Jim Alberty Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 (edited) Just got back from dropping a DVD of Jersey Surf's prelim show and watching it at Catherine's - drove back without waiting for scores since I knew they'd be posted by the time I got back. Here are quick impressions of each corps. I sat on the top row, just against the box. The afternoon was warm, over 80 and rather muggy, a strong wind was blowing from Stage Right to Left - as the sun set the weather cooled, the wind died down and it was a great evening. The stands were pretty much packed by the midpoint of the Div. II block. Great crowd, very partisan but very responsive in general. Div. III Lake Erie Regiment - their guard started on large body pillows and they looked really comfortable. The heat got to the brass, as it did for many in the Div. III block - the sound was very rough and unsupported. I thought the visual was the strong point - really great guard work. Dutch Boy - This was proof that sounds systems, for voice, may be redundant - their scat soloist had the mike stand but no system - he came out clear as a bell and the crowd was really into it. They really sold the snares playing on the rack and the mellophone soloist. Some problems in brass but a good show overall. Pride of the Lions - they started out with a completely wide-open set - great opening, very dramatic. Some performance problems in big drum accents, the brass seemed tired at times (there was an extended passage of repeated eighths that got lost). They really hung it out there, I like what they tried to do. Allegiance Elite - they have a great show design - they didn't perform it as well as it could be expected - the heat got to the keyboards as at times they had a very different pitch from the horns. The guard was the strong point for me - very expressive and they dance really, really well. Capital Sound - I kept thinking "this should be a Div. II corps" - they played with a lot of self-assurance despite the heat. The orange guard unis provided a great contrast to the corps proper. Really emotional performance. Revolution - This group has an amazing percussion section - more so because, if memory serves me right, the drum section was what caused them to implode at the start of last season's tour. They've gotten over it in a big, big way. Percussion is their strong suit, followed by guard and horns. Marching still had some form problems. I've gotten to really like this show. Yamato - first off, snaps to this corps for applauding as Revolution's solo "Hope" flag made her exit out the gate where they were waiting - very cool. They had a big, bright brass sound and seemed least affected by the heat of any corps to that point. Raiders - This was a very tight, very aggressive performance (in a spiritual way, of course...). All captions were very "on". My notes say "close" and they pulled it off. Great show. Taipei Yuehfu - They gave a very clean performance, but maybe not with the edge that Raiders had - the difference between a move that is exact and a move that is exact and expressive. Again, they were a crowd favorite and the fans in the guard - and at the end - were really well recieved. Div. II Again, by this point the air was cooling and it was just a bit more comfortable - the magic of "under the lights" was coming into play - at least in how corps looked. Memphis Sound - Better performance that prelims, obviously - Some rough spots in the middle, particularly in middle brass - at times the sound was muddy throughout but the general brass sound was really fine - just a few spots. Jersey Surf - still a crowd favorite - they had a timing penalty and got rid of several comedy bits - the "Can you hear me now" in the drum major and the queeny guard kid were dropped - I suspect that Bob "take the penalty" Jacobs and company will put them, or something even more outrageous in for Grand Finals. Still needs some form cleaning but the energy was there. Props from the crowd for the props on the field from the trunk. Oregon Crusaders - I felt like they were holding back a bit tonight - the brass ensemble was much tighter but I could hear some individuals popping out of the texture. Still some form control problems. Again, I ask, why doesn't the kid with the gun just SHOOT THE BAD GUY? Oh well. I think this show is exceptional for what it gives the individual player to work with - the content is very rich - I think they could get even more out of it, emotionally and technically - definitely a corps to watch. Impulse - Big problem here - the pit amp was too loud, way too loud - sitting just under the box I lost some really intricate soprano passages in the wash of sound. Judging from the expressions and takes the kids were doing in the pit they must have known but didn't have a method for fixing it. The volume detracted (for me, mind you, IMHO) from the overal effect of the show. The show itself was very exciting and they were really pushing the accents - guard was jaw-droppingly emotional and fun to watch. Teal Sound - A really excellent, passionate performance - horns and drums very crisp - and the guard was really, really clean. Blue Stars - here is where it got really exciting. You could tell from the warm up that they had every intention of yanking the carpet out from under either or both of the East Coast corps. I thought they were very strong, very focussed - but they didn't seem to have the clarity needed in drill or music ensemble, to match the top two corps. That's a lot of kids on the field and when they do work it out, it's a Div. I finalist corps - easy as that. Spartans - this show was one for the angels - they simply told the story, clear enough to knock the judges box off the back of the stands - not with volume but with a clean, focussed performance. Capital "C" Classical. There were no weak captions anywhere - in fact, they were all strong. Their drill design seemed more complex than ECJ, maybe that's what tipped the scale - but whatever they had, they totally sold it. Great job. East Coast Jazz - Sometimes corps music drives me nuts - they play "the idea" of jazz (or pick your style) but it comes out like a photocopy of a flower, rather than the flower itself. The elevator version of a song, rather than trying for the passionate center of what the original was trying to do. That's what ECJ did tonight - they put themselves into the soul of the music - and it wasn't "their idea of jazz" - it freakin' WAS jazz - like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on steriods - lot's and lot's of steroids. And I think it cost them, as there was a little fuzziness to the edge their sound usually has. Unpleasant? Unmusical? Unfocussed? Not a bit - just a passionate performance which was the best of themselves shared with a stadium full of people. So now we go on to Saturday - ECJ could yank it back from Spartans - Blue Stars could yank it back from both. As a general comment, I have to share how impressed I was with how strong each corps was in this show - all nine of the Div II and most of the Div. III could hold their own, right now, with the lower tier of Div. I - why that's not allowed is a big marketing mistake for DCI (IMHO). Anyway, that's it - I'll be there Saturday, probably in the same place - big Native American guy with a battered straw hat with an eagle feather. Come up and say "hi" and after the show we're off to Gillette. Oh yeah, I'm sure the Div. I corps did a nice job tonight as well. regards - Jim Edited August 12, 2005 by Jim Alberty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCI-Dadx2 Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Oh yeah, I'm sure the Div. I corps did a nice job tonight as well.regards - Jim <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Awesome review Jim. I love this line. It's close to becoming your signature here, and nicely sums up some some of the frustration of seeing how competitive and ignored this level of the activity can be sometimes. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKDAD Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Excellent Review Jim everyone on the field excelled and they are all winners in my book I will look out for you on Sat. ^OO^ ^OO^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRCman Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 .Raiders - This was a very tight, very aggressive performance (in a spiritual way, of course...). All captions were very "on". My notes say "close" and they pulled it off. Great show. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Very agressive corps last night. .. I honestly feel that their visual took it over the top.. and maybe some percussion too (haha, just kidding, your percussion was more than any Div.II corps had, in my opinion!!) To the Raiders and their first DCI World Championship... CONGRATULATIONS! Is this the first time they have won? You deserve this more than any drum and bugle corps I know. Kudos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrent Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Revolution - This group has an amazing percussion section - more so because, if memory serves me right, the drum section was what caused them to implode at the start of last season's tour. They've gotten over it in a big, big way. Percussion is their strong suit, followed by guard and horns. Marching still had some form problems. I've gotten to really like this show.regards - Jim <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just to set the record straight: Mis-management of the corps caused them to implode. The percussion section was simply the first to exit. Great review though. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubaPercDFIU Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 To the Raiders and their first DCI World Championship... CONGRATULATIONS!Is this the first time they have won? You deserve this more than any drum and bugle corps I know. Kudos... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes this is the first championship for the Raiders. Came close in 01 (just .05). I almost wish I had marched my age-out cause I'd have a gold medal around my neck right now. I watched Quarters in Walled Lake, MI on Thursday and I was hopin to see some scores (because Rodinaro said he'd give the results). When I saw that I had a voice mail from both my mom and sister (who's in the guard) and a text form my sister, I knew they had won. I waited until the very end of the cincast for confirmation, though. When he mentioned that Raiders won, I yelled so loudly that I probably got some weird looks. thankfully, most of the people had left already. ^_^ I am extremely proud of them for taking it home finally. I know there's a bit of controversy surrounding the results because of Taipei's penalties, but the Raiders will prove today that they deserved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackstar Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 I must offer my apologizes to the Raiders. I remember reading about them a couple of years ago and thought they were some little corps that couldn't. Not worth the time to worry about. I am so glad that they won. I will never ever think less of a corps based on size. Because as most men know, Size doesn't matter!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lp1955 Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Congrats to the Raiders when I saw you guys twice last month I knew you had something special this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohn Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Excellent Review....Thanks..... Bigjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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