topsops

First off.....why would Grenadiers (class A) go on in the middle of all the open class corps? I heard (rumor) that Buccs voted against them changing position...what a shame. Empire....okay show, nothing like the show in KIngston. They must have added some newbies, because they were crashing into each other on the field. Then it sounded like they had some problems with ensemble that wasn't there the week before. Too bad. I THOUGHT they would be the corps to beat this weekend, but after they were done, you knew something better was coming. They will be back on top if they can get rid of all the little things (people) that are holding back the 'pictures' on the field. Grenadiers.....another surprise to me. They have improved greatly since I last saw them. Nice guard and over all good show. They will be a BIG contender for the class A championship! IMO, they will win it. There show will surprise a lot of people. Buccaneers....my favorite musical show. Love that horn line, although they didn't have their best night either. They were better in Kingston too. Some bumps here and there, M&M needs work. Otherwise, they too will be in the hunt. Beautiful guard work, but the drumline is what I love the most. They put on quite a show. Hornline seemed to be tired the second half of the show. Cabs.....best show all year so far. Great guard, drums and hornline. They just can't let up at all. They give it their best and still end up in 3rd. If Buccs turn on, watch out Cabs. Cabs were loud too....wow....the crowd just loved that show. Most in the audience had Cabs for first place tonight (me included) because they were actually the best corp that night. But they just don't have the visual package, and they can't sell it anymore then they have already. Sorry. A few bumps here and there, but that can be corrected (hopefully), but the show itself is not the best for the Cabs. Sorry guys/gals, just not your year this time. Brigadiers....great sounding corp. But what a good looking guard show. The guard actually makes this show. Hornline has some great moments too and they were on in front of the hometown crowd. Didn't seem to have any major problems at all this night, hence the win. They brought me on as a fan this time. Good going Brigs. The show itself though, is a sleeper if they don't perform the heck out of it. I have though, moved them up in my predictions for DCA and put them in 2nd now. Certainly the best year for DCA!

Great show....couldn't have been better. With the exceptions of missing corps. Sunrisers...better then I thought they would be. Glad to see them out there. Keep up the hard work kids. Carolina ..... really cool show. More like a Jr. show show not DCA. Guard was a surprise, nice work. Empire.....surprised to see them on so early, what happened here? If they had gone on much later, there would have been a bigger spread. Award for most entertaining and most crowd reaction! WOW, instantaneous ovations for the audience as a whole. Joe P. is a fantastic horn player no doubt. The picture of the women as a prop started to 'bleed' during the third number and I almost missed it, but wow, the crowd that saw it loved it. Watch for this at DCA. Guard was great, but to be expected from Empire. Hornline could have been louder in spots, but overall fantastic. Easily 1st place tonight. Bushwackers.....only saw from behind, so I couldn't be fair with any judgement. Skyliners.....same....sorry guys but I had to socialize. Buccaneers....whew who.....now that's a Buccaneer show. GREAT show. Crowd loved it too. Second best crowd reaction, and well deserved. I was VERY impressed with this show. At one point (ballad) the drum line is spread out from 10 yrd line to 10 yrd line in the back of the field. They don't play here, but they become part of the whole picture....wonderful to see. I can't wait to see this again. Most folks I talked to before retreat had them in 2nd. So did I. Scores are close, but they shoudl have been second. Kingston Grennies.....I missed because....well, no excuse....I was out of my seat. Brigadiers.....another great show. Can't help this, but the guard is their hi-lite!! They end the show with so much enthusiasm it put the other guard to shame. Great work folks. Trophy for guard should have been here with Empire next, then Cabs and Buccs. Anyway, I didn't like this show as much as previous years. Music didn't 'grab' me as it probably should have. But it was clean for what they were doing. Nice show Brigs .....I had them behind Buccs for 3rd.....and close to Cabs for 4th. Cabs....good show. Great guard. Any other year this 'could' be the number one show, but NOT this year. Sorry, I love you guys, but the Alumni is more exciting to listen to. I do have to say though, the mellos have such a GREAT lick in the beginning and play with confidence. Can't say Cabs aren't 'ready' yet, they were awesome, just IMO were 4th. Surprise of my night....Corps Vets......I liked them. I like most of their music. Great entertaining show. Not up to par with the big-gun corps, but they still get the crowd going. Soloist wasn't pleased with his performence, but he should not worry. He did not bring the score down. Your corp made a nice impression on the audience. Of course "When a Man Loves a Women" was going to be a hit....well, it sure was. They must like this song because they really played this out well. Guard uniforms gotta go....ugh....they take away from their show. But....the guard was VERY entertaining. Very impressive in my book. Some wild throws from a guard I didn't expect to see do anything great. One of my favorite guards of the night!! Can't wait to see this show again!! Hurricanes.....saw them from the side....sorry. Not a bad show. Of course the crowd loves the old time stuff, as well as I. Okay job, they just have such a dead spot during drum solo when the horns dissappear behind the props. WHY? this must hurt the visual. Dissappointed with a couple placements, but overall, the most entertaining year for DCA. Maybe I'm wrong and the top 4 corps should be tied for first...they are each very unique and crowd pleasers. Can't wait to throw in Minn and Renegades. It's late....sorry for the choppy review.

Great review, honest and exciting. Thank you for sharing that with us.

Dear batmanmom, Yes I liked Renegades a lot...they were very unique.....but YOU need to go back and watch the show again. Difficult.....NO.........200 beats a minute.....NO.....claiming it and marching it are 2 different things. Try 186-192 for the opener, and guess what....you weren't playing!!!!!!!!! NOT difficult. Watch corps like Bush and Buccs, Empire, Brigs and especially Cabs for fast while playing. Please, the entertainment was GREAT.....just not difficult. You are looking at it thru rose colored glasses. Iam so evil, the Devil worships me!

This review is something I have to do after listening to the CD's many times and watching the DVD many, many times already. You may not like what I say....this is only my opinion. This is very critical of all the shows, but this still was THE best DCA to watch that night (or any night now that I've got the DVD's). Kingston Grenadiers - I was dissappointed with this show. Maybe they had a good prelim show to get them in finals. M&M was - sorry - very sloppy. Drill was okay for this corp, featuring the drumline and guard at the right times. Drumline had some good work out there and looked very nice. Drum solo came across very well. Hornline should have played something more recognizable for the audience. They like the show, but it would have gotten a better reaction with better music. (The corp could have gotten 'into it' more). The guard has some surprisingly good spots in the show, nice work. Hurricanes - Had to review this....they should have been in finals. Not as bad a show as I have heard about. M&M was pretty good and the drill was fine for this size corps. Vegas show was well done (contrary to the stories I've heard). The wedding and Elvis thing worked fine in the show. Again, something different for the audience to be entertained by. Hornline sounded pretty good until the end of the show. One spot (fast ending) they sounded extremely tired. The guard was much better then I anticipated-nice flag work-helped alot with the visual package. Crusaders - Surprisingly good show. Nice to see and hear a classical show, a real treat for the audience. M&M was sloppy most of the time. Drill was nice though, until the very end - one horn player stopped too soon and really blew it. If he wasn't a rookie, he should have been shot! He should have been pushed out of line and the rest gone around him. Drums had a great solo spot and the pit was one of the best of the night, worked well with the corps not overbearing. Guard had a bad night, should have been much better. Hornline had some real nice parts and blended well. Very musical at times. Best warm-up of the finals! CorpVets - Good show for this corps. Would have liked music that the audience recognizes a little better - maybe would have given the people more to cheer which in turn would have boosted the morale of the corp, thus a higher place? Nice solo work throughout the whole show. I should watch this one again, because nothing is standing out in my mind about this corps. I remember the guard though, really nice job. Hornline looks like they enjoy the show. Sorry, but I will watch them a couple more times before I can make any comments. Bushwackers - A trip to the moon? What is this about? I was soon to find out - WOW - nice freakin' show. Talk about fast drills, Bush and Cabs had the two fastest drills at DCA this year. Bush just looked like they were cleaner doing it. Very impressive drill/show. Good M&M job and they kept you interested the whole time. Where did this guard come from? Should have been higher in the standings for sure. Sharp looking flag work and role playing by the 'astronaut' was super. This guard did a lot for the overall design of this show. Hornline was small but very clean, but couldn't hum the music afterwards. They played it so well though, not to mention how difficult it was, I'm sure. A lot of backward movement which is difficult, I wonder if they got credit for it? Drumline was great, lots and lots of notes -WOW - amazing show. Ten more horns would have put them in the running for top spot. What a treat for the audience - AGAIN. Renegades - LOUD? - YES! But......slow moving when playing, or at a halt which explains the loudness. M&M not bad, but sloppy, spacing a big problem. Not much demand in the drill (watch the other corps). Hornline was powerful - mello feature goes without saying- WOW - hi-light of the night, not clean, but entertaining. In your face at end of show and standing still to blow your face off. Crowd loved it, but seriously?-not too musical, just entertaining and that's what we pay for. Thank you! Pit, too many toys, legos must go, very distracting from music. Pit must learn blending. Guard was very nice, didn't over do anything and came across very well. Nice uni's too. Drumline was fine, nothing outstanding, but placed well in the drill. Overall, GREAT show for the audience!! Buccaneers - anothe nice change for the audience to watch. Very nice show-beautiful drill and done well. M&M was good and exciting too. Nice pictures on the field. Nautical theme is best for this corps. Guard seems to enjoy this show and did a very good job 'working it' and role playing. Bushwackers cymbal line was GREAT, but Buccs were GREATER. WOW, they really work hard out there. Congratulations, what a show they put on....best ever. Drumline was great (when they played). Ballad is too long to NOT play, but this line is at least doing something while not playing. Good funeral scene role playing by the drumline. Drum solo was outstanding and exciting to watch. Hornline was very good too-small size didn't make much difference here. Difficult parts and weak at times (even standing still), 10-20 more horns and there would be another corp fighting for that top spot! Drunkin Sailor was acted out well by the whole corps - very enjoyable show. USe of the field was incredible for this size corps! Can't wait for next year. Minnesota Brass - M&M was so very clean! I'm amazed (ashamed) the judge put them so low in execution. Spacing was great compared to everyone else - where's the problem? Excitement maybe? Hornline was good, but un-interesting in spots. They didn't sell the show. Drill was very nice to watch and ending was great to see-worked well. Drumline was good and had some real cool moves, just nothing spectacular. Just good and clean. Guard was good - Pit was good - Overall the corps moves and plays well- not the best- but they do play well. Maybe 3rd? Hard to tell. Empire - Very good M&M and a nice drill especially the winding around the props - nice look. Hornline was weak - not only in numbers - but there was some un-intelligable spots throughout the show. (The soloists have seen better shows, Im sure) Middle voices had problems with runs and baritones were really weak when they needed to be strong. Drumline was quite good, just not showey enough. Pit was good and blended well with the hornline (best of the night?) Guard was REALLY working! A few noticeable mistakes at the very beginning, should have never happened with a top-notch corp. This was like watching a Broadway show. This guard had the most work while moving award for DCA. Whoo-hoo. They also had the best flag work for the ending of a show. AGAIN, another extrodinary show for the audience to watch! What a night! Syracuse Brigadiers - Surprise - they use the field more than I heard they did to say the least - WOW. Guard was fine, but nothing thrilling. M&M was very good and the drill was written perfectly for this corps. Where were the judges sitting? Hornline has been better in the past, middle voices were only fair compared to past years. Sorry. Ballad number was THE BEST one at DCA. Sorry Cabs. Superb bari soloist!! Drumline really cooks. Love the way this line moves, plays and looks. This show needs to be seen many times to grow on you, then it's great to watch. The reason for not winning? They didn't sell it to the audience - the excitement level is missing from the show. They had to follow Empires Broadway show and that hurt their excitement level I think. It was just time for someone else to win and Cabs had the excitement edge - that's all. If Empire/Bush/Buccs had bigger hornlines things would have been much different. Caballeros - First off, no offense, but why didn't someone tell the drum major how he looked in that cape outfit? 'nuff said. M&M was sloppy at best-individuals wobbled instead of marching and spacing was a terrible problem (because of the fast drill). How the judgte saw that show as being so clean is beyond me - ensemble wise - someone should check the rule on that. Go ahead and watch the video again and again....you'll see. Hornline was the best that night. Not the cleanest, but they put on the best show. Drumline was okay, but had problems marching and playing at the same time. Pit was very good and blended nicely with the show. G E wise, yes, the best at DCA. Guard wise, yes, the best at DCA. Guard had the most exciting ending moving from front to back while the horns made the block and opened that up. WOW what an ending!! Perfect! Overall 1st place (a gift perhaps?). Naw, it was someone else's turn and Cabs were the only choice. They won it fair and square. THIS YEAR. ^0^

All righty then...... Finals night.... Kingston Grenadiers: Good show to start off the finals. Bright yellow color set the mood for the rest of the evening. Better show then prelims (although prelims was still a good show), but the crowd really liked them a lot. I did too. What a corp to set the standard for the rest of the night...worth seeing again. Roch. Crusaders: another good show to watch. Very nice to have a classical show mixed in this year. They put on a very good performance for the crowd. The 'jingle' sticks should have been louder at the end (just for the excitement), but all in all it was a great show. How can the bottom 2 corps so far, be this good I asked. Can't wait for the rest. CorpVets: Another great show. Come on DCA, when does one go down for a drink or hot-dog? What an impressive show they had that night. Guard was keeping the attention of the audience, but I didn't expect the show to be this good. Nice music and a neat looking drill to keep your attention. Then they hit you at the end of the show and it tore the audience up....many people were impressed with this corp, as I was. Bushwackers: a show about the moon? Whoa, listen to that hornline. Clean and tight. Very nice show. A little distracting with some of the music, but they did it all well. Now the audience is getting fidgety in their seats. When do you go to the bathroom? I need a drink but don't want to miss the next show. Buccaneers: A small hornline with a big hornline sound. WOW, impressive indeed! Drumline still moves a lot without playing, which is standard for Buccs I guess, but it sure did fit their show. The funeral scene was GREAT! This was the first year in many that I really like this show. Really stuck to the theme, and everyone appreciated it. Thanks Buccs for the entertainment. Minn Brass: Huge corp, first real biggy of the night. Powerful too, not exactly the cleanest, but it was raw power. Audience loved the ballad, it was really sweet. Couldn't help but notice the drumlines drill during that, it was cool as all heck. Great show! Just needed to brush up on the spacing problems and a tiny bit on the horn problems. Otherwise, another fantastic show. How can this be topped? Still need to pee, but can't leave the seat yet....Renegades are next. Renegades: VERY loud hornline. Again not the cleanest, but loud. Nice drill too, very impressive. I actually loved that guard. Audience was impressed until people were pointing out that they didn't move when they were blasting. Still GREAT, but some were catching on to that fact. Loved the beginning crab walk, again, not playing, but cool anyway. People all love LOUD and they provided it for sure. Marching could have been much better. If people buy the video/DVD, please watch everyone closely and you will see some of what I'm talking about. Empire: now how do you follow the Renegades and impress us? I don't know how they did it with such a small hornline, but what an entertaining show!! To say the least! Guard was the best of the night....real showy....opener was good and ballad was good (especially Joe Pero), but when they did that tap dancing on the field....whew....just blew everyone away. What an entertaining corp. Brigadiers: thought they won the prelims, but that's another story. VERY, Very impressive hornline. Typical Blue Devils stuff....keep a section playing at all times and you won't notice the release mistakes. Fooled a lot. Great show though, with a good guard show too. I think the guard really made this show stand out. Not that the horns didn't do it, they were impressive enough, but the guard 'framed' the corp nicely. A must see on DVD. Caballeros: A true Champion. They came out with the attitude and it showed. It actually carried into the audience. Hornline really shined tonight. Drums were good too. M&M could have been better especially when they jazz ran and stopped. Spacing wasn't so hot....again.....watch the video and see for yourself. But the music and show was enough to put the audience into a frenzy. Dare anyone say, they won't win? Never happen, they had the audience going crazy. Just one great powerful show. Actually the whole finals was the best I've seen in MANY MANY years at DCA. Not one corp was a let down....AT ALL. It was well worth seeing I'll tell ya, and I will definately buy the video this year. This is one evening that you will watch over and over again.

what else can be said? It was a good review (a little sugar coated), but it was a DCA Championship year like no other. So many great looking shows and no corp was dissappointing....many different styles, expressions, emotions, fun times, ....just one #### of a finals!!!!!!! There shouldn't be any complaints about this one. Renegades got a penalty that is in the rules, so no complaint there. (Last year there was 2 corps with penalties). It was worth every penny to see these corps perform that evening....I will definately buy the video when it comes out....an evening to remember.

First time review....although not a good one....but , what the heck... Kingston Grenadiers.....much improved. I liked this show, and so did the crowd. Music could be more crowd friendly, but has come along way since the Buffalo show this year. Clean up the M&M and you will make the finals. Drum line was the exciting part of this corp...good show guys (and girls). Empire Statesmen.....wow, crowd pleaser for sure. This corp would be the winner if they had the numbers. Great drumline, good horns, great guard and so entrtaining! Fun show to watch. Great GE when guard member was losing his pants during the show....striped underwear....classy :P (could be part of the show...dunno). Demand is there fo the guard altough they didn't win that caption. They MOVE while they do the work. Doesn't the judge see that??????? Hurricanes.....okay show (although the concept is not there). They have improved though and you can see the difference. Good for them! Another great guard that works on the move....good going!! They could surprise someone at DCA if they get any better (I suppose anyone could), but Hurcs are a nice corp to watch. Rochester Crusaders.......I for one liked this show. Classical, not exactly Phantom Regiment but its the Srs. answer to DCI classics. The drill works well with the hornline. Drumline has a great solo and seems to do it well. Don't know what the judges are looking for, but Crusaders seem to be doing it very well. The drumline really compliments the hornline too. What a great change to hear this classical music played so well. The closer needs to have a little more power (horns get tired quick). A solid 3rd place and would like to see this show again, and if it improves, they will surprise many too. Syracuse Brigadiers....wow, what a hornline (the Jr. Blue Devils is what people were calling them). They really wail out there (although they do that well when they are standing still). Drill doesn't go no where, but there size does it for them. Drums are better then what I anticipated....great snares. Guard is HUGE, but noticed that when a banner gets behind on a spin, they drop it on the ground and just 'air' the spin. Doesn't that judge pick up on that?????? Very noticable, and this isn't the fist time I've seen that. Is this how you win best guard? Empire and Hurcs guard was a better working guard. Sorry Brigs, but that's the only caption you shouldn't have won. My bet for DCA Champs again because Cabs need to clean-up too much drill. Then again, if Cabs get as smart as Brigs and stand still to play the hard licks they can take it. If Cabs guard drops the equipment instead of spinning (aka Brigs) they will beat Brigs guard. Too many ifs..... If the judges didn't go by size of the corp....well, then someone else would win because of a better show. Good luck to all at DCA.