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tigger2

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  1. Sure, why not? Bluecoats - 74.45 Cadets - 74.00 Carolina Crown - 73.25 The Cavaliers - 71.00 Blue Stars - 69.95 Madison Scouts - 65.95
  2. Lucky to catch it before it was pulled. Well, though probably not popular with some, I have to agree with most reviewers and say that the show offers a good dose of volume, repetitively. Though that is not in and of itself a bad thing, it just doesn't lend to good pacing and variety. I am intrigued and greatly puzzled by the production. I will include a more detaied review of several shows in the next day or so, including this one. My best to all groups
  3. I will say that it is exciting that Regiment is certainly not lying down after a few "off" years And before I go on, to those who have not yet seen the video of their concert in the park, the second one on this thread is MUCH better than the first in terms of fidelity. The really good things: Though not completely identifiable on the video, there does seem to be an underlying energy of competitiveness and drive that hopefully will emerge as a tangible force in this year's production. Though some of the new staff have not been overwhelmingly advocated on this forum, several of them are great at inspiring and motivating their ensemble to perform above their heads. Isn't that ultimately what keeps us all coming back to the activity? Perhaps these people have already begun to make their mark and that spark of inspiration is what I am sensing on the video. The show has a wonderful range of musical variety. From the Gershwin to the Saint Saens, they seem to be trying to be less stodgy and pedantic that year’s past. Thank goodness. The front ensemble is much improved as is the writing and the integration into the entire musical offering. The good things: They sound good. Pretty #### good. We do not know how fatigued they are, how hands and chops were that day, etc. The pacing seems good, though we of course do not see how the visual is integrated. The beginning strikes me as a bit odd and not super exciting, though I like it fine. It does seem to seem to fit the show persona. The use of march-able tempos is better that the past several seasons. The talent seems pretty even across all music sections, except perhaps mellophones. My question marks: The arrangements, for me, go from fresh to extremely ho-hum. I am well aware that a standstill performance usually makes the music less exciting and unclear at times as to its intent. The brass technique challenges do not seem to match those I have heard, albeit in snippets, from BD, Cadets, BC, SCV, Cavies, or BK. I will assume the electronic settings, samples, levels, and integration are in great flux and that this is in no way representative of what we will get in a month. The drum transitions seem a bit forced at this time. Overall: I think the musical offering has great potential and quick appeal. I am eager to see the total package. The uniforms, guard and musicians, seems appropriate to the music I am hearing. Cheers PR, to a great 2015 season.
  4. At the show live. Quick reactions: Crossmen- Had nothing to loose. Left it all on the field. One of the better 12th place finishes in recent years Madison- Boy can they play, Some great guard moments. Loud. Seems something was missing. Boston- The biggest affect tonight was the sheer effort to do the program. So much asked of them emotionally. Not enough believability tonight. Blue Stars- Came to play. Most visceral corps to this point. Really amazing guard tonight. Great music ensemble. Phantom- Loud. Big. Phantom. Predictable. Stiff. BK- OMG! On fire. What raw emotion and genuine performance communication. This type performances what hooks drum corps fans. BRAVO! Easily a notch above all else thus far.
  5. I think the top headlines reflect two opposite ends of the emotional/competitive spectrum: 1. Blue Devils win with not only an undefeated season, but highest score ever, and full caption sweep. 2. Spirit of Atlanta drops far out of finals after several years of exemplary progress in the difficult, modern drum corps competitive world.
  6. Well, optimism is a great bed fellow, indeed. You are correct in reporting that "There is so much talent within a 200 mile radius of the Atlanta area . . . " , unfortunately, many of them are marching elsewhere, teaching elsewhere in the activity. They may have been persuaded to come to the corps we all saw building and developing over 2011, 2012, 2013, but not now. Most of these members and staff are scoring at the top of the activity. SOA had so much healing to do in the greater Atlanta area, regretfully, some of that healing that was wonderfully accomplished the past few year has been replaced, yet again (how many times can the corps survive this?) with founded mistrust. I assume this is an example of "don't you ever learn your lesson?" I fear JKT90 that too many people who are alumni, old school area fans (not that these people are not important) will rally and try to solve the problem. However, they will be wholly unqualified and not know it. . . but not due to a lack of heart or great intention, but simply by the fact that they don't know the incredible complicated world that DCI has become the last 20, 10, 5 years. I think they solidly and LUCKILY had that staff in place, but let them go for some reason. As some have remorsefully said about corps' survival: 4 years to rebuild, 4 minutes to destroy. I wish SOA all the best. This will not be easy.
  7. Westcoastblue, while I fear much truth in your diatribe, let it go. We have seen too many corps go down due to the efforts of misguided alumni, not sure we can do much about it but hope that clear minds prevail. I do wish the members and staff all the best the rest of the season, as I hope we all do, regardless of what role any have played in Spirit's past or present.
  8. Pioneer- Seems that gone are the days where the opening few corps made you just hope they could get through their show. Pioneer were enjoyable to be sure. The joy theme is fairly evident throughout, though I am not sure "Danny Boy" carries an upbeat sentiment. Improved guard. Drums to loud throughout. Brass OK. Mandarins- Pretty big sound for a group that may not make semis, although they are a strong corps with a cool and well crafted show concept. Guard, drums, and brass are all good. They spend a lot of time at the loud and louder visual and musical levels. Think that more attention to finesse, finer details, and subtly could really elevate the GE rep and overall all score. Colts- I thought I liked this show on video, and am now sure I like it . . . a lot! The visual program is an extremely well-crafted effort and I would imagine it could place in the top 8 of all visual programs. The OZ based concept is clever, with pacing and variety that keep you engaged almost every second. Now that voice over. Good performer. Interesting text, however, it is too much. It covers/competes with too many of the music efforts. It is a new OZ story, not Wicked, not The Wizard of OZ. So, Colts, you have to let us in to the story without making us struggle to hear every word. If doing it as is is an attempt to offer the intellectual component, I suggest trimming it down. The Shakespearean style is cool, though it makes us want to hang one every word and have time to consider, interpret, be in on the story with no doubt (just like going to the movies- we want to understand, but we have two hours to take it all in before it is over). I think this show has a shot at finals. Cleaning up the brass and percussion will be part of them moving up, but the voice over holds most potential for there rise in my opinion. Blue Stars- Best corps they have had in a few years. The concept is clever, well detailed and performed. Unique and memorable. The visual program is superior to Madison, easily. Madison however, out plays them. Think this will be am interesting dual between the two groups until the end. Madison Scouts- The show has changed a lot over the summer. The editing has been smart and has resulted in a better show. That said, the powerful brass and percussion, and improving guard, have a show that is nearly maxed out. Not sure what changes could be added to elevate the rep score. Though there are elements of the time theme, they are not clear or effective for me. Spirit- I was eager to see this live. It has been no secret that I have been a fan of their recent efforts. Having watched 27th go down, I had strong opinions about why and how our most iconic corps continue to go about surviving. It was clear this was a hometown crowd for them, as I am sure tomorrow will be as well. I hope the members take all of that in and remember how special performing can be. It seemed the corps certainly let it all fly in last night's performance. Their was good energy in several areas of the show and you could tell they really wanted to give the home crowd a heartfelt and energetic show. I too feel like what the show has to offer competitively, and emotionally for that matter, ends there (raw emotion through sheer performance energy). Perhaps in a future review I will be more detailed. Simply put, this is an old school show in that the construction just lacks depth of thought, structure, and a theme that draws you into it. I found it awkward from the pre show, though I did not want to. Perhaps I was pulling too hard for them and counter reacted. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the summer goes regarding placement. My best to all these fine groups for the rest of the season. Safe travels.
  9. I understand. It is a bit complicated however in that though using the same sheets at every show all summer, something called "show dynamics" reflects various things that can cause improved performances to not get improved scores: A judge does have to look at the sheets and put a number down based on criteria, the things that determine a 16.0 versus a 16.6 versus an 18.5, etc. BUT, along with that, the judge has to show appropriate spreads corps to corps. Say he starts two tenths two high with the first corps. Forgivable, but if he then grants scores with appropriate spreads, and everyone get "boosted" above where they might should be. Next show the judge starts one tenth too low and does show appropriate spreads, overall score does not go up. Additionally, some stadiums hold sound, some do not. One night a corps goes on under the lights and all their color palette becomes electric (in the sun it is washed out). Improvement in three captions and a bad show in one or two captions will affect number to not move much, even if say, the brass were on fire that night. Lastly, as the summer progresses and critiques come to a close, though improved technical aspects of the show (pitch, spacing, toss heights, roll quality, etc) get better, if the effect is no greater when cleaner, the score does not often go up. Improving performance with flatlining scores typically is a reflection of significant show design flaws.
  10. Huh? And the other GE judge, and/or all others were looking at last week's score? Sorry to be campy, but . . . were you there? SOA in second to Madison by 6 tenths. Not even close. This is a prime example of a judge just missing it. GE sheets are new. He is a music guy. SOA has some measurable music GE issues, but significant visual ones. Perhaps that contributed to his "odd" decision. And, yes, I was at the show. Hope to find time to do a full review. Madison and Stars were in a league of their own. Then Colts, who I loved, especially visually, and then everyone else. My opinion, if Jay's number was more accurate, Colts would be over SOA by three points. Yes, having only 5 judges affects all of this.
  11. Having not seen anyone yet this summer, sitting down and watching corps all day, from 2:30 to 10:30, was a real treat. What a strong year for the activity regarding show design and proficiency. May be the best year in a very long time. While I know a FN viewing versus live is not exactly comparable, one does get a great experience nevertheless (when the feeds are working properly). Of all corps I watched yesterday, I woke up this morning thinking about SOA the most. It is great when we get to see a corps have that special "come back" season or that amazing production that has everyone talking all summer, etc.. It is also difficult to watch/understand such a turn around as has happened with SOA this year. I have publicly been a big fan of the efforts the past four or so years, turning the corps around design and performance wise, getting into finals, and staying there. Perhaps most refreshing and exciting to me was that they took a corps with an identity that was based on success 30 years ago (I am surprised by that number even just now typing it), and gave it a facelift, made it reminiscent but new, competitive in today's activity, made it wildly appealing to most audience members' taste, and selected themes that had lots of room for musical and visual creativity. Perhaps some would argue the shows were too appealing. In other words, not lofty or heady enough for the seasoned fan, the higher brow viewer. I think those elements would have eventually been added as the corps continued to establish their rightful place among the elite top-twelve. It takes a long time to successfully rebuild, certainly when faced with a twenty-year struggle. Perhaps the powers that be weren't patient enough. I really do hope the members are having a great experience and that the remainder of the summer isn't full of the stresses that can come when a finalist becomes overwhelmed, worrying and scrambling to get back into the Saturday show. While that may happen, I cannot imagine it at this point without major changes both with design and performance. There were multiple "blow ups" in yesterday's performance that can be viewed as that such pressure is already taking its toll on performances. I am not sure why there has been such a change in direction. I do know there were considerable staff changes made. All those details we will never know. I have long feared for the longevity of the activity and know that when a corps like SOA has a tumble, it effects the entire activity. I hope for them the best for the rest of the summer. I also hope for some healthy questioning and conversation, responsibility and action this fall. Pulling for you SOA, as always.
  12. Having great designers and teachers is essential. But I want to emphasize here: STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY STABILITY
  13. A bit behind. My quick reflections. Troopers: simple, emotional, majestic, Americana Crossmen: a true Crossmen show, flat today, BlueStars: also flat, find it hard to like, do somethings well SOA: on fire today, unique and tons of variety, best so far BK: wow. Great performance, elegant show, ending rough Boston: emotional, loose in spots, talented Madison: energetic, committed, several tears, bit sloppy
  14. SCV. Simply classy and classic SCV in a new way. Hope the judges allow them to be where the deserve to be and do not somehow fault to the usual order when things are tight. CROWN. The best they have been and a style of their own. Think if they deliver finals night, they should win. We will see if the Walnut Creek influence keeps judges adn DCI under their spell. SPIRIT. I am amazed at how well they have reestablished themselves as Spirt and not some new version of a Spirit that never existed.The show super entertains me every time I see it. One of the best show theme developments of the last 5 years. TROOP. We will see if they have enough to make finals. I think the show a bit thin but how I love it. MANDRINS. Just a great show that hopefully gets them moving forward even more in 2014.
  15. Sorry you are angry. Really, you are angry? Others at the show could have written reviews. I see your affiliation and at least suppose why you are angry. Too many life responsibilities to loose a whole day to drum corps. Got there as soon as I could. Angry? Really? Like angry angry?
  16. In order of appearance of the corps I saw live: COLTS: A solid performance all around. They have a good level of confidence and swagger about them and it helps carry the rock theme. The flags are designed well and the overall color palate works well indoors. They seemed to not quite reach the audience. Not getting the visual score hype they have been receiving, but do fid it nice and tidy, but with little risk. At this level risk is perhaps not important. Some weaknesses in brass and percussion showing up today. ACADEMY: The concept makes sense and I applaud their design team for doing something new for this corps. That said, too many things do not work to pull the show all together. Moving and using the chairs should garner some points for sure from a construction standpoint. Taking some risks: singing Piano Man and wanting the crowd to join in. It get it but fear the audiences especially at the big DCI shows are perhaps overall too “serious” to do a sing along. Talent throughout. PC: The best I have seen them. Each faction of the group seems to be at the same performance and talent level. The heart imagery and heartbeats work well to tie the show together. Pretty clean in some sections of the show. Thought the drum and brass parts fought each other at times. Interesting to see them above Colts. I thought it would be close. CROSSMEN: This theme does fit them well and harkens back to their past style. The preshow isn’t quite believable yet, but they have time to work that out. I was struck by the lack of tempo speed following PC. As a design choice it works for their tunes, but I felt like it gave the show too much of a sense of sameness in many regards: the repertoire of what weapons, flags, and drums can do in a limited tempo range starts to look and sound too much the same. That said, they do have a few wow moments. The peace sign and brass acapella moments work well. I like the down ending. See them as competitive for that 12th spot. We will see. TROOPERS: Much like Colts, not a ton of risk and some low impact demand, but much more detailed and finessed than the corps before them, except Crossmen. The Troop 11 stuff works well. They sound great at times, but with lots of synth support. Pretty flags and a good dose of tugging at our patriotic heart strings. Drum line a bit rough today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eager to see how this show sets them up for 2014. Not sure they can break in top 12 this season. BOSTON: Loud. Loud. Loud. Following the corps before them, I was expecting a bigger jump up in quality. Though loud, did you catch I mentioned that, there is a lot of over blowing and pitch issues. Revealing the red uni as we all expected works well. That said, I feel it is what the show has going for it, but I wanted a lot more. Too much of the show looks and sounds the same. The Rise theme is not evident to me. Guard was a bit off today as well. Drumline perhaps their strong suit, but the battery and not so much the pit. Overall I was disappointed. I was not expecting them to place ahead of Spirit today. SPIRIT: Following Boston who I felt looked and sounded the same too much, the huge amount of musical and visual variety in Spirit’s show made for a very exciting and refreshing 12 minute of drum corps. They seem to have continued to make alterations to the show since Minneapolis. They work well for me. Great brass sound, though I wanted more punch at times. All the authentic 1920s stuff is so well thought out and cleverly presented that it is entertaining without being trite. Some amazing trumpets and mellos. The drum solo is really well crafted visually and musically. The thread of Sweet Georgia Brown throughout is clever. A few drops and dirty spots, but a great show. Their best in a long time. Think catching Boston and even BK for similar reasons is a possibility. BLUE STARS: I understand the show more now that I have read several reviews and explanations, but I find it a bit thin from a show construction stand point in that if a show is a bout characters, like with great films, you have to for some reason care about the characters or at least one of them. Not sure this is possible in a drum corps show that relies so much on character and story line development. The sound great during certain portions of the show. They had a couple of ensemble tears tonight however. Guard was not near as clean as I would have expected. There were some clever effects that fit the theme. I feel they will have Crossmen on their heals from here to the end. BLUE KNIGHTS: I reacted much like I did last time I saw them a few days ago. The first half is pretty good and I am engaged most of the time. The second half is a big change in effect and performance for me. Love the guard uniform and guard overall. The circle theme is well integrated throughout. Some pretty brass sounds at times. I found the brass book to be pretty simple compared to many of the corps who placed below them (Colts, Academy, PC, Troopers, Boston, Spirit). The show is pretty WGI and indoor drumline influenced, which is not necessarily a band thing. In this show it creates too much sameness overall though for me. Think they show needs some changes in order for them to stay in their current spot. I appreciated much of what they did and liked them a lot better than last season. SCOUTS: A big change from BK that kind of re-energized the crowd. Smart. Smart. Smart. They really play up who they are, have been, and are currently becoming. Tapping into the whole testosterone thing works great. They were pretty loud, but with too much synth! Drumline is super aggressive and featured several times. The best guard they have had in a long time. Lots of anger and dissonant sounds. Clever use of the copters. The over use of scatter, machine guns, and company fronts wore a little thin with me. They seem to have several moments of transition that need a lot of attention. Great job pulling at out heartstrings, though I found the dead solider section to be of less than good taste. I looked forward to the singing section; It didn’t really sell tonight however. Not sure they will stay ahead of Cavies. CAVIES: I found the show to have many well-crafted moments and some highly musical guard work and a fantastic percussion program. The theme works pretty well though several sections you just have to dismiss fully understanding and just go with it. The drill has some wonderful moments of construction and full corps integration, it is pretty dirty however. There is a good amount of confidence coming off of the field. The brass did not have a good show. Not sure if it was the dome AC, but pitch was the weakest of any corps of the show. Lots of individual sounds and articulation issues throughout for the brass. I liked the show and see tons of potential. Eager to see where they take it. Decent crowd reaction. PR: Big and grand and at time gorgeous as we would expect from them. The percussion and brass book didn’t always work for me. The pit writing seemed odd at times as well. They will be clean come finals week. Not sure there is enough stuff in the show to take them higher. Think they will have Bluecoats on their heals. Think they need to perhaps see where they can take a few programmatic risks in the future in order to gain more competitive ground. BLUECOATS: Others have described them as BD lite. I cannot say that I completely disagree. It makes sense that corps look to who is winning and aim for that style of show. It has always happened. Despite Michael Cesario’s claim that DCI promotes unique and divers styles, the corps with the most unique voices tend to score in the bottom half of world class. Interesting concept throughout. Some great subtle musical and visual moments that really drew me in tonight. Seemed a bit flat tonight. Think the could take PR if they can tap into the emotional value of the show even more. SVC: Loved this show. Great music, drill, spinning, and playing. As with last year, the drum writing is not always musically congruent with the brass writing. Pretty dirty compared to those around them, but more emotion that most. Would love a show like this to win and perhaps redirect the indoor influence that DCI is promoting (not that drum corps should not beg, borrow, and steal from other arts when those things work on a football field). CADETS: Loved this show too! and thought they sold their product best tonight. All section of the corps ware amazing. The theme is subtle but I think clear without trying too hard. The brass arranging is stellar and the battery clear as a &^%$*#$ bell. Don’t know what else to say. Think there is a new ending perhaps on the agenda not that this one doesn’t work. Better than they were when they won with Angles and Demons show. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw. CROWN: Loved this show too! Fantastic in all areas. Best brass for sure. Corps seemed flat tonight. Need a new ending which I think is a guarantee. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw. BD: Didn’t love this show. Pushing the creativity envelope for sure. Lost of difficult show manipulation by the designers. Parts of the arrangements are brilliant, shockingly so. Great drum line and horn line, but where is the musical challenge? No, I am not talking crescendos and decrescendos. Not asking nearly as much of the individual performer or ensemble as six or so other corps. Hope someone is having the achievement discussion. A great drum corps. Bravo. Not a champion of the activity right now. If the activity changes to reflect this type of programming because it wins, we will loose the audience. I have seen them twice live and can count on two hands the number of people that stand for them at the end. Despite what many will say about the audience standing as a sign of who should be champion, people buy tickets to be entertained and yes, blow away. Other than the speakers that dish out a lot of sound, the experimental nature of this production blows me away, but nothing else.
  17. YES! Not to slight any corps, seems there was a memo sent out to create several points of drama to get people in the stadium in San Antonio. I was there, and though I liked Crossmen, their and BD's placement seems questionable. Spirit too low. Crest too low. BK much too high.
  18. SCV: Well I was pleasantly surprised and blown away. A great show with lots of audience appeal. Great drum line and color guard. Think they have done a good job of simply interpreting the music and not doing the story line of Les Mis. Cadets: An amazing corps that should challenge the top spot come finals. The props are at times an issue. I am curious to see how they read in a large stadium. Fantastic drum line. Maybe their best ever! Brass pitch and quality issues tonight. Crown: Well, I was blown away and found them the clear winner tonight. Everything about the show is unbelievable. As a person with considerable percussion experience, though I thought them clearly behind Cadets and BD in drums, I did not find them far behind. I confidently think they are the corps to beat come finals. That horn line, WOW! BD: Knowing Rite quite well, I did find the arrangements to often be quite well done and creative. The show is intriguing and though provoking for sure. The last two minutes are the weakest. Some have talked about the fact that they have increased demand is an part of their not scoring at the top every night. Ummm, I don't see or hear it. The demand overall is much less than their area competitors. Creative and experimental, yes. HIgh level of demand and rewardable achievement...maybe lower than most in top twelve, except battery. Cavies: It hurt them going on after the last four groups. They are super dirty. The show does not flow well though there are several cool effects, however, those are not however based on drill or music. The theme or storyline is hard to follow. The drums are good but were at times amazing tonight and at times very dirty tonight. Some real talent in the guard though they had many drop. The brass were the biggest disappointment if not down right questionable in every way. I found myself cringing at times. Not sure what they can do. Merely cleaning is not enough. Thought they should be below Spirit in most all captions.
  19. Pioneer: They seem to be working hard. The Christian praise music has some familiarity but seems like pabulum over time. Some talent there and drive for sure. The administration needs to ask some serious questions about what the members are being given in regards to the content of the show. They could be so much more entertaining, proficient, likable, rewarded foe their efforts with a more thoughtfully constructed show. Fighting the impulse to be more blunt. Kudos members for your loyalty, hard work, and persistence. Cades: The show has some good moments of arrival. I am not sure the disjunct music allows for the best flow, though it makes sense considering that DCI and Cesario promotes the indoor drumline and WGI format of shows. I liked the drum writing and flags. This plumes are killer as well. Academy: The show is a great idea that for some reason doesn’t come together. I think it is the lack of conviction and the odd arrangements and lack of visual variety. The stools use and variety of how they move them is a huge strong point however. I liked the guard costumes. The sing along came across as silly. Pacific Crest: I have long been impressed by their potential. This is the best they have been that I have seen. All areas of the corps seem very even in regards to talent and execution. I love all of the visual colors and the percussion writing is certainly noteworthy in regards to musical intent, something however that seems to no longer be important to the activity as much as it should be. Cool ending. Colts: I liked that it was accessible. The visual uses the same tools over and over again: small gates to horizontal connected forms. Guard on the side, guard in between horizontal lines. The demand is relatively low all around. Some great trumpets and weapons as well. The uniform is a bit uneasy to look at. A good group, but I do not see them as a finalist. Crossmen: A better corps all around than Colts, but with less demand. The tempos dragged on to me. I thought the preshow made sense, but it came across as high school like. The show built to a moment where a big peace sign showed. That was their strongest moment. The brass and drum drill is strange and disjunct. The down ending is pretty fitting. Felt something was missing overall. Troop: A nice round soud. Great theme throughout. Relatively low to moderate demand should allow for “perfection” but possibly a lack of reward at the end. Beautiful flags. Extremely clean for this date. I enjoyed it and thought they were the best corps thus far. Spirit of Atlanta: I loved this show! I found it to be complex and wildly entertaining. As a fan of the 1920s, I found that the staff has done their research and stayed true to who they are as a corps. I can’t imagine asking a brass line or percussion to switch styles that often and do it so well and so true to the period. Brass sounds amazing. The best Spirit has been since their heyday for sure. The harmonic language alone throughout the show puts them in a top category of musical construction skill and they are handling the variety so well you could possibly overlook the complexity. Tons of variety of effects with a high frequency of effects. Thought they should have been over BK, though Spirit is dirtier, but with much more demand. BK: A well constructed but very homogeneous show. The first half was much more engaging than the first half. The ball was interesting but I thought largely distracting. The brass sound better than last year, but with low demand compared to the corps in attendance tonight. The theme is circles, and that is clearly presented throughout. The colors used by the guard are amazing. I felt the show was pretty tame for my taste and did not have near the potential or entertainment value of Spirit. Cadets: In several given years, this would clearly be the world champion. The sound, march, and spin extremely well. The show is amazingly well constructed and they are pretty #### clean, for the middle of August. Great arrangements and drill has never been better. Lots of attention to detail. Best drumline they have had in forever. The clarity of the snares is frighteningly good. Loved the show. Will be interesting to see if they can overtake BD, as I think they should.
  20. Thus far: Mandarins-Solid concept and very aggressive at times. Best show from them I have seen. Colts-A good show with some demand, but fairly straightforward. Good energy. Drums rough tonight. Uniform is awkward. Crossmen-I thought a step up from Colts in most sections, but an easier show overall, especially tempo-wise, Uniforms for musicians and guard look great. Concept fits them well. Blue Stars-interesting. Some visual exposures for sure. Brass often overblown. Theme off and on again. Last half seemed drawn out. Lots of individual blips this evening. Brass versus drum writing? Spirit- Lots of fire and crowd ate it up! Some cleaning to do but tons of demand. Better than last night which I wasn't sure was possible for all they are doing. What a fun and well thought out concept, Very clear segments from the 20s. I love how clear the theme is. BK-Very solid first half. Second half much different in terms of engagement and achievement. Brass challenge seems low. Pretty colors. Thought tarps were not legal?
  21. There are several Spirit of Atlanta threads for 2013, but I wanted to start a new one that is more specifically focused. I was also motivated to do so because of their performance last night. I usually take this week off from work and follow corps from Tuesday or so into San Antonio. I then do the same Allentown to finals. I will finish a review today for the Broken Arrow show. I enjoyed all of the corps last night for various reasons, but it was Spirit that took me by surprise the most. I have had less time this season to watch shows on fan network, or other video sites, and less time to keep up with all of the scores, etc. Spirit got a lot of hype in 2011 and a bit less last year. This year seems less and I assumed the were probably good, but I was not expecting to be as impressed as I was last night. Show and performance were fantastic! To save some for my review, I will just state that they have not been this good since the mid 1980s! Not close, not this deep, not this talented, not this detailed, not this entertaining. And I have to say that just comparing them to everyone else, they have dug in and kept their identity while also pushing the demand and intricate level of detailing for a show that has so much audience appeal. The Kings of Variety, all sewn up into one great, appropriate concept for them, for drum corps. I LOVED IT. I could see this as a surprise corps in the end if they push into that next realm of confidence and clean. Thanks Spirit for caring about being competitive, AND for letting me into your show and keeping me there the second you hit the field.
  22. THIS. Unfortunately, this. I would perhaps more aggressively state the ego part about judges and some corps' administrators. In the world I live in I hear too many behind the scenes comments from these people that bother me to the extreme.
  23. Chops judging is a disaster for any corps. God bless him for wanting to continue to somehow be a part, but he has been treated as unfairly as he judges; DCI should be ashamed amd apologetic for assigning him to a job he cannot do and for subjecting staffs and most importantly members to this evident sign of a failing and antiquated judging system.
  24. I am a huge drum corps fan and enjoy each corps, of course some more than others. Phantom has always been one of my favorites. This announcement looks interesting and has lots of great music listed. As I read the announcement, I couldn't help but think, this is sooooo Phantom. Then I thought about some comments on DCP about Spirit of Atlanta announcing their show and people being critical that it resembled their past successful shows. I hate that placement too often buys some groups carte blanche and others open season for critical input at every turn.
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