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I've had this date targeted since the season's beginning. As the season progressed, it became obvious that this would be an important contest for Sun and White Sabres, since they both looked to be in each other's score windows.

I've also been up to this venue off and on over the years, but it's been awhile since I've actually been up in the stands to see a contest. I had near-perfect seats on the 50, about 3 rows down. I;d say that so far, this stadium's and Ijamsville's have the best high look of all of the shows I've attended this season. I'd say it's better then Clifton's, and very comparable if not a tad better than Scranton's- which isn't in use this season.

The attendance was excellent. I noted a lot of younger High-school age students present, moreso than other venues. Even though this area seems kind of "in the sticks"- keep in mind there are a lot of small but very good and active competitive HS bands in the area to attract what are the future of the activity. A fair amount of the Cabs hail from Williamsport. Several people even came up from the town I grew up in, and that's the first time I've seen anyone from Lewistown at a DCA contest in years. So, This locale has some definite advantages. It attracts some new younger people, and it's also pretty accessible for the old school fans as well, about 15 minutes North of I-80, making it a reasonably decent drive from North Jersey.

To paraphrase Alan DeCadenet, host of the TV show "Victory by Design"...

"We have some wonderful DCA corps here tonight. Let's have a closer look, shall we!?"

Sky started off the contest, and it seemed that initially they had a spot of trouble filling up the stadium, then they locked in rather nicely after about the first minute of the program. The Electronics were very well-balanced and coordinated tonight, and it really showed how much of a difference they make for this corps after they went on without it at Hempfield.

I'm coming to think of the percussion feature as a real highlight of their program, I come to enjoy it more every time I see it, and the crowd really reacts positively to them.

The brass seems to still have issues with playing too thinly in the softer sections, this will still need to be worked out in ensemble rehearsals.

The new ending was greatly improved over it's debut at Hempfield, far more solid. Now Sky just needs to work on a more robust sound at the lower dynamic levels and to clean this for the final run to Championships.

Bush started out very well- their Front Ensemble really set the tone and launched the program very well, and the initial brass statement came off exceptionally well for their corps.

The middle and low voices are really starting to speak with authority, and I'm very appreciative of their efforts. It's making a huge difference in the ensemble sound. They sounded really solid and strong in the larger venue as well- the 6 Baris performed with a lot of guts, and the results were really good! Better to have some guts and take some risks then play like Harvey Milquetoast and achieve nothing.

I'm really getting into the ELP segment now, Growls, flutters, a more aggressive performing stance, I wanted to yell but I was worried Mabel would have a heart attack because she was sitting near me.

The last 40 seconds of their program, Hmm.. I can't put exactly what I have in my notes... but Bush needs to deliver that "sucker" with no apologies. If they can- things will be looking solid for Bush.

Frankly, I forget when the rain hit. One could see it nearby falling on the nearby ridges, and we knew we were likely to get hit eventually, and when it hit- it hit. They evacuated the stadium in just enough time to get everyone across the street to the High School, which had plenty of room to hang out. Some enterprising young folks sold some iced up drinks, which was smart, I grabbed a couple.

After the hiatus, we went back, and the show went on without a hitch. It was unfortunate that the Cabs Alumni got cut, but I would think part of it was that the show delayed by a fair amount.

Sun was next and they were definitely the "Who are these guys!!!???" award winner for this contest. Nazareth struck me as a decent and acceptable run, but this was far, far improved. I felt the musical clarity was massively better, the various brass voicings were very clear and exquisite. The William Walton piece sounded like Walton should. The corps is really playing some music now, not just playing black notes on white paper. This being said, they need to really attend to intonation for the last minute or so of the program.

Sun;s show has a lot of variety of style, some really fine writing, and it's coming together. I felt they were very credible that night and put up a more than fair challenge for the White Sabres. How would the Sabres respond?

They responded very, very well. They put on a very exact, nuanced, and musical clinic that evening. They out-finessed Sun very clearly. The 30 horns, along with the percussion and guard really put forth a very tight, inspired effort that was exciting to watch and listen to, and the crowd responded. The hits were where they should be at the end, and the risky harmonic sections locked in wonderfully.

At worst- performing with very high quality will get you a fairly good way, and the Sabres demonstrated that by beating Sun solidly after what I thought was a very strong run from their team.. Well done!

The Hurcs massaged their intro message and it was a great improvement. Right now, they need to do something to amp the front ensemble, they had issues carrying in this venue. The thing is, the Hurcs are showing some spirit and fight, and getting some traction, finishing only .2 down from Sky. They had a couple of strong moments in the program where none previously existed. How far can they get their vehicle to go now and how fast? We'll have to see.

Next, the Bucs.

Not much can be said that I haven't already said. The show's a gas. It's incredibly special and absorbing. One thing hit me at the end of the opening segment. I look over to my left... I was looking straight down every freakin' bell of the brass section. Drum Corps Nirvana, attained.

The narrative, perfectly balanced and not in the way of the tasty music, the 16th notes traded left to right across the ensemble, perfect. The low brass in "Gabriel's Oboe"... mountainous. Could the number have gone higher? I think, yeah, it could have.

The Cabs finished up the evening's competitors, and I was really thrilled with this performance as compared to Nazareth. The brass voicings are performed confidently and far more musically now, and I'm hearing what I'm used to hearing from their Front Ensemble, crisp, well-articulated phrases and musical ideas.

"Red" is a snarlin', swirlin' ball of mean, the pretty voicings in "White" are starting to shine, and "Black" is starting to cook the way it needs to cook. The Cabs did what they absolutely had to do on Saturday. We'll see how they fit in at Peckville/Scranton now against Fusion and C2.

Hopefully, I'll see some of you on Saturday in Peckville, and hope for good weather, good health, safety and great rehearsals for the competitors. See you there!

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wonderful review - fair and balanced!

maybe you can set-up A WRITING CLASS SOMEWHERE- you really make one feel like they were there!

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Thank you! I really had trouble learning to write at all in HS. It took a Technical Writing textbook my Father gave me that he used in his IE courses in College and told me to read it ASAP when I was struggling-- that was the big breakthrough.

When I look at things, I'm hearing and seeing that everyone's trying really hard to put something meaningful and presentable on the field, especially this season. Yeah, there are issues in some of the shows, of course!

The thing is, I see a lot of improvement in these shows quickly, which means everyone's working their Axxes off in a serious way, and how can I not respect that?

I only have a couple of gripes.

One is being disappointed with some no-shows of corps that were slated at appear at some of the contests I attend. In one circumstance, I think it may have stolen an opportunity from another corps which would have been there, and appreciated it greatly.

I'm also of the thought that there needs to be more opportunities for some of the Class A teams to appear at DCA contests. I understand the issue of travel expenses, etc.... but---

One of the best ways to get better is to perform in front of people. If you can't get those opportunities, how do you get more relaxed in performances with the audience in the stands?

It's a vicious cycle- "We want to see a better product..."

"But how can we give you one if we can't freakin' perform anywhere except for the Belchville Lima Bean Festival and parade, man!?!?!?!?"

Edited by BigW
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I've had this date targeted since the season's beginning. As the season progressed, it became obvious that this would be an important contest for Sun and White Sabres, since they both looked to be in each other's score windows.

I've also been up to this venue off and on over the years, but it's been awhile since I've actually been up in the stands to see a contest. I had near-perfect seats on the 50, about 3 rows down. I;d say that so far, this stadium's and Ijamsville's have the best high look of all of the shows I've attended this season. I'd say it's better then Clifton's, and very comparable if not a tad better than Scranton's- which isn't in use this season.

The attendance was excellent. I noted a lot of younger High-school age students present, moreso than other venues. Even though this area seems kind of "in the sticks"- keep in mind there are a lot of small but very good and active competitive HS bands in the area to attract what are the future of the activity. A fair amount of the Cabs hail from Williamsport. Several people even came up from the town I grew up in, and that's the first time I've seen anyone from Lewistown at a DCA contest in years. So, This locale has some definite advantages. It attracts some new younger people, and it's also pretty accessible for the old school fans as well, about 15 minutes North of I-80, making it a reasonably decent drive from North Jersey.

To paraphrase Alan DeCadenet, host of the TV show "Victory by Design"...

"We have some wonderful DCA corps here tonight. Let's have a closer look, shall we!?"

Sky started off the contest, and it seemed that initially they had a spot of trouble filling up the stadium, then they locked in rather nicely after about the first minute of the program. The Electronics were very well-balanced and coordinated tonight, and it really showed how much of a difference they make for this corps after they went on without it at Hempfield.

I'm coming to think of the percussion feature as a real highlight of their program, I come to enjoy it more every time I see it, and the crowd really reacts positively to them.

The brass seems to still have issues with playing too thinly in the softer sections, this will still need to be worked out in ensemble rehearsals.

The new ending was greatly improved over it's debut at Hempfield, far more solid. Now Sky just needs to work on a more robust sound at the lower dynamic levels and to clean this for the final run to Championships.

Bush started out very well- their Front Ensemble really set the tone and launched the program very well, and the initial brass statement came off exceptionally well for their corps.

The middle and low voices are really starting to speak with authority, and I'm very appreciative of their efforts. It's making a huge difference in the ensemble sound. They sounded really solid and strong in the larger venue as well- the 6 Baris performed with a lot of guts, and the results were really good! Better to have some guts and take some risks then play like Harvey Milquetoast and achieve nothing.

I'm really getting into the ELP segment now, Growls, flutters, a more aggressive performing stance, I wanted to yell but I was worried Mabel would have a heart attack because she was sitting near me.

The last 40 seconds of their program, Hmm.. I can't put exactly what I have in my notes... but Bush needs to deliver that "sucker" with no apologies. If they can- things will be looking solid for Bush.

Frankly, I forget when the rain hit. One could see it nearby falling on the nearby ridges, and we knew we were likely to get hit eventually, and when it hit- it hit. They evacuated the stadium in just enough time to get everyone across the street to the High School, which had plenty of room to hang out. Some enterprising young folks sold some iced up drinks, which was smart, I grabbed a couple.

After the hiatus, we went back, and the show went on without a hitch. It was unfortunate that the Cabs Alumni got cut, but I would think part of it was that the show delayed by a fair amount.

Sun was next and they were definitely the "Who are these guys!!!???" award winner for this contest. Nazareth struck me as a decent and acceptable run, but this was far, far improved. I felt the musical clarity was massively better, the various brass voicings were very clear and exquisite. The William Walton piece sounded like Walton should. The corps is really playing some music now, not just playing black notes on white paper. This being said, they need to really attend to intonation for the last minute or so of the program.

Sun;s show has a lot of variety of style, some really fine writing, and it's coming together. I felt they were very credible that night and put up a more than fair challenge for the White Sabres. How would the Sabres respond?

They responded very, very well. They put on a very exact, nuanced, and musical clinic that evening. They out-finessed Sun very clearly. The 30 horns, along with the percussion and guard really put forth a very tight, inspired effort that was exciting to watch and listen to, and the crowd responded. The hits were where they should be at the end, and the risky harmonic sections locked in wonderfully.

At worst- performing with very high quality will get you a fairly good way, and the Sabres demonstrated that by beating Sun solidly after what I thought was a very strong run from their team.. Well done!

The Hurcs massaged their intro message and it was a great improvement. Right now, they need to do something to amp the front ensemble, they had issues carrying in this venue. The thing is, the Hurcs are showing some spirit and fight, and getting some traction, finishing only .2 down from Sky. They had a couple of strong moments in the program where none previously existed. How far can they get their vehicle to go now and how fast? We'll have to see.

Next, the Bucs.

Not much can be said that I haven't already said. The show's a gas. It's incredibly special and absorbing. One thing hit me at the end of the opening segment. I look over to my left... I was looking straight down every freakin' bell of the brass section. Drum Corps Nirvana, attained.

The narrative, perfectly balanced and not in the way of the tasty music, the 16th notes traded left to right across the ensemble, perfect. The low brass in "Gabriel's Oboe"... mountainous. Could the number have gone higher? I think, yeah, it could have.

The Cabs finished up the evening's competitors, and I was really thrilled with this performance as compared to Nazareth. The brass voicings are performed confidently and far more musically now, and I'm hearing what I'm used to hearing from their Front Ensemble, crisp, well-articulated phrases and musical ideas.

"Red" is a snarlin', swirlin' ball of mean, the pretty voicings in "White" are starting to shine, and "Black" is starting to cook the way it needs to cook. The Cabs did what they absolutely had to do on Saturday. We'll see how they fit in at Peckville/Scranton now against Fusion and C2.

Hopefully, I'll see some of you on Saturday in Peckville, and hope for good weather, good health, safety and great rehearsals for the competitors. See you there!

My guess is that Cabs will finish the season ahead of both Fusion and C2. Bucs are a lock.

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you should have Durante saying " Look for the BigW " with your profile!

I think Bucs are a lock , although not having seen MBI it's more of a hunch. A lot of complaining about " Home Cookin " when one joisey corps defeated the other ( I prefer Cabs ) over the Skyliner offshoot ( MHO )

I think I know who you are referring to with the great line of needs to improve playing in soft passages ( I thought B instruments negated that ) At one show their staff/honks were going wild until said soft passages and it turned to " Oh my Goid"- what the hell is that?

One good thing at Rachacha is BFDTV will be there for alumni and I&Em making " Director's Cuts ".

Shows should use class a corps more- although the problem is their locations.

frankiE

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think i heard some where sunrisers where about to take the firld and called back due to the storm coming .Been there done that has an affect on the corps once they head back out.

Didn't see anyone mention that?

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Unknown. I frankly think that Sun's effort wasn't affected had that been the case. They started well, then had the late show brass intonation issues. It wasn't that Sun did badly- it's more that White Sabres are just that good over the last 2 weeks.

The bulk of Sun's membership is still young, but I also believe from observing how they conduct themselves on and off the field they're way more mature than their actual ages would indicate. They're good, smart, young people of character, and I really don't think any little thing like a rain delay would affect them.

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