corps_forever07

For clarity's sake - in my review.

If you don't see the point of a review like this, then don't read it and/or don't be a b#tch about it. I think I do a pretty decent job of keeping most things positive, unlike many other reviewers - including the reviewer that reviewed my review. Since this is a question of whether or not I stand up for one corps and bash another, literally every corps but one had something positive said about them and most all had negatives as well. I'm not here to spread my bias (FYI - I think the Bluecoats performances I've seen have been pretty disappointing up until this point. I'm not afraid to go out on a limb and say that.) or encourage bashing anyone. I didn't say anything to discredit any corps or its members as you did, SopMaster. Take a step back and look at who ACTUALLY did that. Hint: read your comments. So you don't like my thoughts. At least I can maintain my class. Sorry to those who can't!

Unless I specified in the review, I generally meant form-wise. I thought Cavies and Cadets looked great tonight in that respect. Technique was hard to see because of the quality of the broadcast when you full-screen it and the limited showing of feet on the multi-cam. Like I said, I'm no expert, I just marched a few years. Those were just my opinions and observations!

Thought I'd write a little review while settled in for the night's show here in humid Ohio. I was watching both the multi-cam and the high-cam, so I figured I'd comment on some things I observed. Just note that I wasn't there and I'm basing my comments on what crosses the screen and emits from the speakers of a 17 inch MacBook Pro, so take it for what it is! Here we go... Crossmen - Bones!!! "How 'bout that Texas?" It's so weird for me to hear the Crossmen are from San Antonio these days. That one's still going to take awhile. It was good to hear them get such a strong response from the hometown crowd right off the bat. Love the guard work and use of color throughout the show, but especially in the opener and very end of the closer. The CG unis look like Machine guard uniforms done even better. Probably the best of the night. Brass was really strong, minus the double tonguing section before the company front in the second (?) piece. Holy sop line. Love their book! Visually, it's a tad rough, but they've got great and difficult drill that will clean up before Finals for sure. Kudos to the person who fell - great recovery! Glad to see another corps that double-time's 99% of their ballad! Seemed to be a contra hole tonight. Overall, I am very glad to see this perpetually entertaining corps back where I think they should be and hope they maintain and continue to grow this season. Glassmen - This is one of the hometown (-state?) corps, and I hold the Glassmen close at heart. The finish on the drums looks phenomenal close up. I'm loving how Glassmen are putting a big middle finger up to the "boring" shows of Glassmen history with this one. They look decent. Some line problems and it looks like they also have a hole tonight (baritone, my guess). Saw a baritone player on a close-up way off step early in the show, which never leaves a good taste. Nerves? The dancing segment in the closer is a really great effect. Their colorguard is full of performers! They spin really well and are a great asset to the entertainment aspect of the show. Drumline has a long road ahead of them still, but knowing a few performers in the line, hopefully they'll get there. Horns are solid. Definitely rooting for the hometown team this season, as always. Hopefully they can get the small ticks out of their system and clean up that drum book and they'll be golden. Overall, one of the better shows in the past five years from the Glassmen. Blue Stars - The opening to this show is gorgeous! The concept is so well done and is one of my favorite music moments of this whole show. I think the bike wheels on the ends of flagpoles looks cheap and the stretching on the box in the beginning of the ballad is corny. They spin well, but come on staff, help them out by giving them some drum corps quality body work. The drill is surprisingly hard, probably the hardest so far in the show. With the hardest comes the biggest need for cleaning. There are parts where they hold for 8+ counts - on, 2, split, 2, on - and it's definitely not there. Probably because getting there is so difficult for them. The upper bodies are suffering badly too. On horns to the box, some lean back, some don't. Technique is very unclear here. There looks to be a contra hole here as well - what is up with that tonight? Their hornline is great. They show much greater maturity than the previous two corps and have a great dark and mellow sound. I'm not a fan of the repertoire selections (coming from a jazz girl), but I have to give them credit - they play well. Their pit is great too. They get showcased well in a nice drum feature followed by great lyrical and controlled horn parts. Beautiful. They deserve to be here! Blue Knights - I love this opening set and the choreography that goes with it. It's such a perfect opening to Cloudburst and they do a great job with it. This has to be one of the most visually appealing BK shows I've ever seen, just in terms of drill. I don't think they overdo the choreography like I feel they do in other years. Their drill isn't as hard as Blue Stars, in my opinion, but it's more effective and cleaner. Very villainous brass sound, which I think they're going for. Little bits of feet in the sound on the more delicate parts of the show, but with their technique, it's expected right now. They're always a very underrated corps and, though I may not necessarily like the repertoire, I respect talent and they've got it. Solid in every caption. If they make some changes into having a harder book all around, they'll have the opportunity to move up by Finals. Without harder material, I think they'll continue to play morning shows throughout the season, but be a fair and sure deal for Finals. Oh, and the first corps tonight with no visible holes! (Possibly harsh side note: I wish the guard staff would monitor the choices of some guard members in the way of uniforms - I know they get to pick their own.) Boston Crusaders - The show concept, after "getting it" is way cool and the sound they create with this image is really spot on. It's really surreal at points and reminds me a lot of the video game Bioshock's soundtrack. The muted section in the opener is absolutely stellar and the mello runs that accompany it are clean! This hornline does not mess around (minus some early attacks in the opener)! There is a chord in their company front at the very end of the show that absolutely makes me cream. The drill is a perfect balance in difficulty and effectiveness (with another hole). I don't have a whole lot of bad to say about Boston - they really have a good mix of product and talent this year and that's good to see. Bluecoats - And now my Bluecoats. Once again, it's nice to hear such a strong presence from hometown supporters in Texas. I have to say, all bias aside, they have the moment of the summer in their moving warm-up and introduction of the boxers. How that pans out is chilling. The announcer does such a great job with his acting. They are getting better. The show is entertaining, but it's hard and hard is, unfortunately, synonymous with dirty right now. I think Bluecoats need a new drill designer because staging is such a big issue. Every single person they closed in on the multi-cam looked B.A. in technique. The guard's jumpsuits look great and the work is getting so much better. I don't personally like how much narration covers up drum parts. People always complain about it covering up brass, but never percussion. With the drumline Bluecoats have, it wouldn't be my preference, but it's done so convincingly with the show that it is difficult to complain. Overall, the Bluecoats are on a different tier than the rest of the corps we've seen so far. The show is the ####! The Cadets - I know that the majority of people hate the narration and I'm no different, but I'm looking past it tonight. I don't really have a whole lot to say though. They look huge. They're really good. Their high brass is phenomenal. Their colorguard is like late-ninties, early-millennium Cadets guards. And they talk a lot. That's it. It's a great show! Santa Clara Vanguard - Pete Weber really outdid himself! That being said, it's dirty. The only reason this show isn't top 3 is it is dirty. I'm loving this visual package more than anything. The uniforms, the guard, everything. Some inconsistencies in the hornline, but I'm nitpicking. Their show is by far one of my favorites of the night so far, and I don't see that changing. It's old school Vanguard at it's finest and toward the end of this decade. That's cool as hell and they were wonderful (minus the girl out of the diagonal that they did a close-up on at the end - oops). Phantom Regiment - The show I've been waiting for. From when they walk on the field with the chains (amps?) and the slaves, they conveyed Spartacus so well. The new color scheme is absolutely perfect for them. The guard still blends into the field a bit, but they convey the image, so it almost doesn't even matter. The opening fanfare is sick and it's very apparent why they're scoring at the top in brass lately. Their feet look better than any corps (except for maybe The Cadets) and they're in white pants. Drill is harder than anyone so far and proportionately dirty. They move. Some of the close-ups while doing so looked a little less than stellar in the upper body. Overall, what a phenomenal throwback and product in general. Phantom is the perfect example of taking entertainment and class and putting something great out on the field every year. This year epitomizes that statement. Blue Devils - This show reminds me of Not the Nutcracker - weird for the sake of being weird - but much, much more intense and better. The thing the guard does with the tenors - lifting - is gimmicky and it takes away from the music. The guard is great though. Fabulous use of color from the absurd unis to the flags. The tightrope effect is cool (a little reminiscent of the Bluecoats 07 jailbreak) and the running theme they do throughout is a good effect as well. The pit is strikingly good, but I thought the drumline sounded significantly more dirty than Phantom's. Love the show, but not enough for it to win. It just isn't hard and impressive enough for that. What a great ending though. The Cavaliers - I don't like the samurai garb at all, unfortunately. The show, on the other hand, I do. The horns are s-o-l-i-d and the visual program is typical Cavaliers - hard, clean, good. Worthy of a championship, as it stands right now. There are a lot of little nuances that make this show and give it 'wow' factors. The thing is to make it consistently a 'wow' factor straight through the whole show. That's what shows like Four Corners and Frameworks had that this doesn't yet. Overall, a fantastic show, all things aside. Carolina Crown - Why are they performing last? I thought this show was boring. A show about finishing, you would think it'd be okay, but it was boring. Brass was good. Visual, not as good as Cavaliers. That's all I really have to say. It just bored me. Not a hater, just bored. So that's that! Take it for what it's worth, an old marching girl's mildly bitter (oxymoron?) take from home. I'd rather be marching. Overall favorite - Bluecoats, Bluecoats, Bluecoats! Let's go Bloooo!

I'd like to propose a toast of my Young's for proper grammar. U agree?

Um. I just want to know if this reply was for real. I don't really agree with the point of the topic personally, but really? Are some people really this sensitive? Cancer comments, I understand being sensitive over. This? Come on.

Um. I marched Bluecoats. I think right now, they're exactly where their product and their talent should be placing them and that's 7th. It's not hating, just realism. I have no doubt that they will not peak this year like they did last and they'll continue to grow through finals. They've got a hard show and a young corps where 1-4 are probably mostly seasoned vets. For the Bluecoats to be where they are already with such young people is mind-blowing. Only good things can come. Just because our opinions line up with those of trained professionals (AKA the DCI judging community) doesn't make everyone out to be haters. Don't be so paranoid. Not everyone is out to get the Bluecoats. Hearts and flowers. They'll be great this year. People are excited about it.

That's okay with me. BTW-I loved your 89 show. Saw you marched it on another topic.

I hope a lot has been added/tweaked. I am loving Phantom this year! (...and every other year...ever.)

I'm loving Phantom and SCV this year. I would love to see these two contending for the top. Also, The Cadets have a killer horn book this year. I love that hornline!

Really? I just checked up on the repertoire scores on DCI to make sure I wasn't totally out there with my opinion and...I'm not. Their scores are definitely close, but what's great is I can possibly think the Colts have the better product and have my opinion be a credible one because the Blue Stars are not winning their repertoire captions by a landslide (or...at all). This goes the same for you. The Colts aren't winning by a landslide, only a tenth as of quite a while ago, so you can go ahead and disagree. I won't begin to discredit you other than saying you're talking with a biased opinion. I don't have history riding on who comes out on top, just this little post about what I think may happen. That's all. To each his own. Good luck to all!

PR did have a 4 day hiatus from show while they did their traveling. Anyone know if anything was added during this?

Rooting for the Colts. We had a great rapport with both corps in 06, but I gotta go with the fact that they've got a better designed show IMO and a bunch of ######## people on their staff. Here's to hoping they take it!

Wish I could be there, but I'm sick in bed for the night. Take lots of pics of the Bluecoats for me! Can't wait to read your review. :)

Wow! I wasn't expecting this to be so close. I'm wishing SCV would win it tonight, but I'm going to go ahead and vote Phantom for the win.

Yeah, I'm a homer, but hopefully you all can say I'm an honest one. You definitely have to remember that the scores are in a different place right now because we still don't have a full panel yet and not everybody has seen each other. We'll know a little more of what to expect when Phantom sees Vanguard tonight with that spread (or lack thereof) and even more when everybody meets up in San Antonio. With the panel how it has been, who is really to know for sure what will happen when when July 5 (full panel) and August 9 roll around? Talking to the few vets that remain from the two years I marched, the corps is very young this year and there have been some major staff changes in the visual department (caption head, colorguard), so those with experience are adjusting to a possible (not sure) technique change right alongside the rookies. The same happened in 05 and look at the caption scores from finals. The loss of Steph Furniss was a great one and I think, without her brute, they may suffer for just a little while in the feet department. I know that, without that woman, my ### would have taken a little longer to get kicked into gear. Steph had an affect on making things happen quickly and she's, in my opinion, a great loss for that organization, though there are a few staff members still remaining who worked under Steph and hopefully will continue some of her philosophies. This all said, it's absolutely not to say that they've got some great talent in that corps and on that staff. Coming from another corps with our own staff changes and lack of experience in 2004, I feel for them and have zero doubt that they'll be where they want to be, and where we want them to be as alumni and fans come August. The Bluecoats organization is second to none in doing things the right way for the growth and education of the members on the field, so I hope people aren't concerned with the progress. No doubt they will come out of this year as one of the best Bluecoats corps ever. That's the goal every year and of the current age Bluecoats, I don't think there has been a season where that didn't happen. Their book is harder than hell. It's dirty. But I can already say it's one of the most entertaining products on the field right now. When you've got that paired with talent and drive in those on and off the field, the only way to go is up and it's going to be so fun for all fans watching it happen. All of this being said, I have a lot of faith in the members taking my place and the old friends that are directing them and I'm excited to see where things lead. Remember your six words, Blue.

He totally beat around the bush with mine.

"Any publicity is good publicity." You've made some very, very valid points. Two of the best posts in this whole thread.

Honestly, I started college and lost focus. Quit playing. I wasn't as excited for 07 as I had been in the past and I let everything kind of go. Just for the record -- I have always been happy with my experience at the Bluecoats. I was a part of the highest scoring and highest placing Bluecoats in history and marched with some amazing people. We'll see what the future holds, though. I age out in 2010 and am looking to get in a couple jazz classes this fall so maybe I'll be back on the field for my ageout or something.

Bump for a good cause.

So sad. My parents are in Fort Sill right now. I wouldn't have declined the chance to go if I would have been able to see Regiment during the trip.

...but they didn't march in uniform... Just kidding. Gotcha. :)

YES.

This is a little off topic, but do you think that alternates who do basics all summer long, stand in horn arc or any non-ensemble rehearsal situation all summer long, stay out in the heat all summer long, but never get the chance to put on the uniform and march a show are not members? I think they are. Just sayin'. I know that was in response to the topic at hand, I'm just being difficult. Sorry.

Quitting, oh HELL no. Being injured, I definitely think so. If you push your body to its limit for this activity, you marched. I know about five people who have marched and been injured from doing it, and then went through months and months of physical therapy because of it. If you have to go through that after an injury from this activity, I think you deserve the title of being a member. If you flat out quit and just didn't feel like finishing a season, who the hell would say that person deserves the same title of a member that put in the blood, sweat, and tears (sorry for the cliche) all the way up to Finals, whether they were on the field or sitting in physical therapy because doctors forced them OFF the field? I hate quitters. I love people that give it all the can until their breaking point. There's a difference between the two, and it comes from an extreme amount of passion, or a total lack. I'm sure I'll have some people who disagree, but some of the best members I have ever marched with (Scotti Smith, Will Wells, Jason Schickel) were worked to their breaking point and had to be pulled off the field. Personally, (forgive my need for reiteration) these peoples are members.