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The Georgia Dome has had a nice makeover since last year, complete with new red and black chairs, and a different colored exterior due to the recent Tornado damage. As usual, the place was packed with tens of thousands of fans, drum corps alums and band students. A knowledgeable and appreciative crowd makes for an exciting venue to see the top 12, and this was a great lineup. All in all, it was one of the most entertaining evenings of drum corps I have experienced, and I had a great vantage point on the 40 yard line! (My thanks to Jeff Cox and DCI for the complimentary ticket!)

Blue Devils- They are very clean, very exciting, and ooze confidence. This show is pretty groundbreaking as they explore absurdity as it relates to the construction of a drum corps show. From the first note to the last you are pretty much drawn in by the level of detail that this design staff has provided and of course by the colorguard uniforms that are so bright they almost burn your retinas. I would be interested in finding out more about why they are doing what they are doing, but tonight I just sat back and enjoyed the sights and sounds presented by a very talented group of performers. Hard to argue that anyone there performed better, thus they deserved 1st place, and the crowd around me seemed as sold as I was. I think Cavaliers and Phantom might start to put up more of a fight for the top spot, but right now they had the look and sound of a champion.

Cavaliers- Another championship caliber show, and wow have they added a lot to this over the last few weeks. The development of the Samurai characters, the jaw-dropping visual effects and the percussion score were stunning (would you expect anything else from the Cavaliers?). Maybe the brass weren't as featured as much as would be expected for a 1st place corps, and I think that might be the only thing holding them back from being neck and neck with BD. The show had a powerful, aggressive, and tribal feel throughout, which really helped to develop the theme that they are portraying. This is right up there with 2002 and 2006 Cavaliers shows, and the new ending had the audience on their feet without any hesitation. I have always been amazed at their ability to be creative year after year while still maintaining the unique combination of elements that makes the Cavaliers who they are.

Phantom- WOW. There is no doubt it isn't 3rd place they are seeking, it is the title, and they have the ability with this show to do what they haven't done since 1996. I saw the webcast from California a few weeks ago and had no idea that this show was heading in this direction. With a little more cleaning, I think we might have a battle for the title between Blue Devils/Cavaliers/ and Phantom. They were without a doubt the audience favorite of the night, and they had the crowd glued to them from the time the drum major came out of the tunnel, pulled by slaves on his "chariot". Before they even played a note, the interaction between the roman soldiers (brass/percussion), and slaves (guard) was portrayed by some very oppressive choreography as the slaves were at the feet of their masters being whipped by trumpets, and a varity of other theatric events. You just knew what you were in store for. Everything that makes Phantom Regiment who they are is captured in this show, and it is masterfully put together. The brass, percussion and guard are all championship caliber, and I loved the murders throughout. One Phan behind me screamed "I AM SPARTACUS" at the appropriate moment, which was a little startling, and I imagine this is something that they really wish other members of the crowd would get into. This production is GENIUS drum corps, and is the epitome of the kind of emotion and entertainment that a drum corps is capable of providing.

Crown- Congrats to these guys! They had one of the most appealing shows of the evening, and what I personally felt to be the best brass sound of the night. They march pretty well too, and have a colorguard that is among the very finest in the activity. They are in a unique spot in terms of competition in my opinion. I don't think they can touch the top 3, but I don't think anyone behind them can catch them either. I really think they are this year's 4th place corps, which is a great accomplishment for this organization, which just several years ago missed finals. My only complaint is that the show is almost a little to "hyper" at times, but this is the appeal that many others are loving so much. This was another corps that the crowd was standing up for well before the cutoff, and the drum major was so intense on the final chords that I thought his podium might collapse. The principal of the school that I am a band director at enjoyed these guys the best. He was sitting nearby, and I think the 1812 overture section is probably the part of the evening he enjoyed the most. Bravo Crown!

Cadets- A very talented group of kids but not their best year in terms of design. I'm not one of those anti-amplificiation posters, so please don't turn this thread into another "one of those" worn out whine sessions. in fact, I'm quite the opposite. I love the creativity that George Hopkins has brought to the activity, and the freedom to express through voice and other electronic means that he has proposed is something that I support and am curious about. That being said, this show just isn't can't be what they were hoping it would be. Tons of changes to the script have made this show so far off what it was, that I'm not sure it is capable of being what it was intended to be. Probably the least amount of crowd response of any of the top 8, and I don't think it was all due to the vocals. On a positive note, the Ticheli music that included Nitro, Vesuvius and Elegy are among my favorites of the concert band medium, so I really enjoyed hearing these selections.

Bluecoats- BIAS ALERT. I'm a former member, and now that I am a high school band director in the Atlanta area, I hosted the corps at the brand new facility that I teach at. The facilities they had to rehearse in are state of the art, and I had my booster organization serve them a nice meal inside before they left for the show. Needless to say, my entire group of band students showed up to watch the brief ensemble rehearsal in the stadium, and I even taught them to Bloooooo for the corps, which they felt awkward about, because they insisted it sounded like booing. Fun times.

This show is simply awesome from an effect standpoint. It is hard not to like this show for all that it offers, and the performance level is really starting to improve. To think they are as good as they are with nearly 50 rookies in the hornline alone is staggering and a testament to the talent of these members. This show offers so much variety and fun in terms of musical arranging, and the colorguard design is the highlight of the visual program. The drumline is crazy good, and the use of the announcer is quite effective. They probably had my favorite start to any show of the night, and my favorite overall moment, the acapella horn feature in the boxer. This is one of those shows that you really can't truly experience unless you see it live and up close, as the show is packed full with details and some really creative moments that don't come across on a webcast. All the changes they have put in are serving them well, and if they push through the next two weeks, I can see them catching the Cadets. It was great to see so many of the same faces that taught me in the corps from 00 to 03 still working with the organization, and I feel this is probably the best put together show in the history of the corps. The final chords had the audience on their feet in a hurry, and that was probably the best received show by the corps that I have witnessed in my time as an alumnus. 6 words...

SCV- Awesome drill! Pete Weber's drill is a feast for the eyes, but I don't think the musical arrangements (or should I saw program choices) ere on par with the creative visual aspect of the show. In a year where things are very "theatrical", they are harder to "get" than say... all of the corps that placed above them. This might be hurting them in the effect captions. Enjoyable, but I think they are in a lock for 7th, as they might not have an overall package to compete with the corps ahead of them, but they certainly will not be caught by anyone behind them.

Boston- Like the use of the new Mackey work "Kingfishers Catch Fire", but was confused on what they were trying to portray with a show entitled Neocosmos. Why was the guard wearing red plumes at the end, with red flags? Someone PM me with an answer if you have one. Overall, it was very easy to enjoy this corps performance, and I liked it.

Blue Stars- Where did these guys come from? A very good corps, with another easy to understand concept. I enjoyed the use of their sponsers on their props, and they really captured the feel of the Tour de France with this program, including the prop on the front sideline with an endless line of bikers. It is great to see one of the older corps make it back in to finals! I'm sure their alumni everywhere must be very proud to see the return of this corps to the top rankings of the activity.

I agreed with all the placements. If I were a judge, I would have had the corps in the same order tonight, but suspect a few changes in ranking come semi-finals night in Bloomington. Should be an exciting week for all who are lucky enough to be at finals!

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Loved the review! You gave me some goosebumps just reading through!

Harvey

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