Ryan H. Turner Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) Let's see if the old noggin' can regurgitate my major memories of last night's show. But first--a bit of a background to set things up. LOCATION The show was held at Long Beach Veteran's Memorial Stadium, located to the south side of Long Beach City College and just north of Long Beach Airport. The stadium is a little "odd". There are no backstands at all. NOTHING. The concert side though is substantial, with stands running from the...hey wait a second. SOMETHING IS WRONG!! That's right!!! THE FIELD IS CROOKED!! No, I don't mean it's criminal, I mean it was built offset from the pressbox. That's right...I forgot. I was standing on the track watching people come in, kibbitzing with the green shirts, blah blah. And I looked up at the substantial two-story pressbox, and then looked back at the field. I noticed that the 50 yd line was not centered with the pressbox. I did like two double takes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. And truly--it's off by 10 yards. BEAUTIFUL synthetic turf field and track--but apparently they set it 10 yards too far south. So the stands run (back to my original point) from the 10 yd line on side 1 to the goal line on side 2 (Note--I don't have to explain "sides" do I???? LOL!!!!). GREAT concert side seating. I think, if I'm not mistaken, that it's about 75-100 rows tall. And then a massive two-story pressbox on top of that. Neat. Substantial room in the commons area outside the stadium for concessions AND souvenirs. Parking--well...I'll be kind. It was $3 to park, which was the only way to recoup the cost that was added to "bill" for this place. I was on the fence about whether the cost should have been eaten or not, but the bottom line--this show is a major fundraiser for Impulse, so thank you for people not freaking about having to pay. I had one complaint. Handled. WEATHER Call it global warming, call it whacky, whatever. But I left my house in Brea at 2pm and it was a very balmy (read=humid) 87 or so. I got to Long Beach, and it was about 81, still humid, but this really really nice breeze. And you know what? The sky was littered with puffy midlevel cumulus and some cirrus on top of that (for you weather geeks out there). I could have mistaken California for Florida--less the population of alligators stalking and killing me. As the afternoon transformed to evening and then to night, I commented to Yamato director Eddie-San Martin who was keeping me company for a bit that I was dang near, but not quite, getting a tad chilly. In other words, the previous 304 words described what I believe was a PERFECT day of drum corps. REALLY REALLY nice. UPON ARRIVAL... Showed up--met with show coordinator Orlando Ramos, made sure he was good. He was good. Met up with Studio 116 (www.studio116.com) sound tech Chris who, for the very first time in my announcing career, was MY sound tech that I hired. Yes siree. A quick word about Vet Stadium. Nice place. Crap for sound system. I think the sound system was transplanted from another time period--like--maybe pre-industrial age. So, in order to make the So Cal Classic at least sound professional, we decided to pop a little cash for a sound guy. He brought with him 4 Yamaha speakers on stands, set up the wires, the amp, the equalizer (so I could do my Darth Vader impression...I'm kidding...), and freaking wireless mic! I was set!!! Except for a CD player. Ooops. Missed that part. Quick thinking--what do I do? Why--LEE HOPPER of Great Video Productions and Arizona Academy sprung into action. Brought me a portable DVD player and hooked me up because it also played CD's. SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!! Lee is the best...known him for years and he never fails to be one of those guys that is helpful, knowledgable, and puts my level of enthusiasm to shame with his. Thanks Lee for bailing me out. In any event, GREAT sound system. Appreciate the level of service from the Studio 116 folks. If you even need a quality sound system for YOUR show, give them a look-see. Great people!! Also upon arrival, I had a chance to see Academy practicing on the field. You want to know why Academy rocks this year? Well, other than the fact the drill is great, the music is great, the guard is great, the hornline plays great and all that? Their rehearsal was an absolute LESSON IN EFFICIENCY!!! They had a system to what they did. Everytime they did a production run, the guy on the mic (Mark Richardson???) would say "Form.....Dot...." and then each caption head had 30 seconds. Then a voice would say "Field..." and I watched this. It's freaking AMAZING! The techs on the field would be almost looking up to the stands in such a way as to say "NOW???" and then when they heard "Field!" they all went to work. It TRULY was a dream to me to see that efficiency. The kids were respectful, EXTREMELY hard-working, and very attentive to the words coming from on high. There was one part where The Voice said "Let's do this production one more time, but this time, continue on with 'The Woman'". Ok...whatever that meant. Well, after the production and before "The Woman" could start, The Voice said the familiar "Form....Dot..." and there was a some discussion. Couple of kids on the field had the "WTF DID HE SAY?" and all of a sudden, The Voice said, "Oh we were supposed to go on!!! I'm an idiot!!" And for a second, I thought it was someone related to me. That's something I would do!! LOL!!! Didn't even phase the corps. They moved right on. So--bottom line...outside of the vast talent and design superiority, I credit the rehearsal standards of Academy to be VERY VERY high!! And it was absolutely a blast to watch. Quote of the rehearsal: "Yeah guys, really great sounds coming up here except for the euphonium player down on this side that was overextending the sound just a bit." Turner's Translation: "Yeah guys, you all need to play louder because the euphonium player is kicking your #####!" :P MY PERSONAL LOCATION Because of the sound system set up, I opted to be on the track. So...no drill comments for the most part on this review. As a matter of fact, my music comments may be skewed due to sound going "over my head" but...I can still tell GOOD from BAD. OK...on with the review.... After the Star Spangled Banner and the opening do's and don'ts and what-nots, our first corps was So Cal Dream, southern California's only competitive and DCA-bound all-age drum corps. Playing their show of familiar Star Trek tunes to a show entitled "Dreamscapes", So Cal Dream yet again provided a solid, relatively balanced sound. If anything, the sopranos are the absolutely dominant sound, but you can tell the low brass, ESPECIALLY the contras, are strong. So like an equalizer setting, perhaps trim the top side? But VERY solid players all around. Drum line is coming along with far more confidence than their last southern California showing. Still some pesky timing issues but being on a limited rehearsal schedule can be looked at as one of the reasons why it's occurring. What can I say about the guard? Performing INTO the sun, they did ADMIRABLY, with some drops but not because of lack of ability. I'm sure they were just blinded. But very athletic, and well done by Mark Brown, caption head. Drill design was absolutely state-of-the-art, pushing the limits of the activity to new and higher heights, providing ample opportunities of staging possibilities and communicative properties brought to life by the guided imagery of form, space, movement--((SMACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OUCH!!!!))--wake up Turner. It was ok drill. Following Star Trek, the audience was treated to music from the dark side as the Renegades took the field. Cloaked in their familiar all black uniform now adorned with a red necklace and a pendant, Renegades played music I'm not familiar with at all. But true to form, they brought an intensity to their hornline that is sort of their trademark. I could be wrong but it appeared that the corps was smaller overall, but again, no lack of sound. Drum line a tad smaller for sure (I think 4 snares and 2 tenors?), and the guard was very talented and well-staged by what I could see. There was something going on with a casket that I could not appreciate on the field because of where I was on the track, however, I'm sure it had something to do with the "goth" look to their show. Very talented drum majors--especially James Barony--who did a bit on contra as well as conducting. Good stuff!!! No comments on the drill as I couldn't see much. Next on, from right there in Long Beach, was Mystikal...not Mystical (inside joke). Providing a show of "Olympian" style music (think Gladiator like), Mystikal does a great job with a smaller overall package. I think there are 12 horns, but they are relatively solid. Still some questionable choices for staging of the horns which I thought hung out to dry some trumpets, but again, I wasn't at the best place to judge blend and balance, and it may not have been an issue upstairs. Guard seemed to be well-trained, and the drum line REALLY was very good. Nice job! A contender in Pasadena for finals?? Maybe... Next up was Gold from Hawthorne. Interesting group. Playing primarily Latin-style music, they presented lots of flavors for us to sample. Multiple meters, tempos, styles...good stuff. Guard was well-integrated into the show, and drum line seemed very strong. I was a tad bit "concerned" about the "brass" instruments. I still am not sure if they provide the sound needed for the field. Gold seemed bigger but still not getting the punch of sound that I think a group needs to pull off this Latin flavor music. However, the kids themselves seem to be confident of what they're doing out there. I also read in Pee-Wee's quick review that some of the members were walking around in uniform on concert side. Yep! No-no in my book too, BUT, Pee Wee and I come from the same generation where that was frowned on. I have no idea if it's a big issue anymore. Have to break--will continue review in a bit... -Fever from Modesto graced us with your grey shoed presence at the show, and man oh man. I can see why they are top dogs right now. VERY solid performance all across the board. Visual technique well-done, design seemed to be good, guard and drumline was very strong. I sure appreciated the LOOK of the corps. Probably the most unique look out there--besides maybe VK. Unfortunately, without notes to go on I don't have much more to say. I do agree with Pee-Wee's take on his review though. The grey looks cool. Velvet Knights made their way to the field and I was anticipating what was to come. I was told by several people--without me asking--that VK had really come a long way. I say "without me asking" not as a put down, but to emphasize that there was a certain sense of pre-show excitement. I'm sure they WERE better, but I sort of half-way smacked them in my last review, so I was now getting a tad excited to see what VK had done. And they didn't disappoint. Big sound #1 on my list of memory. I don't get some of their music and I guess I never will. Lot of bouncy contra support--lots of eighth notes to what's going on. Again, a sort of "half time" Magical Mystery Tour made its appearence in the opener. Their ballad is STILL great--however, players need to be so ultra confident in themselves to pull that off. Really think it has great potential to be almost the highlight of their show in my book. Lots of fun, fun, fun on the field. At one point, VK gave a nod of recognition to the Renegades as the mellophone section went up to the side 2 sideline, put down their horns, picked up some Rubbermaid 30 gallon trashcans with the bottoms cut out, and used them to "amplify" the already very talented and need-I-say LOUD contra section (ala what Renegades did with their blisteringly loud midhorn section a few years back). I laughed out loud at that....and here's why. VK (maybe not RIGHT now) should keep in mind that it IS ok to poke fun at the activity, or current events, or whatever. Not saying that the contra thing was a poke at Renegades, but even if it was, it was CLEVER. They could have done the same thing but used those cheerleader "megaphones" and did it with their voices. That would have been funny too. So--it's not poking fun in a "we don't like you" way--it's a "Oh so you did THAT...now watch THIS" take on things. VK would be GREAT at that. THAT is where the humor lies. And needless to say--I have TONS of ideas for that. And I think VK is now--I can say this truthfully--that they're on the right track. Really. Those kids out there are having a great time--very strong horns (volume!), very talented drum line. Not sure the guard was appreciated because I couldn't really see them very well. Big increase in score, and starting to inch up on Impulse's back door. Impulse...a departure. Is it ok? Can the fun corps be the "serious" corps? Can fans appreciate the mode they're in? Well, I sure hope so. Because there's not an ounce of the madcap in this show. It is serious. All across the board. Playing the music of "Final Fantasy", we heard a very well balanced if not ultimately underpowered hornline. Musical??? HECK YEAH. Just not quite punching the sound out yet. And there's got to be a little of that to make the GE Music score maybe a bit higher. VERY strong visual performance, because I'll tell you, the kids DO know how to march. Drum line is unbelievably spectacular. A common theme if you will of previous reviews is how well trained the line is to NOT be overpowering of a smaller hornline. This is CLEARLY a Division I drum line. There's absolutely no doubt about it. BUT...it is a very musical and sensitive drum line. I can't compliment them enough. And the pit...I really had a chance to appreciate their talents as well, since I was standing right in front of them. Great communication with each other, and great musical chops. Narrator did a great job. How they got the overdub of the Japanese voice at the same time I don't know but it was cool. It was narration that was neither too heavy handed, or "cheesy". Simple, to the point, and maybe helped a tad more in the understanding of what Impulse is doing. Guard is still finding their way into the show--talented kids but some staging issues still left to be figured out. Will Impulse win again? They are substantially behind Fever in score, but in THESE eyes (and with these ears) I can't see why they COULDN'T catch up to Fever. BUT...they have a LOT of ground to cover. And will the new style work for Impulse? Sure will...just lose the baseball caps and you'll be fine. And I mean that. Blue Devils B for whatever reason has simply never really been a corps that I necessarily appreciate. I have no idea why. I've just never found their shows to be very good nor interesting, and unfortunately, they've been my hot dog corps. Well, as if it matters, which it doesn't, but this year is different. Sporting GREAT looking uniforms, Blue Devil B brings a fantastic show of Emerson Lake and Palmer music to the field. Not to sound like they're just ripping from 85 BD, they played some of THAT stuff with a different flavor. VERY good hornline--great opening sound. Guard was tremendous--and the drum line was pretty dang solid. I'm not going to be so hasty in getting a hot dog when BDB in on the field anymore. Truly! Great job--go this direction and you'll hook me. Really liked their efforts this year. OK...off to another break I go...fitting in pesky 911 calls as I type this...be patient...Division I and KAC up next... Crowd I think was pretty much waiting for this next group, so out of the gates to a very appreciative crowd came DCI's much bally-hooed (and VERY deservedly so) The Academy from Tempe, Arizona. WHAT A GROUP!!! Already gave a mini-review of their rehearsal, but their performance. WOW!! I was surely impressed. As a matter of fact, as I watched the rehearsal and their final run-through in the afternoon, I quietly thought to myself, "They're going to break 80 tonight." Never said anything to anyone. Later, while Academy was tearing up the field during their performance, DCI Show Coordinator Tom Hope whispered to me--more like YELLED to be heard over Academy's hornline--"That's an 80 show tonight." Well, we both weren't too far off. However, for the record, after Academy was done (and a GREAT performance it was--I mean that sincerely), there was a TAD lack of energy that may have accounted a bit for not breaking 80. Although I'm just conjecturizing here, so I have no clue. BUT--let's talk a bit about the great parts of the show. Can that hornline play or WHAT? What IS it about their sound that is just so RICH? I love it. DOUBLE TONGUING MADNESS....towards the END of the freakin' show--typically when the notes should be getting longer and louder. WICKED!!! Absolutely AWESOME!!! Another part of the show I enjoyed--surprisingly--was the drill. Some great staging by what I could tell, but again, I noticed the "book end" approach to the show. I also REALLY REALLY REALLY like the 12 ct silent drill near the end where the hornline all of a sudden started booking at about 4 to 5. NICE!!! Very exciting. Also, during the drum solo (I think...or maybe the jazzy piece in the middle...can't remember...I'm old), upper brass element does a jazz-run from side 2 to side 1 while doing a "snap" on count 2 and 4...THAT was fun. COOL!! Guard is spectacular in my opinion, and the drumline is quite strong, and a real treat to watch ESPECIALLY during their drum solo. Cymbal line--yeah...you guys ROCK!!! SCV may be awesome, but so are you guys!!! If there's anything to nitpick about--marching technique. The corps does a lot of body movement which is cool, but on the parts where they may be MOVING while doing things with their lower body--I see that in the UPPER body, and to me at least, it looks a little sloppy. I'm talking rigidity of the upper body and not letting motion or "bouncing" be seen in the shoulders. A little phasing issues here and there with feet. So not any REAL serious things--just the fine tuning that I'm sure will come. Bottom line--This is a show that combines elements of originality, entertainment, UNBELIEVABLE horn book and playing, and very solid and well-done drill design. They received a much deserved standing O! Here's the other part of the bottom line...barring some gigantic leap out of other corps, especially those who have hornline caption heads that call me to "check up on California"...Academy is going to be the corps to beat for the 8-12 slot. That is one HECK OF AN accomplishment. But you know what they say about predictions.... Pacific Crest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thatta way to smack me with VIVA LAS VEGAS!!! Good job!!!!!!!!! Wow very exciting opening and overall far far better job than my last viewing. Guard you continue to do a great job, and it looks like PC's drum line has filled out with a couple more tenors. Great! The beginning of the show starts with two things that, if I could put on my "barrel full of beach balls" hat and offer a suggestion. First, there's a young man in the pit that advises people in the audience via their PA system to strangely remain seated, and then repeats the request in Spanish. I'm going totally out on a limb and thinking "What were they thinking putting that in there?" and then it dawned on me. If you are a southern California native, and spent any amount of time at Disneyland, there is a pre-recorded spiel for those in the cue of the Matterhorn roller coaster that is English and Spanish. I was wondering if they were sort of "poking fun" at that. But then the guy in the pit says, "Hope you enjoy the show. And hey...you all look great!" So then I was saying, "AHHHHHHHH...he's trying to be a lounge lizard sorta dude." OK...so I got it. BUT...PC...COME ON. If you're going to DO that...than DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THAT!!! Put the guy into a sequin jacket, give him a wireless mic, and while the pit is setting up, have him do a TOTAL lounge lizard entry for the show. I mean...TOTAL. The "yeeeeeeah baby howya doin" finger snapping winking bit. You know...sort of like Wayne Newton/Tom Jones/Tony Orlando all rolled up into one WAY over the top guy. That'll set the stage better than what he's doing now. Second, Pee Wee referred to the "static" coming from the sound system at the beginning of the show. Guess what? It didn't dawn on me at first what it was either. I kept thinking someone was jiggling a mic cord. But it's someone shuffling cards. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I get it. Well...keeping with the Ryan H. Turner Over The Top School of Show Programming, if DCI allows non-sequenced or sampled sounds, then DO IT UP!! Have REAL casino sounds--roulette table, ding ding dings from the slots, people laughing, a few shouts of "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" that you hear at the craps table...better yet, someone yelling CRAP!! really loud (I'm kidding on that). But in all honesty, PC is already being light hearted...so LIGHTEN UP. MORE. This show is starting to grab me. Really interesting sounds arrangement-wise coming from the pen of Dale Leaman, and a very solid hornline. Visually still a little shaky, and unfortunately, I'm just not a fan of the actual design. So better for the kids to march the poo out of it and sell it that way. Great job PC!!! Best PC I think since...the water ice show deal you did a few years back. I'm not sure but it seemed to me that Mandarins came out of the gate SWINGING last night. They seemed very aggressive, and the music is REALLY tough. Handled fairly well by a horn line that really can crank out some sound. Guard was pretty good throughout, and I especially enjoyed the big green bamboo poles. They seemed to be more part of the show now. Unfortunately, I was dealing with a few things show coordination wise and wasn't able to fully concentrate on the show, so my memory of things is lacking a tad. Sorry Mandarins. And the final EVENT of the night. No matter that some like to split hairs and moan about Kingsmen Alumni having non-Kingsmen in the corps, so ergo, it's NOT a "true" Alumni Corps. No matter some have expressed to me personally that they are a "waste of time". No matter that the average age of the corps is 48. No matter that KAC LITERALLY did not exist until October of 2005. No matter some still squabble about the rivalry that existed between KMEN and VK, a rivalry that apparently was beyond intense. NO MATTER THESE THINGS...because the END PRODUCT is what we got to see on Saturday night, and yours truly...yes me...I got caught up in the excitement. I don't know how many people were out there, but I overhead someone behind me and up in the stands yell, "Oh my GOD....they just keep going and going..." as KAC entered the field. It WAS amazing. Replete in their cadet uniforms (mostly everyone) with a guard that was absolutely GIGANTIC in numbers, KAC was out to prove a point. They not only sound great standing still...they sound great MOVING. What a performance! It sincerely was an amazing event to see these folks do what they did. I could sense tentativeness as the show started because I would guess the universal thought in the minds of the performers was...THIS IS IT!! This ain't rehearsal! Sounded like they were being EXTRA SPECIAL CAREFUL in the beginning as they stepped off to Folk Song Suite. But then...as the show got going...something started to happen. I could hear it. I could FEEL it. Things started to gel. And all of a sudden, KAC busted out "Mambo" from West Side Story. I think that's when IT occurred. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!! Had I been UP in the stands to really get the sound, I probably would have just screamed hysterically. Remember...I was on the track and they were pointing their horns up to the audience. No doubt...IT WAS FREAKING LOUD...but I bet it was just ROARING in the stands. And man did Kingsmen lay it out on "Mambo". It was absolutely infreakincredible. Moment of the night that caught me off guard and #### if I didn't get choked up...dang what IS it with me!! Anyway...I'm pretty sure this occurred when they pushed towards the crowd during "March to the Scaffold" (which was BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!) and I noticed out of the very corner of my eye, standing off against the stadium wall about 15 feet to my right, a VERY elderly man wearing a Kingsmen shirt. And you all know how that push goes is "Scaffold"...dut duuuuuuuuhhhhhh dut duuuuuuuuuuuuuu dutdutdutdutdutdutdutdut dut dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" He's was pumping his arm on 1 and 3 with a clenched fist and TOTALLY digging it. It would probably be safe to assume he may have been one of the original Kingsmen, or possibly even an Anaheim Scout before that. But here was this elderly man--and he had that "drum corps spirit" and was HYPING to the music. That's when I started thinking about my dad and well...had to look away. It was one of those special "only Ryan saw it" moments. ANYWAY...KAC started to get a little winded by the end of the show, but I was getting winded STANDING THERE WATCHING THEM, so who am I to complain? But what class this group had!! What talent!! What excitement!! It was great. And I think the part of the show that may have overshadowed the awesome horn line and drum line was the guard. The snap and precision and military bearing was FANTASTIC to see. A rifle ripple down the 50, just like in the old days!!!!!!!! A color presentation!!! Oh MAN!! I was literally screaming my head off for these folks. It was great. I had such a great time watching them. AMAZING!!! Thank you Kingsmen. Thank you!!! And there you go. That's my last review most likely...next stop is the Bakersfield weekend before championships. I'll be announcing the Bakersfield show but I highly doubt I'll have computer access...and then straight on to Pasadena for Division II/III championships at PCC and hopefully some "blogging" time for Drum Corps Planet from high atop the pressbox at the Rose Bowl. We shall see. Great show!! I had a great time!! Edited July 15, 2007 by Ryan H. Turner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAV Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Good stuff, Ryan! Thank you! Just one addition...c'mon! You didn't recognize "Stone Ground Seven" in the Renegades show? Hmmm.... MAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acad Dad Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) Ryan - and those reading. I have never done a review and probably never will. I just don't understand Drum Corps well enough to be informative, but I can certainly comment on what is already done and add my 2 cents. Yeah, right. I'm the guy who comes into the Sistine Chapel and says "wow, great....another flower on that tree over there would make it SPECTACULAR!" :P Anyway, to glom onto Ryan's review with some comments of my own. Right down to the show venue, the weather, etc. First off, I had no plan to arrive early enough to catch all the corps. I had to drive from Temecula (if any of you know where the heck that is) into Orange County to pick up my MOM before heading out to Long Beach. After an hour + drive with moderate traffic (gotta love the 91, huh guys?) I got to OC, picked up mommy and headed up to Long Beach. I must add a thank you to my wife who remembered to ask me if I had the tickets just as we were pulling out of the driveway....uhhhhhh....NO!.......thanks honey! The plan was to arrive around 6ish and have about an hour to wait until I got to watch my son perform. I was anxious to see how the layoff impacted Academy and what they had been working on. I also got a call from him saying they had been kicked out of Long Beach State (where they were supposed to practice, boooooo on YOU guys!) and headed over early to Long Beach City College to get in a rehersal. (Thank you to YOU guys) Traffic was uncharacteristically flowing in So Cal this glorious cloud-dotted evening (nod to Ryan) and I literally flew up to Long Beach. I arrived in time to drive right into the MASSIVE parking lot where the corps busses/trucks were along with regular parking. Nice to not have the usual separation. (BTW, Ryan, I didn't mind the $3 at all given how convenient everything was. I dropped off a couple boxes of Costco food to donate to the Academy's cause (parents, I know we pay a lot of money to send these kids off, but please continue to help when you can, it was only $100 worth of food, but I'm sure it helped make a dent in at least a few meals and they really appreciated it) I went in, paid a visit to the Academy souvie booth to upgrade my grape jelly stained Academy shirt for a freshie, and hoped I could find a seat with a back (so I wouldn't have to listen to my wife complain all the way home how much her back hurt) :) The stadium holds approx 10,000 people on ONE side, with almost 4,600 seats with backs and the rest bench. As the night went on and when the Div 1 corps came up, I'd venture to guess ALMOST every "red" seat was taken with a few exceptions. I'd estimate the crowd at almost 4,000, which is pretty impressive. We settled in just after the National Anthem was played and found some great seats about 60 rows up (my god, that was one weird stadium but cool for Drum Corps) on the 40. GREAT breeze was blowing and the sun was just starting to go down over the press box, casting a welcomed shadow on the field. Unfortunately for Dream Sr., it wasn't there yet and I'm sure the sun was a major reason for some of the guard drops. That sun must have been brutal! For those of you who attended the PC show at Walnut, this stadium certainly lacked acoustics that the natural "bowl" at Mt. Sac has, but it was really a great place to be able to watch drill and get the full sound of the corps. Here is my 2 cents as a fan...not a reviewer. Dream Sr. Nice program. Good sound. Tough timing, as I alluded to earlier as there were a few drops (that were noticiable) in the drill, but as I say again, the sun must have brutal on the field. Thought the show was better than what I had seen in Riverside so keep working on it! Renegades OK, I'm not sure how old Ryan is, but I've got to be close and I recognized the music, especially Evanescence My Immortal. They "sold" the show to me and the hornline, especially the trumpets (great solo's, guys) were awesome. I had not seen a Renegades show but my son had told me about their "mystique" and how he was a fan of their shows. I can see why with this one. I'll probably get flamed for this, but, for ME, I'll take the backdrops like Renegades used to set the mood over narration ANYDAY. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't really like them, either, but on the I don't like it scale, narration is an 8 and backdrops are in the 5-6 range. Mystikal Strong Drum Line!! Lost some of the volume in the show (and therefore, some interest) as it went on. Not sure why....Good show, scored about where I thought it would. Gold I remember them from a couple years ago at some of the local show (like Esperanza Experience) and I think they have continued to improve. I like the visual of the "Gold" instruments (no other corps I've seen marches with the "gold" look) and thought there sound and drill were very disciplined. I agree with Ryan that the Latin style of music needs a bit more "oooomph" (technical term) to be pulled off to the fullest extent, but all in all I really enjoyed the show. Less volume than I remember from this group last year with a similar size (?) Fever Wow, kind of reminded me of the first time I saw Academy perform when we were at a show a couple years ago. I remember thinking "these guys are out of their league....in a good way!" Same thought for Fever. I don't know the rhyme or reason why a corps chooses Div II or Div III, but these guys should take this thing at Div III and could give Div II a real run! Would love to see them take the step up and compete against the best Div II has to offer when they can because their sound was big, their drill was clean, and the guard looked good. The whole package. My hats off to you guys! ---------------------- MORE TO COME, not that anyone's waiting, but I have to play with the new puppy for a bit. Darn these needy living things!!! Impulse I must apologize to Ryan and the show sponsors.....everyone needs a bathroom break. This was mine (not by choice) VK What an improvement. I saw the first show in Riverside (the "burning trailer" show) and I'm sure a month more to work on the show and having their own equipment made a big deal. I thought the show was great. Fun and funny. I totally got the humor in it and something I found missing a couple years ago when I saw my first Impulse show. I had heard about the corps that were "irreverent" and fun and two years ago I didn't get that from the Impulse show I watched. (wow, I don't mean for this to turn into Impulse bashing at all!!!) and I missed last year's championship show from Impulse...but I get it with VK. Down to the (and I"m not sure yet how I feel about it) martini toast during the awards presentation. Good music, fun drill, and the kids really seemed to be able to convey fun and sarcasm throughout the peformance. I loved the "trash cans" and thought the hornline was good. All in all, I felt like I was entertained! A really good show. I was pretty disappointed with the score, but I'm not sure how they've been scoring so not sure if it was a disappointment to them or not. (Note to Pee Wee from your review) I heard VK when they let out that cheer as well, and it was unfortunate it was during another corps performance and that it was somewhere that could be heard. However, the story behind the "roar" is this: When VK suffered from the infamous "trailer fire" incident at the Riverside show and Academy stepped up and gave them everything they needed to do their show (except for their tennis shoes) VK has been #1 on the Academy support team, cheering them whenever they perform or when they march by. It is a "thank you for helping in our time of need" that is quickly becoming a neat tradition between the two corps. Lord knows, we have enough people who view this as Hyper competitive and "bash" other corps. It is absolutely heart-warming to see the "friendship" that has developed this season between the two corps and the support VK has consistently given The Academy. The Academy drumline was marching to the staging area and as they went by VK, they gave a spontaneous cheer. I'm sure no malice was intended and unfortunately, it was a little too close to the open stadium. Blue Devils B I must say, they LOOK impressive. Those uniforms are spotless and sparkling and they really POP. Hornline sounded good (I didn't think great, but obviously the judges did giving them #1 in brass) and the drumline was also well executed. Unlike Ryan, I didn't recognize the music from BD '85 but did recognize the ELP from the 2005 show Crossroads that Esperanza did. Especially Piano Concerto #1. I thought it was nicely done, but for me, the sound and drill didn't match up with the look! The expectation was there and you can certainly see how a program like BD can continue to shine with a "feeder" program like this one in place, but I was left feeling a little flat at the end of the show. My opinion, and maybe I was just anxious to get to the next corps..... Academy Let's get it out of the way....read my name....read my signature. Of course I'm going to be a "Homer" for these guys. That being said. This show was vastly improved over the same one I saw 3 weeks ago in Riverside, Walnut, and Glendale, AZ. However, I am not a judge so I would love to hear some of those tapes, but I don't see how they didn't break that magical 80 last night. As Tom and Ryan said, I thought it was "in the bag". OK, so how come Acad Dad is so concerned with scores when The Academy themselves are not! Call it holdover from a couple frustrating years with Esperanza (score wise) or a strong desire to be able to watch my son march on Finals night in So Cal (and have him experience the thrill and excitement of performing in front of 20,000, 30,000 or more vs. 3-4k) or just I"m competitive. Whatever the reason, it bugged me that the score wasn't higher. A la Ryan Turner. There, it is out of my system. Just about every facet of the show that I thought lacked something was addressed in a positive way over the last few weeks. First, the guard uniforms were bothering me because they didn't convey the era to me at all. Besides that, who the heck was the villain, which one was the hero, and while I could pick out "the girl" she got lost often among the rest of the guard. Enter change number one. The uniforms lost that weird blue/teal color for a more subdued look and I think it helped. 2nd, the girl being in red, the villain in black, and the hero in white just laid out the story in front of me. Pay attention here, from a spectator standpoint. I didn't need narration to tell me who was who, I didn't need backdrops, etc. But the uniform change spoke volumes and helped me follow the story much better. I think the GE scores reflected tht. Secondly, musically, there were areas that were "weak" or where a small portion of the hornline struggled to hit the right notes with the right power. (especially in the ballad) and they cleaned that up by adding a few more musicians to play that part, which sounded much more musical while still maintaining the feel of the piece. Third, jazzed up the "jitterbug" scene. There were some complaints, and I was one of them, that while the music was fun and the crowd got into it, the guard wasn't "selling" the jitterbug. Now, not only does the guard sell it, but the entire corps sells it as well. Fourth, control. Academy decided to trade pure power for control and changed some of their "hits" that were standing and face forward with a backfield turn that brought some drama to the volume. I liked what they did in a couple sections. My only complaint was in the "jitterbug" number, they changed one area where they finish up a run, the crowd is really into it and ready to start rocking, and they start off REALLY REALLY softly. In the old version, they simply started off that part of the number and jumped right in, and, emotionally, I was ready to do that this time. With the soft beginning, I was left with a feeling of "c'mon, c'mon" which they built to. I understand that is exactly what they were shooting for, by building the excitement, but I felt a little bit of a "false start" feeling with that part of the number. The ballad, I think, is beautiful and the effect when the hero and the lady find each other, the corps forms a heart, and they hit that chord gets me every time! I'm such a sap!!! (tear) Finally, the closer was cleaned up and the jazz run (I think Ryan described it a a 12 count silence) near the end is a GREAT effect. Two legitimate standing O's from the crowd and I could have not been prouder. Score aside, they certainly won the night and the hearts of the crowd. (except for the Kingsmen, but that is another story) in my humble and very biased opinion. There is certainly something there that gets the crowd, but obviously, not the judges (yet) I haven't seen the "east coast" corps yet, but did see SCV and BD. The level of complexity in the drill, the fact that the corps is in MOTION almost constantly and maintains the BIG sound you expect from DIV1 while not just moving but doing it in interesting and (to my eye) more complex ways than their competitors tells me there should have been a wider spread last night. What an a s s you must be saying. Complaining about the gold. Well, I welcome your thoughts, flames, etc. But this is how I felt. Pacific Crest I'll be the first to say I wasn't a big fan of the Vegas show (although I love Vegas) MOSTLY because of the narration. Are you kidding me that you can't get that the show is about Las Vegas with Luck be a Lady. OK, with that aside, what a difference between this show and the last time I saw it in Riverside. The musical performance was great! The drill was dramatically better. The guard did an excellent job and I totally felt, bought into, and was swept away with the Vegas vibe. I think Ryan was the one who said (or maybe Pee Wee) that if you are going to do narration, at least get into it (in the Riverside review) and they absolutely bought that hook, line and sinker! The narration (I can't believe I'm saying this) was performed MUCH better tonight and that helped me accept it, as well. Still not a fan (obviously) of it because I think they sold the show so very well w/o it, but it was certainly executed MUCH better. I was (sorry to use this word again) entertained by PC and really enjoyed their show a lot. Mandarin Interesting change or addition to guard uniforms from the all gold from last time I saw them. I liked the "traditional" robe looking gear worn by them and the flag effects of the guard running through the corps were impressive. The drumwork is much improved over their last show and volume, overall cohesion, and feel of the show was substantially improved. I would say I was a bit surprised by the score received as I thought the placement of 1-2-3 was correct, but I thought PC put on a "relatively" better show than Mandarin (in execution) by about the same level I thought Academy put on vs. PC. The scores did not reflect that, however, What I do think is that Mandarin has, what I feel, to be more substance to their show and therefore, more room to clean, and improve. I'm not exactly sure how the scores have been trending vs. PC (and now vs. Academy for that matter) but I'd think Mandarin has the POTENTIAL to have a higher scoring show than PC if they can get all the elements together. For that matter, either one of them could climb over Academy if they continue the strong work ethic that has obviously been in place over the last 3 weeks, because both shows were seriously improved in that time! I take my hat off to both of you and hope Academy uses the gap that you have closed in the last 3 weeks as motivation to keep striving for their own excellence! Kingsmen My wife and mother are not drum corps fans in general. They are there to watch their son and grandson respectively. Often, the other corps are just the appetizer waiting for "his" corps to come onto the field. The Kingsmen changed that for them. Both of them, and myself included, were BLOWN away (literally and figuratively) by that corps. The guard was absolutely mind-boggling in their precision (I can't wait to see how they can improve by Pasadena, but there wasn't a lot of room for improvement) and the 50 yd line rifle twirl that ryan describes absolutely took my breath away. The overall control and PRECISION (I'll say that word again) was thrilling to watch (I joked that no one could afford to drop their rifle because they probably couldn't bend over to pick it up :) ) and the sound that came out of that 300+ group was AMAZING. If that was what drum corps was like in the 70s, I wouldn't mind going back! I loved the guard work and the "snapping" of the rifles as they marched. All in all, it was truly a "special" performance and I take my hat off, again, to each and every member of the corps. I loved every minute of your show and can't wait to see you perform in Pasadena on Finals night. (I'll be on the field volunteering so I get to see the rifles up close!) All in all, a really great evening in Long Beach. A big part of me wishes that they were across the country in Atlanta doing their thing so we don't have to listen to the whole "West Coast" deal, but the corps put on a heck of a show and I'm anxious to see all 3 Div 1 corps perform head to head with the others in San Antonio. Edited July 16, 2007 by Acad Dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKbassgrrrl Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 you have one person waiting !!!! Please continue ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brassboy Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Thanks for the great review Ryan! Question for you, since you were the announcer. With DCI's new timed script, have they mentioned anything about altering it? The reason I'm asking is because there were two VERY noticeable differences in how they did the announcement at the Atlanta show yesterday. First, they were NOT always waiting a full minute between "Drum major(s) _________, is your corps ready?" and "Drum Corps International proudly presents, the ________." Many of the corps rely on that full minute because of the way their show is programmed (e.g. "pre-show" performance), and I noticed that BD saluted long after they were announced to begin. Second, now they're saying "Presenting their program entitled '_____', Drum Corps International proudly presents..." This, I think, is a nice adjustment since it will at LEAST give the audience a LITTLE better idea of show concepts. Anyway, I was just wondering if that change was made known to all show coordinators. I know you HATED doing it at the Mt. SAC show. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acad Dad Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 BTW, this was posted in the DCI discussion section, vs. the review section, and I wanted to make sure, Ryan, you know how much the local Drum Corps community appreciates what you do: Ryan...you are the BEST! Great job last night (getting a little more comfortable, if that is the word) with the stupid DCI announcement and all the work you do with all the corps around So. Cal....and to top it off, always one of the best reviews! I know I appreciate all you do! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tay's Mom Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Ryan and Acad Dad: Thanks so much for your reivews! It helps to be able to picture what went on, for those of us not so lucky as to actually be there! Really good job, greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Thanks, Ryan ... As always a great review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Awesome, THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One of the Sops Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Kingsmen...and the 50 yd line rifle twirl that ryan describes absolutely took my breath away... And we in the hornline at that moment thought the crowd was cheering for our 160 bpm pinwheels... ...(I joked that no one could afford to drop their rifle because they probably couldn't bend over to pick it up :) ) ... Yep, those 6-inch cumberbunds wrapped tightly around the cadet jacket and pants were the next best thing to fusion surgery. ... I loved every minute of your show and can't wait to see you perform in Pasadena on Finals night... Thanks mucho for all your kind comments, but you'll need to come on Semi-Finals night to see us. We'll be sitting in the stands at Finals. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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