Arlington, VA (06/25)

[Fran Haring]

I wanted to add a comment on the A&E.... All the corps had them and they were NOT obnoxious. Thank you Spirit for at least having them blend more into the overall sound than last year!

That was very nice. The group I went with didn't LOVE them, but they were glad that they weren't "too loud" to cover up the rest of the corps!

<Please take that as a sign of positivity>

Again, totally agree.

In particular, I thought the Scouts' "horns and other city sounds" effects were cool.

[GUARDLING]

Again, totally agree.

In particular, I thought the Scouts' "horns and other city sounds" effects were cool.

I agree scouts have a real nice sound, so glad to see this corps thriving again I just dont feel drill is any thing special and at the ends of every phrase the stop and blow....not liking the show much at all but still loving the scouts. JMO

[emc2]

Recaps up

Madison took first in each caption but Music Ensemble... (Boston took first in this)

Spirit took 2nd over Boston in GE Visual

very interesting

[bud24dc]

The Arlington show was fun albiet short.

It is great to see Madison having a strong start. The show has many beautiful layers that they can continue to build on and I love the closer. It was stuck in my mind the rest of the evening.

BAC was not as strong as I had hoped they would be given how much I like the source content. I'm not sure I understand the integration of 1812 as it is currently used. Perhaps after seeing it again from a better vantage point will help. Some nice solo and small ensemble horn moments.

I though Spirit did a nice job and have a good base product to build and clean that could vault them back into the top 12.

Crossmen definitely showed the early season jitters but did a good job and had some nice moments.

While I'm uber thankful to have a show so close to DC, the facilities certainly don't give you a chance to set drill sets or even get an overall perspective. It was also a bummer that schedules were such that we could not get another corps or two to fill out the show. Not a complaint; just an observation. Hopefully this local show can grow in the future or at least return to 2010 line-up length.

Edited June 26, 2011 by bud24dc

[Henson]

Fun little show. Weather was awesome. Perfect night for Drum Corps. Thoughts:

Crossmen: Meh. Fell flat. They're quiet, and the show is safe, with little field coverage. Their ballad, on the other hand, was a thing of beauty - and they love playing it. You could see that during the field show, but they REALLY brought it during the standstill encore, which was also about ten levels louder. I think the staff may have them holding back intentionally to keep the sound from getting edgy while they get the drill under their belts. They need a confidence boost - but it's June.

Spirit: Wow. Now THIS is Spirit of Atlanta, just with odd uniforms. If they had been writing their horn book this sultry for the past decade, they'd still be a fan favorite. It's a very good vehicle for them musically, and the kids are having a blast playing it up without getting weird or over the top. Loved the show, and thought there should have been more of a spread between them and Crossmen. Good soloist moments as well.

Scouts: Can't say enough. The clear winner. They're for real, but I think they proved that last year. I LOVE Smith's writing, and the show is so emotional and the music so well executed that they convey the story very well. The drill is demanding, but it's not really what I like. I wish they'd do some more of the cool geometric stuff that's "in" today rather than the Blue Devils formula of really challenging follow-the-leader followed by scatter sets. I always found that to be just a lazy drill writer's way of staging, but it obviously works for the Blue Devils, and it'll probably work for the Scouts. That said, I just couldn't get enough of the show. If they have some tweaks left, they could be as high as 6-9 on Finals night. Their horns sound amazing - very balanced, loud and emotional.

Crusaders: They're the Boston Crusaders. They're loud, they're aggressive, they're red - but it's ALL THE TIME. They need to learn how to do mp volume levels with the same intensity, and they were dirty. They have plenty to clean, and I expect to see them in finals. Really cool drill moment during the drum feature where they put the horns into two parallel lines and marched on yardlines for about 12 counts - then sped up unexpectedly while rotating those lines into a double company front. Well executed for June, and fun to watch. Didn't get the whole 1812 Overture thing - it was oddly written. Overall, it's not my favorite show design, and I couldn't tell you why. I was trying to figure it out during Crossmen's encore - it just seemed dated and safe, like they were marching a really aggressive show with no story that we've all seen a million times before. That doesn't make sense, because if any source material should convey a story it's this. I expect to get a better read at Allentown.

I've been at better venues. I was a bit disappointed that there were only 4 corps (while we still paid a full DCI price), but once I got there I recognized that there was NO parking at this school. If they had brought any more there's no way they could have fit the corps vehicles in the space. Hey DCI - find a better venue, and bring more groups. You were less than 10 miles from George Mason University, for instance, and the DC area has more colleges and universities than you can possibly imagine. Pick one. The Cadets would have a gazillion fans show up to this show if they came out here.

[84chief]

You were less than 10 miles from George Mason University, for instance, and the DC area has more colleges and universities than you can possibly imagine. Pick one. The Cadets would have a gazillion fans show up to this show if they came out here.

GMU hosted Drum Corps in Fairfax the last couple of years. Their stadium is not much better than Wakefield High's in terms of viewing experience. There is a very wide track between the stands and the sideline, the setting sun is directly in your eyes when you try to look at the field, and constant smoke from the barbecue grills in the concession area creates a persistent haze. I'm glad they decided to become Drum Corps in Fauqiuer again and return this show to Warrenton - I'll gladly drive the extra distance for a better viewing experience.

Edited June 26, 2011 by 84chief

[Latrobe's Finest]

GMU hosted Drum Corps in Fairfax the last couple of years. Their stadium is not much better than Wakefield High's in terms of viewing experience. There is a very wide track between the stands and the sideline, the setting sun is directly in your eyes when you try to look at the field, and constant smoke from the barbecue grills in the concession area creates a persistent haze. I'm glad they decided to become Drum Corps in Fauqiuer again and return this show to Warrenton - I'll gladly drive the extra distance for a better viewing experience.

Not just the stadium, but it's a different organization hosting the show (DCI Fauquier) this year. It's a long story, but the group that hosts DCIF used to host a Div 1 show; last year they had an Open Class show while a different group had the World Class show at GMU.

(shameless plug to follow)

There's another drum corps show in Northern Virginia on July 2 in Manassas. It's a DCA show hosted by my corps, Shenandoah Sound. Four corps, $7 tickets (pre-sale on crowntickets.com)

[apsb1b]

Actually its DCINOVA (DCI Northern Virginia) that is hosting this show. DCIF (Fauquier) is the organizations name previously, but both are still run by the Falcon Band Organization at Fauquier High School. ManyDC was the organization that ran another show last year in hopes of also gathering interest in starting their own junior corps in Northern Virginia, as well as sponsoring a WGI competing winterguard (which they still do).

As for the location of DCI in Northern Virginia I have rather enjoyed the closeness of the show hosted by DCINOVA/DCIF because it allowed people in the area with no real opportunities to see Drum Corps a chance to see a good show. It was even better last year when there was the show in June in conjunction with MENC Music Education Week, then the DCINOVA Open Class show in July, and then DCI Fairfax in August. I would love to see more shows in Virginia, but I know tour wise that isn't really feasible, so I'm just happy for the continued support of DCINOVA to bring a show to this part of the state. (Yes there are other VA shows but Salem is about 6 hours from Northern Va, and Chesapeake is about 4 hours)

sidenote: I'm kind of mad that I missed this show, I believe this is the first show in Northern Virginia that I've missed since my first show at DCI Fauquier in 2006, and it sounds like it was a good one.