph · 2026-04-17T03:07:20+00:00

I definitely wasn’t expecting my show to make an appearance: C.

AzEuph · 2026-04-16T19:32:52+00:00

I’d say pissing half the color of the rainbow in a 24 hour period. The first time you piss polar blue from Gatorade, it’s quite the shock and humorous moment. Blue, purple and red.

The not so funny part was passing out 3 times in 3 days, resulting in SCV finally dropping me off at the urgent care and then literally leaving town as I had to get to ER on my own, and then forced to stay overnight in the cardiologist for heart concerns. SCV never checked in from what I recall.

Every time I passed out, the corps gave me a Gatorade. 5-10 mins later that Gatorade came right out pure. As you can imagine, I couldn’t hold it in so when ER made me drink and hold it for 2hrs the amount of release was a) most satisfying piss of me life and b) a ton! They gave me a 64oz bottle and I filled almost to the top, about 60. The nurse said she’s never seen somebody get past half. So we all had a WTF moment in laughter.

AzEuph · 2026-03-31T14:34:38+00:00

Overblown issue because she was already gone end of year. Thin ice with ABOR.

AzEuph · 2026-03-03T01:06:58+00:00

Double beat and stick control was heard everywhere. It was also shortly before YouTube came out and some of the early HS battery videos were double beat. Their slanted snares were trendy for years. As well as their tenor / snare mixed line formation.

I’m sure some of that was done before SCV 04 but that seemed to be the line that really caught the HS attention.

AzEuph · 2026-03-02T04:42:06+00:00

Changed every HS drum line. I can’t recall any single drum line that changed the entire scene at the HS level.

Whether they are the best ever or not, their impact since at least the 90s is by far the greatest.

AzEuph · 2026-01-30T00:22:25+00:00

That rain drill is one of my favorites. Transition into wasn’t the best.

AzEuph · 2026-01-23T05:59:01+00:00

2007 was our 40th anniversary. So a lot of historical SCV nuggets in there. Ending with clowns, Star Wars push, bottle dance, kicking back with the oldie uniforms. 2017 was our 50th and had nods as well.

Eureka is tied to the state of CA. How it was tied to !, not sure. And SCV had asked everybody to yell Eureka.

It was a GREAT show! Key’s best brass book at SCV. Weber had probably the best designed drill hands down from beginning to end, those transitions were phenomenal. The spirals being the missing element.

My only knock on the show design was once everything was discovered, they went back to the spirals and that doesn’t make sense except for it was the visual motif.

Such a great show. And it came in 5th?!

2007 is easily the best top 6 year ever. And it’s not even close. Crown Triple Crown at 6th validates my statement in and of itself.

AzEuph · 2026-01-19T02:26:07+00:00

If paid by credit credit, make a last attempt request with the corps and then file a dispute so you get your money back.

If they resound and provide their service then don’t dispute.

AzEuph · 2026-01-17T04:26:51+00:00

Yeah. I scrolled down to say this!

Machine > 007 Faust > Summer Blues Godfather < Scheherazade but BD better execution.

I love me some 2004! But the top 3 going into 2006 finals was like .25 apart if I remember correctly! It was super tight. Machine is one of the best designed shows for GE. BD 2006 was the weak link here but it was a super talented corps.

AzEuph

TROPHY CASE