So what if it's a week late?

[Rusty]

I've been meaning to post this for more than a week now, but you know how it goes--gotta drive home, do laundry, get to work the next day, blah blah blah. So I'm going to concentrate primarily on shows I can remember. Hey, you're here for free--you're getting what you paid for. So, without further ado...

Revolution The driving engine behind this corps is the battery--end of story. The drum line had some nice moments, but it's obvious that whatever momentum the corps had after their Division III win a few years ago is fading fast. Maybe the presence of the Crossmen in San Antonio is now stealing some recruiting advantage, but the horn line and visual program are suffering.

Mandarins As my wife and I hadn't eaten yet, this was the lunch corps. If what I heard through the entrances to the stands was any indication, I seriously missed out. That was one powerful hornline.

Troopers My wife, a relative newcomer to the activity, only buys shirts from corps that she really likes. Troop is one of only two souvie tables she visited. This is a very clean, powerful and entertaining show. The locomotive theme fits their Western image like a glove. The hornline had some very nice moments, and the visual program was very crisp. Some folks surrounding us in the afternoon were very disappointed that the Troopers didn't perform in the evening.

Academy After having high hopes for Academy after their strong showing last year, it pains me to say it: while their brass and percussion programs have probably remained static (which is to say, very good but not quite Top 12 quality), their visual program has declined. It's an entertaining show, but other corps are delivering more difficult programs with better execution. I'd say some staff replacements are in order.

Madison Scouts The new ending, which was still plenty dirty on Saturday afternoon, is probably what kept this corps out of performing on Saturday night. The hornline has come along nicely, and the guard is really coming into its own. And the unis fit this corps powerfully. (I'm so glad to see the hats on the pit again!) My wife, a longtime Madison fan, absolutely loved it. This is still a rebuilding year after the 2007 unraveling, but if I were the Crossmen, I'd be looking over my shoulder nervously. And I say that as somebody who really enjoyed Planet X. Which brings me to...

Crossmen First off, I love love love the unis. Would eat them if they were food. I never really cared for the red shoulder accents, but the blackout with the white accents really works. And they sold that show in a big way. This year's hornline is a real standout. If present trends hold, we might finally see Bones in the backstands in a couple of weeks. Is it possible that the Crossmen can hold together what the Sky Ryders could not?

Glassmen This was a fun show, and not nearly the intentionally abstract weirdness they've been known for in past years. With all the steamer trunks on the field, one might have expected some magic tricks or illusions, but they eschewed all that for an accessible, aggressively fun show. And the two-tone finish on the drums is a great touch.

Blue Stars Academy should take careful notes from the Blue Stars. This corps, barring any unforeseen disasters, is going to finals. And for dang good reason. They made absolutely the right move with the unis (last year's two-tone effect was great to look at, but not so great to watch in a show). All captions have made terrific progress. At first glance the cycling theme seems a bit silly, but it's used with great effect in the body movements and drill. The hornline is just outstanding.

Blue Knights Were there an award for flat-out weirdness, BK would win hands-down. I have a feeling this show will go down as the Kid A of drum corps: peculiarly entertaining, but you've got to be in just the right mood to enjoy it. To be sure, they are successful at selling it, but boy that must take some effort. (As a side note, I love the new unis--great blend of the 1990s dots and the 2000s foldover.)

Boston Crusaders This is a seriously intense show. The visual and horn designers have done a splendid job of working together to create some great GE moments. The out-of-nowhere Doppler effect from the horn block in the second half of the show is a standout.

Santa Clara Vanguard As a diehard SCV fan, I'm stuck approaching Vanguard the same way as Academy: this low placement is, sadly, deserved. Like Academy's Vienna Nights, this is a show with plenty of potential. If the corps could just get a grip on its visual woes, it would easily be a top 6 show, and possibly top 5. And I'm kind of ambivalent on the new unis (I still think the '02-'04 edition had plenty of life left, but that ship has long since sailed). However, the Vanguard Yell is in a great spot this year. :)

Bluecoats Bloo has proved once again that, unlike the Cadets (more on them in a minute), narration can be used properly and effectively in a drum corps show. The Knockout will do exactly that. There's so much about this show to like: the build-out of the storyline, the terrific moments with the guard and battery, an incredible park-n'-blow in the second half, the recurring boxing ring. If they keep up the pressure on the Cadets, they might be vaulted back into the top 5.

The Cadets Last year I felt that if the Cadets would have simply shut up, they probably would have won. What kept them within striking distance of the title was an outstanding battery and, especially, an incredible hornline, probably the best the Cadets have ever fielded. Unfortunately, this year those captions, while still very, very good, don't quite have the firepower from '07; as a result, they can't quite compensate for overwrought, poorly written, badly delivered dialogue that bludgeons the show to pieces. Rather than worry about saving the activity from George Hopkins, maybe we should first worry about saving the Cadets from him?

Carolina Crown Oh. My. Goodness. What this unit has achieved in the hornline is simply outstanding. I thought the corps might have peaked with 2007's Triple Crown. I was so, so wrong. They're playing with such power and confidence. Crown delivers clarity and beauty in any package you want, from pianissimo to "take cover, the blast zone is quivering." However, I do have a quibble...

Phantom Regiment This is probably the one placement with which I disagree. Don't misunderstand--as I say, I loved Crown. But the total package Phantom brings to the field is just unforgettable, and will go on to represent one of the great moments in drum corps. From the moment they enter the field, they begin selling the show--hornline members giving the guard the beatdown, the marching block goosestepping in the backfield, the conductor standing atop his royal podium while it's being pushed by the slaves. While I'm ambivalent on the new gauntlets--I think they could have gone with something a little flashier rather than a sort of chainmail/dull metallic look--the new baldric is right on the money, and brings home the Roman centurion look in a great way. Paul Rennick just keeps working his magic with the battery, and the horn line is keeping up its old tricks from '06 and '07. Bottom line: Phantom is just getting screwed. As good as Crown is--and I agree they're good--Phantom has even greater difficulty and executes even better. It just doesn't look like Spartacus will get traction with the judges, but ten years from now, Phantom and Crown will be the most remembered shows from 2008.

The Cavaliers There's something about this show that worries me just a bit about the Green Machine: Is the visual staff running out of tricks? Samurai has some of the stuff you would have expected from Cavies--Japanese drums, pit members in Japanese dress, a stunning look in the guard--but the drill is missing some of that in-your-face kaleidoscopic insanity of recent years. I think it's that lack of jaw-dropping moments that is preventing the Cavaliers from overtaking the Blue Devils.

Blue Devils Yes, it was powerfully executed. Yes, it will probably win. But almost-but-not-quite-absurd just isn't what I want from the Blue Devils. Can a man get some jazz? Please? Just a little paint peeled off the pressbox? No? Well, congratulations anyway--I'll go on cheering for Phantom and Crown, then. But on the other hand, I suppose I should be grateful BD didn't go whole hog and throw in some gibberish and vocal percussion.

As a final note, I wasn't sure how I would enjoy the Alamodome. My last experience with a field show in a domed stadium was pretty negative. I was thoroughly surprised: the acoustics were terrific, and enjoying a show in the shade with air conditioning in Texas in July was a wonderfully pleasant experience. In fact, my wife and I plan to toss in Seaworld and a trip to the Riverwalk next year with the intent of making this an annual vacation. Congratulations, San Antonio: mission accomplished.

[Ryan H. Turner]

While I really enjoyed your show review (seriously), I believe you may be the first person in the history of reviewing drum corps shows to say that he enjoyed a uniform so much that he would EAT IT.

You are weird.

But a good writer, apparently.

THANK YOU!!!