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DCI Finals Week 2013


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Just a great perspective of every corps this year - and I agreed with pretty much everything you said....although I still think Crown should have won guard :tongue:

Later,

Mike

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Thank You for an insightful , and respectful take on the end of the season.

I look forward to this posting you put up each year , in fact at first I thought I was reading a cut and paste introduction from years past.

I like to think that each year a show will come forward that has all the elements to win , and I felt it was Crown this year. I have been to orchestra concerts in symphony halls that did not sound as good.

I hope Phantom does not change their programming , although IMHO their endings in the past have been hyper dramatic - this year seemed like it had a restrictor plate.

frankiE

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Fabulous review! Well done and thanks for sharing.

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Thanks, guys. Sorry about all the typos. Something happened when I pasted from Word, and I didn't notice in time before my flight landed. Corrected now.

Restrictor Plate for Phantom. Nice. Very apt, lol

Harvey

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DCI Finals Review – August 2013

And before you know it, another DCI season has already come & gone. The day after Finals is always such a bittersweet day for me. There are fond memories of times spent with great friends and enjoying great shows and at the same time a bit of sadness and emptiness that my favorite time of year is already gone again – not to come back for almost 11 months. I find myself writing this review every year, not really sure if anyone else really reads it, but more as a way for me to say goodbye I suppose, and enjoy the memories one more time before they start to fade.

This was my 25th year to attend DCI Finals,starting the year before I marched (I marched in 90 with Black Gold) or spent time on a corps' staff – 1989 was a pretty great year to be someone one's first year to attend Finals, by the way! This was the 20th year I've joined up with the same group of friends during Finals week, and it always makes for a great reunion of drum corps lovers who all have various corps and sectional backgrounds, including my best friend, who marched with me back in 1990.

We had great seats – 1st 2 rows of section640, on the 50, for all 3 nights. Prior to Indy, I was lucky enough to go to Denver, Denton, San Antonio &Allentown – so I got to experience a lot of great drum corps this summer and see the shows grow and evolve tremendously. I'll write one review here for the 3 nights in Indy. As an apology, I did not see ALL the Open Class Corps, sorry guys.

Taipei Yehfue – What a treat to get to see this group again, and what an amazing experience it must be for these kids from Taiwan. A very nice and appropriate show from this group. Perhaps not as feisty as their shows have been in the past, but the Asian Butterfly Lovers theme was pretty and entertaining. The corps had a very nice, controlled sound as well.

Colt Cadets – One of my friends has a son that marched Colt Cadets, and I was really proud of him and this corps! CC took a big step up in performance from last year, with some very nice musical impacts, and generating some good crowd reaction early on Thursday.

Pioneer – Pioneer just keeps chugging along, and in these days of far too many World Class Corps, I am glad. Their praise music show was enjoyable, and the guard looked great in their dresses. As in many recent years, they were over-balanced with the percussion overpowering the brass at times – but I thought Pioneer had a stronger performance level overall this year.

Cascades – This corps seemed like they were much stronger than their program. The brass and drum lines could play and put out some impactful volumes with good quality. Unfortunately, the design of the show just wasn't there to compliment the kids. The Inescapable theme really didn't come through much, certainly hampered by the very small guard. Still, like with Pioneer, I am glad to see Cascades still touring as a World Class Corps, and I hope they return next year with a bigger guard and stronger program.

Spartans – It was nice to catch Spartans at Semi-Finals (Sorry, Music City, I just missed you guys). Not a lot that stands out in my memory with this show other than the stellar color guard. Very strong group, used very effectively.

Genesis – I got to see Genesis twice this summer, and I'm very glad! Genesis, to me, had the most entertaining and effective show in Open Class this year. BDB & SCVC might have had stronger performance levels, but Genesis's show was accessible, musical and very entertaining. I was surprised just how well the Oz-related music still holds up on the field. The horn line had some nice power and blend,and the guard complimented the show very well. There were so many nice little touches to allude to the characters from Oz. Very well done!

Blue Devils B – this was a very competent corps who performs well. I just had a very hard time connecting at all to what they were doing. Perhaps trying to be as abstract as the A corps without the performance levels and performer maturity is not the wisest course?

Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets – I was very excited to see SCV Cadets after loving their "hat" show last summer, but was a bit disappointed as I also didn't find this show as entertaining or accessible as last summer. Still, the corps marched very well and played some very solid music that I appreciated.

Jersey Surf – It is so nice to see a corps that is trying to carrying on the traditions of the Bridgemen & VK, yet in their own way. Like last year, the show picked up steam as it went along, and the last 3-4 minutes of the show were very entertaining. Not as strong of performance levels as 2012,and I didn't' think the design held up to that same standard, but still a very respectable and enjoyable showing from Surf. The guard member doing the Aretha impersonation at the end was so enthusiastic and very enjoyable to watch.

The Academy – It was shocking to see Academy so far down in placement this year – and even beaten by SCVC and BDB on Thursday. I don't think that was warranted, and was glad to see it corrected with a placement just above those 2 on Friday. I do think they had a better performance on Friday. In the end, this was just not a good programming choice in my opinion. Academy clearly had talent – especially in the brass and drum lines. I think their guard was actually solid, too. None of them had a vehicle that matched that talent, though. It was kind of painful to see the singalong that most of the crowd wouldn't participate in. I'm sure that was a good idea on paper. In reality, with a DCI crowd, not so much. Still, some nice brass moments that I did enjoy.

Mandarins – To me, Mandarins win the most improved award for 2013, along with Troopers. What a huge leap forward this year for Mandarins, in everything from fabulous new uniforms true to their identity & used very effectively with the yellow piece on the side, to a show that just felt like something Mandarins should do. This the first heavily narrated show that I actually enjoyed, ever. The music book was also very enjoyable, with some very moving moments. Bravo, Mandarins! Can't wait to see what you do next year now.

Oregon Crusaders – Last year, I really enjoyed OC. This year was more of a struggle for me. I think in part I was holding what I felt like was the worst "uniform" in DCI against them. Please go back to your regular uniform, OC. You have a great one – use it! As for the show itself, I thought they did abetter job selling it by Friday than they had all year. I was disappointed to see them pass Mandarins, but they were very strong on Friday – with the best brass performance I thought they had all year. I think I enjoyed Friday more as well as I didn't pay attention to the story and just enjoyed the brass & percussion performance.

Pacific Crest – I'm not sure what to say about Crest. Talented. Strong. Powerful horn line, for sure. And perhaps their best guard ever. Overall,the best PC has ever been, I think, though the program itself was not nearly as enjoyable or memorable as last year. It was missing the melodic hooks that True Colors had in spades last year. One of the least effect closing effects in DCI this year too with the purple fabric pulled over to cover the heart. Still, I was super impressed with how strong every section of this corps was this year. They seem to have some momentum and those around them in the standings better look out.

Colts – Along with OC, Colts win my award for worst new uniform. I know some like it, but for me, I just can't stand it. It's generic,lacks character and makes them look much smaller than the big, bold, red uniform of the past few years that I really liked. The Cadet corps for Colts has a better uniform. As far as the show, this was a very nice & enjoyable show from Colts, and I didn't mind them moving up on Friday. Visually, the corps was light years ahead of last year from both a design and performance perspective. The guard had some effective moments (loved the last big ensemble flag moments) and the brass and drumlins gave us some very nice music. I still don't get calling your show "Field of Dreams," playing "Field of Dreams" (which was a gorgeous ballad) and not having even a hint of baseball in your show, but oh well. I think this was a good year for Colts to build on.

Crossmen – I liked Crossmen in 2013. I just didn't love them like 2012. I think the corps was more talented this year– especially in brass and percussion, but the vehicle wasn't as strong, and it cost them Finals. The drill was way too compact and mostly ineffective in terms of adding impact, except for the peace sign moment, and the closing set. The corps actually marched much better by Finals week, though. Musically, there was a lot to like, but the arrangements were way too brief – every time you got a moment you could sink your teeth into, it was over too quickly. Still, despite the design flaws, it felt like we really had a top 14 this year instead of a top 12. Go get 'em next year, Bones!

Troopers – Troopers share the BEST new uniform award ofthe year for me, along with Mandarins. True to their heritage, with brighter colors that were far more visually impactful. Along with that, they also share the most improved award for me, along with Mandarins. This was a great, great show from Troopers –and they certainly deserved that 11th place finish in GE on Friday night. I would have preferred to see Troopers again on Saturday night – not necessarily that they performed better than Blue Stars, but their show was FAR more enjoyable and entertaining to me. True goose bump moments in the Battle Hymn closer (I NEVER would have guessed that piece would still work so well on the field, just wow) with the incredibly well done sunburst from what was a very enjoyable color guard. Just a brilliant design for Troop this year. It might have been missing just enough demand to secure that last finalist spot(or even 11th), but one of my favorite shows of the summer. Thanks, Troopers! I can't wait to see what you do next year.

Blue Stars – After not really connecting with this show in Texas, I did grow to enjoy it quite a bit by Indy – especially the middle section with the guard guys as voodoo dolls. Very well done part of the show. Musically, this was far from my favorite book from Blue Stars. I really miss their much more melodic and layered music books from 06-11. The rich, warm tone the corps used to have seems to have been replaced as well by an equally powerful but less enjoyable harsher tone quality in the brass. Still, a very strong corps in terms of performance levels, and that's what kept them in Saturday's show, despite a superior product from Troopers. The guard was also very strong, as we've come to expect from Blue Stars. I understood the "dress" from the voodoo queen covering the corps at the end of the show, but I didn't think it was very effective.

Spirit of Atlanta – I thought the gap between Blue Stars and Spirit should have been a bit larger. This really was a very enjoyable show by Spirit. In Texas, I wasn't sure they had the legs in the programming to stay in top 12, but they really added so many nice extra touches and layers in the show over the final month and they all worked very well. I hope Spirit can find a way to continue to entertain us while finding a little more emotional depth in their programming – if they can do that, they certainly have the talent to move up. So many little touches I loved in this show – from the "bar" scene, to the feather headdresses on the guard to end the show with an extra splash. I do wish they had played MORE of Sweet Georgia Brown – it could have been developed into a more effective moment, I think. I do hope Spirit takes a note from so many corps like Blue Stars, Troopers & Mandarins that have found new uniforms that are more pleasing on the field, effective visually and true to their heritage. This current one is not wearing well with me over time.

Blue Knights – Most underscored corps on Saturday, by far. I'm not necessarily saying they should have placed higher, but this was a far better show than an 87. Such a nice & enjoyable show from BK that really sold well to the upper deck. I thought they had their strongest show on Saturday night, with more volume and impact than they had had all year. I did hear some individual voices, though, and those 12th place finishes in Brass & Percussion didn't help (I still didn't agree with either, though). The guard was phenomenal for BK this year, from design & color scheme to performance levels. I also thought that First Circle sold better on Saturday than it had all year. I even minded the blue Ball less by Indy (maybe the fact they "bedazzled " it helped?). To me the most enjoyable corps in the 7th-12thblock this year. Nice job, BK!

Madison Scouts –It's been a long time since we had 9 corps break 90, and it was deserved this year. Madison was a very good corps this year. I would have had them slightly above Boston instead of slightly behind, but the grouping of Madison, Boston & Cavaliers was as tight as their scores were. In the end, Madison, had the least depth of programming of the 3 – especially visually, and that hurt them. Still, the show was enjoyable, and the closer was very, very moving. Thank you, Madison, for continuing to put your heart out there and taking the audience in. I keep waiting for them to step up their visual design and programming another notch to break back into top 6. I hope that happens soon. Regardless, it's great to see Madison firmly entrenched in the top 10 yet again.

Boston Crusaders – I really couldn't stand this show earlier in the season to be honest. Even in Allentown I struggled to connect with it. By Saturday night, though, I thought they had their strongest and most emotional performance of the year. Still, the first 9 minutes of the show were only saved by a simple but super effective "Rise" at the end as the Red came out. The ballad also really evolved into a much more effective and enjoyable part of the show by Indy. A fitting anniversary year for Crusaders, with yet another stellar guard. I do still wish Boston would find a way to improve the power and impact of their brass line further. As usual, one of the least impactful horn lines, at least from the upper deck vantage point.

Cavaliers – What Cavaliers did with this show after an almost laughably and certainly painful to watch start to the season is nothing short of remarkable. Even their Achilles heel, their horn line, had their best show of the year on Saturday night in Indy, with better blend, tone and projection than they had accomplished all season. Still, if Cavaliers want to get back into the top 6 (there was a giant chasm between the 7th-9thgrouping and the 5th-6th grouping this year), their brass program must get a lot stronger. Visually, this was a far better product (once cleaned) than 2012, with some very Cavalier like drill moments with great guard integration – especially after the robes thankfully came off. Brilliant last flag choice – sharp and impactful. Far better program than 2012, and the visual design and execution of a demanding visual program was just enough for Cavies to edge Boston & Madison. Scout fans, no, there was no G7 judging conspiracy here, Cavaliers deserved that placement.

Phantom Regiment – It's hard to put a finger on what was missing with this program. There were wonderful drill moments like the opening set, the drill during the haunted forest section, the rapidly forming chevron and the great rotating sword and guard wedge in the finale. There were wonderful brass moments like Enigma and Phantom's power and especially the deep, rich low brass sound was out in full force by Indy. And the guard was beautiful and fantastic. Yes, the drum line was weak, but something else just never completely clicked for this show. (and I didn't even mind the puppet queen – I kind of liked it). Now, to be sure, this wa sstill a show I really, really enjoyed. It just wasn't one of my favorite 2 shows of the summer like Regiment almost always is. The music book just hasn't been the same for me since Shaw left – not with the same type of emotional connection as before. Visually, Regiment was better than they were musically for the 3rdyear in a row. Hard to believe. Clearly there are some things to address there – especially with percussion. You can't carry a drum line that weak & compete for top 4. They have the right visual team in place, so I hope they figure it out soon. Still, I loved my Regiment like I always do. I just think Bluecoats had a connection and in places an intensity that Regiment didn't have.

Bluecoats – This show grew on me every single time I saw it this summer. There were still a few parts that never sold to me, where they got just a bit to strange like Bluecoats can tend to do, but there was some wonderful music and some parts of the show that were very impactful. Thankfully, they clearly worked to clean up the atrocious files they had in their parade-like formations in Allentown in just a few days. They marched so much better one week later in Indy, and that was enough, I think to help their effect improve and be able to edge Regiment based on those stellar horn & drum lines. Bluecoats played so very, very well. There are parts of their music from the opening1/3 of the show that are still in my head. Well done, Bluecoats!

Santa Clara Vanguard – Show. Of. The. Year. No doubt for me on that. Just from end to end a brilliant design. I can't think of a single thing wrong with the show design. The show just flew by – faster than anyone's – from one impactful highlight to the next. From the fabulous drill (can't even count all the great drill moments, but the condensing circles and the closing drill moves with the Fleur De Leis and the Shield were certainly highlights), to the brilliant "Bring Him Home" with the corps proper backfield out of sight and the whole field a blank pallet for the color guard and one outstanding mello soloist, this was hands down to me the most impactful, entertaining show since Spartacus. The first company front moment was pure goose bumps. The music arrangements were also stellar. Quite an accomplishment to put Les Miz on the field after all these years and make it come alive and feel so fresh. Yet at the same time also so VINTAGE Santa Clara Vanguard. And did I mention the incredible color guard? Just wow. Thank you so much, SCV, for this love letter to the fans of a show. I had hoped they could pull off an upset,but the entire top 4 were just fantastic. With a stronger hornline, I think Vanguard might have put an even bigger scare into Crown & BD and would certainly have passed Cadets.

Cadets – Another show I just loved this year. The music book was amazing, and so was the drill. The boxes worked so much better for me from the upper deck in Indy, but I never felt like they were a championship level design element – especially in the bright color scheme that felt out of place to the show. I did love the moment of the end of the show with the guard and the one soloist on the boxes. Still, outside the boxes and what was a deservedly 5th and somewhat forgettable color guard for Cadets, this was a championship quality show from a music, drill and performance perspective. My favorite Cadets show since 2005's The Zone. Thanks, Cadets! Some unbelievably intense musical and drill moments. Bravo.

Blue Devils – In the end, I wouldn't have thought the judges got it wrong if either BD or Crown won. And yet again, I find I never learn the lessen to not make too strong of conclusions upon first viewings of shows. I was brutal to BD in my opinions after seeing them first in Denver. Yet, every time I saw this show it grew on me. I loved it by Indy! This was truly a show that was more effective from up top than sitting lower, so I think that was part of it. What a great performance all the way around. The intensity, energy and performance levels from BD were all of championship caliber. And that guard, oh my, just fantastic. They deserved high guard, and I don't care what piece of equipment you give them, they perform the snot out of it. They also had more ensemble moments then I can remember from BD in a long time in guard, and all were stellar. At the same time, the individuals doing their own thing at times were all brilliant too. Fun, zany, bizarre and endearing all at the same time. I can't believe I'm saying all this about BD after my first reactions in early July, but there you have it. My favorite BD show since 2008. They also had a hell of a demanding drill from up top, though I thought they marched it just a tad cleaner on Thursday & Friday. And I loved some parts of this music book so much – especially the jazzier and grooving parts of the show. I do hope they take a different approach next year than their approach from 2009-2013, but I did really appreciate BD this year. We had 2 champions in my book.

Carolina Crown – Congratulations, Crown. While your fans can tend to be less than endearing, the corps has been one of my favorites for years, and it was truly wonderful to see them finally win. I will say this show was FAR more effective from the lower stands than sitting in the upper deck. BD's show just projected better to the top deck than Crown's in terms of depth of design and impact. However, sitting lower, where you could FEEL Crown's music and emotion and hear all the incredibly complex articulations done impeccably - they were a clear winner from that lower perspective. In then end you had, from the judges box level, a toss up, which indeed this was. Apart from what SCV did to me time & time again this year, the moment of the year for me was moving down low, to about row 14 on the first level, on the 50, for the encore. From there , Crown was just a force of nature. What an incredible brass dynasty Crown has built. And I love that Crown is having all this success building around a horn line and taking a music-first approach. Thanks Crown, for your excellence and performance.

In the end, this was easily the best top 4 since 2008 – and very reminiscent of 2008 for a whole host of reasons, from the crowd acting almost as a 12th man to 4 very stellar programs at the top. Each had very memorable moments, with strong effect and impact. And Bluecoats and Phantom Regiment rounded out a terrific top 6.

While I agreed with the placements, my favorite shows, in order, this year ended up being:

1 – SCV

2 – Troopers

3 – Mandarins

4 – Crown

5 – Blue Devils

6 – Cadets

7 – Phantom Regiment

8 – Blue Knights

Those 8 stood out to me and are strongest in my memories today. In fact, the musical highlights from each keep repeating in my thoughts all day today.

Thank you, though, to all the corps this year. Really, except for a very, very few, everyone brought a great show to the field this summer. Now, only about 300 days of anticipation for next year. Anticipation for friendships renewed, and for chances for drum corps to make more indelible marks on my heart and soul in 2014. Please hurry back, drum corps season!

Harvey

I quess Boston could put ten speakers in front and blast away. Great demanding show.

Edited by emc2
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Great review. Thanks for giving your honest appraisal of all the corps.

Just an observation of mine if you take all of the corps that Didn'tmake finals and put them together as group, was this the strongest year ever?...I think so. There were some great performances out there and I hope they all progress accordingly particuarley Pacific Crest. I felt they made the biggest leap this year and I really wish them luck for next year.

Edited by Bucbari
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