N.E. Brigand Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Two big shows tonight, featuring all fourteen Open Class corps and one of the three International corps who will appear at next week's championships--plus two DCA corps at the Minnesota competition. Shoremen Brass Classic Avon Lake Memorial Stadium Avon Lake High School 175 Avon Belden Rd. Avon Lake, OH 44012 Blue Saints Racine Scouts Music City Legends Spartans Genesis Blue Devils B Jubal A Knight of Music and Motion Harding High School 1540 E. 6th St. St. Paul, MN 55106 River City Rhythm Stentors Colt Cadets Raiders Gold 7th Regiment Vanguard Cadets Governaires (all age) Minnesota Brass (all age) Is there a DCI show which is held closer to one of the Great Lakes than the Avon Lake show? It's just shy of 2,900 ft. from the stadium to the shoreline. What are the drum corps shows that have been closest to a coast? I believe we will have reports from Kevin Gamin tonight from Avon Lake. I will be there with friends and not reporting in, but I'll chime in with my comments later this evening. If you're at that show, I'll be again wearing a tie-dye Reading Buccaneers "Break on Through" tee shirt. (It worked at Akron.) One big question is how Gold will fit in at St. Paul after having been off for three weeks? My hope is that they're right up there with 7th Regiment. If you're at either show, please share your thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Have fun tonight! Thanks for your consistent coverage of Open Class. I'd love to get into the discussion more, but since there's not much else besides scores for me to go off of and my sporadic viewings of these shows, it's kinda tough to. I appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crown Phan Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Will be at the Avon Lake show tonight. I love this show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crown Phan Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I'll try and post updates for the show. Blue Saints take the field now for "Demon of Seville." 15 horns...that seems larger than I remember. Anyone confirm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Thunder Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I'm sorry I won't make tonight's St. Paul show. We went last year...BDB blew the stadium down and we all had a blast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownBariDad Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Almost 5 point jump by Racine! Nice job! Were they able to pick up any more brass, from Coastal maybe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKlover Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 River City Rhythm saw a score jump that got them over colt cadets and raiders. Impressive. Looks like they will grab a spot in OC finals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Kevin already posted the Avon Lake scores in the second thread about that show, so here are the St. Paul scores: 1. 75.400 Vanguard Cadets 2. 69.950 7th Regiment 3. 66.500 Gold 4. 62.200 River City Rhythm 5. 61.500 Raiders 6. 61.400 Colt Cadets 7. 56.950 Stentors I think SCVC and BDB are locked into the top two spots, with five other corps vying for third place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) With me at the Avon Lake show were three adults and three kids (ages 11-12), and while the adults recognized, before the scores were announced, that BDB was likely to win based on excellence, as for their favorites, they and the kids both were split: one adult for Blue Devils B, one adult and one kid for Spartans, one kid for Genesis, one adult for Legends, and one kid who couldn't decide. Edited August 2, 2015 by N.E. Brigand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 There's never enough time in the last weeks of the season. This is the second year in a row I took extensive notes and a few photos at both Dublin and Erie and never found a moment to write them up as a review. I didn't take notes at Avon Lake, being focused on my friends, but in brief, these are my thoughts: Blue Devils B are technically superior to the other groups, but their show feels like a series of exercises. That in my view is their major weakness: they'd have to perform at a whole different level to make the show musically interesting. Also, they turn on their lighted prisms so early that the effect diminishes over time. Genesis has changed their ending from San Antonio. Their show faces a challenge not wholly unlike BDB's: they have many rapid shifts of musical snippets that they have yet to make flow. Legends have the best show they've ever done, by far. It was also my favorite of the evening. Making Miley Cyrus work in drum corps! Spartans almost succeed with yet another war theme. Lots to enjoy here, even if it doesn't cohere. Music City has a more ambitious show than in previous years. Thematically, it is similar to Spartans'. What most interested me is that the corps is developing their own unique brass sound. This is most clear if you compare their ballads of this year ("Venus" from The Planets) and last ("Sunset" from Grand Canyon Suite). Jubal's pyramid-tent props are pointless. That said, I think they're being underscored by a couple points, although at least it's not as ridiculous as it was in San Antonio. They were the only corps with a souvenir booth. If Racine Scouts can get their new members fully integrated by Monday, their score could go up several points from Avon Lake, but they won't make Finals. There are some interesting ideas in Blue Saints' show, but execution is very spotty. The concession stand had no pizza at intermission. They said more was coming "any second", but after ten minutes' waiting, I gave up and got a hot dog and nachos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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