BlooooContra

Plan9: Always glad to hear that there are people who love the activity who didn't actually march! And I definitely get a little more where you're coming from now: as those who put the years in can attest to, after you march a season, it isn't AT ALL about your show. It's about the memories of the fun you had and the friends you now have for life. Making jokes about a show isn't really something that offends those who march, especially at that kind of high level. Afterall--when you've just spent three grueling months with 150ish other people, sweating, eating on curbs and showering naked as a group, you kinda stop being easily offended. lol

Hi, my name's humor. Have we met? Perhaps you're more familiar with my good friend, hyper-sensitivity. I think I've taken enough semesters of theory and done enough harmonic analyses of all things atonal to be elevated ever-so-slightly above primate status (though I do occasionally throw my own poop. It's fun. Dont' judge me). And those who've met me also know that I'll be happy to toss back a few beers and rip any show at will (including my own), and bonus points if people who actually marched said shows are sitting at the bar with me. lol Which has happened on quite a few occasions. These aren't six-year-old little leaguers getting criticized in front of everyone for missing a fly ball. If they weren't bright and (somewhat) mature, they wouldn't be marching at this high of level. I've marched shows that were praised (01, 05) and I've marched in giant bags of **** (03, I'm looking in your direction). To Plan9; what's your marching experience? Just out of curiosity. And with that said, THANK YOU to the others who have left comments. I really enjoyed typing this up, and hopefully most of you have enjoyed reading it. I shied away from DCP quite a bit from about 06-08, and am loving being back on here regularly now! Seems like most of the old RAMD crazies have left the building.

Ok. This review really isn't all that much of-death, but just in case, here's the usual disclaimer: I marched Bluecoats. I typically love certain corps. I typically hate certain corps. I'm also a Cleveland sports fan, which means that I tend to love/hate things that I love and or hate with a little more passion than the typical DCP honk. Also, keep in mind that I tend to take the vaaaaast majority of criticism from the overall design angle and NOT from an "oh-my-god-the-members-are-terrible" standpoint. If you can't process that, please click the back button on your browser now (and how on earth are you able to operate a computer, for that matter?). And with that said, on the the review! Glassmen There are many reasons why a corps can be in 12th place. Hell, I've been there myself. On the positive side, I really dug the percussion book, and considering Rob Ferguson helms the program, that's no surprise. At first, the snare line "headbanging" (which I know is an exaggerated term, but it's the closest I could think of) got on my nerves. It was a little distracting, to say the least. Then I really started to dig it, mostly because it was clear that the players were really digging what they were playing. Very nice drum book. This show was very competent overall. The members were clearly a cut above what 12th place meant 10 years ago. All I could think about, though, was that their designers just...forgot?...that a show should be memorable. How on earth does that happen? And no, that's not a rhetorical question. Seriously. How does that happen? Anybody know the rationale? They have some good talent. It's not like the kids would take a look at a brass/guard/drum/visual moment that would wow a crowd and mysteriously forget how to march/spin/play. There's no Glassmen bylaw that says that you need to be forgettable compared to corps like the Cavaliers and Cadets. The more I try to remember what I liked about this show (and I DID like it), the more I realize that it's only because I didn't hate it. Why was "The Prayer Cycle" nowhere near as mind-blowing as "The Age of Reverence" was in 2000? This is a good organization that's been stable for quite some time. How bout we step it up for the kids in 2011, shall we? I would love to see the Glassmen surge up and be more competitive like they were in years past. Blue Knights This is always a difficult corps to review. I feel like they're taking some nice baby steps toward being more crowd-friendly, without going waaaaay over the line and pulling another 2001 (anybody remember that monstrosity? lol). Europa had some good musical moments, and from the energy coming off of the field at the beginning of the show, it really looked like BK wanted to take it to Madison. I think the membership really made what would have been a good, but not jaw-dropping, show into something greater than the sum of its written parts. Gorgeous ballad--one of the best of the year. With all that said, some of my Glassmen rant definitely applies here too, though it seems like BK is more in the middle of progressing toward something than just staying in meh territory. It was even said before their quarters performance that that was one of the goals of the staff: to really start moving toward something more accessible while still keeping the integrity and image of the corps. 2010 wasn't a massive leap, but I'm really glad to hear that that's the direction they want to go in as an organization. Madison Scouts Or should I say, Madison Explorer Scouts? heh. What a killer show. Starting with the positives: this corps really came to play. They were a crowd favorite, and it was pretty freaking clear that they knew it. Still loving the short-sleeved unis from the box perspective (though they still look a little weird during the closeups. At least the members get to stay cool). Kudos to the design staff for keeping pretty true to the original Rhapsody opening solo, and whoever that soloist was, way to freaking go. Great stuff every time I heard it this season. Nice low sound from the 20-man contra line. Spectacular guard feature during the big scaffolding section. I think the drill design could stand to mature a bit, but that's more or less getting down to some nit-picky design stuff. The direction of this corps is something really exciting, and I really hope they can keep on this path. The director of the year award seems to be very well-deserved. After multiple little reboots throughout the last decade, this is a Madison Scouts I can really get behind. Boston Crusaders And speaking of solidifying images, what I would consider year two of the modern Boston Crusaders seemed to be another success. I loooooved the Eve show last year (and some credit has to go to their guard uni designer. Giggity.) that really set a high standard for cohesive design. This year's music didn't grab me as much, but their corner entrance/fanfare moment absolutely hooked me in from the get-go. There seemed to be a huge step up in visual performance from Madison to Boston, which was pretty accurately reflected on the sheets. Boston is really starting to get an "air" about them that the upper echelon has always had. There really wasn't a weak section of this group, and thank god they've long ditched the cheese factor that plagued them circa-2002-ish. This should be an exciting group to watch over the next few years. Blue Stars This is a group that gets the "band-o" stigma thrown around every once in a while. Yes, the Houdini show was a little gimmicky. But rather than do nothing but design a show that revolves around gimmicks the entire time, they also had an all-around good show. I looooved that a top 12 corps FINALLY used some of the Philip Glass music from The Hours. I've been dying to see a minimalist show designed around that music for years. Such an awesome soundtrack. I thought their selections, combined with the old-school portraits up front really provided an aura of mystery that permeated a show (kind of like a Bioshock-lite, for all you other geeks like me out there). The colorguard didn't have that oh-my-god factor that they did during the Factory show, but their works was still cleverly written, and well-integrated at times. I absolutely love that the middle of the top 12 pack was able to put out shows this entertaining. The ending was one of my favorite parts, and though it wasn't the loud, in-your-face blaring that corps almost always do, it was a really, really effective moment. I went into my first viewing of this show at quarterfinals ready to hate it and write it off, but it somehow ended up being one of my favorites of the night. Awesome. Santa Clara Vanguard A lot of people seem to really dislike this show. Lots of note-for-note stuff. Couple charts that were famously done before. Yadda yadda yadda. Ok. I thought SCV absolutely freaking ROCKED. On the flip side, I thought last year's Ballet for Martha was a bag of ****. If you do Appalachian Spring, I will automatically loathe you. To me, this was a throwback to the ultra-innovative Vanguard years like 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003. The visual design was genius. Especially in the intro, I felt like I was watching some sort of insane 100-yard stage production rather than a drum corps. The group really has become more fearless over these last couple years in terms of approach and identity. The hornline sold the show well, which couldn't have been an easy task. This is one of those shows that I'm excited to watch on blu ray--every viewing seems to pull pack another layer of things to discover for the first time. Phantom Regiment The entrance was freaking amazing. I have a feeling that it's what the 2010 Regiment will always be remembered for. What a great moment. On a slight digression, if I were marching and the staff told me I was going to basically "prance" my way onto the field, I would have told them they have a new contra hole. lol But PR does quasi-ballet movement well, and though it's really, reeeeally not my favorite thing to watch, I appreciate that it's part of their visual identity. The flugel soloist really deserves some commendation on what had to have been a very bizarre personal drum corps season on the field done VERY well. I'm sure he'll rank up there with the Glassmen 01-02 flugel in the All-Time Flugel-Badassness List (that I've just now made up. Only two people on it so far. All applications will be considered.). The drumline? What more can be said other than they were absolutely sick? And although the crowd almost buried it, the final chord from the tunnel after the exit was gorgeous. PR really seemed to grow into their show over the course of the season much more than many of the other top 12 corps. It really seemed like an oh-my-god-this-could-potentially-suck feeling back in June and early July, but I'm really happy with the way the show evolved and the members really stepped up their performance. After a disappointing 2009, I think this year's show can safely put a checkmark under the good season column. The Cadets Ok. Somehow I haven't heard anybody else say it, so I'm going to. "It's NUDIE MAGAZINE DAY!!! Nuuuudie Maaaaaaagazine Day!!!" Little Jeffery looks like he should be drinking daiquiris and chasing invisible penguins by the pool. Maybe go up and feel the drum major's stomach and ask if it's "gonna be a soccer player?" Was this intentional? Anyways. The Little guy annoyed the bejesus out of me, BUT, that didn't stop me from still digging this show. Procession of the Nobles was incredible. A good symphonic approach really set the tone for this show, and the herald trumpets, while not easy to play (or tune!) sounded great. This was a strong corps that will unfortunately most likely be remembered for just one little gimmick. That aside, it was a show that was good enough to have even worked without the main character, and the Cadets should be proud of what they put on the field this year. Carolina Crown Crown is looking more and more like the new Star of Indiana every year, and I'm digging it. Their intro was my favorite part, by far. Subtle playing. Effective movement. Great stuff. It seemed like every time I saw this show, I caught more little hints of the Second Chance theme, particularly in the guard. This is another show that will be a blast to watch over and over again when the DVDs come out. And in terms of overall brass pedagogical approach---YES!!! My favorite sounding hornline in ages, just like last year. Whatever they're doing in Carolina, they need to keep doing it. Maybe they'll win some year soon; maybe they won't. Either way, this group really has "it" figured out now. Bluecoats When I heard the contra feature in the theaters, I #### near made a scene. I could write a 10-page review of how ******* proud I am of those 16 players, but lord knows I'm already enough of a Bluecoats homer. With that said, I'm always hardest on the ones I love. Bluecoats have been reaching for an identity for a while now. 01-05 were basically the misc. tango years with alternating happy shows on even-numbered seasons. 06-09 modernized things a bit with glimmers of a real image, but it never seemed to ultimately click. 2010's The Future is Now made a bold statement about who the Bluecoats are and who they intend to be, and I couldn't have loved it more. Can the drill design still evolve and get more effective? Sure can. Could the ending have been stronger? Yep. BUT, this was a package with so many highlights (and mid-show crowd applause moments) that none of those things really presented any immediate problems. Doug Thrower arranged a killer brass book this year that really had personality. Guard was easily Blue's best ever, and the drumline was smokin' as always. From where I was, they easily got the second best crowd reaction all night. Even the retreat block entrance got a good response! Reading this review paragraph back again, I think it's a little hard to sum up the 2010 Bluecoats into so many words, so how 'bout just six of 'em? The Cavaliers If I had to sum up Mad World in just one word, it would be holycrapohmygodyes. THIS is the corps that rocked DCI 2000-2004 (with '06 in for good measure). What on earth was The Great Divide again? lol Genius from top to bottom. Mike McIntosh's drumline really shone throughout, and I'm glad to see that after a shaky start, the horn book really came together at the end of the season as well. I feel like I could write a dissertation on why this show was just so #### good. Great emoting from the colorguard. The only thing I didn't like about this show was that it could only be 11-ish minutes long. How about "Madder World" in 2011? Anybody? Blue Devils I have always loved weird shows. Star 93. Blue Knights 02. SCV 01/10. The list goes on. BD has also had some of my favorite shows every year since 06. With that said, if I had a black ***, it's precisely what I would tell this show design to kiss. Yes, I'm familiar with the source material, and I was hoping that this would be a really cool take on merging the melodic with the dissonant. It ended up being... well... not that, even after multiple viewings. The membership should be congratulated wholeheartedly for their absolutely incredible performances. One of the best guards of all-time. GREAT hornline and drumline. This wasn't their fault. Even the big rock-out section toward the end would have normally gotten me really into the show, but given the context, it just wasn't happening. It's like farting into a metal trash can for 9 and a half minutes, then playing the guitar solo from "Layla." Sure, it's pretty awesome on its own, but seriously. You just farted into a metal trash can for 9 and a half minutes beforehand. And on that note, I'll stop talking about this show. *sigh* So there you have it! 2010, in my opinion, was a really great year for DCI. I feel like I really got turned on to some groups this year and last that I usually am a little "meh" toward (Crown, Boston), rediscovered an old favorite (Scouts), and saw both a rise and return to greatness (Bluecoats and Cavaliers). Such a good season, and can't wait for 2011!!!

Firstoff, D-W, if you're at the home show this year and feel that shows aren't entertaining, I'll buy you a beer. And then 8 more. And then, yes, they'll be quite entertaining. As will the intoxicated alumni swinging t-shirts above their heads while "BLOOOOO"-ing during random corps' shows. But seriously, without trying to take sides, I just want to raise the question: Are we in the Stravinsky era of drum corps? After all, Rite of Spring infuriated many concertgoers and led to all sorts of boos and walk-outs. It also pushed the bejesus out of the medium in terms of what can be done with tonality and impact within a piece. Granted, I've yet to see anything of that magnitude at a DCI show, but there's (maybe) a slight parallel to be drawn. I do agree, though, that ballads need to start being more original. Cadets 2005, Glassmen 2002 and Bluecoats 2001 come to mine as shows that had really cool examples of "ballads" turned on their heads.

Oooh, I'll bite on this one. Anybody else ever hear the recording of 2000 Crossmen's original closer (before Birdland happened again): Ricky Martin's "The Cup of Life?"

Ok. So I'll begin this with the obligatory disclaimer: I aged-out of Bluecoats. I have horrible biases for and against certain corps. AND, I'm a Cleveland sports fan, which means I tend to get a little more passionate about the activities I love. I tend to be opinionated, though that doesn't mean refraining from giving credit where credit was due. If I happen to offend anyone, well... I'm not the least bit sorry. Sooo.... On to the review (which will not be proof-read seeing as it's 3:43 a.m. and I just got home to Columbus)! The Show Site Akron's new Infocision Stadium is the perfect venue for something this size. I definitely wish it would have been around during my tenure at UA. Gorgeous, and great for acoustics. My only suggestion would be to take into consideration when choosing someone to sing the national anthem that this is a *music* event, and the audience members might do things like *look at each other while trying not to crack up* while someone sings the Star Spangled Banner like Steve Vai playing around with a broken pitch-shifter. Spirit Not a single hot dog corps at this show. Spirit kicked things off with a hornline that was clearly there to make a statement. Unfortunately the show designers were also trying to make a statement, which I'm reasonably sure was "Hey, we're here to help the illiterate." Why helping the illiterate, you may ask? Well, I can't think of any other remotely logical explanation that any human with still-functioning brain synapses would come up with for the *ICON-ICON-FORGING-ICON-FORGING-ICON* part of the show other than it's meant as an aide for those who can't read the program. I applaud Spirit's design team for their wonderful empathy toward the illiterate among the DCI community. Well done, sirs. So anyway, the HORNLINE was definitely a big highlight of this show. While maybe smaller than some others, they put out an impressive sound. Are they going to beat a corps like BD? Of course not. But they definitely put out a heck of a lot of energy, and the ensemble's performance really reached the box. While it's difficult to predict a final outcome in a competitive season like this, these kids really deserve some credit for selling their show. Vis performance really lacked to me, but a lot of it was little things like horn angles, consistency in leg articulation and foot timing in/out of direction changes--very basics block-y kinda stuff that I'm sure will start cleaning up during this last month. Madison Scouts Firstoff, I really, really dig the new unis. From a member's perspective, I'm sure the short sleeves are great in terms of keeping cooler. From the box, they really don't make a huge impact either way, which the gauntlets probably help. Overall, it's a very clean look, which was a pleasant surprise. One of the things that caught my attention off the bat was that this corps, which has a history of being very up-and-down with their colorguard program in the past decade, is definitely having an "up" year from a guard perspective. I'm really hoping that fixing this sometimes-weak link helps the Scouts be more competitive this year. The music? Rocking. Entertaining from top to bottom, and MELODIC to boot, which is refreshing. There was a pretty clear difference between Madison and Spirit just in the way the corps carried itself, and you could tell from the opening second that this group was going to put out a lot of energy. The big highlight for me was the trumpet soloist who absolutely rocked the bejesus out of the clarinet opening from Rhapsody in Blue. Yes. Yes. YES. Someone please give this man a high five (and the brass arranger for keeping true-ish to the original while still kicking the piece up for the field arrangement). Boston Crusaders I marched Bluecoats in the first half of the 00s. This means that I automatically hate everything Boston ever does by default. It's simple biology. Well, last year turned that around, and this year keeps going in the same direction. The Eve show, to me, was the best thing Boston's ever put on the field. This year continues with the same design aesthetic that really seems to push the idea of approaching a concept from a very exploratory angle throughout the production. The opening procession was a cool effect, and the various ascensions and descents from the throne really held my attention. It was like seeing a good stand-up comic riff on one particular topic from a bunch of different angles. The music wasn't my cup of tea, but the show still managed just... work. Should be a dogfight with Phantom for a little while longer. Oh, and speaking of Phantom Regiment... I thought this show was just... well... no. Just... no. I get it. We're going into the light. The light is in this corner. We're progressing. Now we're in this corner where the light was. The new moon and the old moon and yada yada yada. I feel like Phantom's design staff got their ring in '08, then just said "eff it" and decided to phone a few years in. It's like trying to sit through '97's "The Ring" after getting your face melted by Shostakovich's 4th Ballet Suite the year before. It's the smoking hot chick who goes home with you and just disappears the next morning without a trace. Seriously. Where on earth has Phantom gone? On the positive side, the main soloist had a really great night, and the ending solo in particular was gorgeous. On the negative side, this show just seems like all running without the big payoffs. Cavaliers 2001 is (to me) the perfect example of how a track team can have constantly occurring "wow" visual moments. This show seems unnecessarily difficult, or at least seriously lacking in the baby-throwing-moment department. And good lord, the contras? I haven't seen anything that wobbily since I attended a trampoline party and Marlon Brando's house. Contra vis performance is always a pet peeve of mine, and PR definitely hit the "peeve" right on the head. Yikes. Off night, maybe? I want Phantom to be good this year. I think they definitely have an AWESOME drumline that's going to be smoking a lot of corps all season. Their hornline can really open up with a great sound when they aren't in a dead sprint. It's going to be a matter of tweaking this show so the clearly talented members can make it really happen. The Cavaliers If you blatantly reference "Stripes" in your show, I will love you forever. End of review. Ok, maybe there's more to Mad World that Bill Murray quotes. To me, this is a potentially championship caliber show that is entirely too dirty to go about winning said championship. The surrealist elements were really interesting, and the use of military allusions really gave it a unique flavor. Drill, as always, was great. Mike McIntosh is back with the drumline, and you could definitely tell (which is a huuuge plus). The guard integration in this show should be included in designers' how-to books. It's an overall great package, but I feel that this is one of the dirtier Cavaliers horn books in recent memory. This show could really place anywhere from 1-7, and it's more or less going to come down to whether they can get it clean. There's already a TON of little detail in the production (especially considering it's only July 9th), and this is going to be a really fun one to check out on the Blu-rays once it's finished. Soooo much to see. Carolina Crown Crown has always been very hit or miss for me. I looooved 2001's "Industry," and I think their ballad in 2000, "Diego's Goodbye," is one of the most gorgeous things ever to hit the field. Shows like "Bellisimo," however, almost singlehandedly feed my hot dog addiction. I thought last year's program was really, really well-performed and would be an awesome stepping stone for 2010. It *kinda* was. Firstoff, the intro was absolutely genius. Very controlled, sonorous brass sound. Almost a little creepy the way it's all presented. Set a tone that really reeled me in. And then... meh. Their brass played extremely well, and not a single section of the corps can be deemed a weak link. They've got talent the whole way through. To me, this show was like a photo negative of the Cavaliers. It's a non-championship caliber show that COULD easily win a championship sheerly on amazing performance (a la BD 2007). I don't think it's anywhere near as well-thought-out as the Cavaliers, but the membership is really out to sell it regardless, which kinda makes it work. Sometimes I feel like Crown is like that weird, ironically bearded hipster kid who wears ultra-tight jeans and rides a unicycle to school--just weird for the sake of being weird. Maybe even a little Star of Indiana-y (in both the weird way AND the amazingly talented way). This group could take the title. Bluecoats I'm never afraid to criticize the ones I love (I mean, seriously... cloud people?), but try as I might, it's tough to criticize this particular production. Percussion was tight, and that tenor line just smokes. The Imogen Heap piece is a huge highlight, and the contras just rip this show apart in the best way possible. Like the Cavaliers, this is a championship show that just needs its members to actually win the championship. Very clean for this time of year, and I'm praying that they don't pull an '07. It's a beautiful thing to see a visual staff actually stay at Bluecoats for more than 10 minutes, and I really think that considering the way the corps looked tonight, this is the vis staff to really take the corps where they need to go. And on a side note, crack pipes and vis performance judges do not mix. What a recap. Oy vey. My only complaint about this show is that most of the music could really be done by a lot of corps. Boston. BD. SCV. I think Bluecoats are still kind of evolving in terms of identity, and had it not been for 4 semesters of theory, I would have thought this wasn't really a jazz-centric corps anymore. This group could easily be the best edition of the corps ever, and like Crown, could take any color medal. This is definitely the show to do it, if ever there was one in Bluecoats history. Now how about some more original Doug Thrower music in 2011? Good stuff. All in all, this was a heck of a mid-season show. There wasn't a single 11 minutes of my life I wish I could have gotten back. 2010 seems like it's really raising the bar for the entire activity, and shows that might not even be finalists this year would have been taking some of the bigger dogs out just 10 years ago. The members of all 7 of these groups really have something to be proud of tonight. Well done. Oh, and just a few more words. Six of them, to be exact. Go Blue.

Just don't look at their elbows. I keed. I keed.

I'm not going to cry conspiracy theory, but I definitely think there's no way in hell Troopers should have been over the Colts. They put on a very, very respectable show that should be considered quite possibly the best a (should-be) 13th place corps has ever been. But over the Colts? Maybe the judges were watching a different how than I was. To me, there was a clear winner, and it wasn't what was on those judges' sheets. With that said, I'm really happy for those kids in Casper. I'm sure they had the time of their lives on Saturday night, and I hope they have many more to come.

Don't worry whatsoever. They'll teach it at the camps, and at any good corps, he won't have to just magically know how. A little technique breakdown (if it helps): Knees will be bent more than usual, and do not straighten during the process. Feet are generally turned out at about a 45-degree angle. Body height does actually lower to make sure bouncing doesn't happen. Think of it as trying to not let your head touch an imaginary lowered ceiling, just skimming it the whole time. You should essentially be on the bells of your feet the whole time. If your heel touches the ground, you're probably going to be bouncing a lot. There are even some top 6 corps that look god awful while jazz running on occasion. Hopefully that's a start at least in terms of understanding the mechanics. I would do a little slo-mo on your DCI videos when you see a closeup to check who's doing it well and who's bouncing like an out-of-control idiot. lol

2001's Red Cape Tango, hands down. I think that piece was the single moment that started the transition from old Bluecoats into the competitive corps that's still kicking today. The first time we did it at show and tell that year (January, I think), was just unreal. We were all looking at each other afterward like something huge had just happened. Doug Thrower really hit that nail on the head.

So I've been kicking this around since quarterfinals and it's somehow managed to bother the hell out of me while simultaneously giving me a whole new respect for the activity. Let me explain.... Thursday night was my first viewing of this year's SCV show, "Ballet for Martha." For the past two seasons, I've kind of laid low, both on DCP and in terms of actually going to shows. This year definitely got me back out of the woodwork. As a bit of full disclosure, I've always been a huge Vanguard fan since 98 (with 04-05 being the sole exceptions). Always one of my favorites every year. What I saw was easily one of the must nuanced, gorgeously put-together packages I've ever seen. Being the god-forsaken cliche that is "Appalachian Spring," I still wanted to rip my ears off, but I respect good arranging and performance when I see it, and I definitely saw it on that field. What bothered me was the severe lack of difficulty. But, it seemed like the relatively simple, low-fi drill gave the hornline what it needed to keep the sounds more consistent. Afterall, it's a lot easier to play well marching something like that than jazz running a 4-to-5 and doing breakneck direction changes every four counts. When I saw the spread between Vanguard and Bluecoats, not to mention Vanguard creeping up quasi-near the Cadets, I was a little shocked. Where does visual difficulty play into the judging system? If that's the case, why doesn't BD just sit on the chairs the whole show like a concert hall and score perfect scores in every caption? I was angry that they could get away with such a high score with such low physical demand. At least until I realized that this show essentially threw a wrench neatly into the cogs of the judging system. Which brings me to what I suppose is the focus of this little diatribe: How can a show be accurately judged when it feels more like an artistic expression than a formulamatic drum corps product? I don't claim to have the definitive answer, but I'd like to hear the community's thoughts on the matter. To me, it really makes Star's transition from the field, to brass theater to Blast! make infinitely more sense.

AMEN. Would have loved to have seen those Finals results. My vote (in non-letter form) goes to the 2001 Bluecoats. I'd have looooved to have had the original intro on the field. The little standstill was supposed to only be a temporary fix, but crowds liked getting blasted in the face (heh.) right off the bat so I guess that's why it stuck. Plus less cleaning is always good, right? The original intro was a baaaaaadass rip-your-head-off brass lick, followed by a cool percussion feature, followed by more brass head-ripping. The drill that was written was about as interesting as watching a Portugese soccer game with no announcer translation (or with translation, for that matter), and it got axed shortly after either March or April camp. I still have that camp recording, and good lord did it rock. Also, honorable mention to 2001 Crossmen. Bring back "The Cup of Life" as your closer.

So help me, God... it's taking everything I have to not jump through this computer and slap you for quoting that terrible, terrible hack.

Figured I might as well throw my $.02 in. Heeeeere we go.... Had my first digital viewing of the show today, having heard the audio quite a few times. I have to say that I think the brass arranging is the real strength of this show. Doug Thrower really took some good source music, some of which has been heard before on the field, and created a cohesive package that definitely has its catchy moments. Drumline arranging is even better than I thought it would be with the departure of Mac, which was a really, really pleasant surprise. Some nice battery features throughout, and Tom Rarick's pit arranging is always spot-on. With that said, the visual design is... not it. Seriously. Haven't we all seen the Cavaliers from 00-04??? 06??? What about Vanguard in 03, 06-08??? How this passes for visual design of a corps that wants a ring eventually is beyond me. Not that it's a massive on-field abortion. It's solid top 12 drill. I'm just dying for a Bluecoats designer to watch Niagra Falls or Four Corners and just go, "OH! I GET IT! Let's do drill that's entertaining and effective throughout the whole #### show!!!" As far as the concept goes, I don't know whether I'm sold. Surrealism can always be good, but I think BD pretty much nailed that last year. Where's more "Imagine" quoting throughout the horn/pit book? I feel like it's 05 again and I'm just dying for that freaking Caravan park n' blow that never came. It just feels like the theme isn't done quite enough to bring it across effectively. Why not just say eff it and just call the show "Good Music with Drill?" With all that said, this show is dirtier than a Tijuana hooker, and I can't wait to see it get cleaned (without watering, I hope). It looks like they've got an amazingly talented corps, and if the staff plays their cards right, they should be knocking on just about anyone's door. 2009 might be a little out there by Bluecoats standards, but it's definitely a very worthwhile product in my book. /end rant

Ok. Here it is kids: the obligatory disclaimer. I started marching the first year of Bb and aged-out in ’05. I have opinions and biases (and if you think they reflect on who I marched with, you’re an idiot), and if you’re easily offended, you should go ahead and just click on that little ol’ back button right about now. This review is not for you. And also, if you can’t separate design criticism from oh-my-god-he’s-directly-insulting-my-son/daughter, you might want to head to a different part of the forums. Thank you. Ok. On to the show. Before I get cracking, I’ve got to give it up for the people of Dublin who run the show every year. I’ve been to that stadium in various corps/band/performer/teacher roles over the years, and they’ve never failed to be a total class act, from the students to the volunteers. And they have Chick-Fil-A at the concession stand. Yes. Capital Regiment- This was much, MUCH better than I had expected of them coming off of last year’s absence. Will it be a legendary show for the books? Oh hell no. BUT, it’s a solid foothold for a corps trying to get back to where it was just a short time ago. Six guard members hurts, yes, but the writing and staging seemed to make up for some of the numbers shortcomings. The percussion section picking up flags in the ballad was a nice Crossmen-y touch, but for the love of God, they looked like Disney animatronic puppets back there, and the transition out of the section back to the drums was ultra-distracting. Brass was… in June. And that’s ok, especially considering the infinitesimally small number of actually vets (one trumpet girl, I heard?). My problem here was with the writing. I’ve seen Jay Wardeska take a “meh” band program in NE Ohio and help to make it easily the most ###### marching ensemble in the region. Now I need to see him head a brass book that’s… um… interesting. Maybe it was a conscious effort to play it safe for the first year back, in which case, it’s totally understandable. But please, all designers, make an effort to keep me from wanting to hit up the hot dogs. Drumline was solid. Well done. Stuck out from the rest of the corps in a very positive way. I’d look for them to definitely boost music scores throughout the season. Colts- I’m going on record right now: This is the best edition of the Colts ever. E-ver. The uniforms work beautifully from the box, and really stand out as something visually special that creates identity. Guard uniforms reminded me of 2000 Cavaliers, which is always a good thing. If this isn’t a finalist corps this year, I’ll be shocked. The nautical theme worked well, but now it’s time to learn how to better balance synths. Occasionally the bass levels were just right and it combined with the hornline for a gorgeous, full sound that I’ve never heard from a field. Occasionally it sounded like hell, and just stuck out and made me feel like it was faintly 1986 again. It’s really a tricky show to review becase the whole #### thing is just… pleasant. Not my favorite show ever, or even in my top 30, but all sections of the corps were exactly where they should be for June 23rd. Glassmen- When I saw the new unis up close, I thought “wow.” When I saw them from up top, I thought, “wow… What a mess.” Not the worst ever, but visual clutter is definitely evident. I’m still trying to figure out just why the eff they changed their 99-00-era uniforms. Great individually; great from the box. Immediately, I felt like breaking out my old 02 “Boring” shirt again (despite never having actually bought one). Good Lord. It felt like they were purposely challenging me to not get up and go use the trough in the men’s room (or was that the sink? uh oh.). After the ballad, it kicked up a little bit and got interesting, but the brass arranging was vintage Glassmen in the worst possible way. Side note: Am I the only person who actually kinda loved their 2000 show? Saving grace was definitely the percussion arranging. Rob Ferguson is a bad mutha, and it shows. Visually, the corps looks more consistent from person to person than they did last year, which is a good sign. The corps is definitely going to be solid this year, and the show thankfully gets better as it moves along. All-in-all, I’d say it’s an improvement over the 08 edition, and with considerably more vets than last year’s corps, Glassmen should be able to keep up the solid performance throughout the season. Intermission- There was a moment of silence for the passing of Ed McMahon, followed by a full 8 minutes of silence to mourn the tragic death of Bob Barker at the hands of pygmy ninjas and wild dogs. Tears were shed. Bladders were emptied. Hot dogs were devoured. I give intermission a solid 7.5 out of 10. Boston- I have never really liked Boston with the exception of 01. Holy ****. This is easily their best show ever. Genius concept. Great musical selection. Entertaining arrangements and good use of ethnic percussion sounds. To paraphrase Kathy Griffin (and with all due respect), anybody who doesn’t like their theme execution can...well...you know. :) I really don’t care whether it’s a youth activity. I paid money to see engaging art, and ######, they put a thought-provoking product on the field (and you can insert the obvious guard uniform-##### joke here. We’ve all seen then, and I’m sure their male corps members are very happy this year. That’s all that needs to be said.). And wow. I would have looooved to have had “Maenads” in place of “Incantations” back in ’05 Bluecoats. What a piece. Great arrangement all around. A quick note on their encore (which sounded GREAT, btw): the “Time to Say Goodbye” arrangement SUCKED. As in suuuuuuuucked. How ‘bout just play the 00 version? Maybe sliiiightly watered if need be (though I don’t know why it would need be). Are there really no rope drums, or even concert snares, sitting around for the ostinato before the impact? Yikes. Playing the old arrangement + singing + massive FFF impact = having to get a row boat to exit the field due to the flood of thrown babies. I know it. The crowd knows it. Why the eff doesn’t your staff? And also, what the heck was that frst quick little ditty? You think that’s what the audience wants to be entertained by? Come on. *Ahem* Digression over. The show rocked. Moving on. The Holy Name Cadets of Bergen County Sponsored by Youth Education in the Arts¬- I’m sorry, guys. You’ve become the Prince of DCI. When you change your corps name to a symbol and start wearing assless chaps, I’m officially done. My first thought was “Jesus. Not again.” My second thought was “Hello, brass trophy winners.” Despite the corps clubbing a dead horse with the fervor of… well… someone who like to club things. A lot. This hornline is SMOKING. Well-balanced, especially for June. Ensemble issues hurt them more than anything (and were very apparent at times, especially laterally, horns to drums). I absolutely love their sound. Gorgeous. The opener (actually, everything before the ballad) was just… ugh. No. Try again, please. Performance is there for this time of year, but it’s got some deep design issues that I’m sure will get fixed in July. The ballad, on the other hand, caused me to research hermaphroditic genetic manipulation solely so I could impregnate myself, have a 30-second gestation period, and chuck that little newborn like a Hail Mary onto the field. Well freaking done, Cadets. The last minute and a half was straight out of the mid-‘90s Cadets playbook. Fast. Loud. Symmetrical. ######. Carolina Crown- If the ’08 Blue Devils constantly risked absurdity, ’09 Crown constantly tries to be as blatantly absurd as all hell at all times. They should have entitled this show “Avant Garde, Overt and #### Proud of It.” It’s Star ’93 for the ADD generation. This show’s a tough one to review. You like it or you don’t. They play well. They move well. They spin well. And someone must have been thirsty for a baby food and Tinkerbell smoothie when they designed this year’s color palette. I’m definitely seeing them top 5 again. Not the fan-fav that they were the last couple years, but it gets the job done and gives the envelope a nice little shove. All right, kids. I’ve been slacking off at work for the last hour to write this. Time to go get paid entirely too little to do some actual work. This show was a GREAT start to the ’09 season!

The show had potential. Probably the best collection of source music of any Bluecoats show ever. Seduction played out fairly well (the ballad). The rest should have been soooo much better. Listen to Stephen Melillo's "The Chosen" and then our opener. Ouch. Our closer? Um... even worse. Waaaay worse. And the park n' blow in Snared? The tympani fill kills all musical momentum, and the whole section should have been exaggerated waaaay more to maximize effect. (possible Easter Egg... listen to the park n' blow, then listen to Ozzy's "Perry Mason," which was potentially going to be our mixed ensemble I&E piece in 01 until one of the mellos blew his MCAT and had to leave tour for a while. Shh....) It was the show that could have been. Killer concept. Great source material. A lot of the drill was a big step up from 02. But somehow, it was still my favorite summer for a lot of reasons. Good times.

There was a big clarity/timing issue, but having seen some mid-season videos waaaay after the season, I can also say that it sounded like *** most of the time. Doing the body movement after running around in the drum feature sounded like 64 brass players trying to learn to speak Arabic out loud while in the middle of a 10K. On that note, my favorite shows are (in order)... 1. 2000- I'm biased. Contra parts were the deal. Music is fun to listen to, minus the ballad (if you've heard the original, weather channel anyone?). If you haven't heard Pat Williams' Threshold album, you need to. 70s funk-porno jazz at its finest. 2. 2008- What??? Yep. 08. The section in the closer where the horns are moving around the stationary drumline rocked beyond belief. Would have loved to have played that. 3. 1999- Drill was an abortion. Percussion writing equally bad. Guard writing... um... yeah. BUT, I loved the usage of melody throughout the entire production. A drum corps show you can sing, a la 2001 Cavaliers' 3rd corner. Love it (and for an Easter Egg, watch the high cam during Leprechaun's Dream and check out the pinballing contra missing his dots and hitting people. Awesome.). Honorable mention to 05, 95 and 87. 2003 in DFL.

Don't think I saw it elsewhere, but I always liked the BlueChokes and the BlowGoats.

I'm gonna play devil's advocate and just say that that's funny as hell if it's true.

Bluecoats and Boston from 99 to 04. I distinctly remember a special tag at the end of America/O Canada at the Manning Bowl in 03. lol Good times.

Word. BUT -- if they can find a way to put a reeeeeeally fresh spin on it, I'll be on board. To me, Bernstein (though I love his stuff the first through hundredth times I hear it) is in the dead horse category. Let's go beat a live one instead! (no actual horses or 07 Crown members were hurt in the posting of this message)

I'll vouch for the staff wins championships concept. Put the Cadets kids at Spirit and Spirit will place higher, but not where Cadets would have placed. I think most of the top 6 or so has roughly the same talent. I know people who couldn't make Bluecoats who made other top 6 corps. I know a couple of Bluecoats who got cut from other top 6 corps. It varies from section to section, but overall there's a pretty even playing field there. The staff, show designers in particular, make or break it. Case in point- 2003 Bluecoats. Ridiculous talent level for the corps. Unfortunately, we had some staff issues that year that held us back. 2004 some big staff changes happen and voila- corps gets better by leaps and bounds.

Don't read words that aren't there. You're smarter than that. I said "ring chasing." People can leave for a multitude of reasons. Ring chasing is its own animal, an animal that ran pretty rampant when I got to the corps. Lots of people leave corps for very good reasons. I can think of one particular Blue vet who is going to the corps in 09 that made him fall in love with the activity. These things happen, and more power to them. I'm just glad that a lot of people in 00, 01, 02 realized that though they could easily go and perform with BD and the Cadets, they didn't, because they wanted to make their group just as good. Like I said, only read what's written. I'm going back off DCP for a while. I think I just remembered why I stayed away most of 08. lol Have fun discussing. This thread has digressed enough. Catch you all on tour! -W

lol Dudley or Detch were supposed to sew those on ages ago! That way it would keep growing over the years, starting with the ones that were initially on it. And Bob- Chasing a ring in DCI is going somewhere specifically to win. I know you only started in 06 when we were already good, but ask a Bluecoat circa 98, 99, 00, 01 about why they marched and it was never to win or get a ring. It was to take an organization that everybody seemed to just brush off as nothing special and DEMAND the respect that corps like BD and Vanguard already had. We didn't need to win to do it. We needed that air of badassity. We needed the level of performance and the well-designed shows that they had to get people talking. I envy anyone who came in post-04. They already had it built-in. I'm proud to say that the corps earned and I'm proud to have been there. Need any more clarification? Ken Fanti is your man. Knows it better than anyone. (edited because I suck at spelling after sleeping in past noon!)

In that case, I'm going to go see what my kids look like in the future and steal a hoverboard and sports almanac while I'm at it. Where we're going, we won't need roads. Rock on, Blue. Can't wait for Imagine.