losnickes

You like the show. That's your opinion. I don't like it. That's my opinion. Yes, the kids worked hard. The fact that I don't like the show is more the designers' fault, is it not?

So was I. 1812 Overture.... Les Miserables.... I don't really see the connection there.

Well, I wasn't even thought of in 1973. That was probably a better time for a Bacharach show, though. He was probably a bit more relevant back then.

Good catch.

Be forewarned: this review may or may not be VERY opinionated at times. Due to time constraints on my end, I'm only going to talk about the top 12 corps of the night. I may get to the others later, but not right now. 12th Place - 79.050 - Spirit of Atlanta "ATL Confidential: A Tribute to Film Noir" When they first announced this show, I must admit I wasn't excited. This is partially due to the fact that I had no idea what "Film Noir" was at the time. In case you didn't know, "Film Noir" is a cinematic term that refers to Hollywood crime dramas. After several years of being sub-par, at best, Spirit is back to being the Spirit that fans can really love. This show is just cool. I don't have a lot to add at this point, as this was only my first viewing of this show. It's definitely worth checking out, and certainly a Finals-worthy performance. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Stars "ReBourne" I LOVE this show. It's quite a mystery as to why it's not scoring higher. In my opinion, this show is Top 6 material for sure. The brass is loud, the drumline is on fire, and the visual design is at a level that could rival The Cavaliers. All ingredients for a good show, am I right? I'm not a fan of the "Bourne" or "Matrix" movies. They don't entice me in the slightest, and when I heard these were going to be the Blue Stars' music sources, I was quite underwhelmed. This show is pleasantly surprising. It's not too intricate to the point where the audience gets confused, and the music is extremely catchy. Will this show make finals? Certainly. Will the Blue Stars finally bust out of this 8th place streak? I'm sure they will. But here's the question: Will they place higher or lower than 8th? Only time will tell. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Knights "An English Folk Song Suite" I'm finally able to like the Blue Knights. I've always kind of enjoyed the visual effects they packed into their shows in years past, but their music was usually kind of forgettable. In 2010, they changed all of that with "Europa." This year, they open with Gustav Holst's "First Suite in E-flat." Personally, I prefer his "Second Suite in F," but this one is great, too. The Blue Knights are playing what a lot of fans call "real" music, and the audience seems to really respond to it. I really like this direction that the Blue Knights are going in, and I hope they put out more shows like "Europa" and "An English Folk Song Suite" for years to come. That kind of stuff never gets old. 9th Place - 83.800 - Madison Scouts "New York Morning" When the Scouts first announced "New York Morning," I thought it was going to be a lot like their 2010 show, but with a title this time. This was enough cause for excitement, because their 2010 show was one of my favorites. I later heard it would be a tribute to 9-11. I thought to myself, "How are they going to make this one work?" Then, I heard they would be playing Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind." I was even more perplexed. This is a very unusual show for the Madison Scouts to perform...or so I thought. This show is classic Madison Scouts all over the place, especially that unbelievable brass that we associate with Madison. That closer...wow. I couldn't imagine the Madison Scouts playing "Empire State of Mind" at first, but now I can't imagine anyone else doing it better than they do. That closer alone is worth the price of admission. In my opinion, the Madison Scouts were clearly better than the three that placed ahead of them. 8th Place - 84.550 - Boston Crusaders "Revolution" I really don't have a lot to say about this show. It's painfully uninteresting. The idea of mixing stuff from "Les Miserables" and the "1812 Overture" is creative, to the say the least. It just isn't working well. When I hear hints of "1812," (which is one of my favorite pieces, by the way), it lacks the excitement and power of the original Tchaikovsky piece. It's really kind of a let-down, for me. Despite the uninteresting music, the corps moves really well this year. They have always been pretty good in terms of visual, but this year they seem a lot better. I can't seem to put my finger on it. 7th Place - 86.150 - Santa Clara Vanguard "The Devil's Staircase" This show faces the same trouble that "Bartók" did last year. It just isn't everyone's cup of tea. The music involved in this show is weird, there's no getting around that. But I find if you watch the show as a moving picture, with the music as background noise, it's really quite a spectacle. The visuals involved in this show are spectacular. There are a lot of intricate, interweaving parts throughout the whole show. It's simply really fun to watch. This probably should have placed higher, but not higher than the Madison Scouts. 6th Place - 86.600 - Bluecoats "Brave New World" I was very excited about this show when it was first announced. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed when I first saw it at the tour premiere. I'm not a big fan of Radiohead, but the Bluecoats' arrangement of "Creep" was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, that's the only likable moment of this show. The ballad is just horrendous. It's a neat idea, but it just doesn't sound good, at least not to me. Of course, I didn't like the ballad in "Metropolis," either. The biggest disappointment of this whole show is their arrangement of "Harvest." Personally, I don't think John Mackey's music works well on the field. It's outstanding music, just not for drum corps/marching band. The Bluecoats' rendition of "Asphalt Cocktail" was passable, but "Harvest" just didn't work out. It's too bad, because the original Mackey work is sweet. 5th Place - 87.400 - Phantom Regiment "Juliet" Never has a show impressed this much and made so little sense like "Juliet." The percussion is great (not like last year, but still pretty good), and the brass is phenomenal, as always. Unfortunately, this show doesn't make a ton of sense. I'm really not getting the whole "Juliet" thing out of it. It's a lot like the movie "Titanic." They could have named that movie "Sinking Boat" for all it resembled the story of the Titanic. They could have named "Juliet" anything, and we'd all be just as confused. The thing is, if you tell the story of "Romeo & Juliet" from only Juliet's perspective, you rip out enormous parts of the story, rendering what's left a very boring, uneventful tale. If you listen to the latest "Field Pass" episode, this show will make a lot more sense. But that's the problem: we should be able to figure it out for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I love Phantom Regiment, they just need to fix some major problems in this show. 4th Place - 89.550 - Carolina Crown "Rach Star" There's not much to say about this show that hasn't already been said a million times. It's cheesy, but it's fun and crowd-appealing. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but it works extremely well. I really didn't care for this show at first, but it's starting to grow on me a little. I always liked the "We Will Rock You" pre-show, and now I especially like the "Paint it Black" section. And of course, who doesn't love that opening hit of "Bohemian Rhapsody?" Carolina Crown won Brass, and that doesn't surprise me at all. 3rd Place - 90.400 - The Cadets "Between Angels and Demons" I've only seen corps use two different-colored uniforms a handful of times, and no one does it better than The Cadets. This show is very "in-you-face" pretty much from start to finish, which is a very fan-friendly quality. After being "just okay" for many years, The Cadets are back with one powerful program. The opening hit of "Angels in the Architecture" is one very exciting moment of the show, and one of my favorites of the whole season. I also really enjoy the "160 BPM" section. This show is very well done, especially with the visual design. We've all come to really love the classic kaleidoscopic Cadets drill, but it's fun to see it in a new way, with two different colors intermingling. The battle scene/drum feature is one of those moments that will be remembered for years to come. It's probably the most "in-your-face" moment of the show. The Cadets just have a few things they need to clean up before Finals. This is a difficult show to perform, and they're doing an excellent job with it. If they can clean it up, they could have a fair shot at the title. 2nd Place - 90.950 - Blue Devils "The Beat My Heart Skipped" It was weird...before the season started, my friends and I heard Burt Bacharach on the radio, and thought it was strange that no one had ever done any Bacharach stuff in drum corps before. Then, just a couple of days later, the Blue Devils announced "The Beat My Heart Skipped." I didn't care for this show at first, but they've recently made some big changes, and this show is simply impeccable. The visual doesn't particularly enthrall me. It's not bad, it just isn't phenomenal. The music, on the other hand, is probably my favorite of the year. It's a far cry from that atonal stuff they were playing last year. Overall, it's just a really gorgeous show. 1st Place - 91.050 - The Cavaliers "XtraordinarY" It may have been just me, but The Cavaliers seemed a bit off tonight. However, I still felt they were the clear winners, and I'm glad the judges agreed. I'm not going to say anything different from what I said in my DCI St. Louis review, so here's just some quick thoughts: All the different "tricks" like the upside-down Tenors, upside-down horns, guard on stilts, etc. are all really neat, and pretty innovative. Yes, they are probably what one may call "gimmicks," but what's wrong with gimmicks in a drum corps show? Gimmicks typically make the show more fun and fan-friendly. It's pretty obvious why the won, and why they've been winning. They're just ahead of everyone else. Will they win at Finals? It's possible. They'll get Top 3, for sure. Here's how I would have placed everybody: 1. The Cavaliers 2. Blue Devils 3. The Cadets 4. Carolina Crown 5. Phantom Regiment 6. Madison Scouts 7. Blue Stars 8. Santa Clara Vanguard 9. Bluecoats 10. Blue Knights 11. Spirit of Atlanta 12. Boston Crusaders

I've never done a review before, but here goes. Open Class Music City was the only open class corps of the night, and naturally got first place, with a score of 66.800. I haven't been to a show in a while, and I haven't seen Open Class corps in a long time. Whenever I did, I always thought they were pretty good, but it was apparent as to why they are in Open Class and not World Class. This was not the case with Music City. To put it simply, I was blown away. Sure, they weren't the greatest marchers (but far from the worst I've ever seen), but they had a very impressive sound. I suppose a full hornline helps. Their program "Let's Dance" was extremely fun and entertaining. It was pretty much a toe-tapper the whole way through. As I understand it from several audience members, this was their first show of the season. They could have fooled me. They performed very well. World Class Pioneer is celebrating their 50th Anniversary with their program, "Celebrate." They got 7th Place in the World Class division with a score of 62.450. I don't think what I'm about to say is news to anyone: they are hideously small this year. It's really a shame, especially since they're hitting the big 50 this year. However, despite their small size, they packed quite a punch. They sounded a lot bigger than they actually were. A LOT bigger. The show didn't really enthrall me, personally. I wanted to like the show, but I just couldn't get into it. My loss, I suppose. The Cascades are sporting a new look this year. They have a very vibrant neon-green plume, and a vibrant green uniform that fades into a lighter shade of green as you go up the jacket. "Pandora, a Dark Gift" was, in a word, creepy. The premise was very easy to follow (thanks to the big orange box in the middle). The yellow cubes didn't do a whole lot for me, but I think the overall visual design wouldn't look right without them, so I wont complain. This show was pretty good, and I'd say was rightfully placed 6th, with a score of 68.050. While many will disagree, I really like the Blue Stars uniform. Sure, it doesn't have a ton of blue, but they make it work. "ReBourne" was one of my favorite shows of the night, and they may have had the loudest hornline there. The crowd really loved this show. The Blue Stars really know how to crank the "wow" factor to unimaginable heights. The last time I saw these guys live was in 2005...all I have to say is, "WOW!" The Blue Stars got 5th Place with a score of 78.700. I'm really not sure why they are as low as they are...I guess that's why I'm not one of the guys in green. I've been to many live DCI shows, but never have I had the privilege of seeing the Santa Clara Vanguard live. Needless to say, that was quite a treat. "The Devil's Staircase" isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it sure was mine. It's loud, fast, menacing, and it follows the essential KISS* rule. They aren't getting too artsy with it, thereby making it easy enough for Joe Schmo Drum Corps fan to understand. What's not to get? You're in hell, and you're trying to get out. I loved the cymbal "V" and the classic "viper." I really have nothing else to add. It was a great show, and well deserving of their 4th place finish, with a solid 82.000. Phantom Regiment is, and always has been one of my favorites. How can they not be? Phantom Regiment just has a way with the audience. It's hard not to like them. While the Blue Stars arguably were the loudest, Phantom Regiment was the most musical (big surprise), and pretty freakin' loud. "Juliet" isn't my favorite Regiment show, but I like it. The music is outstanding, and the drill is a big step up from last year. The only problem I have with "Juliet" is that I'm really not getting the whole "Romeo & Juliet" thing out of it. I can kind of tell what's going on, but that's probably partly because I know the original story pretty well. Am I the only one with this problem? Please let me know if I'm alone or not. Overall, I guess 3rd place with an 84.900 is pretty fair, although I personally would have put them in 2nd. Carolina Crown got 2nd place with a score of 87.550. I'm going to be honest with you all. I don't like "Rach Star." I really like Carolina Crown, but this show really isn't doing it for me. I saw this show in the theater at the Tour Premiere, and wasn't all that impressed. It was probably my least favorite show of the evening then, and it was one of my least favorites again at DCI St. Louis. I'm not going to say that the concept doesn't work. A lot of people don't realize that Rachmaninoff was actually pretty contemporary, and the concept works rather well. I just don't like it. However, this show was very well performed musically and visually, which is something that we've come to expect from Crown. And the champion of the night, with a score of 88.500, The Cavaliers! I'll just tell you right now, I'm a big Cavies fan. They're the reason I was hooked on DCI in the first place, and have since been my all-time favorite corps. "XtraordinarY" is exactly that. Extraordinary. You can make the argument that they are using too much of the electronics, but it really didn't bother me that much. They weren't replacing anything, they were just adding to an already fabulous product. We say this every year, "Michael Gaines has done it again." That man writes exceptional drill, and has yet to disappoint me. My favorite aspect of this show was the use of Bach's "Fugue in G Minor." When I heard they were using it, I thought it was a strange choice. But, they jazzed it up and it sounded less creepy, and more extraordinary. It was obvious why they won that night, and it's obvious why they've been winning all season. They have really kicked it up a notch, and I didn't even think it was possible. For my first live show in a long time, I had an absolute blast. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds at Finals. *For those of you that don't know, "KISS" is an acronym for "keep it simple, stupid."

Thank you.

Salutations, fellow directors of DCPI! I have the honor of hosting the shows in San Antonio on July 22nd and July 23rd, and as you’re probably aware, these shows are fast approaching. As is my long-standing custom, all participants will receive a commemorative graphic for their participation in this event, which can be used on your website, your forum signature, or something to take up space in your recycle bin. Also, I create graphics for those who place in the Top 3. I prefer to send these via personal message, and for that, I need everyone’s user names. I believe I have them all, but just to be sure, I would be eternally grateful if you would check the following lists. If you are on one or both of these lists, and you shouldn’t be, or you’re not and you’re supposed to be, or if your username is next to the wrong corps, please let me know so that I can correct it. July 22nd Black Regiment- RemoKing California Knights- Jehensley Confederate Regiment- losnickes Crimson Eagle Regiment- Angel_Red64 Crimson Lions- Tin Guardian Feenicks- CitBos Knights of Power- kdgrush Lake Ontario Crusaders- mellophone1 Light Brigade- TubaJon Mercury Imperials- byrnesy922 Minnesota Madness- DeCellR8 N.I.N.N.I.E.S.- the bob Quicksilver- CraigIII Quilt- percussionplyr Tennessee Nipples- CincinnatiGloryMello The Stud Bolts- ccollins792 Treasure Coast Gold- ContraFart Xpress- AZcoltcontra July 23rd Avengers- RockEuph Black Regiment- RemoKing California Knights- Jehensley Caprice- Galen Confederate Regiment- losnickes Knights of Power- kdgrush Nastalgia Vanguard- ced3905 Ohio Valley Thunder- DannyII Polaris Regiment- hostrauser Purple Mountain Majesty- ktdoon324 Quicksilver- CraigIII Renegade Brigade- DeltaBugles Star of Jupiter- StarOrg The Elite Brigade- OTGFP951 The Knights- gcurrier The Rangers- general_tsos_chicken2 Xpress- AZcoltcontra

Only .002 between me and the Top 12. Good grief.

The spread they have over everyone else is definitely legitimate. The Cavaliers are past due for a championship, and I have a feeling that this is going to be their year. However, The Cadets also have a shot. They really mean business this year, and they're about as clean as The Cavaliers are. While very talented, I don't think the Blue Devils are going to pose much of a threat. Their show is good, but I don't think it's a winner. We also need to watch out for Crown, because they're also very clean, despite the fact that they have a show with so much cheese that it almost makes the Velvet Knights look like SCV.

I mean no disrespect, but what?

GENERAL EFFECT: The Cavaliers The Cadets Madison Scouts HM: Blue Stars VISUAL: The Cavaliers The Cadets Blue Stars HM: Blue Devils GUARD: The Cavaliers The Cadets Blue Stars HM: Blue Devils BRASS: Madison Scouts The Cadets Blue Devils HM: The Cavaliers PERCUSSION: Santa Clara Vanguard The Cavaliers Blue Devils HM: Blue Stars

That was my bad. I meant to include the fact that it was my opinion.

I think we can all agree that Carolina Crown is an exceptional corps. I've been a huge Crown fan since their 2007 show, "Triple Crown." There are a couple of years where you could argue that they were championship material, such as last year, definitely 2009, and maybe even 2008. "Rach Star," on the other hand, simply isn't that great of a show. Every great corps will have the occasional year where they kind of screwed up with the show design. Being a Cavies fan, I was not particularly fond of the Billy Joel show in 2007. That's not to say that it wasn't performed well, it just wasn't a very entertaining show (at least not for me). The same problem faces Crown this year. They are performing the snot out of "Rach Star," but the thing that will probably keep them from the gold medal is the show design.

I hope they fix that. The closer is the best part of the show.

I've decided to start a "weekly update" sort of thing (whether I actually keep with it or not is another story). At any rate, if you'd care to read it, it can be found here.

Yeah...something about those uniforms don't look right.

I never knew about this before. I like it.

You're right, but for them to be doing this well right out of the gate is refreshing, especially after a relatively rough start last season.

That's an interesting thought. While I can't easily recall too many shows of the Blue Devils' past, I think the problem with "The Beat My Heart Skipped" is this: When I saw the show at the movie theater the other night, I rather enjoyed the music, but I was not thrown by the visual. I found the drill to e extremely lacking. Every corps has a year from time to time where their show just isn't up to par. It even happens to the Blue Devils.

Are you sure? The site I got it from said this was from 2011.

Do my eyes deceive me? Long sleeves?

I actually think it's a snazzy uniform. My only complaint is that it doesn't have a ton of blue on it.

Ever since I can remember, Phantom Regiment has had an outstanding sound. However, Carolina Crown has developed an exceptional sound these last couple of years. Then, there's the Madison Scouts, who have always had an "in your face" kind of sound. And the Blue Stars 2010 horn line: WOW. It's a tough call.

Question: How do we go about hosting shows?