Xmen89

It's easy to run out of superlatives by the end of the night. Blue Devils are simply magnificent. The performance level is unparalleled. The design, though, feels predictably incohesive. Too many musical ideas run through the BD-erator formula. I crave a BD show that draws from a single musical source. Amazing prop evolution. What a surprise.

We're Eden this up, Boston. That is a colorguard for the record books. Perfection. Such a creative design and spectacular performance.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, you 1 us over, Crown. Set a new bar in entertainment. After heavy electronic goo and bad speakers, this was a refreshing sound. Purple pants and orange sash is a great look. Guard seemed to have some jitters at the start but then rocked it ... a joy to watch. That last minute of drill is why I love drum corps. Goose Bump City.

Holy Hopper, Bluecoats, what a strange and wondrous trip. Theater speakers went berserk. Did some wires get crossed? Sounded like a world class horn line coming through a ham radio. I hope Lucas Oil was spared this. Ha! Finally caught the traffic light prop. Marvelous. What a magical color pallet. So much fun and hoy in the shows this season. So entertaining and original and commanding. Bravo! They're not booing, they're Louuuuuuuuuing!

Vanguard was a joy! What a powerful show. Felt like they kicked the night up a level. Such overbearing electronic goo covering up that spectacular horn line was like putting ketchup on fillet mignon. Squeaky clean percussion and loved the bells in the front ensemble. But, holy Buddha, too much synthesizer. It's a night for white! What an ending!!! Beats the disappearing phantom

Yeah, Cadets! Every section and everyone gets to shine in this high-energy show. Love the guard unis. The props are too small to read the signage, though. Somehow, Cadets look much smaller than Blue Stars. Field coverage? So much of the storytelling relies on a recorded (right?) voice that I feel they fall short in GE. But it is sheer joy to hear those Cadets legacy shows shine through in the music and visuals. Z-pull the heart strings!

What a spectacular show from the Blue Stars! The design invites us to pay attention and gives a reward for that. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Such beautiful patterns in costume and backdrops, but with eloquent coordination. I just don't think the grey jackets enhance that. So much more cohesive than the two preceding shows. It's great to hear new music on the drum corps field. Beautiful and powerful!

The Cavaliers bring so much more velocity than their peer corps do. Great energy. The busy jackets just blend into the field. I miss their clean uni design from a decade ago. Soloists got a bad run out of their system so can now can shine for semis and finals. The show design has so many layers, but so does green bean, jello, lobster, popcorn, and chocolate mousse salad. The whole seems less than the sum of the parts. But the parts are pretty cool! Did the addendum contribute much?

Are these historical vignettes in the theater show all recycled from the Preview show?

Mandarins must have a great time performing that. Loved the closing yellow flag feature. In terms of show design, though, it seems like more whipped cream than pie. Still, so original and interesting.

The 2021 DCI champion Phantom Regiment did not back down an inch in 2022! What a great show. More groove in this show than anything since their 89 disco Dvorak movement of NWS. I still don't like the curved platforms, but they do add a good effect. Dang they move fast! Horn mics, like with Crossmen, sounded rough, so guessing this is a theater broadcast issue. Comparing this last set of corps:. Hats >> bare heads. Great ending. Red carpet moment.

Great job Crossmen! So much more energy than early season. The concept of rotating the playlist has been lost on me, but maybe makes sense this week with some people able to see three consecutive shows. In the theater, amplification of the brass sounded awful--not sure why. That BCG brought it to a new level! They are so fun to watch and great unis and flag designs. Just a great performance.

What a great edition of the Colts! Some super groove, especially with the tasteful electric bass. Great tenor feature! A green field swallows up a corps in grey and cream giving them less visual punch than MS, Troop, or BK, but they gave a much stronger performance then the three before.

Blue Knights brought some energy and groove to their trademark esoteric show design. Love how tall the hats make them look and that the unis look good close and from far. The huge blue dots were a lovely touch of nostalgia. The cape shirts on the guard were interesting, but the solid hot pink looked better. The blue rifles were almost invisible. The corps looked they really had fun performing that show.

Troopers, you had me at cello. Liquid gold. That's an amazingly effective show. Superb flag designs. Great effect with the oil barrels. I just wish those final black ribbons of oil were about 4 times thicker.

Wow, Madison! What a fun show. Such enjoyable musical book and loved the splash of 89s pop art. That was a performance any Scouts alumnus could be proud of.

Show note: the center section ($50 tix) looks only half full.

The hometown crowd gave a warm response to the Cavies. Lots to see in this show, though the two tarps don't add much. The rotating ramps / clock hands is a great effect. I hope they can find a way to rotate the "time" messages more smoothly. An energetic performance.

Crossmen had the crowd responding in the middle segments tonight. Highlights: vibrant guard outfits and flag designs, the soloist and guard rings (can it be cleaned, though?) Probs: the front ensemble was WAAAAY too loud and drowned out the horn line, some segments just elicit no crowd response.

INT is doing the same old, same old. Love it or hate it, at least INT is traditional.

Colts gave a great performance. The crowd loved it. Highlights: great show theme comes across well and integrates visuals and music, outstanding soloists, another marching cymbal line (!!!!!). This will be a show I listen to long after August. Needs work: I don't feel like the color palette puts us on the Silk Road as much as on Santa Monica beach, and the two piles of luggage feel anachronistic.

Music City has a nice show. Highlights: marching cymbal line (!!!), a trombone ensemble, long blue fabric (waves?), and Morse code flags Needs work: communicating the show theme, flags that blend too much with guard outfits, highlighting the soloists visually

Can Holst's THE PLANETS be reimagined? The Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra has released an inspiring new album that sets the planets on new orbits: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mCU0ythTgYgcHaakdiAaIeiCQv6A6dUVc

Fred Morrison will retire as the Executive Director of Crossmen Productions Inc effective August 12, 2019.

Alumnus Natalie Steele will be the CEO of Crossmen Productions, Inc. effective August 12, 2019.