PeeWee Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 (edited) Update (Sunday, June 29th 9:30 p.m. Pacific) - I just added some photos to show you what I was talking about in my review. I'll try to just put the positive things I enjoyed about each corps on here. I just scratched down some thoughts while I was watching each corps. Yes, they were all dirty. But since we already know that, let's move on... The Academy lining up to take the field. A beautiful night. Notice the palm trees (eat your heart out) Open Class Yamato [Riverside, CA] Score 65.6 - Welcome back to the field Yamato! So nice to see your return, and in such good numbers too! They seemed to have almost a full World Class size battery, with cymbals. The giant bronze devils' pitchforks looked cool. Nice looking uniforms with multi-colored sequins on the abdomen. Incognito [Norwalk, CA] Score 53.2 - This is their first year. Welcome to DCI! Their uniforms had that old school Blue Devils look...until they shed the jackets mid-show to reveal a silver & black tunic. White masks on the horns & drums, blue masks on the guard. My heart raced as I thought they were going to play Phantom of the Opera! Lots of visuals already added to their show. Very theatric & charismatic group. Incognito - notice the masks! Impulse [Costa Mesa, CA] Score 59.5 - Nice mature presence on the field, as always. Strong drumline, and it's really got to stick out for me to notice it, 'cause I'm not a drummer. Nice "shimmery" mustard flags; I thought they had stripes on them at first. Unexpected walk off of the field to end their show. Mystikal [Long Beach, CA] Score 55.2 - HUGE colorguard in comparison to the rest of the corps! The guard was also very good, both weapons and flags. All guard members were on rifles at one point. Neon yellow in the guard costume really stood out. Their guard definitely steals the show. Blue Devils B [Concord, CA] Score 73.7 - Largest of the Open Class corps. Pit begins the show with rainstorm-type sounds before the corps begins. Nice slow turn by the brass before their opening statement! They have a more mature sound & drill than the corps that preceded them. They were the first corps where I noticed an amplified pit. I felt it really helped with blend and balance with the field musicians. Blue Devils B - they're big! Gold [Hawthorne, CA] Score 60.4 - They had blue tubes wrapped around their uniform tops instead of stripes or sashes. All brass are brass plated, or "gold", hence the corps name I suppose. Gold - can you see the blue tubes around their torsos? Velvet Knights [Pasadena, CA] Score 65.4 - Uniforms looked like a mad-hatter/skeleton mix from afar. They had a Halloween-type theme (at least, I kept having flashbacks to Halloween). Some gimmicks were already in their show, which made them very entertaining to watch! They played, and danced (horns & guard), "Thriller"! Too fun! By far the most crowd pleasing & entertaining corps in Open Class. Velvet Knights "skeletor" uniforms World Class Mandarins [sacramento, CA] Score 69.0 - The colorguard was very "tight". Also, the brass tone quality & intonation are better than in years past. Very strong horns & guard this year! I don't know enough about drums, but they seem to be playing more timidly than the brass section. Academy [Tempe, AZ] Score 69.6 - Some serious volume from the opening statement by the horns! They're marching 6 cymbals & 11 tubas (I think they may have a hole). The guard work seems unfinished in the middle. The horn book is very difficult, as always. There's a lot of dissonance in their music this year. Pacific Crest [Diamond Bar, CA] Score 71.7 - The "primitive" theme coming from the pit instruments in the beginning of the show is effective. There's lots of tribal-type drumming throughout the show. The guard costumes are crazy busy! Santa Clara Vanguard [santa Clara, CA] Score 79.5 - They won't put their closer in competition until Arizona. And their new uniforms don't debut until Stanford on July 5th. The uniform changes are subtle, but effective and slightly more "classic" on the pant leg. Their drill is insanely cool! I like the groove of their "Body" part of their show. The rhythms & sounds are just...well, groovy! Blue Devils [Concord, CA] Score 81.9 - The running sequences by the hornline members throughout the show are cool. They're literally sprinting around in full uniform! I feel that their light/dark drop clothes are still interfering with the drill intervals; they're distracting. They are so much cleaner than the Vanguard. Their white plumes add great visibility to their drill, and they do some light-hearted goofy things with them. I noticed some holes in the hornline. I'm assuming they're marching injuries. They have a very solid show and they were on tonight! Here's how I would sum up the gap between SCV & BD: The performers in SCV seem to be at the mercy of their show. They're inconsistent. The show in BD is at the mercy of their performers. They're grabbing the bull by the horns. Both shows are just as difficult. One is being performed. The other? Just survived. Edited June 30, 2008 by PeeWee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Much thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_brandt Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Cool, thanks! Maybe I'm wrong about BD. Everyone else seems to love them. I REALLY loved Vanguard's show. Much thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pags Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 Here's how I would sum up the gap between SCV & BD:The performers in SCV seem to be at the mercy of their show. They're inconsistent. The show in BD is at the mercy of their performers. They're grabbing the bull by the horns. Both shows are just as difficult. One is being performed. The other? Just survived. I just wanted to single this out as the best description/comparison of these shows I have read so far. I completely agree. Two shows that are equally difficult, but for different reasons. It simply comes to performance/execution. Though I cannot lie that I find BD more entertaining than SCV to this point. Something about SCV's music just isn't grabbing me yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylites Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I just want to point out the great positive comments that this review had. Everyone points out negatives, but this review really put everyone in a great light. We need more positive comments and reviews like this for the kids who work so hard for the activity. Thanks, PeeWee!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKSEC Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I just want to point out the great positive comments that this review had. Everyone points out negatives, but this review really put everyone in a great light. We need more positive comments and reviews like this for the kids who work so hard for the activity.Thanks, PeeWee!!! I SECOND THIS............THANKS PeeWee!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I SECOND THIS............THANKS PeeWee!!!! And a 3rd!!! Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stylites Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 And a 3rd!!!Thanks Mike And I 4th...oh wait...I was the 1st..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHSnare Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 The body work done in BD's drum feature this year is as entertaining as last years. I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKSEC Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 The body work done in BD's drum feature this year is as entertaining as last years. I love it! Yes, I must agree with that as well........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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