St. Cuthbert

And I hate autocorrect.

Overall impressions. First read of all. Open class corps have come a long way in the last few years. Corks 25 through 21 would have challenged for to 17 as recently as 5 years ago. Too many black uniforms for my taste.

Cascades. Interesting soundtrack. Vocals well integrated, thought the bass synth was too loud, though hard to envision such a heavily electronic score working without a string low register presence. Huge progress by Seattle since last year.

Legends...nice show. Ambitious for open class but pitched to their level. Appearance of the LEDs at the end got the crowd going.

Yes! It has been a long time since I have seen an audience react that way to a corps, particularly at an early season show. There were a couple points (end of opener, end of Medea) where it seemed like the stadium was rocked back on their heels by what the Cadets were doing. Not jumping out of their seats with excitement over a hype moment. Not intellectual appreciation of something abstract. Not appreciation for a particular moment of DC bad-assery. Something else...real impact? It was rare and unexpected, at least to me. Been going to corps shows since 1977, seen a lot of incredible stuff. I am always on the look out for the rare show that I can file in my personal pantheon of greatness. This version of the Cadets may or may not make it, but they surprised me last night. Of course, all this is highly subjective...

Brief impressions and opinions of last night's performances. Nice stadium, decent sized crowd despite the pre-show storms. Weather cleared up for a beautiful evening. All shows viewed at a low angle from the 45, with concomitant limits on my ability to read the visual program (or hear a balanced sound mix, for the most part). Cadets 2 – My first viewing of Cadets 2 (missed them last year). A bit unnerving seeing a Cadets corps this small and young. Nicely written and achievable show that brought back great memories of the 1989 Cadets. Show was mostly complete, sans a bit of guard work. Kids appear to be talented and hard working. Staff has given them a lot of meat, and I think they will cause a stir at DCA Championships. Raiders – Ambitious program based on Poe's "The Raven", with original music. Show is obviously a work in progress, with some unfinished guard work, props, etc. Much shaping to be done so that the "descent into madness" component of their theme speaks clearly. Obviously talented young group still fighting to master some basic performance issues. They will get there, I think. Boston Crusaders – Design actually seemed pretty mature to me, with the "Rise" theme speaking pretty clearly. I really enjoyed the musical selections, with some very nice, tuneful moments. Guard work was conspicuously daring with several big "toss" moments. First big ovation of the night. Bluecoats – Show is a significant departure for them for sure. Some have commented that the are channeling their inner BD, and it is certainly evident in their programming. Crazy quilt of musical selections and styles including classical, symphonic jazz, rock, swing, etc., often in "snippets". Overall thematic approach seems to be the juxtaposition of more formalistic/military (conservative?) idioms with more informal/hip (progressive?) idioms, with a "America is a melting pot...see the conflict/contrast...but in the end, we all fit together" kind of feel. IMO, there is going to need to be some additional work to have this make sense at a level consistent with the talent of the corps. Phantom Regiment – Enjoyable, but not particularly distinctive musical presentation. Some tuning/performance issues in the brass, perhaps caused by the rapid temperature drop after the rain dissipated. Enjoyed what I could see of the guard program, which is designed and performed with skill and grace. From my low viewing angle, I was not able to make out much of the "story", but I expect this is also evolving in their design and will be much more effective by Finals. Overall, this looks like a solid foundation for a very crowd pleasing and competitive show in the latter half of the season. Cadets – The Fan Network does not do justice to their musical and visual impact. I was a skeptic walking in, but was just blown away by all that I saw and heard. First rate design that intelligently blends today's "visual first" approach with the Cadet's historic commitment to presenting music that honors the genius of the original composer. Particularly daring to select music that has been well-performed by other corps, with a high level of fan/judge familiarity. The show acts (perhaps unintentionally) as both an homage to past achievements (SCV, Star) and a forward-looking elaboration using new visual tools (mobile color towers, redesigned weapons). There are few of the "physics defying" moments that have characterized recent Cadets shows; instead, there is a focus on creating beginning-to-end flow and an overall artistic experience for the audience. Demands on the members are substantial, but there is potential for this to be executed at a very high level of excellence by Finals. Based on this viewing, I think this show can rival the best the Cadets have ever achieved. It is certainly Championship material. Other comments - Bluecoats and Boston visual clarity suffered from dark uniforms, compounded by uneven and less than bright stadium lighting - All World Class corps made abundant use of synthesized string/vocal/other sounds, as well as bass reinforcement (aka "thunderous goo"). I was right in front of one speaker, so overall balance was hard to discern. Bluecoats seemed to suffer the most balance issues, Cadets seemed to be most on top their balance problems. St. Cuthbert Alea iacta est

Not a full review...and "In My (very) Humble Opinion" on a small subset of the competitors. First live read of all. Cadets For my money, the best show in a long time. There is a purity to the concept, and singularity of creative vision that we have not seen since the 2002 Cavaliers. Every part is in its place, there is no wasted motion. Brilliant. I believe this is one of those rare moments in DCI history when a corps elevates its performance beyond the level of "a great drum corps show". Having said this, it was not a perfect run – the tuba fall pulled a bit of the emotion out of the crowd where I sat for the otherwise spectacular ending. My hope for tonight: that they cap this season on with a truly spectacular performance, and set a standard for the years to come. Should win, but they need a great run. Blue Devils The kids ooze excellence. The music is relate-able in a way their recent offerings have not been. Many "wow" moments and beautiful moments interspersed. And yet...I find the show distant and unapproachable, impossible to connect to. The total certainly does not equal the sum of the parts in my view. In my section, loud cheers from a handful of obvious supporters, and a predominance of polite claps, which (frankly) sucks for them and for the activity. Perhaps it is BD fatigue in the audience, perhaps it is the "cool uber alles" game that BD plays. My hope for tonight: BD brings some fire and passion and connect with the audience so they get the love their peers are getting. Cavaliers Totally sold on the visual program. Enough going on to keep one's attention riveted through 10 viewings. Don't love the music, but it is obviously deeply integrated into their visual design; this is formula that has served them well for over a decade. Movement of the stilt walkers is haunting and otherworldly. Putting the DM on stilts at the end seemed a bit too self-referential. Thought they absolutely nailed the performance, and would not have been surprised had they won. Crown Over the top, crazy, and fun. Exhaustive exploration of the many cliches of the rock genre. Audience connection to rival the best in any year. Completely unique show and one that will be long remembered. Was not sold on the Rach/rock book based on Fan Network viewing, but it makes much more sense live. Amazingly, could have stood for the piano to be a tad louder from where I was sitting. Enjoyed their color guard performance more than the other top corps, but I am a brass guy, and an idiot about such things. Phantom Regiment One of many corps I will regret only seeing twice in a live setting. Straightforward show with real emotional power. I thought the color guard was just lovely. Great to see them take a step forward despite the loss of Paul Rennick. Santa Clara Vanguard Much to love about the visual program and the guard. Thought the addition of a "storyline" of sorts helped ground their abstract programming approach. Loved the use of the Jenkins "Sanctus" as the ballad; performed with skill and emotion and really nailed the despair of those trapped in hell. Brass obviously struggled with demand when on the move. Disagree with those who think this show was a misfire; perhaps a tad too ambitious for them at this point, but they appear headed in the right direction (with one caveat, more anon). Overarching Thoughts 1) On the whole, a step forward in terms of entertainment value compared to last year, and especially 2009, which was deplorable in this regard. It seems to me like the activity is headed in the right direction from the standpoint of programming shows that people will be willing to pay to see. There is, of course, always room for the occasional "long hair" (e.g., SCV) but the key is getting the balance right. For my taste, I would like to see at least half the performances be genuine crowd pleasers (e.g., Madison, Crown). Right now, it is more like a quarter to a third of the shows work at this level. Not that the others are bad (they are better than they were) but for the health of junior drum corps, a strong entertainment ethos is a must. 2) I was thrilled to see the progress in the shows ranked 12 - 17. Bravo Crossmen! Bravo Colts! Loved the Troopers and Academy. There are years in the not so distant past where these corps would be in finals. Unique, enjoyable and (most importantly) not the homogenized "modern concert band" programming that we were seeing several years ago. 3) While convenient and comfortable, LOS absolutely destroys the sound experience. Though sitting in great listening seats (Section 240), the dome's signature "boom" predominated. Personally would trade the comfort for a setting that lets the corps be heard in all their glory. 4) I do not have a problem with the amplification of the pit, or the use of novel sounds/instruments. However, the amount of bass reinforcement is too much by half. Personally, I could do without. It feels like this is being done to help fill in for the inadequacies of the %#@$ dome. St. Cuthbert

OK - corrected, thanks. Getting this information second hand....appreciate the fix.

CUE bus runs from Vienna Metro to GMU. Take the "Gold" Bus, #1 route is the fastest. Last bus is leaves GMU campus at 11:22 pm. Schedule: http://www.fairfaxva.gov/cueBus/CUEBusMap.pdf

UPDATED HOUSING SITE INFORMATION Blue Devil - George Mason University Blue Stars - Flower High School, Townsend, MD Glassmen - Freedom High School, South Riding, VA Academy – Osbourne High School, Manassas, VA Jersey Surf – North Stafford High School, Stafford, VA Remaining housing sites should be available shortly.

Agree - but it was not judged to be outstanding. Look at the GE numbers. It is a competitive activity. Rightly or wrongly, BD is the current "gold standard" for show design. Everyone else is chasing. The system doesn't allow anyone to just be what they are. If you "stand pat" you get crushed competitively. Given the bleedover in the captions, a less than successful show (as the judges define it) will get you punished not only in GE, but in ensemble, and in performance. It happens every year - corps performing major surgery to make their shows "better" (competitively), but where they are "worse" in the eyes of fans.

Yes...we received lots of comments from last year. GMU had just laid down a new track, and they wanted to make sure it was preserved. This year, they are letting MANY move everything closer!

I have a block of 6 (3 each in rows 8 and 9) Section 240 for finals. Would prefer to sell 3 vs. 2, but open to discussion.

Mid Atlantic Arts Network for Youth (MANY) is hosting the Drum Corps in Fairfax show at George Mason University (GMU) Stadium on Wednesday, August 4th at 7:00 pm. This is our second year at the GMU soccer stadium, a great facility. This year we are moving the corps closer to the stands, and we are working on a few other logistical improvements. MANY hopes to make this a cornerstone event for drum corps fans in the greater DC Metro area. We have a fabulous line-up! Blue Devils – First appearance in the DC area since the 2000 Championships in College Park, MD! Blue Stars Cascades Colts Crossmen Glassmen Jersey Surf The Academy AND...THE UNITED STATES MARINE DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS. Tickets: http://get.crowntickets.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=576 More information: www.manydc.org On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8691434627 I'll post more news as it becomes available. St. Cuthbert

Not a fan of them fan at all - but it is BD, hands down. Of all corps, they have been the one most focused on winning. They have budgeted for it, staffed to do it, designed to do it, trained to do it, and have won in every era. They have demonstrated complete mastery of the competitive aspect of this medium. If the judging system were reformed (as it should be), I have no doubt that BD would be on top in short order. Until another corps matches their competitive focus, resources, and talent, BD will be odds on favorite to win every year. They are the Yankees. Everyone else is just hoping for the stars to align.