Unfair Fairfield

[Room_101]

After the show tonight, I have a few thoughts. Unfortunately, I was only able to see the Blue Stars, The Cavaliers, and Phantom Regiment. Sorry I couldn't see more, but parking was ridiculous!

When reading, please realize that I was on the 30 yard line, right side of the field when you're in the stands, the THIRD ROW UP. My comments will have nothing to do with overall show design or visual ensemble, as I saw very little of either. I did, however, have a very interesting glimpse right on the field. So:

Blue Stars: Wow--this is a different Blue Stars than I'm used to seeing! It's definitely an aggressive show, and they aren't asking you if they can play with the big boys...they're TELLING you they ARE playing with the big boys! The opening hit is quite powerful after some pretty difficult drill--great first statement. After that, though--they have some issues (but who doesn't right now?!). My two biggest complaints (again, coming from field level) are a)Individual Visual Performance and b)the tuba section. As for Individual Visual, there were several, several instances where I saw members simply running to their set. Not marching, not jazz running, not even jazz walking--RUNNING. Toes up, bouncing around, everything. Their drill is quite demanding, but if they can't clean up the Individual Visual Performance, they're going to have a tough time. As for the tuba section, they are powerful, and have some incredible potential, but I hear a bit of high school sousaphone out there! I know Donnie VanDoren isn't teaching you that! Otherwise, tremendous show from a corps that I couldn't be happier to see back in the mix. The mellophone section was the best of the night (yep, you read that right)! Final Thoughts: Clean up the visual, and the sky's the limit.

The Cavaliers: This is also a different Cavalier corps than I'm used to seeing. And hearing too! Two (or was it three) tuba features (from The Cavaliers?!) throughout the show. Very cool to hear, but they gotta clean them up. Visual Performance was definitely a step up from the previous corps. I had them winning this caption (on the field), but more on that in Regiment's review. I hate I missed seeing their show from up top, but there was plenty to enjoy just by listening. A lot of people think The Cavaliers are boring--far from it! Their rendition of the Debussy, while not necessarily "true," is still very beautiful, and they sound excellent doing it. THE BEST MUSICAL MOMENT OF THE NIGHT was a baritone soli from The Cavaliers right in front of where I was sitting. It was near flawless. It wasn't loud, it wasn't forced, it was just matched and totally locked in. I would rather listen to that anyday than FFFFFFFissimo Canon into Firebird. VERY well done, Cavaliers. My biggest complaint from them--fix the transition after "Engulfed Cathedral." It's so abrupt, and really kills the flow of the show. This must be fixed. Final Thoughts: Overall, they have incredible Visual GE and Music GE. People think they aren't in contention this year? Those people are way wrong. How are titles usually won? GE.

Phantom Regiment: So I never saw Spartacus. Crazy, right? I was so pumped to see this show. And you know what, it's good. It's not stellar, but it's not terrible. I think they're suffering what The Cavaliers experienced in 2003. Right after a history making year like 2008 (or 2002), there's no way for them to go but down. It's just how it works. Sorry. That being said, I'm going to make some people unhappy. This is probably the PHYSICALLY easiest Phantom Regiment show I've ever seen, and the easiest show I saw in the night. Apologies all around, I'm not knocking them down (look at me, I'm sitting on my butt while they're working), but this show is physically a walk in the park. They march halftime all over the place, they stand quite a bit, and (here's the kicker) when they jazz run, THEY SHOULDN'T BE JAZZ RUNNING. I watched a line of trumpets in front of me JAZZ RUN A 7 TO 5 STEP SIZE. It was a little bigger than a 7 to 5 (they were moving upfield as well) but it was NOT something that should have been jazz run. I noticed this trend throughout their show, and I'm not sure why. From up top, it might make total sense. From where I was sitting, however, it looked like a cheap attempt to make the show look more difficult than it is. Please don't think I'm bashing them--just my own opinion. With that in mind, THEY LOOK BETTER THAN I'VE EVER SEEN THEM LOOK. If the Individual Visual judge was only judging clarity, he was right on. Once judges begin to balance difficulty versus clarity, however, these guys don't stand a chance. Now, onto music. Yes, they play more notes than the two previous corps combined, and usually, it's very well done. However, it seems that that the design staff realized 3/4 of the way through the show that it was too easy, so the last 25% is STUPID HARD. Everyone is running (but only half of them should be, see above) and playing 16th notes like crazy. In theory, it's incredible. But right now, it's NOT WORKING. You can't understand it. This is either going to be watered down beyond recognition or completely changed. I don't see them cleaning that up. Final Thoughts: They have more room to grow than any of the three I saw--I don't think we can count them out either. The only thing holding them back will be the colorguard and visual program.

Now some random ordinals that I feel like throwing in, my own personal opinion. 1 is best/highest/most difficult, 3 is worst/lowest/easiest.

Individual Visual:

1. The Cavaliers

2. Phantom Regiment

3. Blue Stars

Brassline:

1. Phantom Regiment

2. The Cavaliers

3. Blue Stars

Physical Difficulty:

1. The Cavaliers

2. Blue Stars

3. Phantom Regiment

Most Room to Grow:

1. Phantom Regiment

2. The Cavaliers

3. Blue Stars

"Musicality" (what does that mean, anyway?):

1. Tie - The Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment

3. Blue Stars

Lastly, I want to say something that is SURE to upset some people. I went in to the show expecting to need a hearing aid to hear The Cavaliers. Let me tell you what. Between the Blue Stars and The Cavaliers, I heard NO volume difference (again, I was sitting in the third row). If anything, The Cavaliers were louder (seriously!). I will say that Phantom Regiment was noticeably louder than both previous corps. But The Cavaliers are PLAYING. They have "Cavalier quality" and "other corps volume." Watch out. I'm excited! I leave you with my last ordinal of the night.

Hornline Volume:

1) Phantom Regiment.

1.03) Tie - Cavaliers, Blue Stars

Edited July 7, 2009 by Room_101

[chaos001]

How are titles usually won? GE.

not last year it wasn't.

[Tez]

After the show tonight, I have a few thoughts. Unfortunately, I was only able to see the Blue Stars, The Cavaliers, and Phantom Regiment. Sorry I couldn't see more, but parking was ridiculous!

When reading, please realize that I was on the 30 yard line, right side of the field when you're in the stands, the THIRD ROW UP. My comments will have nothing to do with overall show design or visual ensemble, as I saw very little of either. I did, however, have a very interesting glimpse right on the field. So:

Blue Stars: Wow--this is a different Blue Stars than I'm used to seeing! It's definitely an aggressive show, and they aren't asking you if they can play with the big boys...they're TELLING you they ARE playing with the big boys! The opening hit is quite powerful after some pretty difficult drill--great first statement. After that, though--they have some issues (but who doesn't right now?!). My two biggest complaints (again, coming from field level) are a)Individual Visual Performance and b)the tuba section. As for Individual Visual, there were several, several instances where I saw members simply running to their set. Not marching, not jazz running, not even jazz walking--RUNNING. Toes up, bouncing around, everything. Their drill is quite demanding, but if they can't clean up the Individual Visual Performance, they're going to have a tough time. As for the tuba section, they are powerful, and have some incredible potential, but I hear a bit of high school sousaphone out there! I know Donnie VanDoren isn't teaching you that! Otherwise, tremendous show from a corps that I couldn't be happier to see back in the mix. The mellophone section was the best of the night (yep, you read that right)! Final Thoughts: Clean up the visual, and the sky's the limit.

The Cavaliers: This is also a different Cavalier corps than I'm used to seeing. And hearing too! Two (or was it three) tuba features (from The Cavaliers?!) throughout the show. Very cool to hear, but they gotta clean them up. Visual Performance was definitely a step up from the previous corps. I had them winning this caption (on the field), but more on that in Regiment's review. I hate I missed seeing their show from up top, but there was plenty to enjoy just by listening. A lot of people think The Cavaliers are boring--far from it! Their rendition of the Debussy, while not necessarily "true," is still very beautiful, and they sound excellent doing it. THE BEST MUSICAL MOMENT OF THE NIGHT was a baritone soli from The Cavaliers right in front of where I was sitting. It was near flawless. It wasn't loud, it wasn't forced, it was just matched and totally locked in. I would rather listen to that anyday than FFFFFFFissimo Canon into Firebird. VERY well done, Cavaliers. My biggest complaint from them--fix the transition after "Engulfed Cathedral." It's so abrupt, and really kills the flow of the show. This must be fixed. Final Thoughts: Overall, they have incredible Visual GE and Music GE. People think they aren't in contention this year? Those people are way wrong. How are titles usually won? GE.

Phantom Regiment: So I never saw Spartacus. Crazy, right? I was so pumped to see this show. And you know what, it's good. It's not stellar, but it's not terrible. I think they're suffering what The Cavaliers experienced in 2003. Right after a history making year like 2008 (or 2002), there's no way for them to go but down. It's just how it works. Sorry. That being said, I'm going to make some people unhappy. This is probably the PHYSICALLY easiest Phantom Regiment show I've ever seen, and the easiest show I saw in the night. Apologies all around, I'm not knocking them down (look at me, I'm sitting on my butt while they're working), but this show is physically a walk in the park. They march halftime all over the place, they stand quite a bit, and (here's the kicker) when they jazz run, THEY SHOULDN'T BE JAZZ RUNNING. I watched a line of trumpets in front of me JAZZ RUN A 7 TO 5 STEP SIZE. It was a little bigger than a 7 to 5 (they were moving upfield as well) but it was NOT something that should have been jazz run. I noticed this trend throughout their show, and I'm not sure why. From up top, it might make total sense. From where I was sitting, however, it looked like a cheap attempt to make the show look more difficult than it is. Please don't think I'm bashing them--just my own opinion. With that in mind, THEY LOOK BETTER THAN I'VE EVER SEEN THEM LOOK. If the Individual Visual judge was only judging clarity, he was right on. Once judges begin to balance difficulty versus clarity, however, these guys don't stand a chance. Now, onto music. Yes, they play more notes than the two previous corps combined, and usually, it's very well done. However, it seems that that the design staff realized 3/4 of the way through the show that it was too easy, so the last 25% is STUPID HARD. Everyone is running (but only half of them should be, see above) and playing 16th notes like crazy. In theory, it's incredible. But right now, it's NOT WORKING. You can't understand it. This is either going to be watered down beyond recognition or completely changed. I don't see them cleaning that up. Final Thoughts: They have more room to grow than any of the three I saw--I don't think we can count them out either. The only thing holding them back will be the colorguard and visual program.

Now some random ordinals that I feel like throwing in, my own personal opinion. 1 is best/highest/most difficult, 3 is worst/lowest/easiest.

Individual Visual:

1. The Cavaliers

2. Phantom Regiment

3. Blue Stars

Brassline:

1. Phantom Regiment

2. The Cavaliers

3. Blue Stars

Physical Difficulty:

1. The Cavaliers

2. Blue Stars

3. Phantom Regiment

Most Room to Grow:

1. Phantom Regiment

2. The Cavaliers

3. Blue Stars

"Musicality" (what does that mean, anyway?):

1. Tie - The Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment

3. Blue Stars

Lastly, I want to say something that is SURE to upset some people. I went in to the show expecting to need a hearing aid to hear The Cavaliers. Let me tell you what. Between the Blue Stars and The Cavaliers, I heard NO volume difference (again, I was sitting in the third row). If anything, The Cavaliers were louder (seriously!). I will say that Phantom Regiment was noticeably louder than both previous corps. But The Cavaliers are PLAYING. They have "Cavalier quality" and "other corps volume." Watch out. I'm excited! I leave you with my last ordinal of the night.

Hornline Volume:

1) Phantom Regiment.

1.03) Tie - Cavaliers, Blue Stars

Thank you for your review.... I also posted one in the Reviews section if you want to see how my opinions compare.

I agree that Phantom does a lot of jazz running when they don't need to, but this is nothing new for this year. They did it for half of the show for Spartacus and many times before. It is becoming part of their style, and it got me thinking about it tonight. I don't think they do it just to make it look like they are moving faster than they are. If you notice, most of the time this happens is when they are playing. Maybe they have found that it is easier to play with a consistent big sound jazz running that regular marching... I mean, thing about it. When marching your heel is pounding the ground first and the only thing to cushion the impact is the roll through of the foot.... but when jazz running, the toe hits first and the slightly bent knee can act as a shock absorber. Maybe they figured this out in 2007 during the Firebird flocking birds moment. I should probably make a topic about this sometime in the future to see what everyone else's opinion about it is.

[Tez]

not last year it wasn't.

Well, last year it was GE and percussion.

[chaos001]

music was the only caption they won overall. GE was 2nd overall and visual 3rd overall.

[Room_101]

music was the only caption they won overall. GE was 2nd overall and visual 3rd overall.

But being 2nd in GE by 0.05...it might as well have been a tie. Tieing BD in GE while KILLING them in Music (mainly Percussion), that's how they got the title.

That being said, I still say last year should've been a tie. 0.025? Come on.

[Room_101]

Thank you for your review.... I also posted one in the Reviews section if you want to see how my opinions compare.

I agree that Phantom does a lot of jazz running when they don't need to, but this is nothing new for this year. They did it for half of the show for Spartacus and many times before. It is becoming part of their style, and it got me thinking about it tonight. I don't think they do it just to make it look like they are moving faster than they are. If you notice, most of the time this happens is when they are playing. Maybe they have found that it is easier to play with a consistent big sound jazz running that regular marching... I mean, thing about it. When marching your heel is pounding the ground first and the only thing to cushion the impact is the roll through of the foot.... but when jazz running, the toe hits first and the slightly bent knee can act as a shock absorber. Maybe they figured this out in 2007 during the Firebird flocking birds moment. I should probably make a topic about this sometime in the future to see what everyone else's opinion about it is.

Tez, that's a very interesting point that you make, one that I admit I've never considered--thanks for speaking up!

I MIGHT be wrong, but I think I saw some members doing it even when they weren't playing. I might be mistaken, and I might need a second look, but I think I remember that happening.

That being said, they're USUALLY playing, so it might just be an automatic thing they do even when not playing. I have a few friends that march there. I'll have to ask them!

[mh31496]

Jamie Thompson left the DC activity. From what I understand, he isn't designing for anyone right now.

I don't miss Adam Sage. His "birds" and "slaves" were not up to par with the rest of the corps.

Visual is not this year's issue. It is the program as a concept.

Blue Stars beat Phantom in Guard tonight. That would not have happened if Sage was still there.

[profhill]

When was the last time Blue Stars beat Cavaliers in a subcaption?

My guess would be 1978.

[84skyrydr]

Very nicely done review.