Drums along the Waterfront - Buffalo

steelcityrabbit · August 3, 2009

Before I get to my thoughts on the corps, I would like to take a moment to vent about the show venue.

I will never go to a drum corps show in Buffalo again. This was by far the worst run show I have been to in a long while.

My first mistake was buying tickets 1 hour before showtime. I ended up sitting by a bunch of non-corps folks. They acted like it was halftime at their local school football game. People were constantly entering and leaving during the coirps performances. And the chatter during the performances was non stop. We moved to better seats during the intermission. They did not sell the first six or so rows down low.

Here's a list of stadium related complaints:

1. I bought a bottle of water and was not allowed to have the cap. I know when the Buffalo Bills are getting stomped by the NY Jets, fans like to throw them, but I doubt anyone would throw one at the Boston Crusaders for beating the Madison Scouts.

2. I never figured out where it was coming from, but there could heard some kind of radio signal all night. It sounded like a lite rock FM station.

3. I understand that it costs more to open the upper deck, but why not? More spectators could have been closer to the 50 and alot of folks like the high view. We were sitting on the 5 yard line, 26 rows form the field.

4. The announcers were horrible. Local TV talent who thought they were the show. The women announcer should have taken the time to learn some pronounciations.

And for Pete's sake, they are drum corps, not BANDS!

5. Along the lines of announcers, there was a lot of confusion in the stands early on when for some reason, the National Anthem was delayed. They should have let the fans know what was going on. The program schedule was for the Optimists to play the Canadian Anthem followed by a lady doing the US Anthem. Instead as soon as the Optimists finished the Canadian Anthem, the announcers introduced the Optimists show. There was a very audible displeasure from the crowd.

6. My biggest gripe, there was no one keeping people from entering during the shows. I go to Massilon and Canton shows and both venues do a great job at keeping the aisles clear during the corps performances. If my family was not with me, I know one older guy would have been wearing the slice of pizza he was holding as he stood for at least a minute right in front of me looking for his seat during Preston Scout House.

Thanks for letting me vent, now on to the show.

I would like to say right out the gate, I am not a drum corps critic, just a fan who has been involved in the activity for 35 years and now attends shows to be entertained. I am also not opposed to the direction drum corps has taken the last ten years or so. (electronics don't bother me that much and I have no problem at all with the Bb deal) This will not be a gripe session, just pointing out a few things that caught my attention.

1. Optimists, the Green unis really looked good on the field. They had a few nice horn soloist. Very nice for the small size corps.

2. Preston Scout House, 1st time I have ever seen this corps, and I know it's not exactly what you may think drum corps is (they are calledd a band), but enjoyed them. They played familiar tunes and their signature "Waltzing Matilda" was terrific. The high leg lift and the DM's marching style was unique to say the least.

3. Cascades, it was good to see them back on the competition field. I was impressed by the high level of perrformance the lower scoring coprs achieve. Maybe the only thing different from them and the big guys are the numbers of members. There are no Hot Dog corps anymore.

4. Paciifc Crest, very good, I thought their hornline was their strong point. Their marching was not.

5. The Academy, I placed them right behind Boston, I thought they should have been closer in score to Boston than to Madison.

These shows above were all viewed from the 5 yard line, 26 rows from the field.

The next show were viewed from the 50, 2 rows from the field, so no visual.

6. Madison Scouts, their strong point, horns, weak, drums. They played very well when they opened up. I wasn't thrilled with the CG's outfits.

7. Boston Crusaders, loved the CG, and not for the reason you may think, although I did notice. I loved the way the CG blended in visually with the horns and drums. I am not a fan of the CGs that have an entire different look than the rest of the corps. No weak sections, all performed well.

8. Bluecoats, my choice for best hornline, I could listen to them all day. It seems they are pidgeoned holed between the top corps and the middle ones. The contra feature were the 1st phrase was played by half and then the rest came in on the 2nd phrase with the bottom was KILLER! I loved the uni change.

9. Santa Clara Vanguard, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! My one negative was that at times, the middle horns seemed a bit airy, overall, my favorite show of the night. Always a fan of the soft ending, all the way back to '83.

10. Blue Devils, it amazes me the concepts they come up with. Loved the old time radio at the start, loved the use of chairs to highlight certain sections during the show. I am certain most of the bass drummers I have known over the years could never pull off playing while standing on a chair. They certainly deserved 1st place, they did everything better than everyone else, playing & marching. You could see the level of intensity on all members.

Just a side note.

I may have been the 1st person to cause people to move seats by "BLUUUING" for the Bluecoats. I gave a big "BLUUUUUUUU!" when they announced the lineup at the show's start. Some band mother and her daughter thought I was being rude and moved.

jmackay · August 3, 2009

5. Along the lines of announcers, there was a lot of confusion in the stands early on when for some reason, the National Anthem was delayed. They should have let the fans know what was going on. The program schedule was for the Optimists to play the Canadian Anthem followed by a lady doing the US Anthem. Instead as soon as the Optimists finished the Canadian Anthem, the announcers introduced the Optimists show. There was a very audible displeasure from the crowd.

Thanks for your kind words about the Toronto Optimist Alumni.

Many in our corps were also quite angry with the handling on the National Anthems. We took our responsibility for playing the Canadian National Anthem quite seriously and were therefore puzzled when we were told to perform without the playing of the American National Anthem. Some in the audience were quite "vocal" with their displeasure as to the proceedings.

As I walked past the "announcers" after our performance ( I'm on staff ) I told them; rather colorfully, how I appreciated the position they had put our corps in. They looked at me rather blankly, as they had no script for a reply. When I walked passed the "dude with the clip board" I had a similarly colorful conversation with him. He informed me that the singer was late and he was waiting for the show sponsor to get the blame.

From our perspective, we performed when we were asked, and are thankful for the opportunity. We hope to be able to perform for "More and More" audiences very soon.

Edited August 4, 2009 by jmackay

BlueR36 · August 4, 2009

It was weird with the delay for the American anthem. If the announcers had simply said, "Folks, the singer for the Anthem is late, so we're going to let the Optimists perform their show while we wait" then there wouldn't have been such an uproar. But they just said "Please be seated" and people were, rightfully, confused and some were ticked off.

Thanks for the review. This has usually been a very well-run show, so I don't know why they forgot the "aisle guards" keeping people out during performances. As for not opening the upper deck, you would have to basically double the number of workers in the stadium, so I can see not doing it. I have no problem with only using the lower bowl -- still plenty of seats.

You did forget to mention one BIG perk at this show at a big stadium -- free parking!! That's something for playing at an NFL stadium.

Slow Adam · August 4, 2009

The Canadian tailgate party (pre AND post show) was Box 5! :thumbdown:

byline · August 5, 2009

Yup, it was a great tailgate party, LOL!

And yes, I would echo all of the show complaints stated above. My only other complaint about the stadium is how tight the seats are. My husbands suffers with sciatica, and having his knees jammed against the seat in front of him did not help at all.

However, none of these things will keep me from going back next year. On to the show and my impressions of each corps:

Cascades: Wonderful use of fluorescent-green flags. A nicely visual guard doing lots of creative things . . . especially the yellow twigs/branches to reflect the "forest" theme.

The Academy: Love the mountain-climbing concept and excellent use of body movement by the corps. Very nice writing for the guard, and the uniform change to an icy-white-with-powder-blue trim costume, with matching flags, was lovely.

Pacific Crest: Lots of really inventive things going on with this guard. Really gorgeous effect with the white, gauzy scarves. I can't pick out one element that I remember of this show; it just all flowed really well together.

Boston Crusaders: First corps of the evening to really smack us over the head with their sound. Love, love, LOVE this show! Those "eye" flags are spectacular, and I think that may be my all-time favorite flag design (with the apple flag a close second). I thought I would hate their use of synths, but for this show, it's quite fitting with the "temptress" theme. My husband wanted to know what the "diva" act was all about. He soon found out! Wonderful, wonderful guard. The male dancer is extraordinary, but the performance by everyone is spectacular!

Madison Scouts: I really, really hate to say this, but while the Scouts' brass book sounds quite impressive, visually they just seem a bit of a mess to me, given what I expected from them after last year's impressive rebound back into finals. The show opens powerfully enough, but then the narrative thread seems to bob and weave a bit. I do believe the guard looks stronger than last year . . . but not strong enough to sell the idea they're trying to get across. Somehow, the concept seems muddled and lacking in conviction. (By the way, that doesn't mean that I think the corps lacks conviction. It's just that somehow, it's not coming across as strongly as it needs to, IMO.) Having said that, the crowd was pretty charged up over this show, so I suspect that a lot of people won't agree with my impressions. Which is absolutely fine. That's what opinions are all about.

Santa Clara Vanguard: What can I say? This show is so sublime. I think for many, it may be too sublime. But that's exactly why I love it so much. It isn't "peel the skin off your face" drum corps; it's a slow, gorgeous build right to the finish. I so enjoy the lyrical, almost literal approach to "Appalachian Spring"; it's mostly unembellished and a mirror-perfect reflection of the original composition. And then, of course, the "Martha" choreography and costuming by the guard is just so superb. I can't say enough about this show. I wouldn't want all drum corps shows to be like this . . . but I am so happy this is what Santa Clara has chosen to do. I hate to hear that so many corps members are ill, and I wish them a speedy recovery in time for finals!

Bluecoats: Going on after Santa Clara, I was concerned that I would feel underwhelmed by this show. I needn't have worried. I love this show, love the concept of the corps donning the same uniforms as the guard (full circle from what it used to be, where the guard wore the same uniforms as the corps proper). I guess now I know what everyone means by "the cloud people." And it was wonderful to see the character change in the corps as they stripped down to the streamlined uniforms. IMO, this show is a much more cohesive program than last year's vehicle. Love the little "Charlie Chaplin"-esque guard character. And did the crowd love "Blooing" this corps? You bet!

Blue Devils: Whoa, baby! What a show they threw down! I heard people talking about how they were so clean as to be sterile. What?!! When my husband heard this, he couldn't believe his ears. He and I were blown away by this corps. Too long with the chairs? I think people need to re-examine what they're doing with the chairs. If you don't like it, so be it. But please don't accuse BD of playing it safe, because this show is anything but. What amazing music, and how refreshing to see full field coverage by a corps. That's long been a BD trait, and I so enjoyed seeing it again last night. And that guard! They threw everything in the air but the kitchen sink, kept tossing in one dazzling display after another . . . and nailed every single thing they did. Safe? Sterile? Soulless? What show are you folks watching? Not the one I saw. And, given the roar of the audience, not the one they saw, either. Bravo, BD!

I didn't take nearly as many photos this year as last year. Part of the reason is because dim bulb here forgot to recharge her camera batteries before we left, and I only had an old set of alkalines as a backup. So I was trading batteries back and forth, trying to give one set a rest as I took pictures with the other set. As a result, some of the photos are blurry, and so I apologize for that. Also, since this was first viewing for me, I didn't always know when to take a photo. By the time I figured it out and got the camera focused, the corps had moved on to the next thing, so I missed a fair bit. But despite all of that, some of the pictures turned out well, so here they are: Buffalo pix