Richmond, KY - Drums Across the BLUEgrass

[notelvis]

Once a season or so......twice sometimes......I feel led to post a show review and since no one has been here with remarks about the Richmond, KY Drums Across the BLUEgrass show July 1 yet, I thought I'd go ahead and wade in. I say BLUEgrass because we had a trifecta of the blue corps present.........only the Blue Devils missed out on the fun.

For starters, Who am I and why do I think I can write a show review? Fair enough. I marched Junior Corps for a couple of seasons 25 years ago, my wife marched for three seasons in the late 1980's. Together we marched a season of senior corps 'for old times sake' in 2003. Beyond this, I have a Bachelors Degree in Music Education, performed for three years in a US Army Band, and I have been a tour volunteer driving buses for junior corps anywhere from two weeks to all summer for 17 of the 24 summers since ageing-out. Whether on-tour or just in the stands at DCI and DCA shows, I have remained a fan of the activity throughout. Important to add that I am a brass player and my focus, understandibly, is on the hornlines. Percussionists and guard folks, I'm sorry but I don't have much that will hold your interest.

Here we go - The weather last night was absolutely perfect for a drum corps show. Temperature was in the low 70's. There were just a few puffy clouds on the horizon but the skies were blue. The stifling humidity often found in the Ohio Valley during the summer was noticeably absent. I cannot remember the last time I was at a show where the weather was so perfect.......I'm thinking maybe somewhere on a Drum Corps Midwest Tour back in the mid-90's.

The venue - Roy Kidd Stadium and Hangar Field on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. I'm partial to this place because my parents met in college as Eastern Kentucky students about 60 years ago. They were on marching band scholarships and marched on this very field in the early 1950's. The current stadium seating is much newer and I found it to offer an incredible view. The home stands are very high and very steep. We sat midway up in the upper deck and out about the 20 yard line. This was intentional as we had our 2 and a half year old daughter with us. I want her to have the same opportunity to love this activity that I did.......that means early exposure BUT also getting ourselves a little distanced from other spectators so that my agenda of becoming a drum corps dad in 14 or 15 years doesn't interfere with other fans. Roy Kidd (who was a classmate of my parents) Stadium turned out to be the perfect venue for that. There is no track so our seats felt right on top of the action even 30 yards removed from the 50. This show doesn't quite have a big enough following (yet) to need a stadium this large BUT I hope that the Southwind organization is able to, along with getting back on the road, able to continue hosting this show at this venue. It is very cool that the spectators are facing east and do not have the setting sun in their faces at show time. It's also cool that the stadium is tall to the point that by 7:00pm the field is totally in the shadow of the grandstand so the corps are not battling the sun either.

OK......to the corps -

First up was an exhibition from a relatively new All-Age corps called the CINCINNATI TRADITION. I've heard the name for what seems like a year or two (which means they've probably been at it for twice that long!) but this was the first time I've seen them. They got the evening off to an encouraging start with their 16 or so horns, 9 battery, 2 guard, 4 pit show. The music was kind of Spanish/Latin jazz in the Madison Scouts old mode. They generated surprising sound for their size but seemed to be trying a little too hard to project as evidenced by soloists constantly overshooting the proper harmonic at the beginning (and sometimes ending) of phrases. I was reminded of coming off tour with solid hard chops in 1984 but then had to make the switch back to Bb trumpet and immediately start preparing a senior recital. I pulled it off but the first few weeks had lots of practice room gaffes. I will say that Traditions use of black and grey with a red-sequined sash was very effective and these guys are to be commended for their efforts to keep drum corps alive in Cincinnati. The corps marched about two thirds of their show and then stood still for their closer, Malgueana. It is always a little unfair to compare the typical small all-age corps to a DCI corps at this stage in the season since the DCI Corps have about a month of 12 hour day rehearsals under their belts while their DCA brethren may have just kicked it up to rehearsing every weekend instead of just twice a month or so.

Next up, the MUSIC CITY LEGEND all-age from Nashville, TN. This is a corps I first saw live on the field at the DCA Championships the last year DCA was in Scranton. Seems like that was 2005? That was MCL's first field show (seems like they sent a mini-corps in 2004 if I recall correctly) and last night's performance reminded me a whole lot of their performance level at Scranton in 2005. THAT's a compliment. I'm saying that this corps has continued to mature and is now managing by early July a show comparable to where they were at Labor Day Weekend three years ago. The corps marched about 28 brass (I'm sure they would love a few more.....), 8 battery 8 guard, and 7 pit......not bad numbers for a relatively new corps going in DCA Class A.....particularly when Tennessee has never exactly been what you would call DCA Country. I most remember the show's opener being from "Their Playing Our Song" which is what the Madison Scouts opened with in 1980......yes, I remember wearing out the grooves on my 1980 LP albums listening to Madison. MCL also posted a couple a brass squealers on the sideline. One was playing contra, the other played what looked and sounded like a Bb trumpet even the rest of the line seemed to be on G bugles. These guys did not march the drill at all.......they basically hung out and added punctuation with amazingly high and loud notes periodically. It was a fun show and one that would be a pleasure to see again Labor Day weekend if not sooner. MCL scored a 65.850.

My daughter was sqealing with delight by this time having said things like "concert on the grass, concert on the grass" and "it moves!!!". I had hoped for this kind of response based on how she behaves in our living room when I pull out my cornet to practice for church or brass band playing that I am doing.

Moving to the junior corps, note that they all were of a similar size - mid 60's brass, 34-40 guard, 18-22 battery, and a dozen or so in the pit. No one, except for perhaps the Cavaliers had a full 150 on the field but everyone had at least 140 or so.

First up were the BLUE STARS and all I can say is WOW! I came to the activity just after the Blue Stars stopped making finals in the late 1970's and while I realize that this corps has a significant history, this is the first time I have seen a show with such demand and sophistication from the Blue Stars. This is the first time I have seen the Blue Stars handle such a show with such a rich and capable brass sound. Wow. I was captivated from the moment they started warming up in the endzone with Pavanne and I loved the way the themes from that work kept weaving back in and out. The bicycle thing, the colors, what a neat show concept. One of my all-time favorite shows for some reason has been the 1982 Defenders. After years of wondering why, I've decided that this is because that show may have contained so many of the elements which made drum corps drum corps in the late 70's and early 80's. The Defenders were looking to climb to new heights by doing the things they saw the top corps of the day doing and they just cranked out a show for the ages. It's way too early to tell, BUT the 2008 Blue Stars may years from now be viewed as having produced the quintessiential show of the first decade of this millenium. OK. Maybe not............but it has been a very long time since I've enjoyed a drum corps show this much. This show is great and I'm disappointed that the Blue Stars won't be this close to me again for the rest of the summer. I would love to see this show again and again. My daughter recognized some of the music as being from one of her mother's favorite movies and chortled "Sounds like 'Lilli". I trust her ear. This is the same child who heard me practicing for a church service in May and proclaimed "Sounds like Beethoven." Just a couple of random thoughts - the demand is there and I hope that this corps is able to keep the push going. THIS could be the show that returns the Blue Stars to finals and I can't think of anyone who would not be happy to see them back. Also, my first look at a corps with more than 135 people on the field. Didn't bother me. I liked the extra low brass. By show's end the Blue Stars had placed 4th with a 70.300.

SPIRIT entered the field next and the local PA guy announced them to the crowd as the BLUE KNIGHTS. An uncomfortable 45 seconds passed with SPIRIT waiting for the emcee to correct himself before beginning their show. So......in a situation like that, would SPIRIT incur a penalty for going over their warm-up time if they were waiting to be properly introduced? I posed this question to my wife who glibly suggested that maybe the Blue Knights would get the penalty insread! Spirit put about the same number of people on the field as BLUE STARS but deployed a little differently. Seems like Spirit's guard and hornlines were each 4-6 people smaller but that their battery and pit were each 2-4 people larger. There were several apparant holes in the drill as well. (Blue Stars had about the same number of holes......5 give or take.....but they were less apparant.) Spirit's hornline played nicely........great sonority balanced down to the lower voices and surprisingly clean for this point in the season. The feet though? Oh my. This corps is struggling with the drill. There are body carriage issues, drill set issues, stepping off or changing direction uniformly issues. Either the drill is above them or they have had lot's of rainy days on tour and have been spending more time inside on music issues rather than outside on marching and manuevering issues. They placed 5th with a 67.20 and clearly have ground to make up if they even want to mix it up with the five or six other corps who are going to collide headon trying to secure the last three or fours slots in finals this year. I didn't recognize anything Spirit played from my past BUT I did appreciate that more attention seemed to be payed to being melodic. This was a nice corps to listen to. Watching? Not there yet but perhaps down the stretch when it counts.

The show broke for about 20-30 minutes here and that was plenty of time for the little girl to go to the restroom for a fresh diaper and then run at break neck speeds up and down the ramps between the upper and lower decks. It was cool that this space was completely enclosed because Eastern Kentucky has two or three floors worth of classroom space INSIDE their stadium. Imagine a five-story classroom building but with one outside wall slanted to create bleachers for a football game. It was great.

Back upstairs and the BLUE KNIGHTS now really are on the field. This is a corps that has created a niche for itself with an original marching style. Kincking the knee out and holding the ankle lifted for an instant before the step-off. The body movements. The colors which this corps uses with the flags for kind of a pastel effect. For a corps that once rode into finals for the first time by imitating the Garfield Cadets, it says a lot that they have gone on to create such a unique identity. The BLUE KNIGHTS are always interesting to watch. Now, what about what they are playing? Hmnnnnn. Yeah, I recognize snippets to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Yeah, I recognize Amazing Grace but the corps has distorted that hymn to the point that my daughter (a child who is legitimately if not surprisingly recognizing Bach and Beethoven) mistook it for a different hymn. "How 'bout In the Garden?" she asked. I guess 'distortion' is the right one word description of the Blue Knights. Their movements are distorted. Their arrangements are distorted. This hornline really pulls it's punches and teases you without really ever letting you have it. Will they later? Don't know. Will they ever let you have it on a major chord? Not likely. That doesn't seem to be part of these Blue Knights Mission Statement. What I do know is that at the end of this Blue Knights show it was like when a TV show ends the season and pops up the dreaded "To Be Continued........" message. I just felt unresolved at the end of the Blue Knights show. I don't see how it matches the title "Knight Reign" unless the corps' movements are those of prisoners that the Knights have sent to the rack for torture. I found this show to be unfulfilling and I just grew weary of trying to watch it by the end. If I were on tour this summer, I might not bother to watch the Blue Knights again until quarterfinals when they are among four or five corps trying to shoehorn themselves into the last three finals spots. Tonight's finish was third with a 70.500. It's going to be really fun the next time the Blue Knights get together with the Blue Stars, the Colts, Madison, maybe the Glassmen but I haven't paid enough attention to the scores to have much of an idea how that is going to play out.

For a segue from 'pulling their punches' the BLUECOATS were up next and it's an entirely different game for these guys. The talent level and maturity of sound that this corps produces was noticeably better than any corps which had previously been on the field. The drill is at a higher level of difficulty and performed more cleanly though the corps still telegraphs it's next move by leaning into the stepoffs at faster tempos. This show is really, really fun and like the Blue Stars, one that I wish I could see another 6-8 times. It's a boxing theme complete with 'boxers' in their shorts and jackets. (The little girl squealed "He's wearing a yellow raincoat" when the Bluecoats took the field.) I'll admit that I enjoyed hearing familiar themes from the Rocky movies weave in and out and I LOVED the segment where the horns, sans drumline, crowd the front sideline and play a slightly distorted version of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Boxer'. (This coming from a real dinosaur who grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel and is proud to have had the chance to hear them live in concert.) The moment reminds me of the Cadets handling of the Holsinger arrangement of 'Peace Like a River' (aka - 'Hymnsong') in their 1992 'In the Spring' show. THEN the Bluecoats SANG a brief phrase from this hauntingly beautiful tune. I think this was the first time any corps has raised GOOSEBUMPS on my arms since the Santa Clara Alumni Corps in 2002. Remember, I'm Joe Fan as much as anything and to quote a respected music professor I had in college, "When someone declares 'I know what I like', they really mean 'I like what I know'." Again, I'd like to see this show again and again because I would imagine they are going to experiment some with how they present this ballad section and it would be fun to watch it evolve. There is more narration than I would like but from experience that will be tweaked to become more relevant or less intrusive......I hope. It really was not neccessary though and I hope that the Bluecoats will soon tire of the vocal narration fad. Bluecoats were 2nd with a 75.80 and that's about the right margin over the other two Blue corps at this point. By 'entirely different' game I meant the earlier corps are going to spend their summer in the 9-10 to 14-15 place meat grinder......no place for the faint of heart. The Bluecoats this season are going to be about the business of crashing in on the handful of real upper echelon corps. Their chances of doing that are going to depend on the drive they bring to the table as compared to what corps like Santa Clara, Phantom, and Carolina Crown are bringing.

Finally - the CAVALIERS arrived to a welcome worthy to the dominance this corps has shown in the activity for much of the last decade. When I speak of 'real upper echelon corps' I'm meaning Cavies, Cadets, and Blue Devils. A few other corps have managed to periodically shove one of these three aside but face it, have we really had any surprise or variety breaking through since Madison in 1989. Maybe Star in 92 or that year in Orlando that Phantom tied for the title. The TOP is a pretty closed society. The talent level and maturity of sound took another obvious step forward into another echelon when the Cavaliers took the field. They look good. They sound phenomenal. This show is a joy to watch. Where it goes from here is what remains to be seen. The Cavies are playing their notes. They are hitting their forms. It's a men among boys difference even when compared to the Bluecoats. The thing to watch now is what frills the corps has up it's sleeve. What will this corps add to increase demand and keep pace with the corps they will contend with for the DCI Championship?. Did I enjoy this show? Ehhhhhh. Not overly. Was I impressed? Oh heavens yes. You can't watch a corps that is this darned good this early in the season and not be impressed by what you are seeing......and that is a corps that has the benefit of drawing the most talented pool of prospective members in every caption every year. Only two corps out there can beg to differ with that statement. Cavies were 1st with a 79.80. If anything they might should have been shade further ahead of the Bluecoats than that.

Thanks for sticking with me long enough to reach the end.......I hope that I've brought some entertainment and insight to your day.

Edited July 2, 2008 by notelvis

[chadwick]

Great review...thanks!!!

Did Bluecoats have any silent drill moments with the guard? They have had that in their shows for the past several years and the fans have loved it!

[BozzlyB]

Thanks for the review, very nice!

[notelvis]

Great review...thanks!!!

Did Bluecoats have any silent drill moments with the guard? They have had that in their shows for the past several years and the fans have loved it!

Not that I noticed last night. (again, I was partially watching the reaction of a toddler who seemed mesmerized by the moving concert on the grass.) Certainly nothing like last year's "You have the right to remain silent." I wouldn't rule out the possibility of adding something though......this show cries out for experimentation all over the place......and I mean that in a good way.

[00Sop]

Thanks a bunch for a solid review. Even though I was at the show, I didn't get to see any of the DCI corps.

For clarification, Legend is competing as an Open Class corps in DCA. 2005 was our first and last year as a Class A corps.

There were a fair number of holes last night due to work conflicts (Tues. night - ugh) and a few not ready to march the show. We also add some DCI kids after the DCI season is over so the numbers will beef up as we get closer to Labor Day. Work in progress, but it's coming along well...

[Willie85]

Great review. Impressive depth and breadth of knowledge!

[notelvis]

Thanks a bunch for a solid review. Even though I was at the show, I didn't get to see any of the DCI corps.

For clarification, Legend is competing as an Open Class corps in DCA. 2005 was our first and last year as a Class A corps.

There were a fair number of holes last night due to work conflicts (Tues. night - ugh) and a few not ready to march the show. We also add some DCI kids after the DCI season is over so the numbers will beef up as we get closer to Labor Day. Work in progress, but it's coming along well...

My apologies - I just assumed Class A based on the numbers I saw last night. I should have known better or bothered to ask someone.

Now if I lived closer to Nashville I still have this G soprano in the basement........

[sdstar]

Thank you for such a thorough review!

[troon8]

Terrific review! How old is your daughter with the great ear? (I dearly hope that didn't come across as too creepy on an internet forum...) I thought about taking my 4th grade cousin to the show in Madison, but her mother and I ultimately decided that a five hour show would be a wee bit much for her attention span.

[notelvis]

Terrific review! How old is your daughter with the great ear? (I dearly hope that didn't come across as too creepy on an internet forum...) I thought about taking my 4th grade cousin to the show in Madison, but her mother and I ultimately decided that a five hour show would be a wee bit much for her attention span.

She'll be 3 in September and has grown up with the Baby Einstein videos which feature mostly classical soundtracks. Each video has a particular subject (like Van Gogh accompanied by 'Pictures at an Exhibition') and two of her favorites are Baby Bach and Baby Beethoven. Her memory is surprising and it extends to things beyond music. The 'Great Gate of Kiev' is identified as "Sounds like Goat Music" because the Van Gogh video features a puppet of a goat (complete with bandage on his ear!) who paints. Vincent Van Goat!

We've done our best to expose her to live music whenever possible and she is a veteran of several brass band concerts which I've played in, annual trips to the Great American Brass Band Festival in Kentucky, and a performance by a British Military Band complete with bagpipes. As we're sometimes foolish, we even slipped her in to a production of BLAST (in Athens, GA) when she was only three months old. She was absolutely mesmerized, bless her heart.

The thing is, you never know how she will react. She did great at Richmond though she spent quite a bit of time sitting on the bleacher at our feet playing with her felt Sesame Street characters during the show too. She was done by the time the Cavies started......but she was content to entertain herself while mom and dad at least kept one eye on the Cavaliers. Next time she sees drum corps, she may run screaming in terror. Who knows? That's why shows like Richmond where we can still have a great view but be close to an exit for a quick getaway are a part of......bringing her along.