Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Not a full review, per se.... since I'm working at the show, I don't get a chance to really focus on every performance beginning to end.....and, obviously, these are my opinions about the evening... feel free to angrily stomp your feet and disagree. :tongue:

As always, a good crowd at historic Maxwell Field.  Yes, it's a small stadium... but yes, it was full.  And as the saying goes... a full smaller venue looks a whole lot better than a half-empty big venue.  OK... not sure there's a saying like that, but you get the idea. LOL

The weather.... clear skies, but as is often the case at this show, the wind was blowing in from the ocean... at times, it was blowing pretty hard. Made for a bit of a difficult night for the color guards. Several tosses went up in the air and didn't quite come down as planned.    :lle:

The corps, in order of appearance...and from what I saw and heard, all corps had full shows out there. Again, obviously, changes will be made, guard work added, etc., but kudos to the corps for showing up with a first-show-complete product:

Connecticut Hurricanes were very small.... Class A-sized small. I'm guessing/hoping some more members are on the way to fill out the ranks. Their show (music from "Porgy and Bess") was much more engaging and cohesive this year than their program at this time last year. A step in the right direction for one of DCA's charter members.

Bushwackers.... they are on the verge of having a very good summer. They were ready to roll... easily the most prepared I've seen them to start a season in recent memory.  Brass line needs the most work.... there were some intonation and tone-quality issues... but the percussion and guard were strong (and big!!!), and the show is energetic, enjoyable, and easy to follow.

Buccaneers:  Their opener... wow.  I mean, WOW. Like, jaw-hitting-the-ground amazing, especially for this early.  The ballad was wonderful, as Buccaneer ballads tend to be. The last third of the show... to me, it seemed to lose momentum compared to the rock-'em sock-'em opening and solid ballad. But hey... it's early. There is time to tweak, add/subtract, and ramp up the energy level for the back part of the show. As has been the case every year since 2005... they are the corps to beat, the gold standard for DCA.  Are they unstoppable? Who knows. A lot of us thought that was the case last year, and guess what... LOL.

Fusion Core:  Strong effort from one of DCA's best. All sections are solid, and the corps has an air of confidence that will serve them well as the season goes on. Horn line has a lot of new faces, but the sound they are putting out has a "veteran" feel to it already, and will only get better. The ballad is a major highlight for the "Core" this year. The last portion of their show... it seemed like one long percussion feature. Very long. I have no idea whether that's a good thing or bad thing... I'll let the judges sort that out...LOL... but again to me, it seemed like it drained some momentum.

Hawthorne Caballeros:  Definitely not your father's Caballeros.  LOL.  And I mean that as a compliment, with no offense at all intended to the Cabs of yesteryear. It's no longer yesteryear... and the Caballeros have stepped up their game to be more of a factor in this era.  A thoroughly engaging show, with a coordination and imagination level that is better than their efforts of recent years. Their visual designer this year is known for his emphasis on overall "give the folks a show" effect, and that is definitely the case with this program. Who knows how this show will fare on the scoresheets, but it sure will be cool to watch as the summer goes on.

The Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni corps wrapped up the evening with another great trip down memory lane for us in the audience. Horn line is smaller than we are used to seeing, but the big sound is still there when needed, and the soloists, as always, are stellar. And a shout-out to their drum major Tyrone Laval, who perhaps might be overlooked at times... but he is the ultimate class act, and does an outstanding job conducting the show.

Overall... a good start to another DCA season. Here we go!!!


 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Fran Haring
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Scores and placement please!  Not posted on DCA web site yet!  Based on Fran's review, I assume Bucs took first. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Bill_VA said:

Scores and placement please!  Not posted on DCA web site yet!  Based on Fran's review, I assume Bucs took first. 

No scores, Bill. It was an evaluation show. The judges there gave input to the corps.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much appreciated, Fran!

I'm afraid show reviews will be harder to come by this season. Things change, people change, and an entirely different generation of young adults has emerged. This group was raised on tapping out few brief thoughts on their cell phone screens.  What's a full and complete paragraph, anymore?

As someone who refuses to participate on Facebook, doesn't Tweet, ignores Snapchat, and all other recent developments, my information stream is limited. It's DCP, Drum Corps World, and personal conversations for me!

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you all might be interested in seeing Kids Grove Scouts show from a contest with scores yesterday ,You can catch it on UTUBE guys enjjoy .I loved the new unis and thier entire show ,And Bravo to the brass they got one hell of a horn line this year.GO KGS.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Fran

 

Was great seeing you on Saturday. the one thing I will say is that DCA could be "must see TV", so to speak this season. Some cool things going on and the competition may be tighter than ever.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, standy said:

Five corps on the field who will be competing for the championship in around 80 days yet this was a "try out", amazing. Drum corps evidently has really changed

DCA historically had preview shows for decades. So in reality, drum corps has "changed back".

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Kamarag said:

DCA historically had preview shows for decades. So in reality, drum corps has "changed back".

It is a little silly to start the season off like this.  All that time committed to learning the show in the winter, the drill in the spring and when you go out for the 1st show it's an exhibition.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...