Parade of Champions Review

[VOReason]

My brief review of the Scranton Parade of Champions:

As mentioned in Mr. Culp's review earlier, it was a fine night weather-wise and performance-wise for the Seniors yesterday evening. All of the corps brought something unique to the occasion and the performances were greatly appreciated by the smallish crowd in attendance. Kudos to the young (and not so young) men and women who practice 9-10 months out of the year, give up their summers, family vacations and social commitments so we may be entertained....THANK YOU!

After our National Anthem (which made me wish there were a special award for High Vibrato), first up where the Bushwackers:

Bushwackers: Gotta hand it to the Bushwackers. Rather than put some new shoes on the same 'ole horse, Bush seems to saddle up a new ride every year. This year' ride, "A Psychotic Circus" is indicative of the type of show concept and design that will be required to overtake the Bucs. It's ashamed that Bush does not have the horses to pull out the win. Seemed like a few members in the already small lines were recently inserted which does not bode well for a program such as this which relies heavily on individual performance. It was however a marvelous effort, with an engaging and well concieved show. The battery was of particular note. Keep some of these folks, add a few more, and next year...who knows?

MBI: MBI presented a well rounded, well rehearsed show, that displayed consistentcy in performace from beginning to end. The horn line is capable of producing a fine ensemble sound however some of the big band styled jazz licks will require some work on articulation and phrasing. MBI had an impressive group of screamers, however it would be nice if the screamers were actually playing chord tones every now and then. Most noticeable was a marked lack of movement in the visual design, especially in the OTL. MBI’s performance seemed a bit tight and tentative, perhaps due to the long trip and highly anticipated hype. Overall, a solid, workmanlike performance.

Empire: Rule #1 – If you start your show with unaccompanied soloist/soloists, it is absolutely essential that they DO NOT FRACK! Fracking every several notes is particularly unacceptable. The first few seconds of any show really sets the tone. Perhaps the soloist could be staged facing backfield or in such a way to make this less noticeable. I thought Empire came out with every intention of performing this show to the max. I did not see this performance as flat, however it is evident that this is a down year for them overall. They did however perform with a looseness and abandon that seemed to be lacking with MBI and the performance was consistent from top to bottom. Some folks seemed to think that this is not the “typical” Empire show, but hey, should they feel that utilizing a boatload of props and parking a few screamers on a box next year is what it will take to beat Reading…good luck with that!

Bucs: Bucs are absolutely KILLING everyone in show concept/design. The performance is seamless from top to bottom and presented a uniformity of style that is currently unmatched in the circuit. The horn line is silky smooth and they even sport a few “screamers” this year that tastefully enhance the musical book. The battery is phenomenal! If one had to be super critical, perhaps the guard staging could have been better. It was evident that this show belonged to Reading after the OTL. The fat lady is warming up…..

Hurcs: The finest Hurcs corps in many years. The OTL was the high point of their performance and had me thinking that maybe…just maybe. After the OTL however the show just seemed to meander and lacked a sense of flow. The performance also seems to loose a lot of steam from about midway thru the end of the program. The battery was great, however I don’t see them as a potential threat to the Bucs for the percussion award. The guard is outstanding, however their staging at times created confusion in the visual. If Hurcs continue to improve the way they have over the past two years, then next year maybe…just maybe.

Cabs: For pure performance, THIS was the performance of the evening. The Andre Bocelli ballad was superb and here’s a thought: Bring back the ballad next year, however rework it, ala a Phantom Regiment Nessun Dorma format. It was mentioned in these forums that the Cabs have a lack of movement. Ironically, they move as much or more than anyone in the circuit…sometimes to their detriment. The jazz steppin’ has got to go. The technique is hard enough to refine with a group of 18-21 year olds! If you must jazz step to make the set in 24 counts, then why not give yourselves 32. The overall show design will not be good enough to catch Reading this year, however I believe we will see the Cabs firmly in second come championship weekend.

Cabs Alumni: AWESOME!! Best alumni corps…by far. Great job gentlemen!

As far as the result: Reading won…HANDS DOWN! I had Cabs second, followed by Hurcs who were closely followed by MBI. Totally agreed with the caption awards.

[JonContraMBI]

VOReason, this may be a stupid question but can you explain what you mean by OTL?

[elphaba01]

VOReason, this may be a stupid question but can you explain what you mean by OTL?

"Let me 'splain":

"Back in the Day" "OTL" was short for "Off the Line". Old fossils and witches like "Me" well remember drum corps lining up on the "Starting Line", (Left goal line from the "Fifty"), and "Kicking off", that is "Stepping 'Off the Line'", (Often in a "Full Fifty Yard Company Front") heading down (or "Up") field. The "Finish Line" was the goal line to the right of the "Fifty", and onece the last marching member crossed it, time stopped.

Now, as everyone knows, there are no more "Starting Lines", with the corps starting their programs right on the field, directly in front of the audience.

Elphaba

WWW

[JonContraMBI]

Thanks!

[CarolleeT]

My brief review of the Scranton Parade of Champions:

Cabs Alumni: AWESOME!! Best alumni corps…by far. Great job gentlemen!

What about us females?

[VOReason]

What about us females?

Sorry...great job LADIES and GENTLEMEN!!

[CorpsBuff]

Thanks to everyone for the reviews!

[fecontra]

Thanks for the excellent review - and also the afterthought non pc section

AND THANKYOU for the phrase " honking across the ensemble "!

[DaveDrum]

VOReason, this may be a stupid question but can you explain what you mean by OTL?

Back in "The Day" . . . before B Flat, Jazz runs, soloists on floats, park and blow, Guitars, Microphones etc., we had a very simple plan for a show . . . Opening f/f and OTL - Color Pre - Entry - Concert - Prod. No. and finally the Exit with a closing f/f. Lets not forget a couple of tasty Drum Solos along the way. If you're not sure what any of the others are, their are plenty of us old people around who would be happy to fill you in. I always preferred white bucks or low quarters to Capezzios.

[jware]

Back in "The Day" . . . before B Flat, Jazz runs, soloists on floats, park and blow, Guitars, Microphones etc., we had a very simple plan for a show . . . Opening f/f and OTL - Color Pre - Entry - Concert - Prod. No. and finally the Exit with a closing f/f. Lets not forget a couple of tasty Drum Solos along the way. If you're not sure what any of the others are, their are plenty of us old people around who would be happy to fill you in. I always preferred white bucks or low quarters to Capezzios.

I'm sure that made things clear as paint for the person that asked the question. Perfect!

Jerry