Houston Review

[MikeN]

As much as I've been around drum corps at various points as a fan, volunteer, web jockey, performer, writer and instructor, my kids (M8 and M10) have never shown much... well, *any* interest in DCI. Until this year, when they asked me out of the blue "can we watch a video?" You can bet I jumped on that as quickly as I could, and Friday found us taking the day off to go the Houston ToC show.

First off, the stadium was amazing. Better than some college stadiums I've been to. (I'm not kidding when I say there was more parking at that stadum than there was at Finals in '08 in Bloomington.) Very close seating put you almost right on top of the corps, and the concessions, on the wings of the concourse, overlooked the field. That meant if you were in line for, say, 20 minutes to get 3 bottles of water, you could at least hear and see what you were missing. That's foreshadowing.

We arrived about 40 minutes before the show, and the kids dragged me down souvenier alley. It warmed my heart to hear them say, "look, look! Phantom Regiment!" There were various station set up around the fan areas where I&E performers got to show off their stuff. We watched a Cavalier trumpet (sorry, I didn't get his name, but he was great), Bluecoats kit drummer and Phantom's small ensemble. M10 asked me to get a picture of her with a Phantom pit player, but M8 got shy. M10 fell in love with the Bluecoats' show shirts and design, and M8 declared himself a Cavalier fan start to finish, before the show even started.

The main problem with the stadium, and this isn't their fault, is that it was 95 degrees in the parking lot when we arrived at 6:30pm, still over 90 on my phone when the show started, but I'd say closer to literally 105 in the stadium off the turf. I have never been to a show quite that bad, and I've been to a lot in Texas.

National anthem was sung (nicely, too!) by a Vanguard member, and we were off.

Now for show reviews, I'll say up front, I've avoided watching the corps on Youtube, Fan Network, etc. I wanted to get a fresh read on each. The only audio I'd heard was BD's preseason recording (my one word review of that - ugh). That said, I'm really just giving impressions, as I figure if you're reading this, you already know the "what" of what they're doing.

Carolina Crown was up first. It felt like the heat really dogged their guard at first. The corps seemed tired. However, once they got rolling, everything got sharper and sharper. It reminded me a lot of the Cadets' West Side Story in '09 in that it was very much "run and gun" drum corps. Some folks like that, some don't. I very much do. The timpani / bass drums around the field is an awesome effect, but one you're really going to need to experience in person in order to fully appreciate. My favorite moment of the show, by far, was the guard's "thunder punch" where they hit the ground Thor-style, and the concert basses all hit at the same time. I can't quite get folks who say there are long down periods - I just didn't see them. The show is frenetic, and only pauses for the Common Man quotes. Can this show win? Yeah, it's a contender-type show. To win, though, I think they're going to have to clean it until it's spotless - then the drill really will shine. It's *almost* there (clearly, since they're 2nd in the standings). M8 thought the show was "cool, but it's really hot, dad." M10 said "yeah, yeah, good, we need drinks before we die."

We got in line to get drinks and, yeah, it took 20 minutes. We got to see Boston from up above in the corner. I don't think I can really get deep into a review for them, as I didn't get the full effect, but from where I was, I can honestly say I didn't see or hear any weaknesses from them. They're a very solid group, and while I wouldn't have a problem putting them in 8th aganst these guys, I don't think that tells the story of how good the show really is.

We got our bucket of drinks and missed getting back to our seats for Cadets by - no joke - about 30 seconds. We had to watch their show from the concourse. M10's initial reaction was "hey, they look like candy canes" with the white and red. I think it makes them look bigger. Wouldn't mind it if they kept that look, either. I think my quick review for them would be "it's a Cadets show, just more so." You know what you're getting with Cadets - bright trumpet runs (although somewhat shorter in length), a crowd-interactive swing section (though oddly truncated this year) and a beautiful and emotional ballad (though much, *much* longer this year, it felt like). I'd be happy chopping the ballad for more swing, please. Honestly, I don't think this show is a winner. It's the members that are keeping them in the top 4 right now, not the programming. It feels like it was the safe choice, which is strange for the Cadets. And the voiceovers in the closer were awful - amazingly overpowered for their brass, and M10 said afterward, "ok, that show was weird. They should print shirts that say 'Keep Cadets Weird.'" (we're from Austin - Keep Austin Weird and all of that.)

Hydration in hand, we got back to our seats to watch Bluecoats. It was also about the time the sun started to set and the temperature dropped from "kill me now" to "barely tolerable." Unmasqued was, without a doubt, the best designed program of the first four. I actually had them 2nd overall as far as programming. I love the modern Bluecoats. They're electronic, quirky and always looking for new ways to integrate little effects to pump up the package. This show is no different - they have a brilliant re-take on Masquerade to get rolling, and then you just hang on for the ride. Under stadium lights the uniforms (corps and guard) look like a million bucks. The ballad added teen voices saying different emotions, which was supposed to lead to the discordant and conflicting next song. I get that - it worked okay for me. M10 thought it was a little "cheesy." However, I kept expecting a shout back to that later, when things calmed down, with voices expressing more positive emotions. You know, tension --> release. We never got the "release," so it felt unfinished. Anyways, I'm nitpicking here - M10 and I loved this show, and thought the unmaskings at the end worked really well. Oh, and the drumline wins the award for "best 2-bar show ending tag" this year with the giant open ruffs. Excuse my language, but that's ballsy - and it worked.

Intermission was next. We sat and marinated. Boston I&E snare drummer played for us (I'm the one that "wooooo"ed for him, BTW - come on, he was making a drum beat with buzzes in between taps - that was cool!), and they did a HS drum major salute competition. I mention this because the kid on the end totally put a martial arts move into his - never seen anything like that before.

Blue Devils were on first after the break. Going in, I'd heard the audio, and thought it was a disaster. After watching the show... I get it. It's not going to end up on my permanent rotation, but I get what they're doing. I thought the voiceovers actually worked. You have to think of the total production in its entirety, though, and not stop to say "hey, music with overlaid electronics." It really does require some suspension of "conventional" disbelief on the audience's part. Of course, nobody tells you that before the show, either. In many ways, I think this is an important show, in that I think we got a glimpse of the future of drum corps. The undershirts looked like a million bucks, and the drill is so far removed from what we'd seen before this night that it felt like it's own category. BD doesn't need hats and shakos for this kind of drill - I would rather they give the corps more dance-appropriate gear (like the undershirts) and just go from there. Is it a championship show? Probably - they still do what they do very very well. But with what they're doing... I have no idea how it fits into the conventional structure of what everyone else is doing. It's just a completely different animal, in concept and execution. Very rarely do I get hit with a show that makes me rethink the conventions of the activity, but this one did. M8 and M10 put much less thought into it, saying "that was weird. And it's still hot."

Vanguard was up next, and the one-word review is "loud." Very, very loud. The funny part is that the sound quality never suffered, so it makes you wonder why other corps can't do that. I thought it was a very nice program - it doesn't break any rules, but they're very clever making music match drill, impacts go with big drill forms, etc. I thought their take on Mars was clever and fresh, and I never felt like I knew where they were going next with it - in a good way! Music of the Night tag was nice - enough to say, "hey, remember this" without going too far. I was concerned when they ended and didn't do the V with the cymbals, but then they started again. M10 laughed out loud (delightfully) at the final soft tag with the flags, and there was the V. It's a very good show, and I think it really comes down to how well they perform it where they will end up. And yes, the drumline was as good as advertised. M8 and M10 were fairly well dead at this point.

Phantom was next, and ... oh boy. I'd explained the opera in the car on the way, so they got the poles with the hats (which was brilliant, BTW). I love this show - it's absolutely Classic Phantom. You know what you're getting, and they don't disappoint. The only criticism I could make is that there's a bit of a story buried in there, but it is indeed buried - it's not hit-you-on-the-head obvious. I think it needs to be. I paid close attention to the drumline, having read DCP this past week, and I don't think they're bad at all. Not a Sanford-trophy contender, but not bad either. We were too low to get the full effect from the opera curtains. Oh, and the Japanese/Chinese drum feature - loved it! I'm saying the same thing a bunch of different ways - it's classic Phantom, and if you like that, you'll like this. (M8 and M10 both called them beating Cadets, but I think it might have been pure "I like this" on their part.)

Cavaliers wrapped up the night, and I'll be honest - I wasn't expecting much from them. I know they've been having a rough year. That said, I have absolutely no idea why. All three of us loved the show from start to finish! The field entrance is classic, and there is absolutely no ambiguity what the show is about. In fact, if you take the program is "hey, we're cool - look what we can do," that's pretty much the surface layer. Not that different than last year's XtraordinarY and their three ring circus. I did notice, even from field level, that the drill isn't the cleanest ever, but only a few corps really nailed their stuff at the show. I don't know - I just am not seeing where they're getting hammered. There's a great drum trick near the end, BTW, but it's much more subtle than last year's inverted tenors. Bass drummers step between the tenor players and play individual notes of their drum runs. As far as I can tell, I might have been the only person to get that and clap. It felt, to me, like this is very much one of those "total production" shows like Machine in '06 or Samurai in '08 where from field entrance to exit they're trying to put on a particular vibe, and we all really felt like it worked. M10 said "I think they should win." M8 said "now I know what I want to be when I grow up."

M8 and M10 had the show rated Cavaliers / Bluecoats / Phantom. So there, if you want the opinion of a perfectly new set of fans, looking more or less purely at entertainment value, that's the ones they picked. I, honestly, pretty much had the final results pegged, even down to Phantom hopping Cadets. Even from the concourse, Cadets seemed kind of flat compared to Phantom, who was just a degree sharper.

The mass corps finale was a lot of fun, especially with the extended tuba solo. Once the flags opened up with the neon/black silks, it got an over-the-top ovation from the crowd. (Does anyone know what the song was? I'll be honest - all I could hear was screechy horn distortion on top of a latin bass riff.)

On the way back to the car, M8, who wouldn't take his picture with Phantom, badgered me until I asked four Cavaliers to pose with him. Pic is now on his wall. And they both want me to take them to Semis in the theater. I'm hoping they've finally gotten the bug. But next year, we're talking about going to San Antonio instead. You lose some intimacy with the corps, but you gain air conditioning. And I'll be honest, that's a fairly huge bonus after this show.

Gracias,

Mike

[PeeWee]

Thanks for the additional Texas review!

I get that BD is trying to turn DCI into WGI. I get it. But...I don't agree with it. WGI uses electronics because there are NO musicians on the floor. This is not the case with DCI. There are plenty of people on the field who can sing, dance, and play a musical instrument. We don't need pre-recorded ANYTHING. Just sayin...

[MikeN]

I get the argument for that, too. I'm a child of the late 80's/early 90's, so I'm definitely ok with no electronics.

But I have to say, Cavaliers and Bluecoats used it to amazing effect. It didn't overwhelm - just complimented the programs here and there and, especially for Cavaliers, made it so much better. Bluecoats, it made funkier, in a good way.

Cadets voices stood out mainly for their volume - it overwhelmed the musicians in the finale. And BD - think of the voices as part of the soundtrack, let them blend together, and it really does work. I'm not sure why, but it does.

Mike

[Jeff Ream]

good stuff Mike!

[PeeWee]

But I have to say, Cavaliers and Bluecoats used it to amazing effect. It didn't overwhelm - just complimented the programs here and there and, especially for Cavaliers, made it so much better. Bluecoats, it made funkier, in a good way.

Cadets voices stood out mainly for their volume - it overwhelmed the musicians in the finale. And BD - think of the voices as part of the soundtrack, let them blend together, and it really does work. I'm not sure why, but it does.

Fair enough. But I come to drum corps shows for amazing brass sound, spectacular drill formations, and amazing colorguard! None of those require any pre-recorded sounds.

If DCI shows become mostly pre-recorded sounds, I'll just go to WGI instead (the seats are more comfortable, and Vanguard Winterguard is just as enjoyable to watch).