Popular Post DrumManTx Posted July 24, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) Sorry at how scatter brained/off the cuff this is. Wanna get it done while it's still fresh on my mind but I'm pretty wiped right now. I was in Broken Arrow, Belton, and San Antonio. Got to see all 23 WC at least once, most twice, and Carolina Crown three times. Every single show that I thought I hated was way better live, can't say there are any shows I have distaste for. Certainly some personal preference but there isn't anything scoring wise that has me ripping my hair out. Interacted with a ton of amazing friends, fans, a few MMs, and people. Even got to meet @Terri Schehr and @Jim Schehr! If they're at a show you're at go talk to them.......so approachable and friendly! The community of this activity is what keeps me coming back, it's an amazing group of people. Every single performer did an amazing job out there, there is something memorable in every single show I thought. Was incredibly impressed from top to bottom. I'm gonna keep this thing mostly positive with a few small things. I'll do a more refined/focused one at the end of the season. But for now....... Sound Sport First time I've seen some Sound Sport ensembles live and I was really impressed, Horizon especially. Such a professionally designed and fantastically performed for the size of the ensemble show from them. Arsenal and Bayou City Blues were a blast. Guardians - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy I was not sure at all what to expect from this show but ####, I was so incredibly impressed especially from a design perspective. This is leaps and bounds better than last years show and that was great too. The use of that ramp prop was World Class level stuff. Brass had some great power moments, with time they're gonna be great. Percussion was fantastic, great playing and they have an incredible presence. And that guard.......wow. They were so fun to watch, the featured performer (or it might have been more than one) stole the show. She owned it. Oh, and the uniforms looked awesome on the field. Loved the leg colorings. Great stuff. @MikeN, hope you had a great time seeing your daughter perform. You should be VERY proud. Pioneer - Irish on Broadway That singer is incredible, sad her mic cut out in San Antonio but I got to hear her in Belton too and she is phenomenal. I Love what they do with the barricade props towards the end in terms of staging/playing through them. And finally, just a show with music I love I can just sit back and enjoy. Jersey Surf - Make it Our Own First of all, I felt so bad in Belton, the props got pretty wrecked by the wind, it seemed like the performance was REALLY shaky. But in San Antonio they blew the house down, don't think I've ever seen a reaction like that to the second World Class corps performing. Beautiful use of color including the newly fleshed out props, and in the guard as well. Some BIG sounds coming out of that hornline, especially in the ballad and closer. And that plume change, that kind of stuff never gets old. Just need to clean clean clean but this is the most mature/enjoyable show I have seen out of them in years. Seattle Cascades - Set Free I don't care what the scores say, this is their best corps in years. Such an energetic and accessible program from beginning to end. Love the entire visual aesthetic of this show, so pleasing to look at. And the Sia/Shostakovich layover in the closer is about as awesome as that "Black Hole Sun"/"Jupiter" mashup in 2015. Amazing arranging Mr. Norfleet. And wow.......I had just assumed the voice was a sample. She is LIVE??? AWESOME! She sounds amazing, awesome job to her. They should try to find a way to stage her so that's more obvious because she deserves it. Great to see the color guard growing, the stuff with the wings was fantastic. Brass was very solid and percussion was great. All in all very entertaining and their best corps in years IMO. Genesis - The Other Side of Now They really brought the house down, they seemed twice as loud in the dome as they did in Belton. That brass sounds so...so...so good. No shocker with Jason Buckingham at the helm. So many awesome BIG moments throughout the show like the first big Hide and Seek hit in the opener and the one in the Both Sides Now ballad. And I never get tired of a good ole charge the stands ending getting right up in the audiences faces. Great stuff. The show is pretty familiar territory thematically but they sell it incredibly well. Oregon Crusaders - EnCompass This show with a few more weeks could be super dangerous, incredibly mature and difficult programming for this bracket in all captions. Brass and percussion are as good as ever, and the color guard is the best I think I've ever seen it from them. Love the usage of the U2/Enya to really enhance the Elgar stuff, it brings another layer that gave the show a very ethereal and beautiful vibe. The ballad was a musical highlight of the whole week for me, just letting a piece breathe and develop can do amazing things, loved it. And the guard work during it is fantastic, love the paired stuff. Dang, new ending since I saw it last. VERY cool stuff, can't wait to see that cleaned. Really enjoyed them. Pacific Crest - Golden State of Mind Brass has some serious punch in this show, way more presence than last years show. Alfonso Muskedunder is so so so much fun, love it when corps let their hair down like that. Also really liked their treatment of the Lost Soundtrack in the ballad, very nice breather from the rest of the show. And love the full circle approach of the reprise of "California Dreaming" at the end. Percussion is very solid as always, and I love the use of color in the guard throughout, the gold at the end is very striking. Just a very fun, easy to watch, and well performed show. Spirit of Atlanta - Crossroads: We Are Here This show is an eclectic blast musically, so many different styles and textures they use. It's old Spirit of Atlanta with some new direction. I loved the Vienna Teng ballad, her music is amazing and I'm glad to see more of it being used. And their arrangement of Shofukan is off the hook fun. First brass impact was GREAT, they can really push the volume. TONS of color in the guard, interested in what all the different costuming/props represent. Percussion is very solid as well. Visual performance not as strong as music, still lots of time left though. Very enjoyable show. Colts - Both Sides Now I really enjoy this show, it has a beautiful understated quality to it. Love that build in the opener, very pretty. Highlight of the show for me is the ballad, that drum major/trombone soloist is easily one of my favorite soloists this year. Absolutely beautiful tone and musicality. Love the guard as well in this, that unison work at the climax is gorgeous. Brass and percussion really shine in the latter half of the show, those last big chords before the soft ending really have some punch to them. Not much else to say other than beautiful show. Troopers - Duels and Duets I have always enjoyed Troopers drum majors back to my infancy as a fan in the late 2000s, but Gabe man, you're on another level. I had a freaking blast watching you conduct. The transition into the Puccini ballad and the ballad itself are what I love most about drum corps. Loud, beautiful, emotional, and BIG music. And the percussion.........so so so tasty in writing and teaching. The front ensemble kinda Latin sounding stuff is to die for. Wish it was as strong visually as it was musically, if it was I think they'd be punching higher than they are but they made some improvements throughout the show. I see myself listening to this one a lot over the winter this coming year. The Academy - By a Hare I am so glad to see them really start to buy into this show, it's starting to really sell. So many recognizable and fantastic musical moments, the Anvil Chorus one in the closer is especially great. Some incredibly tasty percussion playing throughout the show, they're great this year. And they sound absolutely beautiful in terms of music ensemble sound. Guard antics got pretty good reactions at the two shows I attended, they're starting to be a lot more convincing. I think some of the changes/rewrites maybe put them a little bit behind in terms of performance but it's getting there. I think this is a show that has gotten a bit more grief that I'd expect it to, I think part of that is coming off of last year. Regardless, I'm excited to see where they take it. Madison Scouts - Last Man Standing Man, of all the corps I saw more than once these guys were the most improved the week of San Antonio. I wasn't a huge fan in Belton but something clicked in San Antonio. I don't think you can watch this the way you would a traditional show, now that it's sunk in it's actually incredibly intriguing. The brass sounds HUGE in that first big entrance, absolutely love the usage of trombones there and throughout. Really like the quirky darkness of the Bartok, the big moment in the ballad is GREAT, and "Music for Prague" really brings to life the angst and intensity of this show. O2 drum feature is really starting to sell. Color guard had some really great moments, love that flag feature in the ballad. Just keep selling and keep digging in with the theme and I think this show will really start to sparkle. Mandarins - Inside the Ink Oh man. This is a show from the second they enter the field to the second they exit. So many amazing moments to pick from, the ballad is definitely a highlight but I think this drum feature might be my favorite drum feature of the year. It's just so.........bad ### in every single way. It has Ike Jackson written all over it. Love the tone of the brass and how much of the low brass comes through. And that guard........####. Blew me away. They REALLY sell the insanity aspect of them theme so well. Love the new ending, the tarps are really cool and I love the added velocity in the drill. This show is just textbook good design in every way. Top 12 or not, what an incredible season so far for them and their future is incredibly bright. Blue Stars - Star Crossed/Belton Encore I really don't care what the recap says, this brass section is otherworldly awesome. The high brass is especially good, the clarity in those HUGE mellophone chords in the opener in that high brass feature right after the ballad is incredible. The tricks and things this guard attempts year after year never lose their shock value, there are very few color guards that entertain me that much. And the percussion is as bad ###/intense/fun to watch as ever. They are HOT. Show is really starting to come together, I think it'd be stupid to count this one out of moving up. There are so many great moments throughout, the opening few minutes are especially strong and I love the ballad and closer as well. Drum feature is the only part where I'm thinking they could finalize some layering and change a few things. Regardless, I think it has a ton of potential for growth. If this show is 11th, it's only because there are 10 amazing corps above them. Also, that encore in Belton was AMAZING. Getting to hear them play La Vie en Rose and Shofukan up close and personal was easily one of my favorite moments of the week. They sounded incredible. Crossmen - The Enigma They grab you by the balls from the get go with that soloist/drum feature start and do not let go. That first hit is EXPLOSIVE. Ballad soloist is fantastic and when the whole brassline comes in that was.......oof. Awesome. And the clarity of the articulations of the brass throughout but especially the closer was amazing, you could drive a truck through the space in those notes in the featured articulated passages. They were HOT HOT HOT in San Antonio. I'm really starting to get the show overall and I'm glad they're using the props a lot more, or I just had noticed before. I am interested in how much further they can take this because it comes off as super complete and very clean to me. Blue Knights - i The Beck and Schwantner........oh man. That's some of the freshest percussion and brass writing I've heard in a long time. Those drums are absolutely insane, and the brass side to side passages were INCREDIBLE from a timing standpoint. Wow. Loving the guard changes in the percussion concerto, the flags are WAY more effective than the discs ever were or were going to be. Incredible control and contrast in the closer, it's some of the most musically interesting stuff I heard all week from a dynamic standpoint. I'm really starting to come around to this show overall, kinda shocked at where they finished, because the brass and percussion are top tier. Phantom Regiment - Phantasm This show has come such a long way and still has so much room to grow, I give them credit for attempting such a difficult show. Brass is getting there, still some intonation and tone things throughout but I attribute that more to what they're having to do drill wise while playing. Very solid percussion stuff, some cool writing in the Jarre section. Color guard improved a ton from Broken Arrow to San Antonio, they had a WAY better run on Saturday. And it obviously showed in the recap, not sure about 4th but I'm no guard expert. Loving the new flags at the end, very impactful paired with the white skirts. They're starting to sell me overall, more so visually than on the musical/overall concept side of things. Not huge on the SUPER Broken Arrow voiceovers saying fantasy, invasion, madness, and whatever else ten billion times but I'll not let that ruin a show for me. They have limitless potential this year, interested in how far they take this thing. The Cadets - The Faithful, The Fallen, The Forgiven I have to give them credit for having one of the most unique shows from a pacing standpoint I've ever seen, don't think I've experienced anything like it. Simple Song in the opener is beautiful. Agnus Dei is straight up Cadets with some singers thrown on top, great job to them by the way throughout. The middle portion of the show does feel really long, but it has some incredibly fun moments, especially towards the end of it. New closer definitely has more punch than the old one did. The two big things that turn me off some are still the narrated/dialogue bits and the last uniform change. The rest of the show is what it is and it's incredibly clear without it being told to us. But overall, it's starting to come together and kudos to those members for attacking so many changes/additions head on. They're beasts being able to tackle that stuff. This show has a pretty high ceiling, they're in a potentially good place depending on how they move from here. Boston Crusaders - Wicked Games I don't think I have a single negative thing to say about this show; I think this was my favorite of the week. It's 12 minutes of perfectly spaced amazing moments and being sold by 150 incredible performers. Musical construction as I've said before is amazing, the pacing, layering of voice overs into the music, use of voice in the texture of the brass in the ballad, and use of the front ensemble as a thread to weave together the whole show is just absolutely masterful. Visually it's the same thing. Your eye is guided so well to every single big event and moment and is sold by what I thought was easily one of the best guards on the field at both shows that I saw. They grab you by the throat and do not let go for the whole show. I was so blown away by them, the work and performance quality selling the characterization of this show is amazing. The singer in the ballad, she looks and sounds like she's part of a high end theatrical production and her voice is incredible. She sounds like she is singing with a purpose. Brass and percussion are fantastic, the control and clarity in that opening statement from the brass is so tasteful, and the percussion throughout is text book McNutt/Moyer. Those rim shots going into "Grohg" are so tasteful and their features in that section and the Ginastera are absolutely fantastic. The usage of themes in the front ensemble throughout again is so good; I love how "Moonlight Sonata" kept finding its way back in throughout the show. The ending........screw historical accuracy. That is one of the most enthralling things I have ever experienced at a drum corps show. The little addition of that smoke just puts the cherry on top, but that chord in the brass at the end..........wow. Had me on my feet well before the end at both shows; this is one of the most entertaining experiences I've had the pleasure of experiencing as a drum corps fan. Finally, I love the fact they're not shying away from such dark material and selling it in a way that's appealing. That's hard to do. And as I told the souvenir lady in Belton, those members are kicking ###. The Cavaliers - Men Are From Mars Man. Texas loves them some Cavaliers. And so do I. Easily one of my top three favorites from the last week. Like Bluecoats their confidence/performance quality/personality/etc. when they perform is so so so fun. Lets start with the obvious. That guard. Incredible. The athleticism and level of performance of this incredibly hard program is absolutely enthralling to watch. That 20 yard flag exchange near the end of "Little Green Men" is jaw dropping. A breeze caught that thing in Broken Arrow and almost sent it into the stands which added a whole other level of oh ####. lol Love the rifle stuff in "Mars"/"My Way" as well. Percussion is old school awesome in your face cool splits and tricks POWER playing, the stuff at the end is so awesome. I sat in front of a tenor (I think) grandma in San Antonio, and told she should be very proud. As should our resident @PopcornEater1963. Brass has made TONS of progress and they're really starting to hang with the big boys. Technical passages are starting to sound tight and that ballad is really starting to reminisce of their mid 2000s ones. I love the theme and its underlying messages. TONS of emotions and tones in this show, I still think the middle section is absolutely hilarious. I wonder what the joke was in San Antonio......his mic cut out as he was telling it. BUT we did get to hear some super tasty bass splits. They were one of the crowd favorites in San Antonio easily, there is just a aura about them that makes them hard not to love. Last thing, that section leading into the ballad with the flag exchange and whiplash drill and insane keyboard stuff and all that is some of the coolest run and gun stuff I've seen in recent memory. This show is a blast. Bluecoats - Jagged Line It's a pretty freaking good year when a show like this is sitting in 4th. I still think they're a change/cleaning away from easily fighting for a medal but we shall see. Opener timing seemed pretty solid, maybe a bit more so in Broken Arrow. No guard expert but I still love that opening flag feature right up front, it's incredibly exciting to watch. "Psychopomp" is a ton of fun, some incredibly cool time signature/timing stuff they do. That 20 yard tenor feature still blows my mind. And that snake drill REALLY got that crowd hyped up at both shows I went to. I personally really like the ballad live, I think the contrast of what you see/expect to happen when they turn around and what actually happens is pretty cool. But to each their own. Soloist was great. Psathas is really starting to cook for me, no one ever seems to talk about the absolutely ridiculous keyboard stuff that goes on in this. FANTASTIC stuff. Aggressiveness of the drums is new for me, usually their writing is much more laid into the texture/relaxed but this is a fun change. Zappa is where the fun really begins for me. In Broken Arrow especially, the clarity of the hornline reaches its greatest point here, some incredibly complex time/rhythmic stuff that might not be your traditional technical run but it's just as impressive to me. But above all else it's just a fun, let their hair down, and entertaining piece of music. Ending is still....wow. When they hit that snake with the two soloists (the one on the right using a pedal is SO cool!) the crowd went nuclear, especially when it hits that reprise. The low brass sprinting down that ramp is still as terrifying and awesome as ever, and those ear splitting power shots and the end are everything. They are easily a crowd favorite and was encouraging to see them inch closer on Saturday. The season really has just begun, and I can't wait to see this thing clean/enhance. The way those performers look like they're enjoying the show is so infectious, I have a blast watching them perform. Carolina Crown - It Is I came into this week REALLY thinking I was going to really dislike this show. They're starting to sell me. I'll work backwards. That closer is so so so dependent and features the percussion HEAVILY. That was incredibly bold move on their part and man. They pull it off. After years of people (IMO in most cases unfairly) using the percussion as the scapegoat for their scoring shortcomings, they are undeniably good. It's an incredibly agressive and in your face book with some absolutely ear splitting stuff in the closer. It's a blast. And that Carolina Crown bass 5 solo built into the closer is fantastic. Love it. Ballad is really nice, still is a pretty stark contrast to the rest of the show but in itself it's really started to work. Brass sounds gorgeous underneath it. The Giannini/Ives/etc. section is a ton of fun, like the play with the props and deconstructing the field (just hope no one ever catches one of those boards and bites it). And the Bach opener. As soon as they play the first note you know this hornline is incredible. The restraint and builds/falls volume wise display their incredible musicality right from the get go. Overall I think the show is super obvious myself, and I don't mean that in a bad way just that I definitely get it. They always have a trick up their sleeve in terms of late season additions so I'm excited to see those. Color guard is getting the same kind of grief percussion did in recent years which IMO isn't fair. I think for a staff change and what seem like an incredible amount of amazing guards they're doing fine. Just need some time to get more confident and a lot of issues will fix themselves. Enjoyment grew with each consecutive viewing. Santa Clara Vanguard - Ouroboros Oh my God. This show is one of the most seamless, coordinated, detailed, freshest, and enthralling shows I've ever seen live. Even up close where I could see a lot of corps tricks/equipment changes/etc. coming I could not with SCV. The way they use the props to hide members, equipment changes, etc. is just all a masterful game of "WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM???". Every little thing is effective. So elephant in the room is the featured performers vs. the rest of the hornline. I really don't mind it, they're not trying to hide this with some mics hidden in the corps and playing a trick on us, they're obviously featured throughout and I like the uniform change to highlight that. They're absolute virtuosic animals. The rest of the hornline is not backup to them, they have PLENTY of very intricate and hard passages and they're hauling ### doing it most of the time. IF they can match the featured performers in performance it'll really be amazing and they're getting there. Other sections, the percussion is as amazing as always. I didn't really enjoy the book on its own (this was VERY early in the season) but the way it's woven into the horn book is MASTERFUL, it's so organic and plays so well with the brass stuff from Shaw. And of course they perform it at the highest of levels, loved the basses spinning on the prop right after the ballad is over. Color guard seems like their best in.......a long time? They're amazing, the featured male performer is amazing. And that flag work in the closer is to die for. The highlight of this show is the ballad for me, incredible use of velocity in atypical ways and some incredible restraint and use of tension/release. I think this show simply comes down to performance. I think the risk/reward balance of this show is pretty extreme on both ends. If it gets clean enough..........this is gonna get really interesting. Regardless of that, easily one of my and both audiences I saw it with favorites. It's the IT show this year. Blue Devils - Metamorph I'm going to get my one major personal complaint out of the way. WAY...TOO...MUCH...BASS. Like Oh my God. I thought that was gonna reach brown note frequency from South Park levels, it's LOUD. Might be better up top but where I was it was a good few times louder than anyone elses. Ok. That's done. And I think they had some soloist mics out in San Antonio but they still projected very well where I was. On to the show. The way they perform is just second to none in confidence/professionalism/and clarity. Everything they do is done at the highest of levels. I love how from the get go of this show they put everything on super high exposure. 16 member snare feature is INCREDIBLY exposed and risky, that kind of writing and playing has to be nailed perfectly to sound clean and they're getting there with every show. And the rifle work and file marching across the field have to be impeccable too or it won't work. Love the added drill towards the end of the opening statement. Bumblebee is starting to sound really good, they've rewritten some ends of phrases and added some landing points that give it more accuracy and clarity. Starting to really cook. And man, I don't know much about guard but their rifles throughout, but especially this part were otherworldly awesome to watch. The ease they toss some of those INSANELY high tosses with blows my drummer mind. "Everything Must Change" is a ball buster, that's about as old school park and bark (I USE THAT IN A GOOD WAY HERE) ear shattering straight up music as it gets and people are still complaining about it. Oh well, I loved it. And the level of talent in those soloists is just insane, they all sound incredible. Trumpet feature immaculate. Closer still isn't my favorite thing in the world but I just apply my own personal preference to that, I will say that it is incredibly dense in terms of simultaneous events going on and I could probably find something new for years now which I have come to expect/love from them. Sitting down low I sure never thought hmm.........they sure are not moving any. They might not be marching 4 - 5 220 or whatever but it's smart. It's allowing them to max out. And if they max out too early I'm sure they'll add something else. All in all, they perform at a level that is their own and they really sold me on this thing, it's mind blowing how good they are. Edited July 24, 2017 by DrumManTx 35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post saxfreq1128 Posted July 24, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 24, 2017 This is why @DrumManTx is my favorite. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Burger Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Thanks for taking the time to share your insights. I know these can be a pain to write and you still feel like you forgot something when you're done. You are a highlight of this forum, so thank you. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudding Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) Very insightful, passionate review that gives every corps its fair time in the spotlight. Thank you. Edited July 24, 2017 by pudding 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimwolf359 Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Outstanding review. That was fun to read! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Thanks! Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) Thanks, Landry! You're a great kid! Good luck with your music endeavors and tell Sue that Terri Golden says Hi! Great review! Edited July 24, 2017 by Terri Schehr 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Lancer Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Easily the best reviewer on DCP! Great job! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 What I like most about this review is that the reviewer mentions things about each show that I had not considered before and/ or had not seen or heard before in the 1 or 2 times I had watched these Corps live or on FLO. I really appreciate that, as I 'll be sure to look for these aspects in the remaining weeks of the season when I get a chance to catch these Corps again. I also like the fact that he wrote his review after watching most of the Corps he reviewed more than once. Such a masterful review here... so educational for me, an Old Dog who learned some new things with this. Bravo, for such an insightful, interesting review. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gak27 Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 As the others who have commented to date have said - fabulous review. I especially liked how your views on some shows changed (in a couple of cases, dramatically) after viewing them live. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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