Houston reflections - Day 1

[Dave Sloan]

Good evening all from Houston, Tx and what a fine day/night it was for drum corps.

After some delicious food from Husky's, I arrived at the beautiful Berry Center in Cypress, Tx at around 6:30pm to get my ticket and watch some corps'. It turned out to be a bit of a walk through some treacherous terrain but I managed to catch some of Pacific Crest's hornline and drumline as well as listen to Boston's hornline warm up. It was about 7:15 when I headed back to the stadium.

Mandarins - Sorry guys, I was still walking back from the stadium/listening to Boston's warmup. I'm sure you guys did a great job and I wish best of luck in the future.

Pacific Crest - managed to catch most of this show and watched the rest from the side. A very solid product from Pacific Crest this year. Some issues with cleanliness both musically and visually, of course, but a very entertaining show and a very fine representation of some West Coast drum corps. Thanks for coming out!

Spirit - I had heard about this show so I wasn't sure what to expect, if anything. I am definitely not a fan of electronics and narration in drum and bugle corps and this show is no exception. The members are doing great with everything they are taught, I just think some of the narration was a bit excessive, even if it was necessary to sell the product. Execution is definitely a step up from PC and, like I said, the members sell the show very well and make for a very enjoyable performance. Again, some cleanliness issues that nag at them but some good sounds coming from the hornline and drumline. Whether or not this show is strong enough to make finals is another story, but Spirit is certainly on track.

Crossmen - I am sorry, East Coast, for your loss of this great drum corps, but I am very happy that they have found a new home in San Antonio. This year's show is a very dark one with shades of Medea and black capes and other nefarious niceties and it certainly works for the Crossmen. Even though I had their execution slightly sub par compared to Spirit, there are several moments in that show that seem to scream GE. I have a feeling that this show has quite a bit more growth left in it and I am anxious to see what will transpire in the next few weeks; the race to that 12th spot will be a tight one indeed.

Boston Crusaders - I have admittedly never been a Boston fan and have actually been very anti - Boston in the past, but this show is simply wonderful. First of all, the white baldric and plumes are very striking with the red and black; kudos to whoever thought of that one. The lone dancer was very good and very brave to do what she did, especially the pre show stuff when all eyes are on her. I heard these guys in the parking lot, and a lot of it transferred to the field which was great news. Boston came to play; clearly a step above Spirit and Crossmen tonight in performance and execution, and making such lush, LOUD sounds. The pacing of the show is very good, reminds me very much of their 2000 show, and the Bacchanale closer is just great. Boston has had a reputation for being a "nacho corps"; don't let this year's show be the "nacho show". Go see it!

Intermission - twiddled my thumbs for 17 minutes

Glassmen - as an alumni of this fine organization, I am very biased towards the Glassmen. They do have a very solid show this year, but sadly, it left me flat. Not a lot of contrasts or peaks in design which kind of wears on you after 11 minutes. The Glassmen has never been a hornline corps, and this year is no exception. The book is good and the low brass sounds fairly solid but something has got to be done about the high brass. Many tone criminals in the high brass, specifically sopranos. Also, too dirty for this time in the season or for my taste. However, criticisms aside, I thought this was a very solid, consistant program from the Glassmen that will probably solidify their place in finals, but they way things are rumbling down in 13th-15th land, I wouldn't get to comfortable if I were them. Good luck!

Blue Stars - I have been aware of the tremendous growth of this organization for quite some time, and I enjoyed the bicycle show last year, so I was looking forward to tonight's performance. As a rule, I'm not too crazy about an overt use of props on the field but it is very creative what they were able to do with them. Plus the props add to their field coverage making them look enormous, especially following the comparitively bare Glassmen. Man do those horns sound great! That first moment made my night and F major never sounded so good! The show is cool, kind of a WWII vibe, wasn't too crazy about the sound bytes towards the end of the ballad, not sure if that was necessary or not. In short, a very good show from the Blue Stars, solidly executed and performed.

Carolina Crown - Ah, Crown. The moment had come at last. I had to see what was turning heads all season long and I can certainly see why. Such mature sounds coming out of that hornline and very tight ensemble playing. And man are they CLEAN! The design also looks very mature, which is the only thing I'm worried about with this corps. They have been at the top of the drum corps world all summer and still have 5 more weeks with regionals so I am worried that this show may not have the longevity to compete with some of the more experienced design teams. But at the moment (and I haven't seen the other half of DCI), this is the best show in DCI right now, both in design and performance. Let's just see what happens in the next few weeks.

Holy Name Cadets - Happy Anniversary to you, HNC and man, am I glad to see you putting out a quality show for a change. This is not a knock against the members, who always do a fine show, but I'm glad George Hopkins was able to put his agenda on hold for a season so the Cadets can have a good, old-fashioned vintage drum corps show i.e. a great show. Some design kinks, perhaps, in the swing section and towards the end but they look great and sound great. There's nothing like that vintage Cadets sound combined with the breakneck drill that sets the field on fire and this show does it. Whether or not they will win (which certainly is a possibility) is a moot point, this is just a great drum corps show. Kudos, Holy Name and good luck to you!

Phantom Regiment - Ah, good ol' Regiment. I also have special feelings for this corps, having marched there my last year, and combined with the premise of them playing "The Red Violin", I was raring to go. Musically, it is so strong. The hornline is playing with remarkable maturity matched only by Crown tonight, IMO, and Paul Rennick's drumline is smokin' as par. The arrangements are very well done with considerable demand being met with a very high level of execution. Visually and overall, it leaves me wanting. First of all, still some dirt in the form that is too obvious, which needs to be cleaned up yesterday. Didn't really notice any feet issues, but than again I wasn't looking for any. Design-wise, I'm just not sure they are conveying their story of The Red Violin in a very convincing manner. It gets kind of cluttered and the end isn't that final, which I've come to expect from Phantom Regiment. But, if I know that design team, they are planning for this show to bloom right on Finals night, so it is not shocking to see where they are in the standings. But, the stuff that is within the members' control i.e. form dirt and feet dirt needs to be cleaned up if they hope to compete.

Sorry for my complete ignorance of colorguard. I am a hornline alumnus and have very little experience in that department and didn't watch/notice that much.

Hope this proves useful; I go back for Round 2 tomorrow.

Good night.

[Silver_King]

Glassmen - as an alumni of this fine organization, I am very biased towards the Glassmen. They do have a very solid show this year, but sadly, it left me flat. Not a lot of contrasts or peaks in design which kind of wears on you after 11 minutes. The Glassmen has never been a hornline corps, and this year is no exception. The book is good and the low brass sounds fairly solid but something has got to be done about the high brass. Many tone criminals in the high brass, specifically sopranos. Also, too dirty for this time in the season or for my taste. However, criticisms aside, I thought this was a very solid, consistant program from the Glassmen that will probably solidify their place in finals, but they way things are rumbling down in 13th-15th land, I wouldn't get to comfortable if I were them. Good luck!

i think it is weird because everyone i have heard says that Glassmens sops are the strongest part of the hornline

[BozzlyB]

Thanks for the review! Can you clarify a comment about the Blue Stars show, regarding sound bytes at the END of ballad? I was aware of the Pearl Harbor announcement at the beginning of ballad, is there more of that kind of thing at the end now too?

[AlexL]

Thanks for the review! Can you clarify a comment about the Blue Stars show, regarding sound bytes at the END of ballad? I was aware of the Pearl Harbor announcement at the beginning of ballad, is there more of that kind of thing at the end now too?

yeah. theres a little clip about the war being over and now being a time for celebration. a nice segue into the next movement.

[Guizeppe]

Nice review. Too bad you missed the Mandarins as I think you would have been impressed.

[BDguardsman]

Great Review!

I couldn't agree more about Boston Crusaders!!!! WOW! I saw them for the first time in Dallas last night. I didn't want the show to end!!!! Totally unexpected. Kudos to the guard.....our section in the stands gave an extra round of applause for the guard as they trooped the stands!