Guizeppe

Very nice reviews. I think it's actually good that BD isn't super clean and SCV is behind, gives them both something to work for. I agree, this year is looking to be FAR better than last year at this time for our West Coast corps.

BDB has 7

My mistake. You guys were awsome last night. Is Glen marching 'cause I don't think I saw him?

Review

Excellent review. I so wish I could see Phantom this year, sounds like they've really got something worth watching.

Nice review.

Kaleidoscope Klassic: Modesto, CA Venue: Johanson High School Stadium Typical HS stadium, with bleachers that are high enough for a good show. After yesterday I was really worried about the temperature (low 100s), but it actually wasn't too bad (low 90s) with a light breeze. I sat on about the 45 on the left/North side of the field. Alright, let me get this out of the way before anyone gets angry. I will not be commenting on forms/drill/marching because this is show #2 for most of these corps and it's certaintly to be expected that the feet haven't quite got with the program. That being said... RENEGADES: "Wake Up Call" 1,2,3,4 We should have known something was different. It should have donned on us that the evil force was not quite right...when they played their warm-up backfield. Hmmm. Definitely a smaller group than years past, and I think this really does hurt their overall sound. The strong sections are the mid brass and the colorguard, of which I thought the purple flags looked nice. The tympani player basically plays a tenor solo during the drum feature, that rocked. Drum line has lots of dirty notes, but it's early. Stairway, early entries and all, sounded solid with some nice brass moments. Overall though, to be horribly blunt, I think it was a sloppy show(<- my opinion). Lots of overplaying in the sops and there was no real "POW, we are the Renegades" moment. Show's not complete yet?, so I'll hope for better things through run-throughs and practice come 2 weeks from now. Don't look behind you, just get better. RIVER CITY REGIMENT: "The Front Desk" 1,2,3,4 I'm going to entitle their show "A Drum Corps Fan's Dream, Part 2 1/2". Totally unexpected for them to come soaring out of the gates like this, for me at least. They finally have a full drumline (no thanks to me, I know) and a well-balanced/small hornline. And believe it or not, there were moments where I thought they sounded as big as their competitors to the West. They started with music from "The Incredibles", followed by, among other things, "A Mis Abuelos" and "Malaga", which really brought it home. The drum line had a ton of notes, which this early in the season sounded dirty, but the new drums look good. During the drum feature, the brass pull-off some amazing Cavies-esque type drill, so watch for that. They also have a nice full pit after several years of having none. Not the cleanest show by far, but, those scores are no accident my friends. RCR stepped up tonight. BLUE DEVILS "C": "Deadly" 1,2,3,4,5 The brass warms up with "space chords", need I say more? I like the neon green sticks and mouthpieces. They all look taller, or maybe I'm shrinking. The show is all nightmarish music, so it's no surprise that when the pit busts into "Thriller", the rest of the corps does the moves. The headstones were funny (look for Gibbs'), and it was a cool effect having the soloists emerge from them in the opener. Really really fun show. And...the best part...upon exiting the field, a BD'C' mini-corps lined up and played the "Ghostbusters" theme while the rest of the corps exited. Too cute, too awsome, too great. SCV CADETS: "Back with a Vengance" 1,2,3,4 No doubt about it, SCVC has regained their size and is back on the war path. The first thing I noticed was the understated guard unis, which are simply white with a brown midsection. Really complimented the corps with the primarily white jackets. The opener reminded me of SCV 1999, kind of that "wait for it" then hit you in the face type thing. The brass is very well balanced, though not as loud as I think they could get. Very very good drum line, lots of meat played very well for this early. Lots of moving in the opener with what look to be killer moves near the end of the opener. Definitely a more entertaining show than I'm used to from these guys and gals. Well done. BLUE DEVILS "B": "Seriously Good" 1,2,3,4 Pencil them in for a top 3 finish in DII this year, no doubt about it. Membership is at an all time high, which means we get to see a 7 member cymbal line! The drum line shines for this group, sometimes to the point of drowning out their brass compadres. Much like SCVC, BDB's brass could play out a little more, though a very well balanced group. From start to finish the guard is very well integrated, and their unis are definitely interesting. They don't have drill completed yet for the closer, but the music is really groovy and lets them rock out in the end. At one point they make this double arch and play their ballad, which is just wonderful. Look out Madison, BD might just sweep D1/D2. Side note: I think there should be a drum-off between BDB and SCVC, really good stuff. FEVER: "No Worries" 1,2,3 Yes they are smaller. Yes they are DIII. Yes, they can still wail. Marching around 50-52, which includes a full drum line. The guard is small but really knows their stuff. The brass is shaky, but that's to be expected this early. They only have half of their show on the field, but the half they do have really showcases a lot of potential. The drum line can throw down with the best of 'em. The home crowd absolutely loves this group, which leads me to believe this is mearly another step in the process of keeping a great program alive. If the numbers were higher, certaintly a top finisher like last year. You guys are doing the best with what you've got, and that's a lot. Keep it up and finish that show. MANDARINS: "Home Town Pride" 1,2,3,4 This could be my favorite Mandarins show ever. The new unis, though different, make them look like serious contenders for a finals run. Membership is a little up over last year, which gives the brass a big full sound, though they might want to tune a little more. The music is just fantastic and fun. It has a driving beat through nearly the entire show, really gets your toe tappin' (think Crossmen-esque). The over-amped pit during their solo was not so great and completely unnecessary. Drums have a wicked feature, very impressed. Guard is better than average and wear these cut up unis that should be good when it gets hot. Clean this show, clean it good, and I predict top 12 baby!! Those scores are bogus. VANGUARD: "Energy, Energy, Energy" 1,2,3,4 Show opens with a great big hit and an even bigger drill move, very impressive. This show just doesn't stop, of course I guess that's the idea. Another entertaining show with music i've never heard before, so props to them. The brass, though shaky (high brass) during some of the really fast moves, is as always well balanced and relatively clean. I really liked the muted section with the little up and down passages, really unique. The guard is there but not really shown off too much. Is that their uniform or are we waiting for something else? Just curious. Oh yeah, the drums are on fire. Not only do they have a knock you to the floor, attitude in your face solo, but at one point their drill consisted of rotating two circles continuously during the ballad, then joining together to rotate between the brass in one giant follow the leader....very cool. Music is light and entertaining, definitely not boring. This show has energy to burn, and it appears the kids enjoy it because it really came off the field like their having fun performing. Very enjoyable. Top 5...I hope. Their scores were mega bogus. BLUE DEVILS: "Track 1, Disc 1" 1,2,3,4 The show opens with the corps taking up the entire field. Then we get some "gun shots", courtesy of snares, tenors and rims. Then we get a solo sop with some familiar Godfather lick. Then the pit was over-amped, drowning out the background soloists each introducing another Godfather piece. Then the drum line does their solo, which is amazing. Oh yeah, then they form a giant cross...and blow your head off!! Un-freakin-believable. Chills people, chills. They are playing this show like it's finals. No, it's not clean enough for finals...yet. What I mean is they are just kicking the crap out of this show musically. The guard uses rifles (duh) for most of the show. There's about a ten second pause at one point of the opener where the corps goes silent and the guard shows off their spining/tossing skills. The brass is hotter than ever, and boy was it nice to not hear "daaa, daaa, dat dat, daaa, daaa, dat dat". The drum line is smokin' hot with their new drums. The tenor feature alone is jaw dropping, crazy good. I think tonight they were running out of gas near the end, which left kind of a lackluster ending to what will truly be a show for the ages. Throw some more drill in there and this thing will be unstopable. First place anyone? VITO!! The BD victory/encore performance (5) reminded me why I love drum corps. Great shows. Can't wait to see more.

Exactly. And might I be the first to ask....REVIEWS?!? I can't wait till tomorrow night. Yay for drum corps starting. b**bs Hip hip hooray!!!

Just a bando (drums), but a huge fando.

BD....green to checker.

oops...I meant Precision West, the BD show. and yes, DVC is an aweful venue as far as the seating is concerned. I'd rather drive all the way to Hayward...now that's a good drum corps stadium.

Ok, I'm not real happy about it, but for the first time in 5-6 years I will be taking in a show at Diablo Valley College as opposed to my annual Stockton show. My question is, since I don't want to be sitting outside the 20s (general admission), are the reserved seats actually reserved by seat number or are they the "sit anywhere in the designated section" type os seats? I will gladly pay an extra $5 to sit on the 40 as opposed to the 20, I just don't want to buy my tickets and find out that my "reserved" seats are on the 25. Frickin' friends getting married on the 1st...grumble, grumble, grumble.... <_< EDIT: I mean Precision West.

Phantom: 71.25 Cavies: 73.9

What!?! Is this a membership or financial problem, because I was under the impression that after last year's strong performance they were looking to move up a division in just a few years. I'll now go scan the dII/III boards.

I knew I heard a drumline from my house! b**bs Was this a one time camp at Oakmont HS or will they be practicing there again?

I'll reserve total judgement till I see the show in the theatre during quarters...however. I don't think mic'd vocals have any place in a drum corps show, and this recording, poor quality and all, makes me feel no different. We used to joke about drum corps having a choir division that marched around the field and sang instead of playing instruments (drum and bugle chorus). We joked. We joked. :(

2004 VS. 2005... 2004 wins by a mile in my book. 2005 VS. 2006... Looking forward to 2006 if only to wash my mind of a few shows from last year. Can I vote for 2007. CA Finals!!!! I want a NoCal regional!!!!

Politically correct answer: I never want to see anybody fall, I prefer to see all corps improve as whole. My real answer:: UP> Crossmen, BD, SCV, Mandies, PC, Esperanza DOWN< Cadets, Cavies, Gmen, Boston

Natomas (Sacramento), CA: Theatre was great, once the cranked the sound up and turned the lights off. Would guess there to be around 100 people there, young and old (i.e. River City Regiment and Mandarins). Not as many as last year and certaintly not as many as Quarters. I liked the new 2-4-4-2 year format, though I think they should negate the previous year, no offense to Bloo. I would change the commentary to fall between every two shows. I had a tough time remembering what the mighty Cesario said about Phantom and SCV because there was 40 minutes between his comments and the performance. My dad's quote regarding Star: "That was just about the longest 12 minutes of my life." Surprisingly entertained by Xmen and 2-7 (why do we type 2-7? just curious) There was no booing and polite applause after/during each show. Good stuff. Thank you DCI for putting this together. Can't wait till next years'.

Phantom '03- (still going)

taka tera tiki gone

G-men

Sacramento

BAC-ya

Spirit ... again.