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BLUE DEVILS SPIRIT OF ATLANTA

BD: Danny Elfman moment, Satie moment, being challenged to catch it all Crown: Fanfare PR: Intro and Nessun, coloruard, drill musicality Boston: Preshow Spirit: Oh the sophisticated and accessible variety Crossmen: Clear identity

After seeing these groups several times live and via fan network, these are my favorites thus far, and I imagine they will stay my favorites for the summer: PHANTOM REGIMENT SPIRIT OF ATLANTA SANTA CLARA CAROLINA CROWN

I was very excited to see this show and see some groups live whom I had not yet seen. Pioneer. Their rendition of the Dvorak New World Symphony is ambitious. The drums are the highlight of the group, though they overplay a lot and their parts seem a bit old school. However, they seem to be having fun and communicate with the audience quite well, adding to the entertainment value of their show. The members seem to understand and convey the overall mood and emotion of each segment. Their brass played aggressively and were at times pretty well polished. The guard has their moments of pretty and seem to be working hard to communicate with each other. Blue Knights. I tend to like all various types of shows and like to be challenged by art at times. This was too much of an experiment in drum corps however for my taste and the price of my seats, parking, and concessions. Though playing very recognizable parts of the original Firebird a few times, the show just did not connect with me and apparently most everyone else. Bizarre, weird, with long periods of non-focused visual or musical intent. The drum line was pretty clean at times. The drum writing seemed to be from another, unrelated show, and at times sounded like last season (a great show BTW). The guard seems to have potential and I found the uniform very unique and interesting. The brass were having a very rough go of it; pitch, articulation, balance, feet in sound, etc. The brass music is scored really low. The guard seemed random. Sorry guys, but I am still in shock over what I witnessed. Despite some great offerings tonight from other groups, it was all we could talk about on the way home. I really tried to find the good. I am still considering we all just somehow missed it, though I must say it seemed there was not one clean move, toss, drill set, step off, attack, etc. through the show. The members seemed to not enjoy performing. I don't know what else to say other than I greatly respect all the members' hard work and the risk the design took, just wish the results were different. Cavies. I was very intrigued by the pre-show and felt I could understand the overall intent. I liked the drum tuning and writing a lot and felt they were nearly as good as SCV and/or Cadets. The flag designs were my favorite part of the show. The mix of printing, sewing, with the lame fabric was great. I felt the guard's costumes were not near as bad as some had described and fit a rock star vibe pretty well (they are famous aren't they?). I was also glad to hear Don Juan, though it didn't quite sell tonight. Despite the fears of loosing Mike Gaines, I felt the drill was written well from a construction stand point, though I wish it more musical and the guard integrated better. The show seemed to stutter/start and stop a lot. The theme was hard to follow, though I got snippets of it here and there. The talent level seems down in the guard and especially the brass line. There were constant brass pitch issues throughout and lots of cracked notes and feet in the sound. The ending almost kicked in, though it seems a pit piece mill. I had heard there were lots of changes. I could not really tell where those were. I assume there are more to come. They are a good corps and just not matching up to their past or several othergroups around them this season. Madison Scouts. I was on the 45 near the top. I got A LOT of speaker volume, especially when the electronics doubled most all the tuba parts. It seems an odd sound and not characteristic of Scouts, though they did the same thing a lot last year. The Pictures at an Exhibition theme works pretty well and doesn't really require a lot of recurring thematic support, which is probably smart. I like the use of picture frames though I wish we could see them better. The corps looks really big. I am not sure exactly how many brass they have. The drums are sooo much better than last year and are pretty final's week clean already.I do not however care for the fact that some corps still do several old school drum solos in their shows that seem to have nothing to do with the show, the show music selections,music structure, flow, etc. The brass and drum drill is pretty darned clean, but the guard drill and equipment work is pretty filthy. I was surprised with Adam Sage being at the helm. The first minute, tuba soli, and ending are pretty terrific. that said, most every else lost me. I did not like what I perceived as forced arrangements. Many voicings are way too low and the weaving of old Scouts and Pictures just didn't work for my ears at all. The high brass seem weak to me as of now. Though rare to see in drum corps, I felt the brass were really outperforming their book; creating more GE through salesmanship than the actual music making. I am sure some will disagree, but after seeing it twice and on fan network, yeah, the brass writing just isn't working for me. They have really worked to get their showmanship back and I applaud them for that. SCV. I was overjoyed to get to see them. I wasn't disappointed. A big step forward in design and quality over Madison in my opinion. From the get go, there was a great physical and musical sense of command and presence along with quality. So much so that when something did "go wrong" it really stood out to me. I love the guard costume, though it does get a tad lost on the green field. Interested to see how that comes across in a dome. The percussion is simply spectacular and would pick them at this point to win drums. There was some dirt, but the demand is way up there. The brass are improved, thank goodness, but have a ways to go. They seem to handle the park and blows and big volume moments really well, but show some playing issues on the move and at the f and below levels. Pete Weber has again done a fine job moving all the pieces around. The show music and pacing has a real SCV sense to it, and I got on the edge of my seat several times. They seem a week or so away form really kicking it in to the point that I feel they will likely give PR and Bluecoats a run for their money. The arrangements are extremely creative but have a few minor bugs yet to be worked out. The end was very exciting. It will be fun to watch tomorrow on the live broad cast. Cadets. Having seen them once already, I prepared to act as if having never seen them, gaining a fresh prospective. I was actually surprised at how much better the performance and overall show was since seeing them last. The end was a bit ragged, but in typical cadets style, the are really pushing the simultaneous demand. All sections and sub sections of the group seem really strong. I had heard the drumline was almost all new and young, but felt the played almost as good as SCV. The arrangements are commendable and compare to very few arrangers in the activity these days. I often wonder if anyone can tell the difference any longer between a highly skilled arranger and someone who is just writing effects with little or no regard to structure, melody, development, variety, etc. The big moments are already selling quite well. I loved the ballad! I originally did not think this had the legs to compete for the title. I am not so sure now. Definitely the best corps of the evening. ENJOYED it corps. THANKS!

Cadets: surprisingly a great show with room to grow, would not count them out. Members are selling it well. Spirit of Atlanta: really fun and well performed show with good demand and solid performance by all sections Crown: lots of demand and great sound, show concept is simple but highly effective Boston: defining clean

Edited for typos. Hate those. Probably still missed some. This is such a great stadium. It holds sound well, is large enough to be packed with fans, and small enough to give one the true intimate drum corps viewing experience that domes can never give. On to my review of the evening. Sorry, I missed Pioneer. Some catching up with old friends I did not expect to see. Troopers: The corps' show about steam punk is certainly unique for them and the activity. Though pretty familiar with the steam punk movement, upon reading about their show choice, I though it would be difficult to pull off the theme. Tonight, I did feel that was the case. What I enjoyed most were some cleverly designed silks, and some pretty good music ensemble playing. Though I did not like the drum tuning, they projected clearly and the parts did a good job of creating pulse and phrase connectivity when appropriate. The use of trumpet mutes seemed in line with the quirkiness of the theme and the music choices. The individual marching was pretty good, though challenge was quite low most of, though not all of the time. Besides the usual cleaning that needs to take place, the pacing of the music and GE events requires some attention. The production seems really long, which in not a good thing. The guard has each phrase full, but perhaps that has recently happened in that much was not clean. The show's beginning is very hard to grasp right now; after marching during percussion music for over a minute, the brass stop and play a long major chord. That's it. I found it hard to shake loose the awkward opening impression it gave. There is obvious talent in the corps. The Trooper's class shines through from the moment they enter the field. Kudos to you! I did feel they should have been behind Glassmen overall, and agree that they should have been ahead of Glassmen in visual and musical analysis. Had there been a brass judge, i felt Troopers clearly played better than Glassmen. Glassmen: I have always been a fan of "Mishima" by Philip Glass. This piece starts their show. I feel the original work could be better realized resulting in a better effect, though it sounded that the brass are having a hard time with the required technique the opening requires. The introduction builds pretty well, and the first hit is quite successful. This opening is by far the best coordinated and performed part of their 2012 show. I am sure other areas will develop. It is quite obvious the show is designed to highlight the percussion section, which is good, though tonight they went from playing quite well to then having a hard time getting many phrases to lock in. The drumline's skill set is pretty good, but does not match that of the corps that finished ahead of them. The use of percussion gets old after a while and the musical connectivity from drum event to brass event was extremely disjunct. I did like several of the electronic sound effects and the layering of mallet writing. The sound of the Jupiter brass (think that is right) is a huge welcomed change over Dynasty brass. Not trying to put salt in any possible wound, but if I was in the drumline and had to do all of the dancing and running around with what I guess will eventually be mirrors or glass-like props, I would have a hard time putting on a happy face everyday. Though playing a few phrases well, it was clear that the brass program is still developing after four or five years of try to rebuild that caption. The guard has their moments, and others that are still under development. Other than some ding type sounds throughout much of the program, I did not find the show theme to be evidently portrayed, including the front drop design and silk design. The drop is pretty and colorful, and I think it is the early stages of melting sand, but I am not sure. I think the program theme does have a lot of interesting potential. I am eager to see this develop. I felt the captions where they were ahead of Troopers was accurate. Glassmen ahead in drums by a bit, Troopers much ahead in brass. Glassmen ahead in guard, but behind in field movement. Both show designs difficult to follow. Blue Stars: Blue Stars was clearly stronger that the previous groups. The opening fish net gag with the guard is clever. Myron Rosander did a great job with the first half of the visual program, while though the drum and brass drill remains fairly strong, the guard integration all but goes away, except a few sets. The guard gets lost in that they are in browns, though the silks are pretty and at times cute and whimsical, though the music did not seem to call for such. They are pretty to look at regardless. The brass pack a pretty good punch and at times sound great. The more difficult drill of course still gets the best of some brass players. This will get better. The guard has some very interesting and musical moments. I appreciate the prop use of several large rocks, a pier, and some blue panels that are scattered around the field. The drum line plays A LOT. They are talented and probably the best part of the corps right now. The parts are very tasty at times, and very overwritten at times for my musical taste. The ocean/sea theme is well supported. I am not a fan of the brass arrangements however. My career is based on theory and composition, so hearing what all the talented arrangers do each season is a big thrill for me. This book, much like Madison's, is based on some great classicall music. Though not a purest to the degree that I mind arrangers playing with, twisting, being creative with music, sometimes it is done well and sometimes it is simply awkward and forced. The big hits are well crafted for volume and some phrases are well crafted from a voicing stand point, but I found myself bothered a lot by the melodic use, development, non-related chord usage, and unsettling harmonic language. If that is the intent, I apologize for my lack of insight. A very good corps with a good show. I am not sure it brings enough to the activity to have them move up. I agree with judge's placement over Troopers and Glasmen in all captions. I would not have them above Spirit in any caption except maybe percussion achievement at this time, though Spirit's drum book is much more musical, diverse, and engaging. The pit's use of color and their performance presence is worth noting. Spirit of Atlanta: I was excited to see Spirit based on what I have heard and seen. I was NOT disappointed at all. First, congratulations on getting to perform under the lights and after intermission. I know what it is like to not do that, and then experience these kinds of rewards that develop after sticking with a corps that rebuilds and catches fire. Seems you have done that in spades (pun intended). I guess I will talk about a few things I feel need attention. There are a few transitions that don't quite keep up the energy level of the rest of the show. They seem right on the verge of being easily developed. I am sure you will get to it. The voice overs work well, but I would get rid of the speaking in an echo chamber effect. Yes, cleaning to do in all areas, but other than that, I was really blown away and so was the crowd. I had a feeling last year's design team would make a Vegas show in 2012 something unique, highly sophisticated, and still extremely engaging and competitive. Bravo. Seems many corps are still too afraid to be this entertaining, especially with using music in at least half of your show that most people easily recognize. The opening hit is so spot on for a Vegas production: big, loud, colorful, confident, and cool. The use of "Lady Luck" in the intro, opening, and closing is so well done. I cannot say enough about the great brass and percussion arranging. These people ( I really should look this up and call them by name) have done a great job writing a 2012 music book that has a clear identity to this corps and this show theme and should be super competitive in all music captions. I felt like I was on the strip or in a club or gambling throughout the production. The subtle and big moments are so well crafted and the amount of variety of sounds, textures, colors, electronics, is almost stupid good. Variety of coordinated effects is also very well done. Strong in all captions with a most improved guard award. I not only loved the show but found myself so proud of how far this group has come in three years. I felt they were above Blue Stars in all captions. Guards comprable, though Spirit offered more GE and show theme efforts. After Cavies finished, I assumed Spirit had beaten them, certainly in both GE captions and visual and musical analysis. The Spirt guard score was simply one of those huhhhh? times of the summer. No, I am not an expert, but my wife and her friends certainly are. They gave insight that is better left unsaid. And yes, everyone has their opinion. Cavaliers: I wanted the rumors to all be over stated and too dramatic. I will keep this short to not beat the horse. I was extremely disappointed and at times shocked. There is talent in each section. The drum line kicks ###. The will again vie for the drum trophy. The guard silks are cool. I assume they have a few yet to go into the show. The brass are OK, but clearly weaker than Spirit and Blue Stars to my ears. They had a lot of fundamental problems tonight and produced thin and out of tune sounds throughout. The show does not flow well nor make sense at this point. Other than percussion, there was nothing that was offered that was stronger than Spirit. I understand how judges are uncomfortable making that statement. Cavies are a great organization having a rough start. They will make their show better, I am sure of it. I hope them the best and their members many positive experiences. Bluecoats: This is a better corps than last year. The horn line is perhaps their best ever. No fears of their staff leaving behind a weak horn line. The brass display strength, subtly, effectiveness, and stamina. Though Crown's horn line is great, Bluecoats are close behind. The show theme does not seem that clear as of yet, but it seems the talent level will allow for changes and alterations that will better support the theme as the summer progresses. The drum line is strong but maybe not as good as the past few strong years. The guard has some catching up to do to get to the level of the rest of the corps. Look for a moment in their show where the brass play a technical passage in a ripple around a curved drill set. Though this type of thing has been done before, this is now the new standard and will be hard to top. The guard costume and silks are well tied into the overall look and attitude of the corps. The first half of the show is much more engaging than the second half which seems to go from effect to effect without connective material that allows for a musical through line (what some would refer to as cut and paste drum corps). The brass moments are arranged well, but I wish their was more opportunity for musical, melodic development, attention to compositional detail. The production seems to have five or six endings right now, which I found odd. A very good corps that I am excited to see again. It is one of those shows where you felt you may have just missed some connections that would have helped keep you more engaged throughout. Crown: I will keep this short, but for opposite reasons from Cavie's short review. WOW! The brass, combined with their physical demand, are truly super human. If the guard keeps developing and the drum line ups their game markedly, this could be a contender. CANNOT wait to see it again. BRAVO!

Yes, must be a Spirit honk. Not sure she is helping their nice southern image. She must be very young and not aware.

l I too will make some adjustments considering the open class power houses. Of course it is all in fun. Last couple of posters seem to somewhat share my guesses, especially the top 8 or so. It would be cool to be close to this. 1. Blue Devils 2. Crown 3. SCV 4. Cadets 5. Cavaliers 6. Phantom 7. Bluecoats 8. Boston 9. Madison 10. Spirit 11. Blue Stars 12. Blue Knights 13. Crossmen 14. Academy 15. Glassmen 16. Troopers 17. BDB 18. Pacific Crest 19. SCVC 20. Colts 21. Cascades 22. Teal Sound 22. OC 23. Gold 24. Mandarins 25. Pioneer

1. Blue Devils 2. Crown 3. SCV 4. Cadets 5. Cavaliers 6. Phantom 7. Bluecoats 8. Boston 9. Madison 10. Spirit 11. Blue Stars 12. Blue Knights 13. Crossmen 14. Academy 15.Glassmen 16. Troopers 17. Pacific Crest 18. Colts 19. Surf 20. Teal Sound 21. Cascades 22. Mandarins 23. Pioneer

I like certs. lol Great write up tigger. If it is even only half accurate (I am sure it is not), it makes me very excited to see the show. I thought the Vegas theme would have the potential to be tired, but sounds like they considered that in great detail, especially considering the use of the GaGa. Alumni don't always make you sound better at these events (no offense), so I assume the "Georgia" youtube clip sound is mostly produced by the 2012 brass line. Yes, very full and impressive. Do I hear a double G at the end?

The rep certainly seems to fit Crossmen. Reminds me of the 90s corps. I wish them the bet as they continue to bring quality music to the field. While the video leaves a lot to be desired, there is definitely a lot of energy and the consistency of their caption head and arranger. Have a great semester Crossmen,

What is the point of all of this unless you are digging for supposed flaws? They were great last year and I suspect they haven't looked back. I never understand how these types of subjects seem so important to some people. I am sure the brass will be taught well and that if there are wood wind players playing brass instruments, the staff feels the choices for who got spots is right. I do know of at least one good brass player who did not get a spot due to his playing, or so he was told. But as I stated earlier, all of that does not matters unless I am looking for negatives. Anyhow, Spirit's show seems to fit them perfectly. Based on the composer line up, I am willing to bet (no pun intended) we hear "Luck be a Lady? (Frank Loesser). That will be fun. Best of Luck Spirit, excited to see the group!

Well, I must say I loved the home team, Regiment, because they were so true to themselves. I loved the sound of the Blue Devils brass. I loved the Cadets drill crafting. I loved pulling for an underdog and watching them kick ###, Spirit of Atlanta thank you very much. That finals week pull away was sweet and deserved. I loved that the entertainment value over all was so much higher. I loved leaving finals excited about the next year; there were several seasons where I thought I was done.

The more I think about it, the more I am impressed with their camp turnout and this video of "Georgia." Most all corps would already have pulled this off of youtube. Don't want anyone hearing or seeing any flaws, don't want all those under-qualified judges already writing down scores, blah blah blah. For a first camp, the number of potential members auditioning (I assume all those seated were also part of percussion or guard or both) and the excitement you can hear and feel even from a hand held recorder it exactly why people pay money to see drum corps. SOA figured out how to be good and exciting last year. They were my fourth favorite show by far. There is a big drop for me to the fifth place favorite group. I am judging by quality and the want-to -see-AND-feel-it-again factor. Very few corps ever give me the unexplainable rush of emotion any more. Bravo DCI and Cesario for allowing the entertainment factor to be important and for corps to not all be cookie cutter groups any longer. Bring it in 2012 Spirit of Atlanta. Can't wait to hear show details!

The two words from this post that are most significant are MEAN and SORRY. Find a water cooler and drink up. Seems your glass is much less than half empty. Spirit of Atlanta, congratulations on a great 2011 season that started a year ago, resulting in a summer or welcomed surprises, a fantastic show, and yes, resulted in a camp turn out and fired-up members and fans as clearly displayed in the video. Best of luck for an AMAZING summer!

Fourth most thrilling performance of the night. Not only did they keep their competition out.....they shut the door, latched the latch, nailed it shut, and put a go to hell sign on the door. Really could not be denied. Happy to see a southern corps back in. One of the summer's best total packages that matched corps abilities perfectly. Congrats. Well-deserved.

After seeing the Atlanta Regional, this one if pretty easy to pick for me. I know corps will clean and add, etc., but with all that considered, I offer: 1. Cadets 2. BD 3. Cavies 4. Crown 5. Phantom 6. Bluecoats 7. Blue Knights 8. SCV 9. Boston 10.Madison 11.Blue Stars 12.Spirit of Atlanta 1 point gap 13. Troopers 14. Glassmen 15. Academy 16. Crossmen 17. BD B 18. Colts 19. SCV 2 20. Pacific Crest

Here ya go... 1. Cadets 2. Crown 3. Cavaliers 4. Phantom Regiment 5. BD 6. Spirit of Atlanta 7. Bluecoats 8. Blue Knights 9. Madison Scouts 10.Boston 11.SCV 12.Academy/Troop

This poll and others like it are not based on opinion, but on different statistical analysis based on the poll's designer's choices of how scores are averaged and weighed. So if Troopers continue to outscore Spirit, the ranking will reflect such. Both shows are fun to watch. Troops show is very shallow to me and does not seem worthy of a final's spot because there is little risk or box 5 challenges or exposures. Spirit's show, the three times I have seen it, comes across to me as being in a whole other league from a construction stand point, and I feel it is being executed better at this time. Certainly when I look at the criteria for music and visual GE, SOA seems to be aiming for box 5 construction and reward and Troop middle of box 4.

Sorry...very sleepy when I wrote it. Edit option not working last night either.

An interesting and exciting and disappointing night of drum corps. Pioneer was better again than tbd previous year...but only mildly entertaining. Volts were fairly well prepared for s first show but very banding and boring. Ages decently loud impacts but no visual or musical substance to take them any place. Cannot imagine them ad s finalist. Troop was clearly more prepared than Colts. They have a few good brass and percent moments. Guard is really hurting this season. Blue Stars were s big step up in all aspects. The show has some strong moments but lacks strong pacing and brass demand. Seems they need to add some structue and depth. Not sure they will stay as evil 8. Coats were interesting but nothing more for me they have lots of talent but a show that lacks interest and ordination, especially visually. Seems drill and Kyocera do not connect. Caves were great entertainment top to bottom. Loved it a lot. Not surprised if they are champions.

Must admit I was very disappointed with Colts. Very very thin show with little room for competitive growth. The design and demand just isn't even close. Cleaning will do little to gain much ground.

I would have to say Blue Devils 2010, Blue Devils 2009, Cavaliers 2009, PR 2009, BD 2007, Glassmen 2001-2010.

Wow, Charlie1223, I could not agree more. After attending the DCI conference this past week, I must say that your top three are correct, and are absolutely in the right order. Though I would not want to take over DCI and try to fix it in its current state, I am worried that unless things change soon from the board on down, no progress can be made. I am additionally not sure who is going to lead drum corps into positive change. In addition to your specifics regarding administration, I will add that unless there is a major shift in the overall atmosphere when the "big boys" meet it the room to make their decisions, the end is too near. The lack of organization, professionalism, camaraderie, implementation and understanding of proper meeting procedures, and clarity of goals, was shocking, like major devastating earthquake shocking, I still can't believe it. However, when instructors and designers got in the room together, there was thank God a much higher level of control, order, goal setting, and professionalism. Cesario set the mood for each of these meetings and gave me a little hope that all is not yet lost. I cannot help but think about major corporations or successful smaller businesses as an example. If the business is successful and has an air of professionalism, organization, vision to it, I assume you could trace the workings of that company from product quality and customer satisfaction back to board/CEO interactions where the quality of the company's out put is no surprise. Those in charge, though at time disagreeing and speaking passionately, running their meetings with a high level of organization, professionalism, camaraderie, implementation and understanding of proper meeting procedures, and clarity of goals for the betterment of the whole corporation. This is the first I have spoken about it. As I have laid in bed the last two nights worrying about it, my wife keeps asking what is on my mind. I have responded that I am still too worked up to talk about it. I refuse to believe it has always been this way. If so, we have been very lucky to have lasted this long.

I was not impressed with anyone's new uniform last season except for Spirit, excuse me, now Spirit of Atlanta. I LOVED it! I think it to be on of the top four or so uniforms in the drum corps or band world. It is cool in photo, but much more impressive in person. I was most disappointed by Troopers' and Madison's new uniforms. Crown is OK.