World Class World Championship Semifinals competition saw Toledo's Glassmen stay ahead of Colorado's Blue Knights by a margin of .4. This is a race to keep watching tonight at Finals. The only change in placement was one that pleased this drum corps fan. The Boston Crusaders passed up Phantom Regiment and now own a .55 lead over the Rockford, IL group -- more, in fact, than Phantom's lead over Lacrosse, WI's Blue Stars. These three corps are so tightly packed that the 7-9 race is almost as exciting as the one at the top of the standings. Which brings us to:
5. Santa Clara Vanguard vs. 
4. The Cavaliers vs. 
3. Holy Name Cadets vs. 
2. Carolina Crown
These four corps are packed within 1.65 of each other. The gap between SCV and the Cavies is only .15, while Crown went to bed last night with a slim .35 lead over the Cadets. Anything can happen in this group. Last night as Semis Crown and the Cadets were clearly out performing SCV and the Cavies. Personally I don't think SCV has the show design to move up unless someone slips. If one of these corps is to slip, I say it's the Cavaliers. I love their show -- one in which they literally and metaphorically attempt to cross The Great Divide -- but they may have peaked early this year (no pun intended). Santa Clara is going strong and executing a beautiful show that has fans standing involuntarily at the big company front near the end, begging for more. The Cadets have what is probably the most physically/visually demanding show in DCI this year. Until last night, I believed that demand would be what held them back, as they struggled even at Quarterfinals to nail down a couple of big moments. At Semis they were ON FIRE! The twitterverse was in agreement on that description. Even Executive Director, George Hopkins, couldn't contain his excitement. After the show he tweeted, "Can you spell F I R E !?" Carolina Crown has been improving steadily and significantly for years. 2009 is the year we will look back on and say they arrived. Their program, The Grass Is Greener, is a look at the corps' past, present, and future paths. It features beautiful, powerful music full of emotion. Their visual program is equally gorgeous and as demanding as any of the competition. I have just one personal problem with Crown's show -- one that obviously fans and judges have been happy to overlook as, perhaps, they should. I don't believe it is appropriate for a corps to perform, within their 11 1/2 minute competitive program, another group's corps song. This is just what Crown is doing though, as they play a magnificent arrangement of Somewhere Over the Rainbow that blends seemlessly with Leonard Bernstein's Somewhere from West Side Story. The perfomance is nothing short of moving, and I'm sure it is this that saves them from too many ill feelings around DCI.
My prediction? Crown gets edged by the Cadets, while Cavies end the year by slightly extending their lead over the Vanguard.
So who's gonna win? I think the judges just might have given us a hint with the lead the first place corp carried into Semifinals last night.
1. Blue Devils
The cheese stands alone. I've made no bones about not being a giant fan of this year's offering from Concord, CA's Blue Devils. 1930 falls as flat for me today as it did for the American economy the first time around. The irony of similarities between 1930 and today, of course, play a strong part in BD's motivation for choosing the theme. And I cannot deny that it is pleasantly designed with plenty of demand both musically and visually. How about execution? The color guard is among the best -- if not THE best -- in DCI again this year. The brass is not quite what Crown is putting on the field, but it is oh so close. The percussion has a well-earned swagger like no one else in the activity. Above all, each element is integrated with the others with style. I felt that Concord was much better on Thursday than they were last night, but they still clearly gave us the best performance in Indy both nights. For them to lose the championship -- and break up what would be an undefeated season (incidentally, in the morning Blue Devils B will attempt to complete their own undefeated season) -- would be a major surprise. I cannot imagine a Saturday night that would bring such disappointment to the black and blue.
As I write this, I realize I should have been asleep hours ago. The drive to Indianapolis will be a drowsy one. And so it is that I leave this entry a bit shorter than the others. Let us wait and see what wonder the magic of Finals Night has in store.
-Red Dog