Popular Post MikeN Posted July 21, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted July 21, 2015 Disclaimer – I’ve been a DCI fan for more years than I care to count. I’m also old enough now to let the small things slide – I don’t really care if a member is out of step for 16 counts. I care much more about the total program and overall effect. If you want a detailed analysis of how SCV’s snares are performing relative to The Cadets, I can’t help you there. I can, however, tell you which bits come off as more fun… So I have been an infrequent visitor to live drum corps recently. We last attended the San Antonio regional in 2005 (I think I’m a good luck charm – every time I go the Cadets win!), and my wife gave up on drum corps after that. Since then, I went to the 2008 Finals, and the TOC shows in 2011 and 2012. So honestly, I haven’t seen non-top-12 drum corps live in many, many years. This year, I got to take my kids, one of whom plays trombone in middle school, and the other who is about to start tuba. (Some drum teacher I am, huh?) My daughter has been slowly growing warmer towards the idea of DCI, and as the King horns booth was the first thing you see when you enter the dome, I steered her over there to check out the baritones. The very nice guy at the table told my daughter he too was a trombone player, and in less than a minute had her playing a concert Bb scale after showing her the fingerings. That turned her from a “maybe” to an “I can do this…” She couldn’t wait to see the local corps (which for us is Genesis), as she is already a huge Phantom of the Opera fan. Due to the already pretty steady crowds in the concourses, and the need to window shop each booth, we ended up finding our section late. We were in 113, which is between the left 40 and 45, about 2/3 of the way up the lower deck. It was actually a pretty nice balance between having your hair parted by the sound and actually being able to see some of the drill. Anyways, it took too long to get there, so we heard most of - 2:17 p.m. Louisiana Stars, Lafayette, LA – from the tunnel. What we heard was some *really* intricate horn work, far more advanced than I’d expected (even knowing of their positive reviews on DCP). Very impressed, and even the kids asked later if I can find a video or audio of them as they wanted to see it. 2:34 p.m. Guardians, Houston, TX – I have a soft spot for these guys, mainly because of DCP. So many times people have come on here and said “guess what, I’m starting a corps!” Jonathan Doerr actually pulled it off, so you have to give him massive credit for that. The corps looked very much like Cedar Park HS in varying shades of green. The movement of the show seemed kind of slow, and the music at times veered into the Symphonic Band Look How Intense We Are See We Are Playing ANGRY Notes category, but overall, they are pretty much right where they should be , I think, at this stage in their development. They play pretty well, the visual will tighten up, and they’ll keep growing. (And I’ll be honest, back in ’05 at this regional I saw World Class corps that didn’t sound as good as they did, so it’s all relative.) 2:51 p.m. Genesis, Austin, TX – they are a good looking corps – the black and minimal white looks great under artificial lights. Guard uniforms were classy without crossing into cheesy. Actually, you could say that about the whole show. Phantom of the Opera does qualify at this point as a “drum corps classic,” and Genesis did a great job in the show design of giving you familiar melodies in unfamiliar and pretty sophisticated ways. They do assume you already know the show, but to be fair – at a drum corps show pretty much everyone does. I did see on DCP that there were comments about the rough nature of the performance, but honestly, from where we were it got covered up by the reverb from the dome, I think, as I thought they sounded pretty good. They also marched some pretty athletic drill – comparable to lower World Class corps in spots – and overall, I think they’ll challenge for a medal in OC again. And yes, they did steal my daughter’s heart, and she has already made plans of how to spend her 2 years before being eligible getting stronger physically and musically. 3:08 p.m. Jubal Dordrecht, The Netherlands – as soon as they came on the field, I loved the look of the corps. It’s pretty obvious they were going for the European Blue Devils vibe, and I think they actually nailed that before ever playing a note. Once they played, the horns seemed to get swallowed up by the dome, and it was hard to hear the sopranos at all. On the bright side, though, I thought the electronics / sound effects were very well integrated into the show, and I dug the whole avant-garde aesthetic. However, my son was soundly turned off by it. My daughter liked it. If you like your Drum Corps as Art, then you’ll like their show. If you don’t, you wont. Also, I never knew it was pronounced Yoo-bal. The things we learn... 3:25 p.m. Pioneer, Milwaukee, WI – didn’t arrive on time. As everyone knows at this point, they had bus trouble that delayed them until the final spot. 3:42 p.m. Jersey Surf, Camden County, NJ – The orange raincoats are new, and the kids, not knowing what was under them, were a bit disgruntled by the look. Once the corps started playing, though, they were enthralled. It’s not a Typical Drum Corps show, and I say that’s a good thing. The crowd seemed to “get it” more and more as the show went on, and they got a pretty good ovation at the end. The rest of the night, when I’d quiz the kids about the shows they liked, my son kept coming back to this one as the benchmark for success. For me personally, I loved the opening and liked Good Vibrations a lot. It reminded me a lot of old Velvet Knights in a good way, minus the over-the-top silly antics. 3:59 p.m. Cascades, Seattle, WA – new look for the Cascades, and it’s great! The KISS-like guard uniforms look much, much better in person and on the field, and that globe is huge! Question for anyone in the know – did someone have to keep spinning it, or was there a motor? Musically, this one stuck with me, as I can tell you the repertoire without having to consult notes. I loved having the Star Trek themes in the show, and they were probably more faithful to the melody/arrangement than Cavaliers were a couple of years ago. The full opener was more Short Ride in a Medium-Paced Machine, and that made me wonder how they would stack up visually with their peers. However, that was a short-lived concern, as the rest of the show cranked the speed up to appropriately amazing DCI-type levels. Black Hole Sun was neat, both in idea and execution, but I may personally be at the point where even unconventional arrangements of The Planets are simply too routine – it might be time for corps to consider giving that piece a rest for a while. Overall, Cascades sold the show really well from start to finish, and I think the crowd bought in to that. Oh yeah - the robot dance was awesome. More Robot Dance. Less The Planets. 4:16 p.m. Pacific Crest, Diamond Bar, CA – we had to miss this show, as we were meeting my wife for lunch downtown and needed a head start on the Intermission…. 5:24 p.m. Spirit of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA -… we apparently needed more of a head start. We missed making it back to our seats by literally one minute. This one, I got to see the full show from the tunnel. I couldn’t see well enough to see feet or forms, so I’ll take everyone’s word for it about dirty or not dirty drill, but musically, I thought they sounded great. They did manage to straddle the line between clever and cheesy including Tara’s Theme in the show, and that was nice. The music had a pretty logical flow from mood to mood, and definitely sounded like a pretty thought-out set of tunes. Theirs is a show that will sound very nice on the CD’s this year, I think… if there are CD’s… 5:41 p.m. Mandarins, Sacramento, CA - The short version - Mandarins absolutely blew me away. The long version - the music works very well with the theme. (Well, except for the lady on my other side who said, "I don't know - they've got a photo of the same guy all over the field.") The uniform designs are brilliant, and such a small touch - the red drop sash on the guard and musicians, ties the whole visual package together so it really does look like one marching unit instead of two. The music is nothing you'll go home humming, but it makes sense as part of the total show, and the drumline was great. I actually loved the part where the guard/giant drummers picked up horns - until then I was afraid it was more of an "ornamental" type role on the field. The only thing I hoped for was more integration with the soldier pictures themselves - aside from the ending, they're left ringing the field, and it feels like a missed opportunity. Mandarins kind of have the advantage of having a pre-made "total show" theme in front of them each year, but this one they hit out of the park. I found myself comparing a *lot* of the giant corps to their program, and few measured up as well. 5:58 p.m. Oregon Crusaders, Portland, OR - There are two shows in here. One is a wonderful modern DCI production that had a really neat concept (and a killer, killer percussive waltz). The other is typical 2000's "angry" symphonic music. The two don't fit, especially considering the theme. The clock tower was a great idea, but honestly - it looks cheap. The bridge is a great idea and worked well, and the statue pedestals again also looked and worked well. That clock though... yeah. When they're using the voiceovers and the more "ethereal" parts of the show, it grabs you and keeps you interested. When they play the mandatory-DCI bits, it lets you go. Gotta give massive props to the drumline though - there are some wickedly cool solos in there. Basses - wow! I don't want to give the wrong impression - overall I did like the show, and again - there are many, many corps from years past that could only wish they played this well. But especially after Mandarins, it felt like the bar was raised and nobody told them. 6:15 p.m. Madison Scouts, Madison, WI – I was super excited to see the guys. Our seat neighbors were a marching member’s mom and grandma, and their anticipation got me revved up as well. Happily, Madison stomped on the gas from the first few seconds and didn’t let up until it was over and the whole crowd on its feet. This was a much more confident corps than what we saw last in the theater, and the musical program is much, much tighter. And with jazzy stuff, that makes all the difference. I don’t get the criticisms of it being such an “old school” show – I think that may be more reputation than substance at this point. Arrangements are right up there with everyone else, the drill is very well constructed, it’s got the oh-so-important Simultaneous Demand for horn players… it’s just a *good* show. And you can tell the members are having a blast with it – they sell it throughout the performance. Personally, I’m rooting for them to move up one more spot – if I had to pick between them and Phantom, 78th and Madison is my choice. 6:32 p.m. Crossmen, San Antonio, TX - the other Hometown Corps - my home is halfway between them and Genesis. I haven't seen them live in a decade, so it was nice to reacquaint myself. The good - horns horns horns. Very nice sound, and they do a great job of being jazz-lite while still keeping with the theme. The questionable - people wearing paper airplanes kept making me thing of The Producers and the ladies wearing bratwurst. The parasailer... yeah. Based on the clouds, the uniforms, the music... this might be a little much. It's also great how they moved the pit up to provide a "stage" area - I thought they used it well. Me and the kids also felt the singer was a little too much vibrato - it probably should have been more of a "pop" style voice, a la Troopers. 6:49 p.m. Boston Crusaders, Boston, MA - Loved their "Summer is Coming" shirts. I do wish, though, the Game of Thrones stuff had been played by horns - that video floating around YouTube of the low brass ensemble playing it is awesome. As pretty much everyone knows now, the speakers kept cutting out on the singer, and it's a friggin' shame - I'm not normally a fan of Sung Corps, but this show just works. The singer/main character just kills it (literally) in the part, and I found myself forgetting everyone else and watching her. As others have said, the flags do interfere with sight lines in the drill, but honestly, I'm ok with that - not every corps has to approach it the same way. Drums to open and close on the midfield stage were brilliant. This show may not place as high as last year's, but they've sure risen in the rankings of my heart... Did I just write that? Sheesh. Nevertheless, good show that Boston fans will love and will make some new fans along the way. 7:06 p.m. Blue Stars, La Crosse, WI - they added some much needed narration since the theater broadcast. Yes, I went there. The carnival barker helps tremendously in pointing your attention to the right places - it's a shame they can't use a spotlight as well. (I'm sure the Cadets will start proposing that one soon, too.) Everyone is gaga over their brass, and they're nice indeed, but they didn't have a "wow" moment that blew me away. They did, however, have a completely solid and competent show that let you watch all the other goodness going on without thinking twice about it. It's the guard that steals the show for the casual viewer, and all of the little touches for the "characters" are memorable. This would be a very good show to have a new fan watch, and my kids both liked it the first time in the theater and the second time live. 7:23 p.m. The Academy, Tempe, AZ – at this point the kids were fading fast. Hungry and surly. I made an executive decision to get them in the concession line now in the hopes they’d be quick enough to get us back by… 7:40 p.m. Colts, Dubuque, IA - … yeah, no. The lines were horrendously slow. And expensive - $30 for a hot dog, two fries and three drinks. We ended up hearing this one from the tunnel too. Lots of narration… looooots of narration. And did they really say “her dress was so tight you could read the label on her underwear”? We took our time getting back to our seats, and were ready to go for the final group after the Intermission… 8:14 p.m. Phantom Regiment, Rockford, IL - The last time I saw both Phantom and Cavaliers in San Antonio, they were the obvious crowd favorites. It wasn't even close. I was pretty surprised to see, now, that they both are no longer the rock stars in Texas. It has moved to Crown and Bluecoats. Okay, as for Phantom, the good part is that the show has some really neat arrangements in it. The opener is pretty cool, An American in Paris is Great, and the Organ Symphony really has a presence to it. The problem, as I see it, is that the songs are in the wrong order. Especially with the "stately" tempo the Organ Symphony starts with, it really feels like an opener. The opener, with its stacked velocity, fits more in with the closer. And the French French and More French narration is really irritating. We get it, really. It's French. And playing recorded singing of a completely different song over your classical song does not make it feel even more French. It left the kids kind of "meh." But with all of that said, it's still Phantom Regiment, and I still have feelings for them. 8:31 p.m. The Cavaliers, Rosemont, IL - I love the Cavaliers. Let's get that out of the way first. If I'd had thousands of dollars and more permissive parents, they're the corps I would have marched with. I don't care if I was playing triangle in the pit - to be able to wear that uniform, in any of their shows... <sigh> And when they start this show, with those low brass statements and the drums ramming in the background, I fanboy a little... er, a *lot*. However, that's about the highlight of the show for me. It's not a bad show, by any stretch, but it's kind of a "meh" show. They play really well, and the drill is definitely Cavaliers drill. It doesn't have much musical or visual flow to me - the show doesn't go anywhere. In this case, I get the feeling the designers got fixated on the music without really looking at the bigger picture, then tried to wrap a theme around it. Like I said, though - it's not a bad Cavaliers show, but after last year where the theme and music were laser focused, it feels like a small step back. My son, who is also a hardcore Cavies fan, asked me halfway through, "how much more is left in this show?" 8:48 p.m. Troopers, Casper, WY - I was hesitant when I saw they were scheduled here. It just seemed weird. Way back when in 2001, when Blue Knights did their "funny" show that fell flat, they and Boston ended up going in the last group at San Antonio and it was not a good decision by DCI. The good part is that this is not 2001, and these Troopers are so much better than those corps. Holy cow, can that brassline blast you. Very nice. The show makes so much more visual sense than it did during the online preview show, and the singer didn't even make me curl up and cry. Side note here - drum corps are going to absolutely have to invest in better speakers. Every vocal, sample and singer comes out like it's being projected through a scarf. It may be time for DCI to consider a "standard" speaker setup that they can provide each corps to plug in to at the show. Especially if we're going to have full vocal pieces with horn accompaniment. Back to the Troopers - I liked the ending a lot; it felt right. And I'm glad the lasso guy got his hat back in time. Crisis averted, though narrowly in some cases while we waited and watched. In June I wasn't sure this was a good idea for the corps. In July I'm happy to admit I was wrong. Can't wait to see where they're at in August. 9:05 p.m. Santa Clara Vanguard, Santa Clara, CA - definitely a step up from the corps we'd seen to this point - it was clear we were now in the pack of Big Corps. Vanguard had their musicians flying all around the field, well, as long as by "the field" you mean "between the 30's". There was not a ton of field coverage here, and I don't know if that was by happenstance or design. The music was great - fit the theme perfectly and was melt-your-face loud. Both kids as well as the crowd loved the X-ray outfits the guard wore in the middle. Two days on, I can't tell you any more of what they played than that opening fugue, but I keep remembering the "feel" of the music, and how the total package worked so well together. I'm not a fan of the white ribbon on the uniform jacket, but it was clever how they worked that in on there. 5th is probably right for these guys, as I don't know who I'd suggest they be beating above them. Or losing to below them. 9:22 p.m. Carolina Crown, Ft. Mill, SC - brass, brass, brass. I felt this way last year too - why do they keep pushing the drumline in our face when you have *that* brass line. Were it me, I'd put the first battery-less top 12 corps out there and let it roll. (Remember, I'm a drummer saying this, too.) The giant screens worked right this time, and we breathed a sigh of relief. That guard blew their competition out of the stadium. That whole show, for 10 minutes, just crushes you with their awesomeness and makes you ask for more, more and more. Then they play the happy finale and you say "..." I'm ok with no happy ending in this case. Or bring it back down to the depths and end angry. Or twist Ode to Joy so it starts happy and then modulates to evil by the end. Or ... I don't know, just change the ending. That's all this show is missing. Well, that and more brass. And then more brass after that, please. My son said he thought they should have won, and my daughter had them in her top 2 favorite performances. Not much else I can add - wow. 9:39 p.m. Blue Knights, Denver, CO - Classy, elegant, uplifting. Thank you, BK, for proving that Angry Drum Corps isn't the only way to go. Much like the Blue Devils, they made a very difficult show look amazingly easy, and that's a compliment to their abilities. I have to be honest - I didn't like That One Second at all. The musical moods never synced quite up to the narration, and the whole production felt slightly off-balance. Not so with this one. From the look to the sound, the show locks in exactly where they want it to go, and that's a really neat thing to see in person. Very fun, and I'm glad to see them shaking up the traditional powers a bit. They deserve all the scores they're getting. (One slightly tongue-in-cheek note on the new pants - they really accent... um... certain bits on marching members due to the gray line on the pants that points straight down. They might want to consider modifying that next year.) 9:56 p.m. The Cadets, Allentown, PA - What happens when you take a team of virtuoso level players and say "screw it, let's make a show about Hey Ma, Look What We Can Do?" Answer - this. I love so much about this show, from the "turn it to 11" music to the french horns lasering their way through the audience to the Donkey Kong marchers during the ballad. I didn't particularly think they should have won in 2011. I do particularly think they should win now. The whole thing just *feels* like a championship show, and those of you who have been around DCI for a while, you know what I mean. However, neither kid liked the show, mainly because Shostakovich's really angry stuff is an acquired taste (despite me saying, "remember Fantasia 2000? You sure liked it then"). I don't see a weak section of this corps, and while I will attest that the Blue Devils can certainly catch them, I don't quite see the *how* of it yet. p.s. Cadets had the T-shirt of the weekend, as you couldn't swing a selfie stick without hitting someone in a maroon/black/gray Cadets tee. I mean, they were *everywhere*. Both selfie sticks and tee shirts. 10:13 p.m. Bluecoats, Canton, OH - oh yeah. Rock stars in Texas. Thank goodness for DCP. I spent this entire show saying to myself, "this is cool and all, but where are all of the electronic effects?" Glad to hear they haven't been removed intentionally. I saw them in the theater show, so got to hear MEGA ELECTRONICS, and now have heard them with teeny electronics - maybe in August at Quarters in the theater I can hear them with Electronics the Way We Actually Intended? Both kids continue to love their show, and I'm still undecided if they're brilliant or crazy. I think Tilt definitely had "prettier" music, though, and an easier to digest theme. But I dig where they're going, and can't wait to see what happens next. 10:30 p.m. Blue Devils, Concord, CA - my son notoriously does not like the modern Blue Devils. Too artsy for him. I keep showing him a program a week from the recent and not so recent past, looking for one that will change his mind. After this show, he turns to me and says "okay, they got me. This show is awesome." His sister and I both say, "Wait, *this* is the show that did it?" and he responded, "What can I say? K-Pop is cool." Everyone knows what you're getting with a BD show these days, and this program ... actually kind of plays with it. The music is smoother, and the visuals are wackier. The only criticism I can make of a 14 time world champion is that the visual doesn't always match the music, and leaves you scratching your head in places as to what exactly is going on out there. If you closed your eyes or plugged your ears, it's a wonderful program. The two together causes my brain to slightly overheat. And that ballad - wow. And that K-Pop. ... um... wow. I'd be okay if these guys end up with the gold medal in August - they do what they do so well. I'd also be okay if it were Cadets or Crown, though. 10:47 p.m. Pioneer, Milwaukee, WI – didn’t arrive on time. As everyone knows at this point, they had bus trouble that delayed them until the final spot. I was very disappointed to see how many people just left after the Blue Devils performance. Not classy. On the bright side, it looked like about half the crowd stayed, and were fairly enthusiastic for Pioneer as well. As for their show, it’s a much more sophisticated and modern Pioneer than we’re used to seeing. All of the orange has been removed from the uniform, and while the resulting look is plainer, it works well. The corps does some good body movement, and the guard sells the show nicely. The horns are getting overpowered by the drums, but I don’t know how much of that was the dome’s fault. There’s a weird jazzy section in the middle of the show that had me scratching my head, but overall, I’m pleased to report that while the scores may not be kind to Pioneer this year, the product on the field really is much improved , and if they can build on this, bodes well for their competitive future. 10:47 p.m. DrumLine Battle – I hate to say it – I’m a snare drummer – but this concept is not turning out as well as I thought it would. While it’s great to have corps in the contest, they’re playing warmups and show music. That stuff is technically proficient, but sadly falls down for audience appeal. I’d much rather see HS’s or independent groups that are focusing more on the audience reaction at the expense of 5-lets and off-speed ninelet triplets. Check out the video of Top Secret vs. BD International from the other day - hardly the next evolution of drumming ,but it brought the house down. The crowd thought Crossmen did better, but it was technically their home show too. I voted for Madison. 10:59 p.m. Awards Ceremony – As I write this, the Troopers’ Drum Major still has not arrived. (Buzzfeed: "10 things that move slower than the Troopers DM. #1. Continental Drift...) I write this fondly, as I think he’s awesome. Someone yelled "walk slower!" to him. I think he did. The only real surprises for me were Madison in 9th (that was I think the best case we could have hoped for, but I have little faith in my opinions matching the judges) and Crown in 3rd. I see from Monday night that Crown has stayed ahead of Bluecoats as well - is this their (finally!) late season push? In summary, I had an absolutely wonderful time, and despite having seen many, many shows on video since 2012, it’s still surprising just how far the entire activity has advanced even since then. The lower corps, especially, are pulling off things that I’d never dreamed they can do, and the musical quality of the groups keeps improving by leaps and bounds. The more I think about it, that’s really the key point to take away from this whole review – the non-finalist corps are so much more sophisticated than I ever thought they could be. Even better for me personally, they hooked both of the kids, who want to come back next year and see more, especially of those first sets of corps. And honestly, despite the long hours of the show, the lines, etc... so do I. Mike 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 thanks man - great read!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSGreen Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Love this review. Download Fly to Paradise and you'll see just how authentic that operatic voice in Crossmen is :) You'll probably appreciate them more in that process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickCogley Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thank you, this was a great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardguy89 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Man - what an awesome review -thank you!!! Later, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 my kids, one of whom plays trombone in middle school, and the other who is about to start tuba. (Some drum teacher I am, huh?) DCI needs more brass more than it needs more drummers, so good job!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 A great great review!! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Holland Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 great review. thanks. i appreciate the bits about the stadium, and 00's references as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 great stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrontz Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Mike! Fantastic review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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