randomguy

i was there and couldnt agree with you more! especially what you said about how bluecoats would have done if you were in charge of judging! i said the SAME thing when we were waiting for scores, and so did about five people around me... that show had exactly the kinds of things that i love from drum corps in heaping quantities... i think its "11 minutes of bliss" for sure (thats what someone told me to expect from bluecoats several days before i saw them)

great review!

great review

really enjoyed the review... i TOTALLY agree with you on your overall favorites, couldnt have ranked it better myself.

wow- thanks alot. I know there have been many compelling arguments so thanks for considering mine. Enjoy your first show

My Louisville Review: I thought this was an overall great night for drum corps in general. It seems clear to me that the talent level and overall performance products produced by each corps (with one or two exceptions) is pretty clearly above that of the same groups just one or two years earlier. It reminds me of “The Red Queen” theory of the cold war where you really work as hard as you can and make as much progress as possible to further your cause- in the end just to stay about where you are. The result: the “OK” groups of the 90’s are getting really good… the really good groups are getting that much better… and the best of the best are approaching levels of early season clarity, power, and emotion that were probably only dreamed of 10 years ago. I was in “the lot” for awhile visiting my girlfriend and some other friends for the first few performances and I made it in just in time to see Magic. Magic of Orlando: I saw them do a standstill in Kennesaw the night before and while I had a few little problems with the show (lack of variety, over-extension by the brass) I really enjoyed it. Hearing it there in the gym it was clear to see that the show had (musically at least) a great deal of emotion that could be potentially conveyed. Having said this, I was really let down by their show last night. I know that they are a very young corps with a surprisingly low percentage of returning vets, so I am not really surprised that they are having some of these problems. They had bad spacing and overall spot accuracy, and most noticeably a major lack of endurance. The last chord was easily only about 65-70% the volume of their opening statement. While this will get better over time- I still am just not feeling their chances at being top 12 this year. I did like the water thingie with the guard, the drunken stumbling of the hornline and their conductor is very dramatic and makes some really cool motions for the big crescendos- he kind of stomps and lowers his body and brings up his arm- I’m not conducting expert or anything, but it just looked cool and seemed effective to me. Carolina Crown: Magic really didn’t impress me very much for a top 12 corps… I was with a guy who was getting his very first impression of drum corps, and I told him that I thought the next group would be a little better. Man was that an understatement! Crown came out ready to play, let me tell you. I was very impressed with their clean drill, synchronized visuals, and horn line. I had seen them the night before so the singing in the Ballad and voice-overs before the closer didn’t really shock me… more on that later. I thought this show was a huge step up for Carolina and really shows how far they have come in just 3 years! I am a huge fan of their closer- it takes some guts to pull out Bohemian Rhapsody for a top 12 Div 1 show… and they do it well- extremely well. I had a great time watching their closer, and I mean- it really pulls you in. Very entertaining musically and visually… tonight they looked much more like a top 8 corps than just a top 12 corps if that makes sense… I totally agreed that they should have been over Xmen- but not by that much, and I don’t think that a clean Crown show will beat a Clean Bluecoats show come finals night- but its not finals night- and right now Crown is really looking good and I can totally see how they tied for 5th. Spirit: Wow- talk about another corps that has really improved over the last 3 years. It is very clear to see the improvement this year. I’ve said this before in another review from memorial day- but they remind me so much of the Cavaliers because of their Brass arranger, drill writer, and marching style. It really doesn’t take a huge stretch of the imagination to see it. Drill is much more demanding than last years, I thought it was very effective. The brass book is (ala cavies) very much more Effect-oriented than say, Crown’s. I thought they sounded great- I think they have a top 4 contra line, I really do. They have such a big bold sound, and several gutsy walking base lines that will get them big technical points if it cleans up come finals night. I felt this show was under-scored, and I had them much closer to Crown… I think it’s less entertaining, but much more demanding than the JSU you’ve seen in the past. They look about as clean as any corps would in their FIRST show that wasn’t a standstill- in many ways I think Spirit has improved over last year just as much as Crown has (and that’s a lot) so we’ll see what happens…I talked to a member that said they didn’t really have a great performance and mentioned a large tear in the 3rd piece (I didn’t really notice)- so this might explain why they scored lower than I had them. Crossmen: First off- I loved the new Unis.. reminded me of Phantom 95-96 with some red highlights on the shoulders… I think they look much more professional than in years past. I did really enjoy this show, and I DO think that they have improved over 2003, but not nearly as much as Crown and Spirit… I think they have added an even greater degree of difficulty to their 03 show as well, but again, I think many of the other groups “around” them have raised the bar even more, so we’ll see. They do sound great and they have that in your face sound you’ve come to know and love. This is honestly the best Xmen show I’ve seen in along time… for one thing it is much more serious in tone than 03, and it suits them well I think. This is certainly a very talented group- I see Crown coming out ahead in the end, but Xmen will be right there with them… Bluuuuuuecoats: The boys (and girls) in blue are back, and they have been working their butts off. If you don’t absolutely love the first minute of their show, you might need to get another hobby. The brass sounded VERY balanced, blended, and in tune… The word on the street is that they have a good guard and I would say the word on the street is 100% correct. They grabbed my attention more than any other guard of the night. There is a full-guard unison toss in the brass that is very impressive (ala the opener in 2002)… The percussion is better, the guard is better, the horns are louder, and the drill is more demanding. The one thing that will start improving in the next 2 weeks sometime will be the cleanliness of the drill, and the energy… one criticism of the Bluecoats in the past is that they don’t communicate the emotion of the program quite like Boston or Madison do, and I would say right now, that is still the case, BUT they have made gains in that department, and I think their overall communication is improved. When they add the last minute and a half (which they haven't done yet)- I see them beating Madison and giving Boston and Phantom a very close race. Blue will not peak early (as I think several other corps in the pack will), and come finals week I think they will max it out. Madison: Once again- better than 2003! Their opener isn’t totally convincing, but they more than make up for that in the Ballad, and Malaga in the closer. The rotating company front gave me chills thinking about 95… They have several very talented and soloists that can really put out some serious volume. They might be just a little on the over-extension side of things from a brass standpoint- but they were the loudest horn line of the night up to that point, and they really had a ton of energy. The closer is loads of fun, but I see their opener holding them back from making a threatening run at phantom. Boston: I do have to admit- from someone who is not a big boston fan, this WAS a very good show. They are (see a trend here?) clearly better than in 2003, and it shows in many ways. I still cant believe they had this entire show on the field ready to go like 3 weeks ago… I enjoyed their original music more than last years, it isn’t catchy, or all that entertaining, but it is loud, emotional, and impressive. It will be one of those things you will have to hear 3 or 4 times to let it grow on you. The biggest thing that will stick out to you about this show is that there are voice overs all over the place. They explain what is going on, and what the corps in more or less trying to express… my problem with that? :ramd: I think that part of being a good drum corps is effectively expressing concepts WITHOUT WORDS… I guess they did pretty much the same thing in 2002 except with banners… I don’t know… I am actually confused because I thought the intention of using amplification was to increase the sound from the pit because of their limitations in volume… I must have missed the boat here, I just don’t see why this is necessary. Hoppykins says it will increase the overall entertainment of the shows? Well you might say it does that in a way by adding an extra layer- BUT adding things like voice overs for me makes the entire process less impressive… who COULDN’T convey a message with short phrases added to a musical production?... when I go to an art gallery (I don’t…but if I did) I don’t want someone to sing about the painting to me, or give me blurbs about how I have to interpret the painting- When I go to see an orchestra I don’t want to have the director turn around while he is conducting and say “ok this part is a little slower and in a minor key because the composer wants to convey a sad feeling” or have cue cards flashed at me limiting my imagination… I guess proponents of this might say that it focuses you on what they want you to see or feel, and I guess I’m saying I don’t want to be focused like that at a drum corps competition. It is just so funny to see everyone’s reaction to this stuff. I think there is a lot conveyed by their body language- but the most common emotion I would translate would be disappointment (in reference to first hearing voiceovers as in carolina and boston). Having said that- Boston did put on a very good and technically challenging show… their brass will remain to hold them back from top 5 as long as they play like they did last year (ever check out the brass caption scores from 2003 finals?). Cadets: I’m not a big cadets fan, but this show has really made me give them a second look… ever wonder where the cadets of the 90’s went? They’ve finally made their return this year and its great. Once again this is a big step in the right direction from last year. They have the poise of champions and you can really feel it from them this year- they want it. The brass is amazing, and the percussion is every bit as awesome as you have come to expect. The guard didn’t grab my attention like they have in years past- but I do love how they change out of the puffy shirts! This show is very very good, and I don’t think anyone can say it is unoriginal… I’ve been a Cavies fan since 2000, but I think it’s the Cadets’ turn this year. The show is very entertaining and surprisingly CLEAN for this early…. It looks really good- it sounds awesome---- this could be the year of the Cadet- I would put this show over the cavies show as it is right now any day of the week. They deserved to win tonight. Cavies- This show is very good, and everything you’ve come to expect- but I just wasn’t feeling it tonight. I don’t think I would say this show is an improvement over last year- not that it is ANY worse…I don’t really care for some of the music. The drill is really clean- but I thought cadets were cleaner. There are some cool moments- but I thought the cadets had cooler. There is no doubt that they will still be top 3 this year… but I think that they are looking much more like 2nd or 3rd… we shall see what the new closer brings to the table- I know they’ve got something good up their green sleeves- but will it be enough? Of course it is still impossible to call anything right now because BD and SCV haven't even entered the picture yet. This is going to be an AWESOME year for drum corps- possibly ground-breaking. Going to a top 12 show will no longer mean only making it in for the last 6 or 7… or watching the 8-12 groups and thinking “this is pretty good, but I really just can’t wait for the top 7”… this season from where I am sitting is totally packed with much-improved and entertaining groups. DCI’s stock is on the way up… who knows where we’ll be 10 years from now?