truman

Some Cabs arrived and we made our way into the stadium during INT. This a great venue for Drum Corps. Individual seating with great sight lines. The overhangs help hold in the sound, but without echos. The view of the bridge is also very cool. 3 rows from the top was still not too high up. Spirit was on first. They play "Down By The River to Pray" over the speakers as they set up. I wondered if the effect would be enhanced if the performers joined in as they got set? I really enjoyed this old school style show. Some screaming soloists and power park and bark sections. The visual design seemed to have some spots where there was too much green space, but I have heard that a major prop is coming, so that probably has something to do with that. Standing O for this very enjoyable show. Next on was BAC. The Animal Farm is really cool. Angry, creepy, they are really making a statement with the style. The guard masks are perfect, but I have to believe they hinder sight and make tosses so much harder. There is a G-7 formed in a drill picture. They are saying things with this show that make many uncomfortable. I really like it! BLOO's rained down as the Coats took the field. The orange in the stadium colors matched the pop from the guard. For some reason the orange tilted sideline sheets were not used. This show is a perfect blend of brass, percussion, electronics, props and visual. They are performing it at a very high level. I would like to see a different ending. They whipped the crowd into a standing ovation frenzy with the chords after "The Bend", but then there is a let down of sorts as they perform the last section. This is a medal contending drum corps. They will need to add some things to have a chance at Gold, and they seem to be in a good position to do that. The crowds and DCI fan community will certainly be behind them all the way! Crown has so much stuff on the field that EVERYONE has to carry at least one thing when they come out. Bass drums, gongs, tymps, mufflers, stands, trampolines, extra trumpets and mellophones, mics and stands, etc. I marvel at the logistics involved just getting out there! They had a great run. Some minor timing things and visual dirt. Awesome power performance by the brass. A pretty clean show for the guard as well. Being the champs brings a whole different level of pressure. They also might not be the clear crowd favorite every night, which just adds to the things that make it different for them this year. The host Cadets were last on. The show does a masterful job of staging and controlling spectator focus. I understand the effective use of presidential quote clips that are sampled, but find the narrator a little annoying and not necessary most of the time. I also found myself following him behind the semi transparent stage drops as he disappeared. They are marching, drumming, and bugling the best right now, which is why they won. My first impression, however, is that this show will be just short when we get to August. Never count them out though! We headed out and heard scores in the lot. I noticed the ridiculous pricing at the concessions as we left. Not being allowed in with any beverages, or out during a 4 hour show, then charging that for a drink or food is kind of unfair. One of the draw backs to using a professional sports stadium venue I am sure. Doing the math quick, I could see a couple of 2 paying $170 for tix, $15 for parking, and $35 in drinks and a snack. Add $30 at a souvie stand and that is a $250 night, plus gas and tolls. YIKES! Of course we stopped at a diner on the way home, as always.

Easy off 95, the stadium is easy to get to. YEA provided an ample free parking lot, but as you approach the stadium, there are several $10-15 dollar charging lots where official looking guys try and direct you in with flags. If you didn't know better, you would pay for spots no closer than the free lot. There is a huge, flat area for parking and warm ups, perfect for drum corps. We headed for Will Call just a little after 6:00. It is not a good feeling when your ticket guy goes to the will call envelopes and looks three times, then heads for the back room, where he disappears for 5 minutes. He finally returned with 2 tix, but as we approached the gate I found that they were not the seats I had reserved. They were in the same section, but were $10 less each than the $45 seats I had paid for. We again returned to the window and waited for another 10 minutes as our window guy disappeared into the back room. Finally, the YEA ticket boss returned and explained that the seats I had purchased actually didn't exist, because of a mix up with the venue. He apologized and presented me with 2 VIP tix, worth $85 each! Unfortunately, because of the delays, we had already missed The first 3 corps. When we found out that there was a no re-entry policy, and because our girls hadn't gotten there from Cabs practice yet, we decided to go to the lot. I really need little excuse to spend time in the lot. It is a setting that allows you to see up close the focus and intensity that is present. Observing the staff as they prepare the corps, the psych of corps marching by each other, the whole deal, is as enjoyable as the show for me.

We headed out 2 hours South toward Philly on a beautiful clear, warm sunny day. The plan was to catch The Champs afternoon block, right on the way to the show. We took a little detour to IKEA in Conshohocken. If you have never been to one, I highly recommend it. We always find and buy cool stuff there! I tried for a stop at an awesome little bakery I had been to while watching SCV a couple years ago, but most local businesses were closed for the weekend. We found Crown at Upper Darby high, just setting up for their ensemble block. They started right out with the opener. I was immediately drawn in to the space thing. The overall effect is so much more dramatic in person. They spent a little over an hour and a half working the middle and ending of the opener. This section has some unbelievable simultaneous demand on the brass. There are also several music ensemble timing challenges that are over the top. There is no chance for any one section to be the slightest bit off in alignment, and it seemed like every rep had a different slight timing issue somewhere. The staff was stressing feet timing and finishing of phrases as the key. On a couple of occasions the brass line was asked for MORE volume. That made me smile. The full upper brass line switch section is one of the coolest things I have ever heard. Although their run through was mostly air and valve or bopping, I came away thinking that the show definitely has the goods to win. They have a lot of meat on the bone to clean, and will have a serious challenge to execute. If they do, they will be very hard to beat. We headed to South Philly for dinner on our way to the show. Geno's is one of our favorite places. The celebrity pix and police patches that decorate the outside somehow make the food even better. One wit whiz. If you are in Philly, you need to go here! NEXT: The Show

Crown's run through was air and valve, some bopping. Can't wait to see AND hear this full out tonight. Really cool show!!!

Been working the opener for about an hour. Some amazing notes in this book, lots of ensemble timing challanges.

Stopped by Upper Darby for Crown ensemble block

Some great stories guys...thanks! Or as my daughter might say: "cool story bro" As a little follow up, this weekend in Bridgeport, she about tore the satin to shreds ripping it off in record time! And...she, and the Cabs, had an awesome run!

The support from the entire drum corps community has been so awesome. Thanks to all the alumni and fans! Although the corps is relatively young, and has little or no drum corps experience, they have worked extremely hard to get where they are, and in a very short time. The entire organization is excited for where they can take this show this year, and looks forward to all the hard work that lies ahead. Here's a video of the highlights of this weekends return to DCA competition in Bridgeport. http://youtu.be/qS373kxiFsU

Anybody know where Coats will be rehearsing on Sunday?

Despite a fairly lengthy INT, we had to watch the end of Raiders from the ground, as we were late visiting our Cabs in the lot. Sorry I can't offer more on them! Cabs Alumni were next. I think Dad might have enjoyed them as much as anyone. Echano from our vantage point was SMOKIN! Never disappointed when we get to see them! Sky Alumni were next. They performed with typical Skyliner showmanship and some great crowd interaction. They lead a Happy Birthday Sing Along for Fran H before they closed with an energetic rendition of Big Noise. A big night next weekend for the Skyliner name as they return to Open class competition at Barnum. Sock It In Garbarina! Last to perform were the host Bridgemen Alumni. They started by recognizing all the 10 year alumni corps members. As always, they have a great time on the field. When the DM forgot to give a horns up before In the Stone, he stopped them and restarted, joking with the crowd. They have a pretty decent field show put together, and a really nice color guard compliments the overall program. To end the night, they invited any Bridgemen alumn to the field to perform the ending of William Tell with them. A really cool moment! We headed out before the Drum Major only retreat, to meet for an after show diner breakfast that is our family tradition. The Park West on route 46 never disappoints. It was great talking drum corps with some Cabs and my dad. A great ending to a great night!

The Cabs took the field for Entrapment. First, an attempt at an unbiased review of their performance. They open with the same set that they closed with last year, with some nice back corner solo work that builds in tension with mostly backfield brass. This night the ensemble tempo was never locked in during this section, and the effect definitely suffered until they turned with the opening hit. From that point, the opener was solid. They execute a uniform change, starting with the tubas, as members remove the satin when they become entrapped. They are left in a black top with a red sleeve design, and the kick pleats and sombreros. I personally would like to see some silver or sparkle on the uniform top, as the transition goes pretty dark visually, but perhaps that is the whole idea. It was also still pretty early so no stadium lights were in play. The guard seems to be having a few timing issues in some spots. The brass seemed to handle the demand with good energy all the way through the show. The original music is well written, and is classic Cab style. They amped the pit, and the balance and mixing was done such that it was never too loud or detracting from ensemble blend. Now on a more personal note...I can't really describe how awesome it was to see my 2 girls performing together on a drum corps field, especially with my dad there. My oldest had a great show in the front ensemble. My youngest, a mello player, had what might have been the toughest for any performer of the night. She couldn't get her uniform top released in the back when it was time for the change, and had to march the rest of the show with it on, ending up being the only one left in white satin. It was gut wrenching for us knowing what a perfectionist she is about her performance. She marched most of the show in tears. I was really proud of her, as she never let it effect her awesome performance level. We were all so proud of both of them! I am thankful they are part of such a great organization and have a chance to be a part of this really cool show! Cadets2 were next with Their Favorite Things. The opening hit for Rocky Point smacks hard. For the rest of the opener, the brass line struggled a little with the demand, but got it back together pretty well for the Z pull and goal line to goal line ending. As has been mentioned countless times, the DCI versions of this piece and of the Cadets set the bar pretty high, almost unfairly for 2. I kept waiting to see "little Jeffrey" during the Children's Dance piece from the Toy Soldier show. The percussion line was very solid. I counted almost 20 holes for brass? They did not have the closer drill done, and performed it in a semi circle. Not surprised by their score as they are considerably behind everyone else from a show development stand point. A lot of potential again in this show. Next up: The Exhibitions

Oops...my bad...I reorganized my photos to use some for my review page posts. I will try and restore them later! Sorry

First up was White Sabers, and their Arabian Night show. A nice opening performance for them. Some good work musically, especially by the brass, with the Scheherazade material. Stamina, especially with the feet, will need to get stronger as the season progresses, but the show has some nice moments. The guard work for the closer was not in yet. Overall a pretty solid job and good opening to the show. Next up was Fusion and their show Dreamscapes. A big bed prop is the focal point through the show, and it is used to good effect, showcasing performers in several spots. The guard is BIG, and clean. They dominate the visual and color pictures nicely. They had work in for the whole show. The percussion section is also full size, and they have a considerable amount of notes and exposure. During the feature, they rotate playing around some stationary drums and even marimba players rotate around each other. I counted 35 brass players, with a book that has some really exposed and difficult parts. Early season stamina concerns lead to the usual cleanliness issues, but the performers are selling the show very well. Their competitive position at this point of the season should provide all the motivation they need to keep working hard to clean and improve every week.

It was a beautiful afternoon as we headed 2 hours south to the City. It was great to have my drummer brother and my dad with us. After taking me to several shows a year when I was young, it was my Dad who said one Sunday morning, "let's go for a ride". He drove me to a high school where a newly formed corps was getting ready to start a rehearsal and booted me out of the car. I was given a soprano, and have enjoyed this activity in my life for the last 36 years. Living in Arizona, this was his first live show in 20 years. I had not been to this show since I marched, and was pleasantly surprised by the clean downtown and area around the stadium. I seem to recall the venue being known for it's odor by the bay, but that was not the case tonight. The small parking lots at the stadium were almost full, with quite a few tents and chairs and picnics set up. We took a scenic walk to the warm up lots. As we made our way into the stadium hearing the familiar strains of Fran H, I was kind of surprised at the smallish turn out in the stands, especially considering the amount of cars in the lots. Then I realized that there were alot of people there, it was just that the number of performers was likely greater than the number of paying spectators. Not a good thing for the event I would guess. All seats were GA and $15 for adults. Concessions were run by the local Moose club I believe, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, pizza and soda and water. Not exactly bargain prices, but pretty reasonable. Got a couple slices, they were just OK. We took our seats relatively low, just off the 50. It was fairly sparsely occupied from about the 40 to the 40, with more on side 2 because that was closest to the gate entrance. Next up: The Competition

At breakfast with some Cabs...will post a review later on the review thread...it was a fun show!

About 3 quarters

INT!