My Review of the Scranton Show

[Dale Bari]

[ed note: Sorry this is late. In the very early AM Tuesday, someone in another apartment above ours caused a major (several gallons per minute) leak in a hot water pipe. I spent almost two hours bailing water from our bathroom as it poured out of our collapsed ceiling. We're staying at a friend's house while contractors replace the ceiling in 5 rooms and the carpet in the hallway and kids' bedroom.]

With two toddlers to keep an eye on, as well as the shows going on, I don’t take notes, so all in this review comes from my memory. If I misstate something, I apologize now, in advance. I’m a brass player, as well as a visual tech-type, so my comments come from that perspective. Adjust yours accordingly.

The weather was simply perfect, clear with decent humidity and moderately warm in the afternoon cooling to comfortable in the evening with a light breeze by the end of retreat. As others have said, if only we could bottle it and take it to Rochester at the end of next week.

Scranton HS stadium is a standard field with a track around the artificial turf, enclosed by a gate. The metal stands provided a moderately high/steep view of the gridiron. We sat in the front row of the stadium, in the handicapped seating area just to the right of center, just about the 40 yard-line. (Side 2 in the old parlance.) The concert side (home stands) face to the east, so the late summer sun disappeared behind the stands well before show time. The moon eventually rose from behind the opposite stands sometime after Bucs (3rd corps on) took the field.

We saw so many spectators whom we knew from various corps, so it seemed like it may have been a veteran drum corps crowd, but then there were many folks around us who were very casual fans, not up on the latest goings-on in DCA. Some were there to see friends/family members in one corps or another, and a couple even used the dreaded “b” word when talking about the corps.

One more note: Parking was not great, we arrived at 7:00, and the lot next to the stadium was very full. A long line of patrons were waiting to buy Gen Admission tickets. The gravel/grass lot on the opposite corner (where Empire Statesmen’s busses and trucks were parked all day) was filled up, and the small shopping center across Olive St from Statesmen and across Providence St from the stadium also was filling up. Next year, we’re making sure we get there earlier.

Hurricanes (Seymour, CT) took the field first. We had seen them earlier in the season at Manassas Park, VA. I have been heavily on this corps’ bandwagon, and I expected a lot from them. Maybe it was the draw, maybe it was them still trying to fill out spots with members who were not familiar with the show yet. Whatever the cause, the Hurcs were rather surprisingly ragged. Still lots of horn bells wavering around, missed step-offs, and fracked attacks/releases. I like how the corps sets up in the “East” end zone – Audience Right (Side 2), and the opening trumpet solo in the backfield corner on the opposite goal line (Side 1) “calls” the corps to journey “West”. The music (mostly Aaron Copland, or so it seemed) fits the theme like a glove. The drill moves pretty fast, and is designed highly effectively. Overall, it allows the Hurcs to show off their improved marching program, despite the individual errors noted above. The guard is still fantastic, winning the trophy for this contest. Between the brass and percussion, I thought the percussion section was slightly stronger. The mid-40’s brass line projected pretty well. (My daughter slept through being put in the stroller from the van and wheeled into the stadium, with everyone talking all around her – but woke up instantly when the Hurcs hit their first impact.) Theirs is a well-designed, mostly well-executed routine, that gets the audience up on its feet, esp “Magnificent 7” at the end.

Crusaders (Rochester, NY) came next. This was our first viewing. The Russian theme is a repeat from last year, and some music was reprised (notably, “Pictures at an Exhibition”). The show starts off with Theresa Lacroix playing a very nice solo on euph (with quotes from “Russian Easter Overture”?) that turns into a nice rendition of “Russian Christmas Music” that’s rather reminiscent of what Santa Clara did many years ago. The smallish brass line (mid-30’s, very bottom heavy) handled the music quite well. The perc section is definitely the mainstay of this corps. The guard isn’t as large or as good as last year. The brass line’s sound is better this year than last, and the corps overall has more confidence. But, their ability to perform to the nth degree, like the bigger corps, is still lacking. They are a young group still, and may not be ready to move up against more veteran corps.

Musically, the program ebbs and flows very well. I have a penchant for music of the Russian masters (or “Russian-like” in the case of Alfred Reed’s “RMC” that opens the show), so it wears well, even though there has been many iterations of this style. The Crusaders evoke the Phantom Regiment’s style, both in music and in visual, complete with the “third-position” of the feet, ie, left heel placed in the right in-step, with about 30 degrees angle between the directions of their respective toes. My main problem with the show is the drill. The music is fast and furious at the end, yet the drill goes nowhere – and slowly at that. Oh, the corps, brass esp, is staged well, but the expected motion is missing.

The Buccaneers (Reading, PA) took the field in a swaggering fashion, as befits the 3-in-a-row defending champions. This was our second helping of their “Pursuit of Joy” program. Despite outscoring their closest competitor by nearly 2 points, the Bucs did not seem as invincible as I expected. Don’t get me wrong, they deserved to win, and it was clear, yet when I looked closely at smaller details, they weren’t as perfectly polished as I expected them to be. I noted a few moments of dirt here and there, when compared to other corps, I thought that maybe the Bucs were losing their edge. (OTOH, I was holding up Bucs’ WEAK moments against the other corps’ STRONG moments, and once that adjustment gets made, all falls back into place.)

For me, the highlights of the show are the Canon in D theme variations in the opener, and the gorgeous “Nessun Dorma”, complete with Walt Street solo on bari to start. This brass line (high-50’s) is strong and sharp, and they sink their collective teeth into this meaty music with gusto. The percussion section gives good account of itself, never giving the competition any quarter. The guard is very good, but is one notch below the excellence of the rest of the corps. The drill flows well, and the simple-but-effective touches, like the company front in “Ode to Joy” that starts pushing in unison (on the oblique, no less) but finishes by filling in with staggered halts, prove that you don’t have to run around the field to impress. And, they are impressive indeed. It’s most likely that this corps will be the last one playing on the field at Finals in two weekends, and even if not, that impressive feeling will never go away.

The Brigadiers (Syracuse, NY) had to follow a corps that has been undefeated for several seasons, but the Brigs still have some people around who know that feels like. This program, unlike last years’ for them, gives the impression that the Brigadiers are looking to go in a new direction. (Yet, it is still a jazz-based program.) The “Reflexions” theme was not highly evident to me, but that may just take more viewings. This corps has a brass line numbering in the low-30’s (and was just about tied with Bushwackers for the smallest of the evening). The word I’d use to describe this corps is “Uneven”. The talent level from end to end varies greatly, and their performance quality this evening was also uneven. The trumpets had very brilliant moments. (Even better than Bucs’ trumpets.) But then, they fell off from that level. And so it would go, if I went from section to section. Overall, their performance was enjoyable, and later, at retreat, I thought that they might've done enough to best the Bushwackers.

Next up was the Caballeros (Hawthorne, NJ). Based upon the way they attacked their show, I think they had finally had enough of getting bested by Hurcs and Statesmen. It seemed like they showed up, put the red laser-dot right on their competitors’ foreheads, and took their best shots at them. The Cabs were en fuego right from the start, and didn’t let up the entire performance. The brass line (low-50’s) put on a powerful show, the highlight being, of course, “Malaguena”. Throughout, the percussion was strong too. The guard, however, was not characteristic of Cabs’ usual visual ensembles; they were good, just not as good as I've come to expect. The drill featured lots of motion, and the corps’ marching was as aggressive as the music.

Unfortunately for you Bushwacker fans reading this, fate was not kind. During Cabs’ show, my son tripped on the concrete and gave himself a big knot right in the center of his forehead. I was down at the concession stand getting ice for him while Bush was performing. I only got to see the last minute of the show from the tunnel.

Bushwackers (Harrison, NJ) always choose themes that are quirky, different from what everyone else is doing. This year’s “Gypsodic” theme fits right into that tradition. Tammy watched it and said that Bush needed about 20 more brass players (low-30’s) and definitely a whole lot less notes. I tried to explain that maybe the “derived achievement” was what Bush was aiming for, but she didn’t buy it. Bush always attempts difficult programs, so this show apparently also fits that tradition as well. Tammy did tell me about the moment when the Bush guard holds different poses that test their balance. She said she was esp impressed by one woman who stood on her head with her limbs pointing in various directions. One thing that could’ve been considered fascinating/annoying (depending on your POV – count me leaning slightly toward annoyed) is the gypsy bells draped around the guard’s uniform. Hearing them as Bush exited the field at retreat was, shall we say, “hypnotic.” And, it most definitely could be called “Gypsodic”.

The final corps of the evening was the Empire Statesmen (Rochester, NY). Being recent members there, Tamm & I stopped at their rehearsal for a little bit prior to the show. Our last viewing of the corps was back in March at a winter indoor performance, so we wanted to see how they were doing. With that disclaimer out of the way, I can say that, based on the performance they gave that night, the corps is doing very well, thank you. Since this is Empire’s 25th (Silver) Anniversary season, the corps has switched from wearing black scarves on the uniform to silver, iridescent ones, and they catch the light very well. Maybe it’s due to fact that they don’t wear hats, maybe it’s my own built-in bias, and maybe it’s just plain true: the Statesmen wore a look of determination that no one else had that night. It certainly showed in their performance. There were moments where I thought they moved better than Bucs. There was a crispness in their visual performance that I hadn’t seen in them since 2004. The mid-50s brass line was rock solid. The percussion was surprisingly competitive with Cabs and Bucs, but the guard is a real weakness.

The show started off with much energy, and it struck all the right nostalgic chords one expects of a true retrospective anniversary program. The section where “My Way” bookends snippets of past shows (’97 – Miss Saigon, ’04 – City of Angels) was very well-done, but the energy seemed to lag a bit in the ’98 – “WSS” section. The drum feature (“Officer Krupke”?) with the brass line blowing whistles was something different. I’m not sure what it means, but the baritone soloist playing “American” is actually Canadian. (I’m glad David O. is able to make the “conversion from metric” sound great.) Like many others, I wondered in the back of my mind if a “tank” would make an appearance during the “Salute to the Services” section of the closer. Thankfully, it didn’t, but a giant American-style flag did, along with tons of CO2. (I’m happy to report this flag stayed intact.) I never marched there when Mr. B ran the corps, but when his likeness appears at the end of the show, I think that is a very fitting reminder of the person who was responsible for the corps and its inimitable style. Call me biased, but Empire Statesmen had the hands-down, best ending of the evening, and a great way to close out the show.

It’s theoretically possible for someone to catch the Bucs. With Statesmen taking 2nd, they are most likely nominated for the job. But, since the gap is so small between them, Cabs, and Hurcs, the odds are way better that they all beat each other up, and Bucs steam on to another win. In the past, a two point gap was not insurmountable, but nowadays all it confirms to me is Bucs have another championship and undefeated season in the bag.

As for my personal take from Scranton, the judges got all the placements correct, I would’ve had a slightly larger gap between ES/Cabs & Hurcs, less of a gap from Bucs to ES. The Bush/Brigs race was tight like I expected coming in. Cru showed they might have a decent grip on 10th place, but we East Coasters don’t know how good Kilties really are.

All in all, it was a great night of drum corps.

[ech2os]

My main problem with the show is the drill. The music is fast and furious at the end, yet the drill goes nowhere – and slowly at that. Oh, the corps, brass esp, is staged well, but the expected motion is missing.

but finishes by filling in with staggered halts, prove that you don’t have to run around the field to impress. And, they are impressive indeed. It’s most likely that this corps will be the last one playing on the field at Finals in two weekends, and even if not, that impressive feeling will never go away.

The drill featured lots of motion, and the corps’ marching was as aggressive as the music.

Great review. You touch on a common theme here with Rochester, Hawthorne, and Reading........movement. I haven't seen anyone this year and won't until Labor Day weekend. However, one thing that has always bothered me is the "speed" of the drill in DCA's these days. I personally think stamina issues introduced by the pace of the drill undermines the overall production. A lot of the folks marching DCA aren't exactly in "Phelpsian Shape" (couldn't resist). Neither am I for the record. But I believe a corps like Hawthorne (my favorite corps by the way) have cost themself a few placements over the last 5 years by over pacing their drill. I don't get that feeling from watching Reading over the last few years.

Then again, I would never pay to go see Janet Jackson or Madonna lip synch because they are too tired from dancing and running all over the stage. I go for the music. If you can do one without the other suffering, then go for it. If not, give me a less aggressive drill and more balance from your hornline.

Again, great review. I can't wait to see everyone in 10 days.

[grenadasmoothie]

Dale, you are THE man !

I love your reviews - You make sure to get your opinions in AND give everyone their due. Thanks ! ! !

[aldoc]

Compliments on your xlent review sir.

[AlbionNY Drum Line]

Glad you liked the corps! :)

Edited August 22, 2008 by AlbionNY Drum Line

[Fran Haring]

Another great review, Dale.... worth waiting for. Thanks!

Fran

[CanadianCruBari]

"Crusaders (Rochester, NY) came next. This was our first viewing. The Russian theme is a repeat from last year, and some music was reprised (notably, “Pictures at an Exhibition”). The show starts off with Theresa Lacroix playing a very nice solo on euph (with quotes from “Russian Easter Overture”?) that turns into a nice rendition of “Russian Christmas Music” that’s rather reminiscent of what Santa Clara did many years ago. ."

Hey Dale,

Thank you for the compliment on the solo. Are you and Tammy going to be at DCA's ?

Edited August 25, 2008 by CanadianCruBari

[phoenix_aurora]

Statesmen's drum solo isn't Officer Krupke (We played that in '02, though!) it's the Rumble. There's some melodic bits of WWS's rumble in the opening, with a few horn chords and Lots o' pit.

I was so happy to see you and Tammy and the kids at the show! You all look very happy! Thanks for coming and thank you for the great review, I like how honest you are in your writing. I have a better idea of how the other corps sound/look on the field, too.

I hope to see your family again this coming weekend! (: