Toledo, OH - June 25

[jwillis35]

Ok, I am home and a bit tired. Had a 3-hour drive back to Canton.

Great show overall! Not one bad show in the bunch. We had some rain that postponed the show for a little, but by 8:30 the skies were good and the weather was just perfect for a show.

Capital Regiment was much improved tonight vs. their performance in Dublin. Much bigger sound, more confidence, and I like their show theme (Storm). The weather effects are well done, tasteful, and the show makes sense. The guard is doing a good job, but they are just too small to help them in the visual caption. The show has solid potential and should do well in Open Class.

Crossmen took the field next. I love their black capes and the overall look. They use those capes very well, and their show intro is really cool. One person enters the field, then two, then four, and so on, with the guard doing the same from the other side (opposite end zones is how they do it). The music is fun and the show has oodles of potential. Not sure about top 12, but who knows. I do see them passing Colts at some point because I think they can go further with this vehicle, but for now they have lots of cleaning to do, and as is the case with most they must make some adjustments.

The Colts were much improved from Dublin as well. Their music is well arranged and well played. It is a fun show. You hear sounds of seagulls, ocean waves and wind, and the pit (tonight) was not overbearing as it was the other day. They use a lot of synth bass, but it was better balanced today. The guard is in blue and white horizontal striped shirts with white pants, giving you the impression of someone dressed up to go sailing. Brass was more controlled tonight and their percussion section is very nice. I am not sure the show has super potential to be top 12, but they will be fighting with many for a spot in the 13 to 17 range. So I like the show, but I also think it has limitations.

Boston Crusaders were next, and once again they just put on a great performance. The middle-eastern sound effects at the intro, coupled with the body movement and slow musical fade in make that first big impact worth the wait. Their brass has a huge sound, and I think it's one of their best brass lines to date. The musical arrangements are excellent, and Bacchanale is riveting and exciting. This corps is a serious contender for top 7 or 8. I know Blue Stars are excellent as well, but Boston can compete in that league this year. Their best show since 2001.

Holy Name Cadets took the field after intermission, and once again they were...WOW! Holy Name = Holy COW!!!!! This show has so much GE that I can't name all the moments that my hair was standing on the back of my neck. They do have a lot of cleaning, but the upside potential for this show is off the charts. Their are some musical things to work out, some phrases to better connect to the visual (and vice versa), and the drill is just wicked hard, so marching will be a touch battle for each member throughout this summer. They will need a lot of endurance to march this show to perfection (or close to). The end of the ballad is just pure goose bumps! The company front at the end of Tonight is close to 84, and the closing fireworks display is a must see in DCI this year. Again, I just can't see anyone topping this in August. Just too good. No narration, but there are some excellent effects, and the jazz piano in the middle is well done and very well balanced. It is played in real time too, show casing a lot of great talent in their pit. This is a show to see, regardless of what you may think of the Cadets' past offerings.

The Cavaliers took the field next and they were true to Cavalier fashion. Very controlled, very clean for June, very musical, and some great drill writing. What I love about these guys is that they can take the music and connect it to the visual and overall theme of the show like no other corps. This year they will need to do this to a very high degree if they plan to stay in the game, because the music, at least for now, does not have the impact or GE that I think they need to be top 3. The drill is typical Michael Gaines, and their guard is just spectacular. They are really the highlight of this show. I am not sold on the mountain climbing outfits, but I love the flags and their skill level is amazing. The drill is not the most demanding, but it is well done. The brass book not very demanding either, but they play the heck out of it. They do feature the brass at about 8 or so minutes into the show, and it is well done and pretty hard. But overall the show is not nearly as demanding as what the Cadets put on the field. Then again, this means nothing. The Cavaliers can clean and add layers like nobody else, so I would not count them out of the top 3. I do not see this show winning a DCI title. It could maybe be top 3, but I think I see 4th or 5th for this year's edition of the Green Machine. The music was not very exciting and this is where I think they are going to have issues. Normally GE is one of their strong points, but music GE will take a hit this year. Visual GE is solid but not overwhelming. I can see Phantom eventually topping them, but to be fair I have not seen Phantom. Crown could also give them a run, and I have seen Crown, and they are super good with a bit more effect built into the show.

Nonetheless, the Green Machine is a super corps, one that performs so well and is very musical and artistic about everything they do. They were totally controlled out there on the field. Let's see what they do with it. They are famous for adding layers and finding those high points to help max out a show.

For now, though, the Cadets appear to have the upper hand.

The Glassmen were fantastic tonight. Their intro kind of meanders for a while, but the first big hit is worth it. Big time volume. They were about as loud as Cadets at times. Their brass line has lots of potential and their percussion is super good. I love the percussion writing. Very musical, powerful, and there are some amazing grooves and sound effects in this show. This is a top 2 show, and it has potential to challenge Boston. Let's see how they do. The closer will be one of the highlights of the summer. "Joy!" is one of those charts that just works for field presentation, and their rendition is excellent. It moves and has some great emotional builds. They have much cleaning to do. They are much less clean than Boston, but the demand in both shows is comparable, with Boston perhaps getting the edge, at least for now.

I actually had Cavaliers winning tonight, again mostly due to being a bit cleaner and more controlled. But their demand in music may hurt them and the fact that their show lacks some serious high points. In the long run, anything can happen, I realize that, but for now I have not seen anyone that can compete with Cadets at the finish line. Just my opinion, and that could change as I see more corps and as we see how each of these groups tweaks their shows.

Great night for all. The crowd clearly like everyone.

JW

[FrankA]

Thanks for the Review. Our opinions were generally the same. I'll have my review up tomorrow.

[jaylogan]

Thank you for the review. I feel disappointed that not many people on here seem to like the Cavaliers' music as much as I do. I haven't seen the show live yet, but from the youtube video it was the best music of all the shows to me. I can't get enough of it, it is so beautiful and strong. The Cadets are great and I'm glad people are enjoying it, but I've had it up to here with WSS music for now. The APD sounds good and all, but it just doesn't move me. A lot of the others sound so...familiar...although I do like the Blue Devils' show music.

Edited June 26, 2009 by jaylogan