Tez Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Review of DCI Louisville on June 22, 2010 This review will comment mostly on music, as I myself am a musician (working on my doctorate). Sorry but there will probably be a lack of Guard comments as I simply don't watch them much when I attend live shows. I never marched drum corps but I have been a major fan since I was in high school marching band in the late 90's. I know these shows are up on the Fan Network already, but I haven't watched them yet. I though I would go ahead and give you my honest opinion about these purely from seeing them live. My seats were about 20 rows up on the 45 yard line... nearly perfect for me. I was in just the right spot to get massive sound, yet still see the drill.... although I could have read it much better sitting higher. TEAL SOUND - 62.000 - This was a great start to our evening of amazing drum corps performances. Right from the start of the show, you could tell it was designed to entertain. Yes, it features electronics a lot, but mostly in a good way. The show is simply based around progressive rock music so the electric guitar, bass, and keyboards were appropriate. Actually Teal used these new elements in a more musical way than some other groups tonight who just shoved sound effects down our throats. Also, the front ensemble as a whole sounded great, the amps were mixed very well. As for their horns and drums.... they seem very talented and put out a nice big sound. There is a lot of dirt, and a lot of room for growth, but they will definitely be entertaining crowds all season long. If you see them, try to keep an open mind. Don't get too hung up on the nontraditional aspects of their show, because you will miss some pretty amazing things. PIONEER - 59.700 - This seems to be a typical Pioneer show and they seem to be at their typical talent level. The beginning of the show along with pre-show is very intriguing, but the rest doesn't have many high points. They didn't have anywhere near the power that Teal Sound had, which may have lessened the excitement a little. You could really tell it was their first performance of the year as fatigue became a major factor towards the end. Maybe the show will become more engaging as they clean it up. I think the concept works, just needs a little more pizazz. MADISON SCOUTS - 71.100 - What a beginning! The first 15 seconds of their show was easily the highlight of the night for me. When they hit that first chord, it is one of those special moments when the air almost seems thick with tension and excitement. The whole stadium resonated! Like I said earlier, with how much pre-season hype the Scouts had received, I never thought my already over-blown expectations would be exceeded..... but boy were they ever. This is easily their best corps since their 2005 Carmen show. They seem so much older and mature than the past few years. The show itself is genius. It really is a mixture of old school music with a modern visual approach. The arrangements in certain sections are almost transcriptions of the originals. No one can say their is anything abstract or esoteric about the Scouts this year.... it is just pure music with accompanying visual..... pure entertainment. Also, Madison's use of electronics was done pretty well. I think there was just a little piano in Rhapsody, and of course they pumped out the extreme low-end on the big impact moments.... but I actually didn't mind this so much because it was only on big impacts (not simply doubling the Contra lines), and it mixed with the live horn sound well. Also, now we have learned that with 20 contras, you can split them up and have dueling contra sections. GLASSMEN - 71.200 - This show is close to what one may expect from this group. Their sound was extremely top-heavy compared to the Scouts, but overall they didn't have near the same power. The show is subtle, and I think they make many religious references that will take more than one viewing to comprehend. Drill was pretty clean, maybe more so than any corps except Bluecoats. I see Glassmen this year on about the same level as last year, but they may not place as high with some other corps coming on so strong. PHANTOM REGIMENT - 74.000 - There was a noticeable step up in quality of sound and difficulty of music and drill when Phantom stepped onto the field. This show is simply beautiful. They use playing to the back stands wonderfully at several instances throughout. I am really anxious to see this from higher (on video) to see this crazy drill Myron wrote for them. From my seats I could see a little of it, but simply their velocity was amazing. I still don't see how they can move like that without you hearing any drop-off in sound. The overall brass sound from Phantom was a little different than past years, possibly because they lacked a few tuba players. It was extremely mello-dominant (like it usually is), but the other sections didn't seem to be pushing the air like they usually do. In my opinion, Phantom was only the 4th loudest hornline, and when is the last time you could say that about them in a show with only 7 corps? Their drum line was the usual spectacle we have become accustomed to, but their pit was what stood out to me the most. They are so musical and boy do they have a ton of notes. On a night where most other front ensembles had at least some difficulty always locking in with the field musicians, Phantom's were always right on the money... definitely the best of the night. CAVALIERS - 74.200 - This was probably my favorite show of the evening. Man, they sound great. The brass tone quality is similar to past years, only louder. I thought they were easily loudest of the night, and never over-blown. The percussion was pretty dirty, as were some of the visuals... but if cleaned up, I can possibly see this show challenging for a championship. I really like that the Cavies don't seem to be taking themselves too seriously this year. The show is very "fun", especially the last half. The end of their third piece (the jazzy one that involves all the rifles) was the only point of the evening where it felt like the audience was ready to leap from their seats.... too much excitement. Bravo Cavaliers... I think you will gain many more fans with this year's production. Bluecoats. - 75.600 - The best way I can describe this show is imagine a big guy coming up to you and just punching you in the teeth. Seriously, The show felt like it was only about 4 minutes long. Higher, faster, louder.... I don't really remember much of what they did, but in a good way. I was too worn out. They have a lot of power and seems like a great drill. I didn't know any of the music, so I need to see this show several more times to get what it is actually about. I thought Bluecoats were the cleanest of the night by far, which probably led to their win. I only have two gripes with the show. 1. It is almost too intense, without much downtime to reflect on what you just saw/heard. 2. They really went over-board with the electronic sounds. I thought the harmonizer-baritone solo was pretty cool, but there are several other instances where it just seems like they were throwing in useless synthetic sounds that kind of muddied up the show. Other that that... great! If you see them live this year, just hold on to your seat and enjoy the rollercoaster. Thanks for reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigPapiBass5 Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 (edited) Thanks! can we get a review after you watch the videos because i have a feeling some may change. and know one will touch Madisons bottom with their 20 contras Edited June 23, 2010 by BigPapiBass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRAng Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 (edited) PHANTOM REGIMENT - ....... I am really anxious to see this from higher (on video) to see this crazy drill Myron wrote for them. From my seats I could see a little of it, but simply their velocity was amazing. I still don't see how they can move like that without you hearing any drop-off in sound. The overall brass sound from Phantom was a little different than past years, possibly because they lacked a few tuba players. It was extremely mello-dominant (like it usually is), but the other sections didn't seem to be pushing the air like they usually do. In my opinion, Phantom was only the 4th loudest hornline, and when is the last time you could say that about them in a show with only 7 corps? ....... My bet is that these two things are directly related. Fortunately, the season's young. :) I also feel like their sound is a little "bright" this year. That's not something we're used to hearing from Regiment. It's probably partially due to lack of enough tubas at the moment but also probably because of the show's theme.... Into the Light. Thanks for the review! PS. Thanks for the disclaimer & background at the beginning of your review! I hate reading reviews from other people who are completely incognito yet expect us to believe they have a high level of expertise. Edited June 23, 2010 by PRAng Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Great review...thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohHAIitsNovak Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 Thanks for the reviews!!! I wish Glassmen were doing better...=/ Hoping they still make finals! Also BLOOOOOOO!!!!!! :D Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikness1 Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 I wish Glassmen were doing better...=/ Hoping they still make finals! Glassmen are doing much better, on the field, and on the score sheets than they have in years past. Should be happy for them! I AM :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Great review. Good luck with you PhD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohHAIitsNovak Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Glassmen are doing much better, on the field, and on the score sheets than they have in years past. Should be happy for them! I AM :) You're right...I am definitely happy for them. Just defensive about them as well...if Madison gets any closer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tez Posted June 24, 2010 Author Share Posted June 24, 2010 Great review. Good luck with you PhD! Why thank you jjeffeory, but it's actually a D.M.A. (Doctorate of Musical Arts). I can't write well enough to do the full PhD dissertation (as you can probably see from my review above ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mephistopheles Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Thanks!can we get a review after you watch the videos because i have a feeling some may change. and know one will touch Madisons bottom with their 20 contras I believe that the Cavaliers might touch Madison's bottoms... Seriously though, no tuba line in recent memory has been as tasty as Cavies over the last six years or so. And Carolina Crown's line is top notch and sporting 16 as well, so careful with the blanket statements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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