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I didn't want to do a review of the entire line-up (just too many groups for that much typing). So, I decided to give a little more in-depth review of the two DCA groups that were present. It was a great night for drum corps and the weather was perfect... inside! Before I begin, I think the Georgia Dome is one of the better Domes that DCI uses. With that being said, I seem to always feel like the percussion sounds overbalanced during indoor shows (even during the junior corps). Every year I listen to these two groups in the Dome and think that the percussion is too loud, and then go to another show the very next week and find that it isn't a problem. I suppose this makes sense, because the same thing happens when groups perform in gyms.

On with the review!

Atlanta Corpsvets

Score: 68.85

Placement: 2nd

This show is very different for them musically. Last year they took a step in a new direction with Disney music, and it paid off big time for them in Rochester. I had heard about some problems they were having with recruitment, and that probably contributed to a few things in their show. I counted around 28 brass, but there were about 4-5 holes on the field, so it looks like they might be going for 32.

First, let me say that I LOVE their music choices! I am a huge Shostacovich fan and Symphony No. 10 is great! Their guard is, once again, very good and was the clearly better group between the two, although I liked what the other group is doing, as well. I have a few concerns with CV:

The drill appears to have gotten easier than last year's offering and is a bit more compact. They may have done that for the purpose of sound with a smaller hornline this year. Unfortunately, it is only making it more obvious that they are a little smaller this year. With that being said, I am not sure if I completely agree with some of their caption scores. For one, it says they are outperforming their book from a Visual Effect standpoint. Maybe I do not understand what each number means, but I think there is plenty to clean up in their show.

With that being said, the crowd seemed to really enjoy their show and I think their score will be going up significantly next week at Woodstock. This show will gain some serious momentum as it gets cleaned up!

Speaking of momentum...

Alliance

Score: 69.85

Placement: 1st

Alliance marched onto the field with the confidence of a corps that knew they were going to win. Maybe it was their new uniforms. Speaking of their uniforms, if you loved the purple, you are going to be a bit disappointed. They are wearing black pants and a mostly cream top, with a purple sash that is woven through an "A." Very good looking, but not purple...

They have a much more musically accessible show this year (though I loved their offerings in the past). It does appear that they are attempting to play to the sheets of DCA a bit better, though I like that they tried to be different in the past. This may easily be one of the most difficult visual programs that I have seen in DCA history! I know that may seem far fetched, but I would bet money on this statement. They are running... A LOT - even while they are playing! They are marching at extremely fast tempos and are covering the field in a big way.

With that being said, they are very dirty. The drumline is once again big (though not as big as last year), and there is at least 12 in the pit. The brass numbers were a bit of a let down after last year, as I only counted 33 brass. A friend of mine told me that they are trying to march around 42 this year and it looked like they had some people jumping in, in the middle of the show. I am sure there are more to come. The holes are hurting their visual clarity and at times, the guard can be distracting. They were clearly ahead musically, and the recaps seem to support that.

I think this show will be a darkhorse at finals. I do not think this is going to be a title-contender, but I do think they will have a very real shot at knocking out a top 5 contender. This show has everything, but it needs to be cleaned. The brass will continue to improve, as I think they were fighting some endurance problems at the end. A MUCH better showing in the Dome this year than last, and the crowd responded accordingly.

Overview:

Both of these groups have a lot of cleaning to do. The problem is that I felt like Alliance was executing a more demanding show (although still dirty), already at a higher level than CV. If Corpsvets hope to beat Alliance this season, they are going to have to find a way to add some demand to their show. Only time will tell how these two corps end up, but from where I was sitting, Alliance was the clear winner tonight. I think the recaps say it all. Alliance is getting fairly high numbers in their design... they just have to perform it.

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Thanks for the review. Glad to hear that people in other parts of the country are appreciating DCA too.

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Thanks for the great review!

One thing I will say- if Alliance is as dirty as you say they are and are having endurance issues with a month until finals, I don't see them "having a very real shot at breaking into the top 5". The 5th place corps right now is 12 points ahead, and they didn't even come out this weekend. That's a big gap.

All this is IMHO of course.

I wish them all the best in the coming weeks!!!

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You can't put too much stock in the numbers with DCI judges on DCA sheets. I believe most corps over the last couple years, who have done DCI shows, have seen significant jumps in score from a DCI weekend to a DCA weekend.

I was at the show last night and was very impressed with both corps. The CorpsVets are visibly smaller than the last time I saw them, but they are still hanging in there with their mature guard program. It does seem that Alliance has the edge in most areas of their programming and talent, and has the most room to really develop and clean their show before DCA Finals.

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Thanks for the review of both all-age corps. At CV we're working very hard at refining our show. We're a smaller group this season with a whole lot of fresh young talent in the horn line and percussion. The corps is very excited about moving forward and upward. Here's looking to next weekend!

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Thanks for the great review!

One thing I will say- if Alliance is as dirty as you say they are and are having endurance issues with a month until finals, I don't see them "having a very real shot at breaking into the top 5". The 5th place corps right now is 12 points ahead, and they didn't even come out this weekend. That's a big gap.

All this is IMHO of course.

I wish them all the best in the coming weeks!!!

Perhaps I should clarify. This was the best I have seen Alliance at the Dome (and I have seen them since 09)! Last year, both groups were in the high 70's (almost 80's). I do not agree with the number they or CV were given (both too low). I also, think the spread should have been greater. With that being said, I would expect to see a dramatic scoring difference for both groups at this weekend's show.

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You can't put too much stock in the numbers with DCI judges on DCA sheets. I believe most corps over the last couple years, who have done DCI shows, have seen significant jumps in score from a DCI weekend to a DCA weekend.

I was at the show last night and was very impressed with both corps. The CorpsVets are visibly smaller than the last time I saw them, but they are still hanging in there with their mature guard program. It does seem that Alliance has the edge in most areas of their programming and talent, and has the most room to really develop and clean their show before DCA Finals.

I agree 100%!

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Was a bit disheartening to see both Corpsvets and Alliance enter the field each with about 25 less members from last year’s numbers at finals, but both groups seem to have enough personnel in each section to make it happen for sure. Was hard to see and hear from high up over the 10 yard line but I enjoyed both shows.

On the Corpsvets side the guard and the contras were the stars in my opinion. With Alliance it was the pit and the baritones. Alliance battery not the huge juggernaut from last year but still big and brought the right aggressive attitude to the field. Would agree with the topic starter the Alliance show is more complex. Corpsvets had a cleaner show in drill and musicality in my opinion.

Was sitting with some coworkers who are band parents for Woodstock High School and they are excited about working with Alliance again on next weekend’s DCA South show. It’s a great facility and I am sure everybody will be well taken care of throughout the day. Best of luck to all four corps competing!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the great review!

One thing I will say- if Alliance is as dirty as you say they are and are having endurance issues with a month until finals, I don't see them "having a very real shot at breaking into the top 5". The 5th place corps right now is 12 points ahead, and they didn't even come out this weekend. That's a big gap.

All this is IMHO of course.

I wish them all the best in the coming weeks!!!

Its funny reading through these again (after their first DCA show). I guess DCI scores weren't a great berometer this year. Only 5 points away from 5th now... still not close, but I guess we will see.

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