Atlanta review and thoughts

[ptdawg2001]

For starters, I'd like to say that as domes go, the Georgia Dome is a great place to watch a show (thankfully no pipe leaks from the ceiling this year like in 2005). I attended the show with my fiance, who had a lot of thoughts as well. We only caught the evening show and here are a few thoughts, in performance order:

The Crossmen - I have to say I really like the direction they have taken since they were reorganized out in San Antonio. You can tell they have a lot of younger, less experienced kids and there are some individual technique and performance issues, but tell they also have an attitude about them and I love that. They have made some changes since I saw them last (guard now leaves on the "space shoulder pads-esque" outfit on throughout the show, for example). The guard is large, which really ups the visual impact, although I'm not a huge fan of the neon orange X's in the closer. The musical arrangements have been tweaked a little also, which makes the themes more clear, enabling the audience to connect better. They need to keep pushing to stay in 12th as several corps (Spirit, Colts, Madison) will be at their heals down the stretch.

Glassmen - I'll be honest, it just didn't do a lot for me. That is very blunt, but that is really how I have felt about the last several Glassmen offerings (this year, Gitano, etc.). I feel like they have lost some of the late 90's edge that had them around the top 6-7 every year. They do a god job of selling the carnivale theme, particularly with the guard. At one point in the closer, portions of the guard are working with 5 different types of equipment, I presume the whole different shows at the carnival kind of thing. The brass was okay, but not spectacular. A couple of nice little battery features, but they just don't stand out next to the meat that came later in the evening. The guard was definitely the strongest caption. They also still hav work to do for a spot in Finals.

Blue Stars - My first viewing of this show and we both loved it. One of the most original themes I have seen in a long time. My fiance thought they did an excellent job of selling the cycling theme without being too cheesy (I thought they might have stepped over that line a little, but who's to quibble). There seemed to be a significant step up in performance and field presence between the Stars and the prior two corps. Nice color guard work. Dug the handlebar flags as well as their, from what I was told, new ending. For the most part the drill is not too demanding, but they execute well. A nice show from start to finish and one that I think has a spot in the 9-10 range come Finals.

Boston Crusaders - Only saw pieces of this show from the tunnel. The show seemed solid, but not overly spectacular. It some ways it felt like a very "safe" show. Nothing was a glaring weakness, but no captions really stood out in my mind. I thought to 6-snare/5-tenor battery was an interesting choice, but there may be things I am not aware of that have shaped that situation. I definitely agree with the Stars placing ahead of them and if they continue to polish and communicate their theme, that position change could be permanent. BAC seems to be headed for Finals in 10-12 range.

SCV - The opener is the highlight here. I will also say that I loved the cymbal line coming out of the tunnel last. One could spend the entire show just watching SCV's plates and be entertained for 10 minutes. It felt like a noticeable step up in all areas when SCV hit the field and the scoring reflected that. The drill is fantastic, which we have come to expect from them, although there is still room for plenty of cleaning. At times, I felt like the music suffered a little when they were moving and with that kind of drill that's a bit of an issue. The rest of the show didn't seem to quite live up to the opener for me. I also felt like the percussion was maybe a notch or two down from the high levels that recent SCV lines have been setting. I think this show may settle in right where it is, in 7th, although with a big push, 5th-6th is not out of reach. They did it last year and they can do it again.

Blue Knights - A solid offering again from the dark side. I will be the first to admit not being a huge Knight fan over the last few years (I prefer the late 90's-early 00's Ben Hur and Trittico offerings). That out of the way, this show did not excite me a great deal. To me they are a better version of Boston - solid in all areas without anything being overly outstanding. This is definitely a Finals show, although I think SCV will continue to beat them out as they continue to clean (their show just has a higher ceiling visually). The silks are beautiful as they are every year. I like the homage to the old "white dot" uniforms on left side of the uniform chest and the guard uniforms. All in all, another solid year and a 7th-8th Finals placement.

The Cadets - I'm not going to break any new ground here, but I'm not going to just trash the whole show due to the narration either. I will say that the music, drill and performance that is there is top 3 caliber in my opinion. The guardwork is also fantastic. The frantic ending drill sequence is awesome and got the loudest crowd response of the evening thus far. Overall, however, I think they are really struggling to connect with the audience. The narration seems overdone at times (I understand it has been tinkered with throughout the season) and it takes away from the focus on the amazing performers this corps clearly has. I have no problem with narration used to supplement a show (see BD '06, Coats '07, '08). My feeling, though, is that your show shouldn't "need" the narration to communicate itself. It should only add to what is being performed, not completely define it for the viewer/listener. Right now this show seems to be going the way of Cadets '06 meaning a 4th-6th place finish despite top 3 talent/performance due to a lack of GE and connection by the audience.

Phantom - Wow. Just wow. Phantom takes command from the second they begin to enter the field. I have seen some negative comments about the violence and the "deaths" in the show. It is very intense, but appropriate given the subject matter. The percussion is absolutely smoking and no doubt earned their caption victory. The brass has the deep, full vintage Phantom sound in spades. There were actually a view visual dirt issues with drill forms which I believe are cleanable. They utilize a lot of large moving drill forms ala the flying wedge from '93. Those look great, but have to be perfect to be effective. They have definitely upped the drill demand this season. The entire show has a lot of style and is well designed. After all that gushing praise, I will say that I felt like the ending was missing a little something. After so much intensity, it seemed to not quite reach the heights they had established. Despite this, my favorite show of the evening. They are a contender for the top.

Bluecoats - Very well done show. I love the direction this group has gone over the past several years. In some ways, this show builds on their Criminal show last year (one of my favorites, btw). I do think they were hurt by being sandwiched between Phantom and the Cavies, however. After such an intense, powerful show from Phantom, the boxing theme almost came across as cute by comparison, which is not what the Coats are after. Don't misunderstand me, I really dug the show and they sell the boxing theme very well. The percussion is laying down some nice licks and the brass was powerful, although a little "bright" for my taste in some spots. The boxing rings created by the drill design is a nice effect. Overall a very good show that has the chance to grow late and give Cadets a run for 5th.

The Cavaliers - Very nice effort from the Green Machine this season. I love the Samurai theme. Design-wise this show has similarities to their Machine show from '06, which is a pretty high complement. Normally, I am not a fan of the pit dressing differently than the battery, but it works for this show. The different musical textures and sounds from the pit are also very effective and create the mood. This show has so many visual "wow" moments, Cavies trademark through and through. The music is slightly lacking in spots, although the brass does put out some volume. I have a feeling people will complain the same things are about this show as they have with the other original music Cavies offerings (Four Corners, etc.) - that they rely too heavily on the visual design and not enough on melody. Those people will probably not care for this show as much, but I am not one of those people. They were my 2nd favorite of the evening and are in contention for another title.

Crown - What a brassline! They have got such a deep, full sound. I bet they are absolutely amazing in warm-up arc in the lot. They are pretty good on the field, too. Their placement in the top 4-5 in no accident. The percussion has stepped it up and the guard is outstanding as usual. As has been said, the drill demand is a noticeable step down compared to their top 6 peers, but they execute it very well. They have grown so much over the past 3-4 years, probably moreso than any other corps in recent memory (you could get an argument from Blue Stars or the Bluecoats, I suppose). As much I would love to see a big push at the end, I think this show is slotted for 4th-6th. The demand just isn't there to challenge for a top 3 spot. They are building something special down in Carolina, though.

Blue Devils - Hmm. Not sure what to take away from this show. The multiple changes to the uniform are interesting. I was especially puzzled by the 1/2 apron/sashes that hang from their waist down past their knees. Looks kind of odd and in my opinion, makes the individual marching a lot less clear visually (was that the intent?). The white plumes and additional white on the uniform are fine, although, I personally like their "darker" look. They clearly have talent just pouring out all over the field. The body work during the battery feature was amazing, along with some nice brass soloists. The guard is excellent, although the bright neon outfits are a little distracting (the "absurd" portion of the show title very appropriate for them). They are all amazing performers, but the show seems to lack a certain clarity or direction. They may be undefeated, but I am not sure that is going to hold. They are a lock for top 2-3, but not a slam dunk for a repeat.

Overall - It was a great night of drumcorps. I am glad to see so many groups attempting so many different themes and ideas out there. Very refreshing to see. Come Finals, I see a 3-horse race between Phantom, Cavies and BD. As I said earlier, my personal favorite was Phantom. Just a wonderful, intense show that I think really has more room to grow. Should be a great next couple of weeks in Allentown and in Indiana!

[pregimentx129]

For starters, I'd like to say that as domes go, the Georgia Dome is a great place to watch a show (thankfully no pipe leaks from the ceiling this year like in 2005). I attended the show with my fiance, who had a lot of thoughts as well. We only caught the evening show and here are a few thoughts, in performance order:

The Crossmen - I have to say I really like the direction they have taken since they were reorganized out in San Antonio. You can tell they have a lot of younger, less experienced kids and there are some individual technique and performance issues, but tell they also have an attitude about them and I love that. They have made some changes since I saw them last (guard now leaves on the "space shoulder pads-esque" outfit on throughout the show, for example). The guard is large, which really ups the visual impact, although I'm not a huge fan of the neon orange X's in the closer. The musical arrangements have been tweaked a little also, which makes the themes more clear, enabling the audience to connect better. They need to keep pushing to stay in 12th as several corps (Spirit, Colts, Madison) will be at their heals down the stretch.

Glassmen - I'll be honest, it just didn't do a lot for me. That is very blunt, but that is really how I have felt about the last several Glassmen offerings (this year, Gitano, etc.). I feel like they have lost some of the late 90's edge that had them around the top 6-7 every year. They do a god job of selling the carnivale theme, particularly with the guard. At one point in the closer, portions of the guard are working with 5 different types of equipment, I presume the whole different shows at the carnival kind of thing. The brass was okay, but not spectacular. A couple of nice little battery features, but they just don't stand out next to the meat that came later in the evening. The guard was definitely the strongest caption. They also still hav work to do for a spot in Finals.

Blue Stars - My first viewing of this show and we both loved it. One of the most original themes I have seen in a long time. My fiance thought they did an excellent job of selling the cycling theme without being too cheesy (I thought they might have stepped over that line a little, but who's to quibble). There seemed to be a significant step up in performance and field presence between the Stars and the prior two corps. Nice color guard work. Dug the handlebar flags as well as their, from what I was told, new ending. For the most part the drill is not too demanding, but they execute well. A nice show from start to finish and one that I think has a spot in the 9-10 range come Finals.

Boston Crusaders - Only saw pieces of this show from the tunnel. The show seemed solid, but not overly spectacular. It some ways it felt like a very "safe" show. Nothing was a glaring weakness, but no captions really stood out in my mind. I thought to 6-snare/5-tenor battery was an interesting choice, but there may be things I am not aware of that have shaped that situation. I definitely agree with the Stars placing ahead of them and if they continue to polish and communicate their theme, that position change could be permanent. BAC seems to be headed for Finals in 10-12 range.

SCV - The opener is the highlight here. I will also say that I loved the cymbal line coming out of the tunnel last. One could spend the entire show just watching SCV's plates and be entertained for 10 minutes. It felt like a noticeable step up in all areas when SCV hit the field and the scoring reflected that. The drill is fantastic, which we have come to expect from them, although there is still room for plenty of cleaning. At times, I felt like the music suffered a little when they were moving and with that kind of drill that's a bit of an issue. The rest of the show didn't seem to quite live up to the opener for me. I also felt like the percussion was maybe a notch or two down from the high levels that recent SCV lines have been setting. I think this show may settle in right where it is, in 7th, although with a big push, 5th-6th is not out of reach. They did it last year and they can do it again.

Blue Knights - A solid offering again from the dark side. I will be the first to admit not being a huge Knight fan over the last few years (I prefer the late 90's-early 00's Ben Hur and Trittico offerings). That out of the way, this show did not excite me a great deal. To me they are a better version of Boston - solid in all areas without anything being overly outstanding. This is definitely a Finals show, although I think SCV will continue to beat them out as they continue to clean (their show just has a higher ceiling visually). The silks are beautiful as they are every year. I like the homage to the old "white dot" uniforms on left side of the uniform chest and the guard uniforms. All in all, another solid year and a 7th-8th Finals placement.

The Cadets - I'm not going to break any new ground here, but I'm not going to just trash the whole show due to the narration either. I will say that the music, drill and performance that is there is top 3 caliber in my opinion. The guardwork is also fantastic. The frantic ending drill sequence is awesome and got the loudest crowd response of the evening thus far. Overall, however, I think they are really struggling to connect with the audience. The narration seems overdone at times (I understand it has been tinkered with throughout the season) and it takes away from the focus on the amazing performers this corps clearly has. I have no problem with narration used to supplement a show (see BD '06, Coats '07, '08). My feeling, though, is that your show shouldn't "need" the narration to communicate itself. It should only add to what is being performed, not completely define it for the viewer/listener. Right now this show seems to be going the way of Cadets '06 meaning a 4th-6th place finish despite top 3 talent/performance due to a lack of GE and connection by the audience.

Phantom - Wow. Just wow. Phantom takes command from the second they begin to enter the field. I have seen some negative comments about the violence and the "deaths" in the show. It is very intense, but appropriate given the subject matter. The percussion is absolutely smoking and no doubt earned their caption victory. The brass has the deep, full vintage Phantom sound in spades. There were actually a view visual dirt issues with drill forms which I believe are cleanable. They utilize a lot of large moving drill forms ala the flying wedge from '93. Those look great, but have to be perfect to be effective. They have definitely upped the drill demand this season. The entire show has a lot of style and is well designed. After all that gushing praise, I will say that I felt like the ending was missing a little something. After so much intensity, it seemed to not quite reach the heights they had established. Despite this, my favorite show of the evening. They are a contender for the top.

Bluecoats - Very well done show. I love the direction this group has gone over the past several years. In some ways, this show builds on their Criminal show last year (one of my favorites, btw). I do think they were hurt by being sandwiched between Phantom and the Cavies, however. After such an intense, powerful show from Phantom, the boxing theme almost came across as cute by comparison, which is not what the Coats are after. Don't misunderstand me, I really dug the show and they sell the boxing theme very well. The percussion is laying down some nice licks and the brass was powerful, although a little "bright" for my taste in some spots. The boxing rings created by the drill design is a nice effect. Overall a very good show that has the chance to grow late and give Cadets a run for 5th.

The Cavaliers - Very nice effort from the Green Machine this season. I love the Samurai theme. Design-wise this show has similarities to their Machine show from '06, which is a pretty high complement. Normally, I am not a fan of the pit dressing differently than the battery, but it works for this show. The different musical textures and sounds from the pit are also very effective and create the mood. This show has so many visual "wow" moments, Cavies trademark through and through. The music is slightly lacking in spots, although the brass does put out some volume. I have a feeling people will complain the same things are about this show as they have with the other original music Cavies offerings (Four Corners, etc.) - that they rely too heavily on the visual design and not enough on melody. Those people will probably not care for this show as much, but I am not one of those people. They were my 2nd favorite of the evening and are in contention for another title.

Crown - What a brassline! They have got such a deep, full sound. I bet they are absolutely amazing in warm-up arc in the lot. They are pretty good on the field, too. Their placement in the top 4-5 in no accident. The percussion has stepped it up and the guard is outstanding as usual. As has been said, the drill demand is a noticeable step down compared to their top 6 peers, but they execute it very well. They have grown so much over the past 3-4 years, probably moreso than any other corps in recent memory (you could get an argument from Blue Stars or the Bluecoats, I suppose). As much I would love to see a big push at the end, I think this show is slotted for 4th-6th. The demand just isn't there to challenge for a top 3 spot. They are building something special down in Carolina, though.

Blue Devils - Hmm. Not sure what to take away from this show. The multiple changes to the uniform are interesting. I was especially puzzled by the 1/2 apron/sashes that hang from their waist down past their knees. Looks kind of odd and in my opinion, makes the individual marching a lot less clear visually (was that the intent?). The white plumes and additional white on the uniform are fine, although, I personally like their "darker" look. They clearly have talent just pouring out all over the field. The body work during the battery feature was amazing, along with some nice brass soloists. The guard is excellent, although the bright neon outfits are a little distracting (the "absurd" portion of the show title very appropriate for them). They are all amazing performers, but the show seems to lack a certain clarity or direction. They may be undefeated, but I am not sure that is going to hold. They are a lock for top 2-3, but not a slam dunk for a repeat.

Overall - It was a great night of drumcorps. I am glad to see so many groups attempting so many different themes and ideas out there. Very refreshing to see. Come Finals, I see a 3-horse race between Phantom, Cavies and BD. As I said earlier, my personal favorite was Phantom. Just a wonderful, intense show that I think really has more room to grow. Should be a great next couple of weeks in Allentown and in Indiana!

just speculation...but for Boston i had heard from the guard instructor there that one of the snares has mono and is unable to march, they have a replacement set up for that, but the kicker is the center snare...just up and quit. so for now the numbers for the rest of the season are 7 5 5...cavies? lol unfortunately yes they are down to those numbers...not that its a bad thing =]

[Gbassman5]

i have to agree w/ your take on Phantom.

they have an AWESOME show and perform it REALLY well, but their ending is kind of a let-down. there's a lot of build and then the long crescendo at the end, but....that's it. nothing in your face, it's just like, "oh, it's over." i KNOW they can do better