Guizeppe

Knights are most certaintly for real and will blow your face off for sure. I'm guessing those with more corps "pedigree" than I will say their program isn't difficult or challenging enough. But for me, they were worth the heat and the $20 ticket. I hope the break top 6. Most enjoyable show of the night.

Review has been posted: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...howtopic=137260

It's hot. The car told us it was 102 at step-off. UOP's Stagg stadium is one of the greatest places to see a drum corps show. No comments on marching or forms as it is still very early in the season. Pictures follow each of my little diatribes, so enjoy. --RENEGADES-- Tough going first in the heat and in all black uniforms, but they pushed on so my hat is off to them. Playing some really enjoyable music this year: Strauss, Planets, Jetsons. Really brings home the "Renegade Planet" theme. It was good to see them with a full show on the field, minus some early flag work for the guard. The trumpets seem to be lead by a few strong soloists that really stick out when the section is moving. Drums are very dirty, but it’s also very early so I'm not sure they've had too much practice time. Really liked the use of the purple/gray flags in the guard. The Jetsons bari solo was very good. The rest of the soloists, salt-and-peppery hair and all, were a little off tonight; could have been the heat or the sun in the face. Overall a very enjoyable show in its early stages. Renegades Renegades Renegades --BLUE DEVILS C-- Hey, the little guys got new uniforms. They look good. Their musical selections convey their Voyage theme, very fun sailor-ish music. This is really driven home by the spiffy guard uniforms that make them look like swashbuckling pirate lassies. Had a bit of trouble with getting the amps (why is the C corps using amps?) plugged in. Delayed the show about 2 minutes. Very fun show. Drum line is big (bigger than Renegades) and surprisingly high-quality. They have a pretty cool groove played concurrently with a contra/sop duet. Enjoyable show as always. Keep up the good work! Blue Devils C Blue Devils C Blue Devils C Blue Devils C Blue Devils C --BLUE DEVILS B-- And the first over-use of keyboards goes to…BDB. Really, it’s tough as a corps fan to really gauge how much volume a brass line is generating when they are being "assisted" by the synths. Quite annoying. Anyway, I actually found their show pretty entertaining. Music is not exactly well-known, but it has a driving beat that keeps your toe tapping, and they bring back the classic BD space chords with a very cool contra beat underneath. Brass played with a lot of confidence and good balance, though missed some attacks and had some minor early season phasing. Guard was good as always with very few drops but was not showcased very much. The drum line…the DRUM LINE is just incredible. Probably the third or fourth best of the night. If a World Class group needs a new line midway through the season, call these kids up because they have got the chops. Overuse of synths, but otherwise a very engaging show. Blue Devils B Blue Devils B Blue Devils B Blue Devils B Blue Devils B Blue Devils B --SANTA CLARA VANGUARD CADETS-- Really could not be more contrasting to BDB. SCV Cadets has good brass balance as well, but after that the likenesses stop. They also use amps, but you don't notice them…save for the introduction. The drums are clearly behind the rest of the corps. Guard is stronger then I am accustomed to and the brass is strongest on the lower end. Very nice movement from the corps in general though the music is much less accessible then BDB. I though the soft ending was very well done, though I'm not sure if that's really the ending or if there is more to come. Really showcased the guard very well, many impact moments. And any corps that leaves to a bass drum cadence gets major kudos from me. Enjoyed this show. Represented the 'Star ' very well tonight. Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets --MANDARINS-- Ok. These are my home townies so I'm usually pretty excited to se them. Well tonight I’m going to write a word I don't think I've ever used in describing a drum corps program. Ready? YUCK!!! Let me elaborate. First, the "warm-up" time is used to play this windy East Indian-ish music as the corps slowly enters the field. I get the idea that the mood of traveling off to faraway lands is "trying" to be set, but it really is just distracting. Second, if you’re going to play recorded music into your opener, make sure the corps is able to hang at the same volume. It seemed like the corps came in at an 8 while the amps were up to 11. Third, when you choose to insert a breathy recorded voice saying what sounds like "Marco", don't be surprised when the crowd mumbles "Polo" under their underwhelmed breath. Now, it wasn't all bad. The second half, after even more breathy vocals, is very good. Strong music lead by a small but powerful brass line and very good guard. A lot of dirt in the drum line, but their feature was excellent. Guard had excellent flag use throughout and were the strength of the corps. The brass seemed strongest on the lower end, but again it was hard to tell through the overuse of the synths. If they would lose the vocals and mingle the brass with the intro, this show could work, but right now it doesn’t rate high on my "like-o-meter". Sorry guys. Mandarins Mandarins Mandarins Mandarins Mandarins --BLUE KNIGHTS-- This...is...DRUM CORPS!!!! Holy crap are they good!? Talk about a complete 180 from the Mandarins. Music is about as accessible as you can get. Big big big hits all throughout the show. Did they use a keyboard...yes, but it was hardly present. The brass is incredibly well balanced with a top notch low brass section. The drums, though an underscore to the brass, is very good and has one heck of a feature. Color guard does just that, changes colors. I found the blue uniforms with the light blue flags very effective. Just about the only problem with their show is endurance. The brass looked a bit gassed by the end and you could hear some notes sticking out. But seriously, this brought the house down even with two more groups to go on. My favorite of the night by far. I don't know how this season will shake out, but a top 5 or 6 finish could be in the cards. A show to see if you’re a drum corps fan. Thank you so much for making the trip over the Rockies to see us this year. With stuff like this you are welcome anytime. Blue Knights Blue Knights Blue Knights Blue Knights Blue Knights Blue Knights Blue Knights --TROOPERS-- As easy as the G7 corps make it look to continue to be at the top of there game every year, I think the Troop is trying a little too hard. Don't get me wrong, they are still leaps and bounds ahead of where they were even five years ago, but I don't think this show has the appeal as last year's top 12 revelation. It's a tale of four movements. The first, which includes a strange arrangement of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" and a few interesting drill moves, is intriguing and keeps your attention. In the second portion of the program, I found myself thinking about how great BK had just been, which means there wasn't much entertaining going on on the field. Then, the third section has a very nice ballad, which leads into a very strong and enjoyable finish. Brass is weakest in the higher register, or maybe it’s just the low brass is so much stronger. The drums were a bit dirty but pretty good, especially in the finisher. Guard unis are no good. They too closely resemble the corps uniforms so the guard simply disappears into the corps. Although, the guard guy at the end of the opener does do a cool fake-out rifle toss and proceeds to "shoot" the audience. I don't think this will make top 12, but definitely a chance at top 15. Not bad troop, not bad at all. Thanks for making the trip. Hopefully we see you again for many years to come. Troopers Troopers Troopers Troopers --BLUE DEVILS-- This show is incorrectly titled. It should be called "Mirror mirror on the wall, who thinks they're the coolest drum corps of them all?". I was all ready to see this show and be blown away. After it was over, I felt more than a little underwhelmed. First the mirrors. They are used effectively like the chairs last year. The corps starts out behind a wall of mirrors and quickly enters the field, building to a very big classic BD first hit that smacks you in the face. Very nifty disappearing/reappearing moves that leave you pondering what possibly could be next. And the drum feature where the brass line up and come in and out of the mirrored sections is simply incredible. But for me, that's all this show really has, fun with mirrors. The world class BD brass seemed a little off balance. The high end was there as it always has been, but I could hear the synths, much like a few corps before them, being used to "enhance" the low end. Kind of cheapened the big moments. The guard in their somewhat distracting uniforms, were very good as always. They had some tosses that were just mind blowing and had excellent "mirror" work throughout the show. The drums sound exactly like the drums of BD '04 - '09. Lots of notes, big feature w/ group “drum bang”, rimshots with in your face attitude. But, overall, I just think this show is too messy...not dirty, messy. There were things happening all over the field in all sections and you weren’t sure what was being featured half the time. And maybe more importantly, the music is just loud and mushy, not even a hint of a melody. Someone said the have more music to add, and I truly hope so. I like BD, especially '07 and '04, but this will not be #14 or whatever championship there out to get in my opinion. It's just a loud messy show with smoke and mirrors minus the smoke. Again, just my opinion. Blue Devils Blue Devils Blue Devils Blue Devils Blue Devils Blue Devils Well there you go. Troopers got the encore tonight. They played two songs, one I didn't know and "Rawhide", then the closing and strongest portion of their show. Very nice to see someone new as an encore. Hope you liked the pictures and we’ll see you in Pleasant Hill on July 11th. Thanks for reading.

Anybody know if the show is being delayed? Anyone.....anyone....

JUNE 27th, 5:30p (though I'm guessing they'll delay the start by at least a half hour due to oppressive heat) A.A. Stagg Memorial -- University of the Pacific Stockton, CA 95211 San Francisco Renegades - San Francisco, CA Blue Devils C - Concord, CA Blue Devils B - Concord, CA Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets - Santa Clara, CA Mandarins - Sacramento, CA Troopers - Casper, WY Blue Knights - Denver, CO Blue Devils - Concord, CA Best show this side of Ripon. $20 gets you a great seat inside the 40s (Stanford is more than twice that). Of course this year we miss out on SCV and PC...Darn you DCI and your scheduling shenanigans!!! It will be fun regardless. I'm guessing it will be over 100 degrees at start time. Can't wait to see all the corps! Review to be posted probably around midnight.

Can't wait for tomorrow in Stockton! Sounds like Devils is a show to behold. Darn you DCI for scheduling two shows the night after Stanford! Where did this "Atascadero" show come from anyway?!?

Very very good review.

Dusting off those ear amps. I need new t-shirts. Excited to see if Troop can maintain/improve upon their tremendous momentum in the top 12. 90 brass + company fronts = goose pimples

See, that's what I'm looking for. Insight. Satellite radio in its current form is actually a niche market itself. I don't subscribe and only listen when it's free for whatever reason. But, I would be lying if I said satellite radio hasn't opened my musical tastes. It has. So, again with the dead horse. Perhaps it's just too much too ask for from 1. a niche activity that seems adamant on not advertising and bringing itself to the mainstream and 2. a form of media in satellite radio that is slowly whithering away. I guess the best option for us corps fans is an officially sanctioned drum corps radio "app"? But this has been debated, so no need to continue flogging that pony.

Very true JR. Drum corps will always be the little niche activity with maybe 50k fans worldwide. And I of course have no idea how much it costs to run a satellite radio station. Like you said, XM/Sirius is floundering, so why not add every possible subscriber they can get their hands on? It seems to me, if the drum corps big wigs could pull it off, this would be the biggest marketing tool they would have, being as the only other tool at there disposal is the Internet. Live feeds, historical performances, cadences, sneak previews...all things the above-average corps fans could really sink their teeth into. And if you make it a combined marching band/drum corps channel, your audience increases. I'm guessing there are around 100 major university marching bands, each with at least 100 members. That's 10000 unique marching members every 4 years. That plus all the high school band students could equal quite a number when it comes to a potential listening audience. I know this is a pipe dream, but it's sure fun to think about.

This may be beating a dead horse, but I haven't seen many topics discussing this. Maybe I have been away too long and haven't seen the chit chat (highly possible). Or maybe the overall expense of this venture deems it unthinkable. I have a simple question: Would you subscribe to XM/Sirius radio if they offered a channel that played drum corps? Would it have to be all drum corps all the time, or could it be a combo of drum corps/marching band called "Company Front Radio"? For me, I would definitely consider it. I am a big Parrot Head (read Jimmy Buffett fan), so I listen to Radio Margaritaville whenever I get the chance. Add a station that played drum corps and I would be a happy man. Pricing? Well, assuming you would have to at least subscribe to the "XM everything" plan, it would cost you $13.00 a month. Not horrendous. Of course you would need an XM radio. Most of us who have purchased a new car in the past 5 years already have one in our vehicle. Smart Phone users can download a free "app". XM stand-alone radios are a little pricey, I'll admit. Just throwing this out there for discussion. I have no idea how much it would cost DCI to even support such an idea, but it would be one heck of a marketing tool. Not to mention Stevon (pronounced Steev On) Rondo could have a daily show. p.s. Lakers = boooooo!

Can't wait to see them out here in California.

Didn't become a devout fan until the late 1990s, but here's mine in no particular order: Phantom 2008 SCV 2004 Scouts 1996 Blue Devils 1992 Crown 2007 or 2008 For best top five from one year: 2004 hands down.

Rose Bowl was not very good but it was a spectacle. Terrible lines and parking. Denver was the best (and my first). I would go to Denver every year if I had the dough.

I would have voted Mandarins. Best show musically and visual wise (minus the inflatable beds) they've had to date. But since they weren't an option, I voted Academy.

Got to this late. I never marched corps (4 years of college band) and I married a music major.

I'm all for Denver. It's close enough to us West Coasters that we can accept the travel costs, plus Denver is an awesome city with tons of appeal, not to mention a darn near PERFECT stadium.

I'm in. Get them here and get them here often.

This is a really good thread. My $.02: I wasn't there, but I WAS planning on going once during the next 10 years. Now I'm really not sure, especially considering the travel costs from California. I've never seen a drum corps event indoors/indomes, but I imagine the sound bounces off the walls to the point where the music can't really be enjoyed, and everything I've read seems to verify my beliefs. Dan is not the problem, the "vision" of the BOD is the problem. Synths are a horribly bad idea. They make amps and narration seem unnecessarily like traditions. Who's idea was that? BOD. Finals for 10 years in a stadium that 30% of drum corps fans (read: West Coast Fans) live over 1500 miles away. Who's idea? BOD. An indoor stadium gets the 10 year contract, a stadium no drum corps has EVER played in. Who's idea? BOD. DCI needs to take a look at where they have been and where they need to go (not want) and who will get them there -- the FANS. If you lose the fans - the blind and the incredibly aware - then everything is lost. Fix it DCI. Fix it BOD. Fix it Dan.

Congratulations to this year's winner: Cainan Of the 75 submitted entries, Cainan was the only member to correctly predict the top 7 corps in exact order! His pick of the Boston Crusaders coming in 7th, along with the correct placing of corps 1 though 6, earned him the beautiful 2009 DCP champions mug. Thank you to all those who played this year. Next year we'll do it all again.

I hope someone send this entire thread to Mr. Fiedler and the SCV organization. And I hope the members get to read or hear the outpouring of affection for their product this year. Sitting in the theatre, my heart was pounding out of my chest during the whole SCV performance. When the big push finally started to assemble, I could feel not only the lump in my throat but the strain for everyone watching, darn near bringing us to tears. This type of production is the reason so many of us love drum and bugle corps. Brilliance and beauty on the football field is SCV 2009. Thank you from the bottom of every corps fan's heart.

I voted Cavs, mainly for their design over the championships. 2000 was a tie where I felt the Cadets show was superior, and in 2006 Phantom was clearly top dog in my view. I'm hoping next year it'll be a Vanguard decade, especially if we get more shows like 2004 and 2009.

Polls are CLOSED!!!! Thanks to all who participated. Now it's off to the theaters!

Agreed Cali. I remember back in '07 going to a late season CA div 2/3 show. It was amazing to see how good these "smaller" groups are late in the season compared to the early season that we in California are so accustomed to seeing. I think Jersey Surf is a good example of where BDB/SCVC would be currently if they had given it the ol' World Class try. BTW, I am all for the Open Class champion competing in World Class Quarters. It would squelch a lot of these discussions.

I asked his question years ago, same with SCVC back in the 1999/2000 era. BDB and SCVC could absolutely compete in World Class...but they would "do" very good. Anyone like myself that sees the first few weeks of California shows knows exactly where these two respective Open class corps stand, right behind the Mandarins and Pacific Crests of the world. If they were to compete under a different moniker, say the Concord Cobalt and Fremont Legionnaires, they would place near the very bottom of the leader board. If you see a show where BDB and SCVC go on before Mandarins or Pacific Crest, you will notice a steep jump in sound/execution/design. No disrespect to the "feeder" corps, they are perfect right where they're at and serve a most valuable role in today's World Class organizations.