Prelims featured 36 corps and after 13 hours of performances, the numbers were narrowed to 25. A select few Open Class corps moved on with the entire contingent of DCI's World Class corps to perform in Friday's World Championship Semifinals. Seattle Cascades were the last corps in, while Louisiana Stars just barely missed the cut-off, ending what was a fantastic season for the 7-year old drum corps. 

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By the end of Friday night, all scores were announced and the Blue Devils pulled ahead of Bluecoats. The Cavaliers have steadily improved their position in the #5 spot while Carolina Crown aims to get out of their reach and make a jump for a medal. Further down the line, Crossmen and Phantom continue to flip-flop in the 11-12 spots and Spirit of Atlanta misses finals for one more year—but two years in a row in 13th could be a sign of a finals visit for them in upcoming seasons.

But now, the main event. The top 12 corps have moved on to Finals and will be competing to earn their highest scores of the season and for some of them, their highest scores in decades—or ever. Bluecoats did fall in Semis, but after an otherwise undefeated season, they have been a hands-down fan favorite. Their rendition of The Beatles has opened the doors of DCI to new fans everywhere, and they just get one more time to do it—9:37 PM ET. Blue Devils will finish out the night with their artistry, bringing the theater to life on the field for 12 minutes—just to extinguish the ghostlight for one final time.

You're not going to want to miss this—this is one of the best seasons of drum corps this activity has ever seen.

Schedule For Saturday

Scores

Semis - August 9

Prelims - August 8