luv4corps

I love SCV's show but.... am also hoping that the no headwear trend does NOT catch on.

Now I can't get the visual out of my head - of a lone drum corps fan waiting all night in the bleachers for a show that wouldn't start... so very sad!

Oh how I miss those overly proud dad/mom days.... Just enjoy this time in your son's life!

Well I'm getting a very brief play by play on the OC parent facebook page but wishing someone was covering it here as well... heavy sigh...

I wondered the same!

You have a point. I'll delete if you will. Edited: Already done! Will republish after DATR. It is worth the wait.

I haven't seen anything close to all the shows yet BUT for now, I'll just name one: The 'Oh Captain My Captain' on-top-of-the-table reveal in the Academy's show.

I SO appreciated PC's appearance at Drums of Fire. I hope you'll do it again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the show and it was one of my favorites of a night of many good shows. The bit of glitz, the choreography, the way the music selections flow, those really cool light props...all contributed to a great performance. Here's to a great year!

Now that I've slept on it and better late than never, I will provide brief commentary about each show, mostly just focusing on one element that really stood out to me. I will begin with a few general observations: First of all, my overall impression as I said in an earlier post is that from what I've observed, shows at all levels are extremely entertaining and crowd-pleasing this year - one after the other. I found myself noticing choreography more than I ever have. Even just eight years ago when I entered the activity as a fan, choreo was more of an enhancement, a stylized touch here and there. Now - it carries entire acts and drives the story - like it or not! As for me, I am OK with this but also hope for continued balance between the dance and the drill. Battalion - Seeing Red Big sound, look and book out of this group. They perform with a lot of passion. The stand out for me was the Beethoven because it (7th symphony, 2nd Movement) is one of my favorite movements of not just Beethoven's symphonies but all symphonies. The brass has a mature, blended sound. Columbians - Danzon Who doesn't love them some Cuban flair? From the announcement of the show in Spanish on - you are there. This show is lively, fun, visually interesting and musically rich. There was a lot of toe-tapping and head-bobbing going on around me. The Columbians always do a great job of selling a show. They didn't appear as big as the Battalion but they matched them in energy. Pacific Crest - Here's To The Ones Who Dream Honestly, this was one of my favorites of the night. This is a feel good show - accessible from start to finish. The glitz on the sashes, the old Hollywood light props - great look from both guard and MMs. As the show progresses, the integration of elements is rather seamless and logical. The whole thing has an easy way about it, a nice flow. What stood out the most for me, honestly, were some of the choreographed sections that had just the right details and style. Good stuff. I look forward to seeing the growth. NICE JOB PC! Troopers - The New Road West For those of you who love the Troopers' Americana bent but would like a bit of modern peppered in - this is your year! This production really does have the feel of going on a journey. The corps first appears on the far right of the field (symbolizing the East I presume - then begins to move to the left) in a traditional Trooper uniform but soon sheds it as a more militaristic feel gives way to a free-flowing vibe. As is often the case, the ballad got me - Both Sides Now. After that, both music and visual become quite pastoral and increasingly 'western'. Did I hear a Copeland quote in the closer? My favorite from the Troopers in awhile. Seattle Cascades - What Goes Around OK one of the really cool things about this show are the large spinning disks on the field that at times are topped with soloists. I'm not going to lie, I simultaneously wanted more spinning while also thinking of that Will Farrell SNL Christmas skit when he spins himself into getting really sick... OK... sorry but I bet I'm not the only one! Back to seriousness, the basic concept of the show is well explored. The snippet of "Around the World" gets a lot of bang for its buck. The Cascades always have a well-blended high brass section, and this year is no different. I look forward to more visual development in the show. The Academy - Academic A bit of a departure for this corps, based on recent years anyway. This is a more serious Academy exploring the conceptual bond between the intellect and music (or art in general - that was my take anyway). The unis and general look of the show are old-school professor/prep school a la Dead Poets Society - with rolling antique blackboards lending themselves to creative use throughout. Complimenting the blackboards are tables... also with an antique look, which serve to elevate MMs during the big "Oh Captain My Captain" reveal at the end. LOVED IT! I need to see this show several more times to absorb all that is there. One read is clearly not enough. And by the way, they sound better every year. Oregon Crusaders - Redrum This is a very ambitious show, and in spite of the gruesome theme, is really a lot of fun. The most iconic elements of 'The Shining' are extracted so it is accessible even if you never saw the movie . The unis feature red and black contrast flanked by a white, toothy Jack Nickelson - worthy of a closer look if you can manage it. The guard is dressed as the creepy twins. I can't just pick one overall stand-out so I'll briefly touch on a few. In the 2nd movement, the drill spells out 237 after a beautiful ballad impact that I hope gets some love this summer. The Danse Macabre 3rd act is a delightful and playful 'at the ball' type of thing with some fun inteaction between guard and MMs. The closer is a, well, um, blood bath, yeah that's it, a "Heeears Johnny" blood bath. Really hope they can max out this show because the design is there. Blue Knights - The Fall and Rise This is the show I am having the hardest time remembering...for no reason other than my poor memory and I didn't write anything down at the time. I apologize and it's nothing against the show. It has an ancient Egyptian look with 3-D diamond props and brightly-hued, yellow Cleopatra-chiffon guard outfits. The MMs wore purple. Maybe something was distracting me during this performance as I am just blanking on the visual details. What I DO remember is how amazing the brass sounded and how fun it was to hear the Beatles' Sun King. My son was sitting next to me and we both looked at each other and commented on it simultaneously. I will do a better job of watching this show at DATR. Santa Clara Vanguard - Babylon Let me just start by saying - HOLY COW SCV! They are out of the gate guns blazing this year. I don't even know where to start. The nesting cages could possibly take the coolest prop award - I'll start with that. This show has a TON of content and immediately draws you in to its richness of both story AND performance. If you get too lost in the concept or theatrics, you'll miss any number of great tricks so stay alert! This is another show that it's hard to tell where the drill ends and the beautiful choreography begins. Gorgeous mix of the two. And cages, how do we use thee? - Let us count the ways. OK I am only scratching the surface here... I haven't even started on the brass book... with outstanding soloists ....(To my ear it was a mic'd full ensemble, am I right?) I guess the standout of this show is just how much there is to it yet it is all presented with cohesion. I will spend the whole season taking it all in. 'Babylon' certainly deserves to go all the way.

It sounds different... a corps just playing their butts off and a corps that is playing their butts off with mics. I prefer just playing their butts off too!

I see no one gave commentary yet. I will do it but not tonight. I'm just too exhausted. I'll say something about each show tomorrow but for now let me just say that this is a STRONG year for drum corps. Every show tonight was hugely entertaining and the crowd was receptive to every corps. Some scattered thoughts before I sign off and get some much needed sleep: -It was refreshing to see the Academy performing a concept show. -I REALLy enjoyed PC's show a lot with the old Hollywood theme. My favorite from them in awhile. -BK's brass sounds fantastic this year. -The hype about Babylon is well-deserved. Yes, it's a contender and they are already performing the heck out of it.

This is the best show in these here parts since I became a fan... which was 2010. Can't wait!!!

Good question! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You beat me to it. The now famous BC/Downside Up wink. Now a classic drum corps moment.

I hope southern OR/NoCal supported that show. That's the best lineup I've ever seen regardless of whether judged or not! Wow!

Not sure. When OC used to be in the lineup it was an exhibition and there is no reason to believe that has changed. Pretty darn good for an exhibition show!

Really looking forward to PC rounding out an excellent line-up at Drums of Fire (Portland Show) this Friday!

Can anyone tell me/message me where SCV will be housed/practicing for Drums of Fire show?

For such a gruesome theme, this show is a whole lot of fun. I think fans will like it a lot. Yes, there is MUCH going on visually, some great MM choreo & creative guard integration. I'm not getting a great read on the drill yet but that will come as they clean it up. Being that it will be their first judged show, I'm not expecting great numbers Friday night... but they are off to a strong start IMO (***homer alert***). The Drums of Fire line-up will be the best in years. Can't wait!!!

Yeah the unis are killer... hahaha so to speak. I agree about the contrast & color split. It pops and the addition of the pants will make it even more so. I love the red plumes on the shakos too!

I was there too and I have to say, this show has excellent bones, flows extremely well, holds your attention from start to finish and will clean up nicely. The ballad is strong, with some very creative choreography and a goose-bump worthy impact. The whole of Act III is Danse Macabre and it is well arranged & treated. Fun stuff. I absolutely LOVE what the guard is doing throughout. And for those of you who called for the twins... well, let me just say you won't be disappointed... although it isn't exactly a Clara moment...lol I don't want to give away too much until the first judged show... but I'm pretty sure Redrum will play well with crowds.

Color Guard or Brass Crown

When BD came up to Oregon last year I went to a rehearsal and 'bout got blown off the bleachers. It was AWESOME. You gotta hear BD in an empty stadium!

Just saw the show for the first time. Loved it and it will only get better. One thing I truly appreciate about BD is how they manage to keep a traditional look, e.g. shakos/plumes & sashes while still embracing the more contemporary free-flowing uni styles. It's a hybrid look and it works.

The whole thing is just so.... very sad.