tigger2

Westcoastblue, I have noticed over the past few years that you are pretty critically blunt when it comes to Spirit. I do however most often generally agree with your perceptions though you are perhaps a bit crass. In this case, you are right on. I found the video(s) on their facebook page to be really disturbing. Though there isn't enough variety of the music being played to judge the arrangements, the rehearsal itself seems like it is from the 1980s, back when ensemble timing was often done in the arc. But even back then, the drums would have been behind the brass as they are often staged. I know that someone is going to post that those speaking on the mic are experts with tons of experience and know what they are doing, though I too am confused and don't get the purpose of these rehearsals or the posting of something that for me is clearly an example of why they have been struggling since 2013. I wish it different.

Love this thread. Love that at this point, all posters have varied likes and they do not typically follow placements. I love the Cesario has pushed the each-corps-with-their-own-brand agenda, It was such a good year, mine may change by morning: 1. Blue Knights 2. Cadets 3. Blue Devils 4. Blue Coats 5. SCV

Anyone else having bad feed issues?

Ummmm, that is why you see the sub caption ties. They are ranking first and rating second amazing corps that are incredibly close in their effect and their achievement levels.

Flew into Nashville. Had a great day. Drove to M-boro. Nice drive. ATL tomorrow. Phantom Regiment - Rockford, IL Sticking with their big connected drill visual style. Solid brass but with some issues tonight. Great guard. Okay Drums. Great pit writing, Stellar actually. Voice overs too much. "I Love Paris" over an aggressive drum break? What? Makes no sense. A bit too old-school for me. I do not think they are memorable enough to make any upset at this point. Enjoyed it nonetheless. The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL Very Cavie-like drill. Phased a lot tonight. A lot. Almost every phrase. Guard coming along. Opening was fairly convincing. Drums okay. Brass had a really rough night. Mellos were pretty offensive at times. Mello feature on side one was shockingly bad. Theme not followable. Think they could fall to 10th. Seeed timid tonight and behind on cleaning. Just didn't speak to me tonight. Blue Devils - Concord, CA Better every time I see it, from a design stand point. Dirt in all areas. Odd for them at this time of year. Holy smokes trumpets! Drums with a rough run. Guard amazing moments, and some off moments. Theme coming across better. Doing the "heady" stuff as usual, in addition to some very approachable stuff. Emotional connection not there tonight at all. Audience sat on their hands. Santa Clara Vanguard - Santa Clara, CA Intro was really on fire. All sections very even in talent, with drums a stand out. I like the modern SCV. Drill tight too often. Need more field use. Some really loud moments. Brass depth shows some weakness. Drums on fire at times, front ensemble had an off night. A lot of individual mistakes tonight. Enjoyed the show. Eager to see more development. Carolina Crown - Ft. Mill, SC One of two crowd favorites tonight. Intro was rough, but so exposed. Amazing guard. Agressive and impeccable brass most of the show. Theme is very captivating. Drums better. Book not top three yet. Very ending is much better. Prior full minute is just an egregious travesty compared to the genius of the rest of the show. Could win, could be fifth. The Cadets - Allentown, PA The other crowd favorite. A display of human feats accomplished so well that just shoud not be possible. Drum line has so much meat and exposed stuff it is unreal. AND PLAYING IT! Pit clearly the best writing and acheivement of the summer, unless they simply do not show up. Unappologetic. So musically shaped. Clever use of a simple thematic thread (10). Love the ending. Reardless of others' changes/cleaning, not sure this can be beat in the end. Blue Knights - Denver, CO Beautiful. Just beautiful. Enjoyed them more than SCV tonight. Should easily stay ahead of Cavies and PR. The opening is just so enrapturing. Drums were excellent tonight. Original and unique compared to everyone else. Gorgeous brass sounds. Mature and effective blend of electronics. Excited to see it again. Bluecoats - Canton, OH Wonderfully entertaining. LOUD! Very even in all sections. Innovative, shocking, super cool use of electronics. More depth than initially meets the eye. Guard use is stellar. Still a contender. Ending not quite right yet. Music City - Nashville, TN Smart show design. A lot of visual dirt still. Pretty even section to section. Some good features. A shaky start tonight. Strong pacing. Great ending.

Even with a "bad' run, Cadets could not be 5th in drums. TOC, TOC, TOC, always offering some crazy drama.

Oh my. Yes! Perfect changes! Clean Clean Clean. Get those feet time. Bravo. Magnificant. And on another note: The ongoing discusssions of the intellectual, creative, artistic, value of show design(s) is perhaps the drum corps topic that drives me the most crazy. Though labeling someone as a pseudointellectual suggests they are of average intelligence and are pretending to posses "deep" and "superiorly elevated" insight, I think that in the incidences where we are talking about show design, some are at the least trying to project the image that they have the most "accurate" opinion of what is and what is not deep/intellectual show design. This practice may or may not be a sign of someone being a pseudointellectual. I do not think spelling the word "TEN" is creative stooping. I do not think hearing someone say consecutive numbers that add up to ten to be "shallow". While I think one could say that one programmic representation in a show may be more imaginative or original, more complex or subtle than another, I do not think that we can evaluate the whole without considering all programmatic elements as they relate to the show theme, to each other, through time, all as part of effect. The initial show choice determines, guides, how the theme is conveyed. There are of course always different design options/directions a staff can choose. A few examples: Blue Knights- Though their show may have programmatic elements I am not recognizing, it doesn't matter to me. I love their show and because it flows so well, is performed so well, I am simply satified with the Melody and Chord changes from "Because" by the Beatles as being the only programmatic glue/throughline that I need to feel drawn into their journey. Subtle, wonderful, effective. Academy- A complete theatrical saturation of an extremely familiar story and extremely familiar music. We get it all of the time, every beat and bar, and I love it for what it is and how well they are selling it. I do not care if it is "deep" or overtly "intellectual", it is effective. Blue Devils-They often go to the subtle, the need-some-info type of effect. Not always, however. This year's shows is full (and they keep adding them) of references to childrens' stories- an approach I think of as theme saturation, but in a completely different way than Academy has chosen. Effect. CADETS- They have also chosen to do theme saturation, but in a very different way than Academy or BD. I think it is great. Regarding theme saturation, they have included the obvious, the less obvious, the takes-four-viewings-to-catch-them-all programmatic elements that add to the overall effect. Because they allow me to get some 10-isms right away, it is like a game that adds another element of enjoyment for me, trying to find all the references. I have seen the show live once, and on video probably 25 times. I still find myself looking and listening for references to the number 10. They could have simply marched and drummed and spun amazingly well as they are doing, but chose a visual and audio thread based on something simple in its concept, but fun and varied in its application to the show. The truest intellectual thread in their show is the amazing way they have used the original four note theme, and the amazing ways they have manipulated it through the entire show. I would not expect everyone to hear that. Probably doesn't matter to the average show go-er. It should however matter to the judges and I hope it is getting Cadets tons of music repertoire points.

This!

I try not to be overly negative, but this corps could still make a run for the top spot, but NOT with the current ending. I did not go back and read every sigle post since we saw the new beginning. Not sure how other's are feeling about it. I do not get it. At all. please don't spend time telling me the Dante story. I know it. You can say the ending is the ascension. But than means nothing if it isn't comunicating that. If ithe most recent ending change is better, it is only better like one extra kernel of popcorn in the extra large bucket is better than one fewer. It did nothing to evelvate the theme or bring greater satisfaction at the end. The gold flags look like a last ditch effort, and the running strips of fabric are worse. It seems silly to me. Whether this is supposed to be the ascension or not, no one knows. There isn't enough there for us to link into the story line. It comes across as: "We are in hell for 10 minutes, and then all at once we are not. Voila! See what we did there?" No, no I don't. You do not climb higher by having the seventh (or lower) best ending in DCI this summer. Please tell me this is all filler stuff. Please.

After the past five or so days of shows, live streamimg, friendly and not-so-friendly banter over who's better than who, which group will take it all, I found myself associating single words with the various corps, their shows, their current 2015 persona. NOT a corps bashing opportunity, just truly a word that seems to fit them at best, currently. So . . . I thought I would share my take and hope that others would do the same! (one word only) In no specifically calculated order: Cadets: Unrelenting BD: Tired Bloo: Hip SCV: Re-born Crown: Power BK: Etheral Cavies: Better PR: Behind Boston: Scrappy Blue Stars: Weird Crossmen: Elusive Madison: Old-school Troop: Classy Academy: Charming Colts: Unclear PC: Calculative OC: Potential SOA: Misguided Mandarins: Foreboding Cades: Smart Jersey: Happy Pioneer: Better (really)

Oh my. The most talented corps ever assembled ? EVER?

Sorry MeMaw for what I am about to say . . . are you F%#$ing kidding me????!!!! Oh Please, have the horns only, move 8 more counts at half time into a 1.5 step (or so) front that ends up connecting side to side between the first and second mini stages. PLEASE! And extend this four more half time counts. Will send this beyond over the top. Oh my. The most talented corps ever assembled ? EVER?

They are also much more expensive than Yamahas and costly to maintain and repair.

Legit question: Did the corps sale off their fairly new yamaha horns beofre buying a set of Kanstuls?

Thanks for putting so much time and effort into this thorough review. I enjoyed reading it very much. I too appreciate that you included both positive and critical comments about each group. Your view of how Phantom looks "dumpy" has also struck me the past few years. With all that white, it seems hard to do. Hate to hear that your take on Spirit is similar to most other posters. We will see if they makes changes. This weekend is a big opportunity for all groups. My understanding is that many are putting in changes and not waiting until SA or ATL. With how tight the competition is this season, that strategy makes a lot of sense to me. Give yourself time to clean and then add smaller but effective changes those last few weeks. Championships start four weeks from today! Thanks again for the review.

It will be quite an interesting show in regards to placements and score gaps. The Cadets- In front by how much? Will they take all captions? How close will Crown be to them? How many changes will we see? Are some of the holes filled? The Cavaliers- How close to Crown and Cadets? Will they take any captions? Second in any? Will we see additions/chages? Will the crowd prefer them overall above Crown? Cadets? Carolina Crown- There will be new stuff- but how much? Will they take any captions? Second in any? Third in any? Crossmen - How is the confidence coming along? Subtle changes for them? Over Boston again? Under? By how much, and in what captions? Boston Crusaders - How are their recent changes working for the show? Under Bones again? Over? By how much, and in what captions? Troopers - How is the guard developing? Where will they finish compared to Boston, Crossmen? Under whom? Over whom? By how much? Gap above Spirit? Spirit of Atlanta- Any changes? Guard development? How close to Troppers? How are members reacting to early season placements?

I have enjoyed reading what has been said by various posters on various threads regarding early season scores and placements. I wanted to seperate this discussion out as its own specific topic so that input could be in one place. I am one that thinks early scores matter, and more importantly, that the amount of feedback each unit gets early on in the season may be crucial to final placements. I think this affects BD less than PC, Cadets less than Spirit. A few supportive points: "Top" Groups: In most fans' terms, BD will never have a "bad" year (though they make think so from time to time). They will write great shows that will be rewarded well on each year's sheets. The corps will always be more mature, aged than most. Even before listening to one tape, their staff has detailed show development plans in the works. Because of their maturity in all facets of their organization, they may "need' early input less than other groups. I would say this is true for other "top" corps as well. Early Surgers: A corps seeming to make a early season surge (SCV, Bloo, PC) may need the input and scores more early in the season as a way of reinforcing the staff's view of their corps' potential, the support of planned changes/additions/enhancements, and some due ego boost to members, though ego can work against you. Corps 11-15: This group may need the early input more than any. Besides reasons mentioned for the early surgers, these groups may have design flaws the staff may not see right now, some possibly major. These members and staffs may be more nervous, questioning at this stage. Such is expected, and a mature staff will know how to handle that. Though all grpups want to know how they compare to the groups scoring around them, a good tape/critique often reveals not only what needs attention, but what issues need addressing sooner than later. Ego can be a positive or negative within this grouping. Not going to happen this year group: Though no corps should ever throw in the towel at any stage of the game, sometimes you just know sooner than later that the goal of making finals, semis, is not yet an option (Spirit, probably Colts). Early input may help reinforce what a staff should do differently next year in terms of off-season design and/or training, what the corps needs to look and sound like early season next year. This could allow for the staff to spend the summer making the show as great as possible, but also using the summer to watch, listen, take note of what other group are doing in the live setting, building as much trust and commaraderie in the group as to help with next year's retention (not that all corps do not do this any way). Side Note: These groups can be greatly affected by talent levels, corps' average age, early season rain/weather issues. etc. Bottom line, one group will always deal with these issues better than the others, plan ahead better than the others, write a better show than the others, come out the gate strong- and that is usually the group that makes that final spot and yes, there are extremely rare exceptions. To count on being that rare exception is a gamble I would never want to take. ALL Groups: First place or second, twelth or thirteenth, placements can of course be decided by less than a tenth of a point. Groups are always hyper aware of the corps placing just above or just below them. The more consistently a group out-places you, the more likely that will remain the case come finals week. Another thread discusses how often corps have made a two or even one placement jump after July 1. While it happens, it is not common. I would want judge input when competing with the groups that I am touring with, and especially with my competitive peers that I have not seen. As the early summer progresses, we begin to see judges flying across country to evaluate various groups. Though we can consider differing show dynamics, there is something to be said for same judge, same caption, same sheets. I would prefer a "ballpark" comparison over no compariosn at all.

I agree with much that has been said here. I am one that thinks early scores matter, and more importantly, that the amount of feedback each unit gets early on in the season may be crucial to final placements. I think this affects BD less than PC, Cadets less than Spirit. A few supportive points: "Top" Groups: In most fans' terms, BD will never have a "bad" year (though they make think so from time to time). They will write great shows that will be rewarded well on each year's sheets. The corps will always be more mature, aged than most. Even before listening to one tape, their staff has detailed show development plans in the works. Because of their maturity in all facets of their organization, they may need early input less than other groups. I would say this is true for other "top" corps as well. Early Surgers: A corps seeming to make a early season surge (SCV, Bloo, PC) may need the input and scores more early in the season as a way of reinforcing the staff's view of themselves, the support of planned changes/additions/enhancements, and some due ego boost to members. Corps 11-15: This group may need the early input more than any. Besides reasons mentioned for the early surgers, these groups may have design flaws the staff may not see right now, some possibly major. These members and staffs may be more nervous, questioning at this stage. Such is expected, and a mature staff will know how to handle that. Though all grpups want to know how they compare to the groups scoring around them, a good tape/critique often reveals not only what needs attention, but what issues need addressing sooner than later. Ego can be a positive or negative within this grouping. Not going to happen this year group: Though no corps should ever throw in the towel at any stage of the game, sometimes you just know sooner than later that the goal of making finals, semis, are not yet an option (Spirit, probably Colts). Early input may help reinforce what a staff should do differently next year in terms of off-season design and/or training, what the corps needs to look and sound like early season next year. This could allow for the staff to spend the summer making the show as great as possible, but also using the summer to watch, listen, take note of what other group are doing in the live setting, building as much trust and commaraderie in the group as to help with next year's retention (not that all corps do not do this any way). Side Note: These groups can be greatly affected by talent levels, corps' average age, early season rain/weather issues. etc. Bottom line, one group will always deal with these issues better than the others, plan ahead better than the others, write a better show than the others, come out the gate strong- and that is usually the group that makes that final spot and yes, there are extremely rare exceptions. To count on being that rare exception is a gamble I would never want to take. ALL Groups: First place or second, twelth or thirteenth, placements can of course be decided by less than a tenth of a point. Groups are always hyper aware of the corps placing just above or just below them. The more consistently a group out-places you, the more likely that will remain the case come finals week. Another thread discusses how often corps have made a two or even one placement jump after July. While it happens, it is not common. I would want judge input when competing with the groups that I am touring with, and especially with my competitive peers that I have not seen. As the early summer progresses, we begin to see judges flying across country to evaluate various groups. Though we can consider differing show dynamics, there is something to be said for same judge, same caption, same sheets. I would prefer a "ballpark" comparison over no compariosn at all.

The D.C area.

I agree that if Cadets had played show segements, the comparison to Bluecoats would be different. Cadets were nearly as impressive as BC playing encore tunes. I'd say that is worth a nod or two.

Yes!, this turned out probably better than anyone could have hoped for in most all regards. I loved the youth education emphasis that this took on tonight. Bravo Dan Potter for improvising ALL of that! Bravo to each group. And the education to all of us . . . This is who comes to play in DCI in 2015. Amazing talent (not that the instriuction isn't stellar). The current and probable placement order was on display tonight, without electronics, without pit, without visual. No, Bluecoats are not using electronics to hide any lack of talent (Wow!). Neither are Cadets, Crown, Cavies, Madison, Blue Stars, or Crossmen. That was way more fun than I expected it to be. Bravo to all who scrambled to make it happen.

This is a complicated, multi-facited topic. There are many variables that come into play. Many have been mentioned in this thread already. One way to consider this issue is to look at the three (possibly the three most influential) primaty vaiables: 1. Show design 2. Corps' performance (technical and emotional) 3. The individual judge's response on paper Some fluid, at times unpredictable variables,: How many times a jugdge sees a group The other corps in the competition judges' own personal tastes Corps' consistency night to night Corps' early season "completeness", versus their talent level, and maturity The strength of the corps that are clearly above them (this may create varied score gaps) Fundamentally, if slotting means that there are judge/judge community shenanigans going on that involve claculated, unfair actions taking place year after year in regards to a coprs eventual pacement final's week, I do not believe such to be remotely true. It would have to involve a well-crafted conspiracy against non-profit youth organizations that exist to promote the many competitve and non-competitive beneifts of drum corps. Too many judges are well known outside of drum corps as mindful, educated, studented-centric educators, school administrators, college education professors, and student music and leadership training mentors. Someone would have "whistle blown" if a slotting was indeed an intentional effort to restrict competitive advancements.

Your loyality and emotional investment in the corps is admirable. All good.

Venue: We walked into the theater about 15 minutes early and it was nearly full. When leaving, I looked for the seating capacity placard. It stated 275. So, I am guessing there were 250 in attendance. The sound and audio were wonderful, no issues whatsoever. Madison Scouts: The white pants certainly make them look big. The six or so travel crate props seemed a little amateurishly designed, but I do not think they detract. The guard, in their Gene Kelly inspired costumes, entered the field with old style suitcases. The opening set promises power and Madison; the brass were in a large cursive-esque M, center field, a form that screamed, "locked and loaded." In general, they sound good and have taken a largely happy, skip-along approach with their Broadway inspired production. The guard is improved over last early season. The percussion seems good, though balance issues throughout made that unclear most of the time. I think there is a theme of walking down Broadway with your suitcase, looking for adventure in the big city- though I feel I am really working hard to have that assumption. There are also recurring interjections of a vocal, "gotta dance" that were not convincing. After a bit of searching online, this comes from "Singing in the Rain." After seeing some vintage video clips, I remembered the tune from the movie. The show did not flow well and had a lot of pacing issues. The ending was okay. What they seem to have going for them at this time: I think fans of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s will feel right at home with the show. There are hummable melodies throughout. It seems that the guard will improve nicely and contribute the most amount of appeal of the show. The drumline has an effective moment in the last fourth of the show that delivers great energy. "Traffic Jammin" carries the most communication to the audience at this point and will be a positive spot in the show all summer. The brass arrangements do not sound like anyone else, and I do find that aspect of the music book to be refreshing. Questions/concerns: Overall, the show did not communicate, at least in the theater. The opening hit was uncomfortably lack luster and other than creating a great center stage for the guard, is not a visual or musical evolution that pulls you in and keeps you wanting more. When the opening statement was over, the theater was awkwardly silent. I found similar issues throughout the production. Phrases seemed to wander and often end without creating resolution or tension. The drumline drill is often not integrated nor complementary visually. The music ensemble did not play together at all most of the production. That was surprising. I fear that unless audience members know several Gene Kelly movies, or at least are extremely familiar with this era of Broadway musicals, the show theme will not connect to many ticket holders. Too much of the show cae across as silly to me. That seems an adjective that would never describe a Scout's show. There isn’t anything to follow or get hooked on that guides you through the production. The brass did not move well, even for a first show, and they seem to have more playing issues than one would expect. We all of course expect improvement and change. My best to them this summer. Blue Stars: I am a fan of the red plumes on the musicians, and the guard costumes are creatively appropriate, a somewhat modern design that incorporates the many colors one might see on vintage carnival decorations and signage. There are three carnival stages (4 if you count a short one that is on the front sideline). The stages include red velvet curtains and faux wood platforms. Like Madison’s props, in their current state, they look a bit amateurish. As their director discussed with Steve Rondinaro and Dennis Delucia, the music selections are appropriately from the depression era and are often treated with a dark harmonic language. All three sections of the corps seem equally talented. There were some impressive battery moments, and few that seemed a bit plagued with early season jitters/overhype. The guard is well-integrated as one would expect with Shapiro at the helm. Their equipment book is quite difficult. There are carnival-isms/elements throughout including a juggler, a test-your-strength-with a mallet prop, stage performers, etc. One extremely clever visual motive was the pairing of brass members and guard members throughout the show, an interpretation of conjoined twins. This idea will certainly be further developed. There were well-coordinated moments throughout that communicated well. The audience reacted much more to this offering that Madison’s. What they seem to have going for them at this time: The theme is one that everyone can relate to in some way. The talent level in each section will allow for competitive scores in the performance captions. The pacing is already quite good and there was never a moment that something was not interesting or intriguing. The number of additions that can be made that would involve one performer, two, with a five minute effort, are numerous; the effect of the theme can be expanded quite a bit without it slowing the cleaning process. Questions/concerns: Though unique, is the treatment of the show music too altered? too dark and heavy? for too much of the show? How many carnival derivative ideas will they insert to strengthen the relate-ability and concept saturation? What is the payoff at the end? Is there an eventual evolution of story or general mood? Can they argue that the show is not all about happy carnival-isms, but about the era, while making that more clear to the audience? My best to them this summer. Cavaliers: The musician’s uniform and guard costume look great together, with the guard costume and boxing headgear strongly supporting the show concept. The members seem older and certainly perform that way. There are 32—40 square, two-foot high platforms that are moved throughout the show. They look professionally produced, but painted in a tri-color palate that I do not think looked good on the screen. The show begins with a long fanfare that captures your attention immediately, though it is perhaps a bit long. The brass are certainly improved over last year and much improved over two years ago. There were some very convincing moments from them. The percussion are the strong suit of the corps at this time and I imagine that overtime, balancing drumline, to pit, to electronics will create a much higher appreciation of their efforts. The guard seemed the weakest section of the corps at this point. Color guards of course are always last to finish their show due to the nature of how shows are put on the field. The square platforms are moved quite a lot, creating opportunities to create a variety of stages and looks throughout the show. As the show progressed beyond the opening, I had more and more questions and felt less and less connected, less drawn into the production. There was only a mild reaction from the theater audience. What they seem to have going for them at this time: They are doing their brand of drum corps and even without uniforms or knowing they are all male, you are clearly watching a Cavalier show- a good thing. A competitive brass line with power and punch is great to hear from them again. There is some creativity and originality happening in the music book, and for the vast majority of the show. They will be able to clean this and do well in the performance captions. Questions/Concerns: I cannot remember one moment where the show theme was evident other than the guard costume. If I work extremely hard to assume the square platforms resemble Olympic medal platforms, and the fanfare at the beginning is somehow a victor’s fanfare (Olympics, Rocky, Gladiator’s entrance, etc.), then perhaps those elements do somehow tie in to “Game On.” There are tons of musical lines/elements happening at the same time. Can they create clarity of intent? and clarity in performance? How quickly can the guard clean? How does this concept come to life and how does it end most effectively? Can they get the points they want from the platforms, considering how much they move them and how much time it is going to take to clean all of that? My best to them this summer. Carolina Crown: They have done what I think champions should do (I know it was two seasons ago); this show is what we know from this corps as well as a lot of brand new versions of themselves. I love the corps and guard costumes. The use of red is spectacular and the black on the musicians is a strong and appropriate look for this show. The sound quality and musical precision was a huge difference over the previous groups. All sections are amazing, including the much-improved drumline (the low score in percussion was not reflective of my take on things). The hell theme is well done and the pacing through ideas worked well until the ending minutes. The musical selections are great choices to carry the concept. They use organ sounds throughout, which I think with some varied choices and extended use, will be an effective part of the sound scape. The use of color is effective, though I do not think they were using all show flags. There seems at this point to be more musical challenge for the musicians than visual challenge. The guard is in my opinion their best ever. There were quite a few jaw-dropping moments from that section. For the entire corps, there are several phrases that are as strong as anything we will see all summer. The ending was forced and ineffective. I am sure it will change. What they seem to have going for them at this time: Talent, talent, talent. Taking calculated risks that are now, and will in the future, be paying off for them. Already extremely clean in sections. Convincing. Great communicators. Memorable. Melodic. Appealing to a wide variety of tastes. Leave you wanting to see them again and again. Simply amazing. Wow! Questions/Concerns: Can they win? I think chances are better than last year. What will they do in response to the corps just above and just below them in regards to show development, variety, use of electronics? Will they try to take us through the Inferno story, or will they simply focus on hell? The former will be harder to pull off. If trying to include the ascension part of the tale, the major-keyed “Ode to Joy” makes sense, but how will they show us that the ending is the ascension? How can it be super clear? How can the ascension portion not happen so abruptly? How many more elements of screams, use of organ, fire, anguish, etc. will be used to further enhance the show? My best to them this summer. Bluecoats: To steal another poster’s comment, “They picked up where they left off last year.” If most are like me, I was eager to see where they would take themselves, take us, in 2015. They uniform change is minor, but fits the metallic, large, 9 or so spherical cage props used in the show. “Kinetic Noise” seems evident in the guard costume. The colorful, outlined swirl fabric on the guard adds needed color and supports the flag choices made throughout the production. The props add to the visual throughline that results in fantastic use of circles, curves, etc. throughout the entire show- so well done. As suspected, the use of electronics is overwhelmingly creative, varied, and at most times, super engaging. The play, march, spin at an amazing level already. The show is non-stop and does not require a road map for anyone to follow the journey they provide. It is hard to imagine what they will add and enhance. Cleaning will of course add to the already wonderful effectiveness of the show. What they seem to have going for them at this time: Talent, talent, talent. Taking calculated, and risky risk. The show concept is wide open to take in as many directions they wish to explore. Though it doesn’t always happen in drum corps, last year’s hype will aid their popularity this season, however, opposed to what sometimes happens, they have a show that will live up to and surpass the hype. Questions/concerns: Can they win? This may be a better chance than last year. What will they do in response to the corps just above and just below them in regards to show development, variety, and demand in all areas? How will they balance out all the sounds we are hearing? How will they respond to their competitors’ arguments against them in critique? Can they change, add, clean at a rate that will propel and pace them to their best performance occurring on final’s night? My best to them this summer. Cadets: You watch Crown, Bluecoats, and are thinking that corps keep getting better and better, doing more and more amazing things, and then- Cadets come on and blow you away even more than the previous two groups. This is Cadets doing Cadets, AND, responding to what Blue Devils and Bluecoats did for the activity in 2014. The guard costume works extremely well with the corps proper. There are several directions they could have gone with it. I like that they chose a structured, colorful look, without graphics. Graphical elements are on the flags and backdrops. Smart. The concept of “10” is astute and cleverly handled in obvious, and less so obvious ways. You don’t have to work hard to follow the concept, but can constantly look for symbology that supports the show, and find it readily. I am sure I missed a lot, and will try to find more next viewing. A F-horn feature is super effective and tasty. Relentless is the best word I can think of to describe the show overall. Is this the hardest show ever attempted? It is hard to imagine they are already achieving so much. This may be their best hornline and percussion sections ever. Yes, I know that is saying a lot, but such is certainly my initial impression, and that is what I am reflecting here. The ending was a let down. I am sure it will change. What they seem to have going for them at this time: Talent, talent, talent. Taking calculated risk. Defying anyone to win the demand argument but them, but with a show that when perfected, may defy belief. The show concept is allowing them to explore electronic use more than they have. Opportunities to present the theme visually seem nearly endless. And, like Crown, they have done what I think champions should do (I know it has been a few seasons now); this show is what we know from this corps as well as a lot of brand new versions of themselves. This may be them learning from Devils, but putting those lessons into their own brand and style in a way that forces BD to be possibly better than they have ever been before. Wow! Blown away. Questions/concerns: Can they win? This may be an unstoppable freight train that has endless fuel. Again, only my first viewing and in a theater, but this was my overwhelming impression. What will they do to up their creative and appealing use of electronics in comparison to their competition? How will they balance out all the sounds we are hearing in the thickly scored sections? How will they respond to their competitors’ arguments against them in critique? Can they change, add, clean at a rate that will propel and pace them to their best performance occurring on final’s night? My best to them this summer.

I can't say I enjoy very much of the show at this point. Most of it is fine, but fine doen't appeal to me like I think drum corps should. I agree with others that the show has a strong retro vibe to it. Other than the B-flat instruments and electronics, and a few guard things, this show seems it would fit into their 1900s and early 2000s productions. The slow tempos, the jazzmatazz, the large drill forms, the segmentation, the drum line tucked in the back a lot, the uniforms, etc. The clearly have talent and I am well aware that it is early. The structural bones of the show however, seem not as stromg as they should be, even at this point of the season.