BLOOOOuisville, KY

[nero14]

I'm starting on it now- just got back. Had a good time-

Watched the bluecoats practice- about an hour of horn arc and 2 hours of ensemble- good times. More on that later.

I played Tuba and I reserve to interchange the word "contra" for "Tuba" whenever I want. I know the difference and I just straight up don't give a crap- it just sounds more 'drum corps' to say "Contra"…

Crowd: 3,000-ish? At least 2,250 or so… hard to tell—it was crowded enough to feel some good ole' drum corps camaraderie- but still having an empty seat here and there—it was fine with me.

Teal Sound:

8 contras- Don't remember too much- intelligently written- individual technique is great- members are holding their own- brass putting out a decent sound- the first statement had the crowd going and they got a nice applause at the end. This show has potential and is written at a high enough level that if they polish and clean enough they will be able to pull up some- not sure how high- it's certainly too tough for them right now- and that's a good thing in my book- of course if we're still saying that in late July they are screwed! Two synths, a bass, and a guitar- there were 16 in the pit. I guess I'm OK with it- but I prefer it a little more traditional if it's up to me… but it's not. There is still some guard work for them to complete for the last 30 seconds or so- abouts.

Pioneer:

(sorry mike- I didn't get a picture of this- that's my bad)

If you are waiting to be surprised by a better Pioneer this year- I'm afraid you better hold out for 2011— not trying to be mean- it's just on the same level that we've seen them the last few years. I did like their song selection and theme. I thought the mic'd member saying a prayer in the middle of the show was a nice touch- got some applause. I heart Jesus and what-not so I don't have a problem with them putting out a religious message and using crosses- just don't expect any Madison '99. Pretty weak crowd response- sorry! (really not trying to be mean here- but I'm sure that's how it comes across)

Madison:

20 contras. OK—I didn't say this- some people sitting next to me did (intelligent and experienced DCI fans and participants) --

"I heard that 5 or 6 of their 20 contras are actually guard members who are holding the horns- not playing" I don't know if it's true or not- I'm sure it's not true- that's just what somebody said… Just FYI. They have a nice horizontal line start with a ripple flip to the front- pretty fun- I'm sure it'll get faster as the season progresses. Opener was very sharp- lots of movement- some nice new body-movement. MUSICALLY the show is very much a throwback to the late 80s and I don't mean that in a bad way- I'm just saying if you listened to this and the same show from 85 or 89 you wouldn't find any MAJOR differences in the flow of the music- for the Rhapsody part especially. I loved those shows- so I'm not complaining. Brass sounds good- I'm no brass judge- I know maybe there were some quality issues- but I liked the volume and the crowd did too. Much louder than Glassmen which of course explains the usual crowd confusion as to why Madison doesn't place higher every year… I liked the show- I don't know that it's progressive enough to challenge for a top 10 spot this year- there are lots of good things about the show—I think it is simply lacking in the DEPTH department. What you see is what you get- and that's just not enough for 2010. Sorry… geez that sounds pretty mean too- I like Madison, I promise! I will say that this is much more to my liking than last year- it's serious, it's got heart- it's something that everybody will love- it sounds great- it's worth seeing and enjoying. Some strong spontaneous crowd response at the end.

Glassmen:

10 contras I think- I didn't hear the show title from the announcer, I didn't research it before, I still have no idea what it was about- not sure I even want to guess… something vague? In all fairness I would have said the same thing about the Bluecoats if I didn't know it already- this show isn't as LOUD as Madison, it's not as entertaining, it's not as accessible, but it's a vehicle that will still put them ahead of the scouts in the end because it's written for the judges- you know what I mean? There are some nice loud sustained parts- the battery was pretty solid- there's some good body movements as usual- I can't for the life of me remember much about it- the crowd booed when Madison was announced below Glassmen.

Phantom:

{that's all the brass}

7 contras? Is there a contra stomach bug (I hope)? Is anybody else alarmed about this? I think the drill is written for 12, but it's hard to tell… I know it's early and many corps have come back from worse- but 6 contra holes seems like something that might actually be worth worrying about? Maybe that's just me—

I'm gonna be real for you guys right now—I love phantom—I want good things to happen to phantom—truly nothing but love in my heart for them- but right now I'm scared for how this year is going to go for them. I might be the first one to say this, but I don't see this as any stronger than last year… actually, for this time last year I think 2009 was better. It's too early to tell… I like a lot of their concepts- I like what's going on- the quality and depth of the brass line is still top notch- high brass is on par with phantom lines of years past as is percussion. Many around me were vocal in their being impressed with their battery- not a percussion man myself so I trust them. It's just like… this show seems like it was WRITTEN for a 6-8 finish… I've been wrong before- and I welcome that this year- I want them to do well. My favorite parts were the very beginning and end- starting at the bottom left and top right corners, respectfully. Music is great- I'm just thinking the visual package might hold them back….

Cavies:

It's different- but it's still so Cavies. 16 contras. Great sound—they must have worked on the volume issues I've read about (and totally expect for them early in the season)- because, [and I wouldn't make this up, I promise] they ACTUALLY played kinda loud. There were several points in the show where they busted out some decibels and I'm all about that… (encore was another story) --- I don't really know—it all seems really good- lots of big GE stuff… loved the intro with the full metal jacket excerpt – YES t,here is a part where every member [minus the contras] is wielding a rifle. NO, the brass members don't actually spin or throw them- but it still works for me. This show, IMO, is several degrees more ACCESSABLE than the cavies shows of the past 2 years. Audience was eating it up and there was a part about 8 minutes in that got a standing ovation- it was strong enough to where (and I wasn't really watching the time or anything) I ACTUALLY thought it was the end of their show… but there was still 2 min. Big standing-O at the end- crowd loved it. I was into it- it was good and has lots of room to grow and clean. I wouldn't put it out of the top 2 for sure, though I realize they aren't sitting there right now. I see this possibly passing Cadets from what I've seen- but who knows.

Bluecoats:

Rehearsal: 16 contras- great sound/volume in horn arc. I most definitely had some ear-ringing moments several times and I loved it. I don't want to say something like "most powerful bluecoats brass line ever"… but I can tell you I've PERSONALLY never heard anything that strong from a bluecoats brass line (first coats show I saw was 2002…) They have some chops. I know last year I heard from several members that they had a ton of 1^st year members—the good news for the year after that? You get a lot of people with experience! I don't know if that's really how it played out- but that's what it looked like.

Show:

I really do HATE to be the guy who says how DIRTY his corps is and how much room they have to grow, bla, bla, bla…. But dang it- the FEET are OK, but the forms are really rough. It's written challenging enough to keep them pushing for the top (though in my wildest dreams I can't see them getting 1^st or 2^nd…. But I can still hope for 3^rd!... sorry, I'm a realist) I can tell that this isn't the real final ending- crowd was a little slow getting up at the end- maybe they weren't sure it was over? This seems different than the WV show from what I read… This show is already several steps above last year- I watched an early season rehearsal last year and I can make that comparison pretty easily- much much better- I love the show- it's already my favorite since 2005. It's got some anger, energy, and PLENTY of big impact moments for sustained notes and what-not- (one thing that I think has been a little on the light side the past few years- ) I can honestly say, and this fits in with my tough but true sentiment of this post, that the past 3 years of bluecoats have failed to give me "goosebumps" … you know exactly what I mean… literal… emotional and physical goosbumps—this year—I had them early and often with this show—I love it. The music is edgy, powerful, and explosive… I can't wait to get the APD for this year and rock it out. I have a hard time seeing them over Crown, or BD, but beating Cavies, Phantom, Cadets in the end… I'd say it's possible--

Contras are out of this world—mid-show Soli to Imogean Heap's "Ah Hah" is the best I've seen since their 2007 glory. Guard was very sharp- several people around me pointed out the quality of the guard work- battery seems on par with last year- big visuals and body movement, etc- WGI-ish.

Encore:

Cavies opened with MARS from their 95 show……….. played at a mf. COME ON!!!!! I was so excited to hear it start but SO SO SO let down by the lack of energy and power behind it… this is one of the most intense drum corps moments from years past and you contain the volume in leu of quality…. Really? Maybe some of them don't know their notes on that yet- it's the first encore for them so I'll cut them some slack… but how is it that some groups (Phantom, Cadets, Blue Devils) get encores so RIGHT and some get it so WRONG. This is a time to let loose and play some cool, impressive, stuff… that's what we're waiting around for… I have always wanted to hear them play that as an encore piece- guess I got what I wished for?

guys- I love drum corps- I do apologize for some of the negativity here- I guess I'm always like this early season and then everybody picks it up and by late July i remember why everything about this activity is so amazing- no disrespect meant to any of the groups.

Edited June 23, 2010 by nero14

[Eddie]

Checking out Madison's GE Music score... if they can get the rest of their captions up just a bit... we may have a contender... here's to hoping!!

[OrangeDrink]

Madison:

“I heard that 5 or 6 of their 20 contras are actually guard members who are holding the horns- not playing” I don’t know if it’s true or not- I’m sure it’s not true- that’s just what somebody said… Just FYI.

False.

[nero14]

Glad to hear that -I'll tell the guy who told me

[MikeN]

Nobody's posted any pics yet - what does Pioneer's new uniforms look like?

Mike

[ereese]

Checking out Madison's GE Music score... if they can get the rest of their captions up just a bit... we may have a contender... here's to hoping!!

High GE/Low execution this early = you have a show, now clean it. The opposite....if you don't have a show, in today's world....good luck.

Edited June 23, 2010 by ereese

[nero14]

Ill add some pictures

[MikeN]

Woohoo! Thanks!

Mike

[nero14]

Woohoo! Thanks!

Mike

pics up

[Schickmeister]

Bluecoats contras...buncha CANs