augustleo

I did the Electric Slide by my self, when i found out that Crossmen made finals. My heart goes out to the Blue Stars as well, cause their show and performance was kick a## too. Max it out Saturday Crossmen! Get some rest too :)

I'm going to theater in Charlotte, nc. I didnt go last year, but i think the event was like 5 hours. It is long, but if youre a big drum corp fan it's worth it.

Awesome review.

I agree, kickhaltsforlife. The Crossmen are so close right now. I think if the Crossmen get back into finals this year, they will be there to stay. They just have to break thru the wall. I saw their show live back in late June and was impressed. I still think that if they pick up the tempos and velocity, it would generate more power and effect. The speed of the drill and music needs (just in my humble opinion) to be kicked up a notch. When i saw them live that one time, i was like 'come on Crossmen, youre almost there. Just pick up the pace of your show.'. I like all the other corps, but i am sooooooo behind Crossmen getting back into Finals!

Nice review. Your perspective is refreshing. Best of luck to all your children in all they do. :)

Congrats Crown! Keep working on that ending.

I saw the crossmen back in late June, and they are for real. I think their performance time slot for the 1st regional doesn't really work in their favor, per say. But their show should impress the judges enough that they will raise in the rankings score wise. Their show has so much potential and when I saw them at FirstBeat in south carolina, I could tell that this show was designed to propel them back into finals. So we shall see...muh ha ha...oh, sorry. :)

Got back an hour ago from FirstBeat (and got to catch the last few minutes of 'the bacherlorette') Quick run down. Weather was good. Not very hot and a breeze every now and again. Any inclement weather held off so thanks Universe. Crossmen: Effective opener visually and musically. Electronics were not over-used. Nice volume and blend from the horn line. Drums had some nice moments. The Crossmen allllmost have the old Crossmen grove back. The tempos through out the show seemed tentative. The soft ending is not quite as effective as it could be. Pick up the tempos and continue to polish and this show will be very entertaining and interesting, visually and musically. Colts: Okay Colts...you guys had me on my feet by the end of your show. Big Thankyou! This may have been their 1st show, not sure. But the Colts are going to pick up so many fans this season. I feel their show, with the ending being "All By My Self", is going to be 'one of those moments' this year. Colts got a standing O before their show even finished. And i think im a little hoarse now, because they served me what i ordered and i had to give them their props. Still alot of building to do with this show. The theme is not coming thru yet. But they can play. Full sound and a classic ending. INT: missed you guys...sorry...mother nature called. Cadets: Cadets could march "london brigde is falling down" and it would be so good. I know i will listen to this show alot when the 2012 CDs some out. Nice colors visually and the drill told the story as much as the music and choegraphy did. Cadets guard perform so well and are so expressive. The props in the backfield did look a little worn though, not sure why. They are used well by the guard, but the props dont add much visually to the show yet. Ok and i have to say this...George Hopkins pleeeasse be a little more stationary while the Cadets are performing. Its veeerrry distracting. I want to see every nuance the Cadets are presenting, but me eyes keep being drawn back to a blonde-haired man pacing the sideline. Other than that, the Cadets did seem a little tired or winded today. But the show is great and its performed very well. The Cavaliers: Interesting approach on a show. Im digging it. The color guard outfits are visually effective. And the guys look good out there. Best use of electronic effect, though it did go 'a little' overboard towards the end. The story or theme of the show is coming thru now. And i would like to see this show again. The drums were not quite as strong as they need to be yet in order to defend their percussion title. But is June. Horns are powerful, but still some dirt. Fairly risky show and i think it will develop awesomely. Crown: A super hero themed show, now that's unexpected. Crown is cutting edge with their ideas, and its much appreciated. I was expecting the show to have a noticable lack of color and contrast visually, but it works. Things are starting to pop now, and the visual package has the same huge potential as the musical package. There is still alot of dirt maching wise. Especially in the opener, where the drill is so frantic. This will definately need to be cleaned up because its so exposed. There was some musical dirt tonight as well. But again its June. The guard had a couple huge rifle tosses that were very effective. A couple drops, but the guard add alot to the storyline or theme. The cube work was very intetesting. I think a male guard did a full split within a cube while the other guard members lifted the cube into the air. The crowd gave applause on that. Good choegraphy. I noticed that even from Crowns 1st performane in Akron, they have added new sound effects and general effect moments. This show will continue to develop and will be so interesting to watch and hear. Alot of cool stuff going on. Well, great show. Enjoyed every corp. Will be a good season.

Thanks for the weather update. At first i thought your post was saying Rock Hill was in Orlando or something...and i was about to blast you, lol. But i got it. Thanks!

From a Crown lover to a BDMOM, well said!!

Yeah. I have my die-hard favorites every season, but booing...i would not feel comfortable doing that at this type of venue. Maybe at a football or basketball game, that would be fine. But at the end of the day, as a spectator in the stands, you are booing the members of the group. And especially during a full retreat, i would not be okay with myself booing while the corp members are standing out on the field, looking me dead in the face. But its human nature, and im not above it myself. But i do try to behave at the events and give a nice applause for everyone. :)

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1 Crown- Love the musicality. Will love hearing the crowd reactions. 2 Cadets- Have always liked dark vs light themes. Cadets always have beautiful ballads. 3 Santa Clara- Very interesting show and music book. 4. Phantom- Beautiful, balanced sound. 5. Troopers- Very sophisticated, mature sound and music book.

I had similiar feelings as MisterA early on. I thought Crowns show idea was cool. Then soo much criticizing and folks throwing in the towel, i was like "uh oh". But i could not dislike Crown if i tried, so i stayed on board. And wow...what a show and a performance. It will be a classic. The Troopers. I've seen and heard segments of their show, and i think it's so sophisticated, deliberate, and subtley powerful. Definately finals caliber. And the Blue Knights. This show came together like all get out. I liked the musical selections but thought "how is this going to come together on a field". Well, just see the show for yourself...that was enough to shut me up ;)