More on San Antonio...

[ctrain08]

Here's some of my thoughts on the the evening show (from what I remember). I saw and heard a lot of things that I totally didn't expect after reading these reviews all summer....

Vanguard- still not back to where they were pre-04, but they are significantly better than last year and if they continue to improve at this rate over the next couple years they will get back to where they want to be. Don't remember a whole lot about the show, but the crowd seemed to dig it. Not a very memorable show in my opinion, but whatever, it's been great to see them improve these last couple years. Keep it up guys.

Carolina Crown- They have a very mature sounding hornline and honestly they were the only ones to kinda give me goose bumps. Their brass sound is so rich and well balanced. This was also the first corps in my opinion to carry out the theme of their show well. The show was very well written and it's very audience accessible. The crowd reaction was great.

Phantom- Not quite sure I understood the theme. Hornline was certainly good, but I don't think they were "showcased" well enough. Also, it seemed like all their soloists were having problems tonight (a lot of cracked notes). There was also a little too much ballet and prancing around for my taste. I know that is kind of their trademark, but it's growing old on me and I think it makes them look kind of sissy. I was hoping for a lot more "in your face" kind of stuff. I don't really know what else to say about them, I kind of zoned out during their show...not too memorable.

Bluecoats- This show was fantastic and seemed more like a show I would expect from the Cavaliers (more on that later...). The "Criminal" show is by FAR the most entertaining and most audience accessible. It was honestly the only show that kept my attention the entire time. Much like the Cavaliers, I thought all their choreography actually had a PURPOSE and actually ENHANCED the show. I see so many corps out there who do the same old choreography that all corps do every year and it starts to seem after a while that their just doing it for the sake of doing it. Also, the "narration" (or whatever you want to call it), fit the show perfectly. This show is so well designed that I just can't see it placing any lower than 4th on finals night. Oh, btw, I was skeptical about the new uniforms, but they look GREAT live and I think they are good for the new direction that this corps is headed in. Having said that, I do really miss the white pants and helmet. That was one thing I always loved about the Bluecoats was their uniform. It was always so refreshing to see them enter the stadium after seeing a million corps with black pants. Now they just sort of look like everyone else, but whatever, I can live with it. The new ones look really sharp.

Cadets- I'll start with the good stuff....Music is awesome, I can really appreciate them putting Symphonic Mvmt. on the field because I've played it sitting down and it was hard enough to stay together like that! The hornline was AMAZING as usual. They march well, they play well, yada, yada, yada.....Now to the bad stuff....That's right, the narration. Yes it's pointless and distracting and doesn't help get the point of the show across. We could bash it all day so I'll try to keep that to a minimum. However, there are a few things I just have to get off my chest here....was it just me or did the guy's voice sound EXACTLY like Napoleon Dynamite!!?? It just made the narration sound THAT much more ridiculous. And come on...."When I play my trumpet, something MAGICAL happens!!!" Can it get anymore cheesy?? Anyway, not a very good theme which made for a mediocre show. What was the show called again? "This I Believe"? What does that even mean? The Cadets have been trying to get a little too philosophical on us the last few years and I think we're all getting sick of it.

Blue Devils- eh, it was sorta cool I guess. By the middle of the show I was pretty much zoned out though. What was the theme of their show again? Who knows....and I really don't care. We all know these guys can march and play like nobody's business, but I think the people who have been designing their shows the last couple of year need to get it together.

Cavaliers- The show itself was good, but certainly not what you would expect from the Cavaliers. Like I said earlier, it seemed like the Bluecoats had the kind of show the Cavaliers needed this year. To be completely honest....No, they're not as good as they have been the past few years. They don't play as well, and they don't march as well. That is not to say they were bad, it's just that they don't stand out among the other corps the way they usually do. When I saw them up close during the encore, it looked like it was a REALLY young group of guys, and probably not a lot of vets. (but I don't know for sure). Any way, like others have said before me, the ending will probably get revised a little more before finals. As a matter of fact, I would say that this corps has the MOST room to improve between now and the end of the season, which is good I guess.

My overall impression of tonight was that most of these corps didn't have very well designed shows. Bluecoats and Crown were the only two (in my opinion) that had excellent designs and I think they will be rewarded for that on finals night. As far as talent goes, these corps are pretty neck and neck. No one really stood out in that respect. That's why I think it's all going to come down to SHOW DESIGN. So, here's my predictions of the top 7 corps at finals this year...

1st- Cavaliers

2nd- Blue Devils

3rd- Bluecoats

4th- Cadets

5th- Crown

6th- Phantom

7th- Vanguard

Sorry if I sounded too negative here, but I really don't like to "sugar-coat" anything when I write these reviews and feed you the same old lines that everyone else writes and wants to hear. So take it for what it's worth I guess, it's just one man's opinion.

[LSU GRAD 82]

Here's some of my thoughts on the the evening show (from what I remember). I saw and heard a lot of things that I totally didn't expect after reading these reviews all summer....

Vanguard- still not back to where they were pre-04, but they are significantly better than last year and if they continue to improve at this rate over the next couple years they will get back to where they want to be. Don't remember a whole lot about the show, but the crowd seemed to dig it. Not a very memorable show in my opinion, but whatever, it's been great to see them improve these last couple years. Keep it up guys.

Carolina Crown- They have a very mature sounding hornline and honestly they were the only ones to kinda give me goose bumps. Their brass sound is so rich and well balanced. This was also the first corps in my opinion to carry out the theme of their show well. The show was very well written and it's very audience accessible. The crowd reaction was great.

Phantom- Not quite sure I understood the theme. Hornline was certainly good, but I don't think they were "showcased" well enough. Also, it seemed like all their soloists were having problems tonight (a lot of cracked notes). There was also a little too much ballet and prancing around for my taste. I know that is kind of their trademark, but it's growing old on me and I think it makes them look kind of sissy. I was hoping for a lot more "in your face" kind of stuff. I don't really know what else to say about them, I kind of zoned out during their show...not too memorable.

Bluecoats- This show was fantastic and seemed more like a show I would expect from the Cavaliers (more on that later...). The "Criminal" show is by FAR the most entertaining and most audience accessible. It was honestly the only show that kept my attention the entire time. Much like the Cavaliers, I thought all their choreography actually had a PURPOSE and actually ENHANCED the show. I see so many corps out there who do the same old choreography that all corps do every year and it starts to seem after a while that their just doing it for the sake of doing it. Also, the "narration" (or whatever you want to call it), fit the show perfectly. This show is so well designed that I just can't see it placing any lower than 4th on finals night. Oh, btw, I was skeptical about the new uniforms, but they look GREAT live and I think they are good for the new direction that this corps is headed in. Having said that, I do really miss the white pants and helmet. That was one thing I always loved about the Bluecoats was their uniform. It was always so refreshing to see them enter the stadium after seeing a million corps with black pants. Now they just sort of look like everyone else, but whatever, I can live with it. The new ones look really sharp.

Cadets- I'll start with the good stuff....Music is awesome, I can really appreciate them putting Symphonic Mvmt. on the field because I've played it sitting down and it was hard enough to stay together like that! The hornline was AMAZING as usual. They march well, they play well, yada, yada, yada.....Now to the bad stuff....That's right, the narration. Yes it's pointless and distracting and doesn't help get the point of the show across. We could bash it all day so I'll try to keep that to a minimum. However, there are a few things I just have to get off my chest here....was it just me or did the guy's voice sound EXACTLY like Napoleon Dynamite!!?? It just made the narration sound THAT much more ridiculous. And come on...."When I play my trumpet, something MAGICAL happens!!!" Can it get anymore cheesy?? Anyway, not a very good theme which made for a mediocre show. What was the show called again? "This I Believe"? What does that even mean? The Cadets have been trying to get a little too philosophical on us the last few years and I think we're all getting sick of it.

Blue Devils- eh, it was sorta cool I guess. By the middle of the show I was pretty much zoned out though. What was the theme of their show again? Who knows....and I really don't care. We all know these guys can march and play like nobody's business, but I think the people who have been designing their shows the last couple of year need to get it together.

Cavaliers- The show itself was good, but certainly not what you would expect from the Cavaliers. Like I said earlier, it seemed like the Bluecoats had the kind of show the Cavaliers needed this year. To be completely honest....No, they're not as good as they have been the past few years. They don't play as well, and they don't march as well. That is not to say they were bad, it's just that they don't stand out among the other corps the way they usually do. When I saw them up close during the encore, it looked like it was a REALLY young group of guys, and probably not a lot of vets. (but I don't know for sure). Any way, like others have said before me, the ending will probably get revised a little more before finals. As a matter of fact, I would say that this corps has the MOST room to improve between now and the end of the season, which is good I guess.

My overall impression of tonight was that most of these corps didn't have very well designed shows. Bluecoats and Crown were the only two (in my opinion) that had excellent designs and I think they will be rewarded for that on finals night. As far as talent goes, these corps are pretty neck and neck. No one really stood out in that respect. That's why I think it's all going to come down to SHOW DESIGN. So, here's my predictions of the top 7 corps at finals this year...

1st- Cavaliers

2nd- Blue Devils

3rd- Bluecoats

4th- Cadets

5th- Crown

6th- Phantom

7th- Vanguard

Sorry if I sounded too negative here, but I really don't like to "sugar-coat" anything when I write these reviews and feed you the same old lines that everyone else writes and wants to hear. So take it for what it's worth I guess, it's just one man's opinion.

I would much rather read a review like yours than one from one of the "sugar coaters" that has stars in their eyes and is enamoured with anything and everything that drum corps in 2007 has become............