Thoughts ( A Review ) on the Grand Prix

[Fred Windish]

I am much more intrigued with reviews like the one "Storkysr" provided, than reviews that tell us everyone was great, the sky is always blue, and critical, honest thought is simply not fair.

Thanks, Bill!

[brassyNsassy]

First off, let me say it was great to be at the Grand Prix again. I was alittle worried that I wouldn't like the new site as much as Clifton, but everything turned out just fine. I hope the Cabs didn't have to pay all of those campus cops that were cruising the lots all night long, although I must sayt they seemed to be letting people have a good time within reason.

I got into the stadium as Sun was wrapping up. It was too bad that Sun & Bush had to go on after Skyalumni. Not that they didn't do a decent job, it's just that everone's hearing wasn't as good after Sky played Elks Parade. I heard this from the parking lot and it was my signal to leave the WWPD party that I stumbled into. Nice to hang with people from several different corps being cool with each other. Not how I remember things going sometimes BITD.

Bush is attempting a very tough show for a smaller corps. This usually spells trouble, but no one seems able to put themselves behind the eight-ball without scratching like Bush. I'm betting that with another 10 horns, they will be making some people start to wonder. I didn't quite get the whole psycho part of the show. I liked the circus marches, I mean who doesn't? Still love the guard, although maybe not quite the force they were the last couple of years just yet. Only time will tell for this corps.

Next up, Hurcs! I've been hearing and reading a lot about this corps and I have to say that this is a fun show. I liked how they start the first minute or so "circling the wagons". Then the Can-Can drum solo works pretty good. The ballad was nice, but didn't realy have the pay off yet. I'm sure this will come with time. The cowboy movie theme at the end (How the West Was Won? I couldn't remeber which one it was) was a real toe-tapper. I like that the show is snappy, but not so taxing that the corps has too much trouble finishing it, although this may work against them in the long run. Thought they were closer to Cabs than the scores showed.

Reading took the field next and had a strong performance. Their off the line of Verde's Requiem is really in your face and it never lets up. Very bombastic! The next piece was slower and the alto solist did a nice job. I don't think the Bucs have maxed out this one yet and if they do, this might end up being the one people talk the most about. The trumpet duet and tenor feature in the next song were both reallly good, along with some cool rifle and saber work. There is a lot going on in this one. The closer moves along pretty briskly and the ending minute could end up being pretty hot. It's not there yet, but it has potential.

The host Caballeros followed the Bucs. I was a little puzzled with starting out with the "Rumps". How do you follow that? With a really nice arrangement of Time to Say Goodbye. Very nice change of pace. The drum solo was next and it was pretty cool with a really catchy groove section that everyone around me seemed to like. Then they close it up with an Arturo Sandoval song (forget the name) that also grooves along. Kind of a change of style for the Cabs other than the Rumps at the top of the show. I could have seen the Cabs in 2nd, but it was close between them and Hurcs.

Cabs Alumni finished up and did as they always do. They really know how to work over the audience and just never let up. Classic Caballeros.

When my baby,

When my baby smiles at me,

I go to Rio

De Janeiro.

I'm a Salsa fella,

When my baby smiles at me,

The sun lightens up my life,

And I am free at last.

What a blast!

Pretty much sums it up. Great show!

[NightmareBC]

The cowboy movie theme at the end (How the West Was Won? I couldn't remeber which one it was) was a real toe-tapper.

Silverado, great piece of music and lots of fun to play

thanks for the reviews everyone!

[Fastone]

From my observation the Bucs are balanced in all areas, the other corps are not consequently, they are winning handily. With the way the schedule shakes out It will be interesting to see how the programs develop and if there is enough time for the corps chasing the Bucs to make the moves neccessary to possibly overtake them.

[MrKlark]

"....I got into the stadium as Sun was wrapping up. It was too bad that Sun & Bush had to go on after Skyalumni. Not that they didn't do a decent job, it's just that everone's hearing wasn't as good after Sky played Elks Parade. I heard this from the parking lot ..."

Now THERE"S a review Thanks!!

--Rich

[pete china]

So they will still be in competition later this summer, then?

and that means ......??

[Phalanx]

Won't do a full blown review here, just a few passing comments.

My comments about Bush will likely be the same until the last couple weeks. Awesome guard, skilled horns, but need more.

Hurcs : I was in Bridgeport where they put a decent show on the field. In Bridgeport they put on a hell of a show in their opener, and then clearly were tired for the rest of the show. In Wayne, it's like they overcompensated. The opener was decent, but not WOW! Then the rest of the show was actually really steady. It never fell apart or seemed weak, but the impacts were really lacking. A lot of mental errors. It may be the second show, but come on people, horns up together, horns down together, it's the easiest part of your show. Also they came in right behind the Bucs in field brass, I respectfully disagree, they looked sloppy and again I think it was mental. My observations of the past have been that corps that can do that easy crap right, are the ones that can then build on that and do the hard, impressive things well. It was the same problem last year, they had a strong program, strong first half of the season, but throughout it all they always gave in to the easy things. Last year, I thought they might make a late season push and knock off the bucs or at least come in second. I remember when that thought vanished instantly from my mind. It was in Kingston, NY and the Hurcs were playing their ballad, they came up to the big hit AND!!... Half the corps misses the horn pop. What a buzz kill. It looks like the hurcs are in danger of doing exactly what they did last season. Start strong, become complacent, and then coast into the bottom half of the top 5. Do they even want to win in Connecticut? Rather... Do they want to put in the WORK it takes to win in Connecticut?

I wrote way more than I anticipated there, but I always get fired up when a decent corps lets a potentially great season go to waste.

Cabs : They had almost the opposite problem of the Hurcs. They came in with power and energy. All of the big hits ripped my face off (which is my favorite part about drum corps). So I was cheering my ### off, but I could see why the score came in where it did. All the stuff in between the big hits was a little lacking. The drum line was tasty, and the guard was solid, but at the same time there was something lacking. That something is what ever "energy" doesn't provide.

One other side comment, someone in the Bridgeport review mentioned that the cabs don't move a lot, and then someone in this one said the hurcs don't move a lot. They looked like they were absolutley hauling in both their shows. The Hurcs tempos never seem to drop below 160, and the Cabs are taking huge strides and zooming across the field from the start, so I don't know where those comments came from. I feel like they are the two most active corps this year (though I haven't seen empire or Minnesota).

Bucs : They probably have the best show they've had in years. At the same time though, so do the other corps. Tonight's performance was alright. Alright for the bucs translates to an enjoyable, crowd pleasing event, but you guys know you can do better I'm sure. The opener got me juicing for the rest of the show, and the tenor feature was sensational! The rest of the show seemed just a tad flat though. Bucs are good, but they can be caught! Which was also the case last year, but no one stepped up and the Bucs certainly did NOT let up. They are a corps who does the EASY things right. I hear people whine all the time about them, but even if they are just as good as another corps in most aspects, they do the easy things right and get those extras points out of it. nice job guys!

Nice job to all performing corps. Even if I didn't give a big review on you, you guys were well received in my book!

[Fran Haring]

The highly professional MC, he of the Hawaiian Tropics wardrobe - Fran Haring - makes it a well run event and his banter/humor/interaction with the crowd sets the mood for the evening - and it is a good one indeed

Thank you for the kind words. Very much appreciated, but the real reason that the Grand Prix is such a well-run event is that the folks from the Caballeros... Rich Warga, Al Katz, Mike Ryan, Frank Gerris, Joe Campos, George Hayek and many, many others.... have their act down cold when it comes to running a drum corps contest.

The new venue for the show was outstanding, IMO....in particular, the parking situation was MUCH better. Excellent PA system, too. The only downside was that the bathrooms were not really big enough in proportion to the number of people at the show. The grandstand was filled from endzone to endzone.

Fran

[CorpsBuff]

Thank you for the kind words. Very much appreciated, but the real reason that the Grand Prix is such a well-run event is that the folks from the Caballeros... Rich Warga, Al Katz, Mike Ryan, Frank Gerris, Joe Campos, George Hayek and many, many others.... have their act down cold when it comes to running a drum corps contest.

The new venue for the show was outstanding, IMO....in particular, the parking situation was MUCH better. Excellent PA system, too. The only downside was that the bathrooms were not really big enough in proportion to the number of people at the show. The grandstand was filled from endzone to endzone.

Fran

I'm glad Porta-Potties are a lot easier (and cheaper) to add in the future than parking spots!

I loved the new place, especially to march on!

[DCAforLife]

Hurcs : I was in Bridgeport where they put a decent show on the field. In Bridgeport they put on a hell of a show in their opener, and then clearly were tired for the rest of the show. In Wayne, it's like they overcompensated. The opener was decent, but not WOW! Then the rest of the show was actually really steady. It never fell apart or seemed weak, but the impacts were really lacking. A lot of mental errors. It may be the second show, but come on people, horns up together, horns down together, it's the easiest part of your show. Also they came in right behind the Bucs in field brass, I respectfully disagree, they looked sloppy and again I think it was mental. My observations of the past have been that corps that can do that easy crap right, are the ones that can then build on that and do the hard, impressive things well. It was the same problem last year, they had a strong program, strong first half of the season, but throughout it all they always gave in to the easy things. Last year, I thought they might make a late season push and knock off the bucs or at least come in second. I remember when that thought vanished instantly from my mind. It was in Kingston, NY and the Hurcs were playing their ballad, they came up to the big hit AND!!... Half the corps misses the horn pop. What a buzz kill. It looks like the hurcs are in danger of doing exactly what they did last season. Start strong, become complacent, and then coast into the bottom half of the top 5. Do they even want to win in Connecticut? Rather... Do they want to put in the WORK it takes to win in Connecticut?

Bucs : They probably have the best show they've had in years. At the same time though, so do the other corps. Tonight's performance was alright. Alright for the bucs translates to an enjoyable, crowd pleasing event, but you guys know you can do better I'm sure. The opener got me juicing for the rest of the show, and the tenor feature was sensational! The rest of the show seemed just a tad flat though. Bucs are good, but they can be caught! Which was also the case last year, but no one stepped up and the Bucs certainly did NOT let up. They are a corps who does the EASY things right. I hear people whine all the time about them, but even if they are just as good as another corps in most aspects, they do the easy things right and get those extras points out of it. nice job guys!

Nice job to all performing corps. Even if I didn't give a big review on you, you guys were well received in my book!

As much as I hate to admit it, this is the best review of both of these shows. Hurcs have a great package. They need to seriously step back, and work on the basics. Go over horns up and down. All of the turns. Things of this sort. Then once they get these simple things down, they will start to do some serious damage. I hope they do not fizzle out like last year. It did also seem that they had an off night. Several things look to have gone wrong drill wise which probably transfered to the playing. Not an excuse though.

Buccs have a great design team. They have great people who have the ability to brew up a great show. I am how ever alittle disappointed in the show from after the opener on out. No real wow moments. Its great sounding and they do all of the simple stuff correctly. Execution is key. they are doing it. They will continue to win until someone has a package to contend.

I believe Hurcs have the package and can really make this a tough season for Buccs. But just as the previous poster said, They need to work on the basics. Once the basics are down, I am sure things will really start falling into place