Rockford review

[pvt_cairns]

First off I don't represent anyone but myself, I am biased as I marched in the show, and I'm an alum of 2 of the other corps. so take it for what it's worth.

I was pretty concerned about the weekend to begin with since rain was forcast and MN got hammered the day before. But none of that was to be had at Rockford. Hot day, with a nice breeze, or wind (that gave our guard some havoc during rehersal) but a beautiful day, couldn't ask for better weather.

Kilties: Can't give a review as I was on the field. But it was fun, felt much tighter then our previous performance, and I enjoyed the fans and the field.

Racine: Definatly the best corps I've seen from them in years. Bigger, better, not so much louder, but definatly better. I marched with the group back in the late 90's and we had an ok year or 2, but for the most part not so much. It was a teaching corps. I'm happy to see they keep that mentality, but have improved leaps and bounds from then. Their staff have it together, and it shows. Drumline is smokin in parts, but still some popcorn to clean. The bassline is flat out good, and though the battery is about the size of the hornline, they balance pretty well. The hornline has got a hard book, and they perform it well, but it's timid at times. I'd like to see them let loose a bit more. And I think they will when they're a bit more comfortable. The Guard is small, and I think they're addin people so it might explain some of the confusion.

Pioneer: It's nice to see a bigger group on the field then in years past. Their hornline is much improved, and is playing some really tough stuff at times. Not as visually demanding as I'd hoped, but still very readable. The guard in their new uniforms seemed to have improved as well, though I'm not really a guard guy so unless it's amazing or aweful I tend not to notice as much. The one spot that suprised me was the drumline. Usually a strong point in the corps it seemed to be lacking. Lots of dirt in the snare line. Bassline didn't really project, not a bad show, maybe just a weaker showing? But all in all I really enjoyed the show. Lots of power from the hornline. Definatly diggin it.

SCV: Never seen them this season. Personally not a fan of Bartok. However visually the show is stunning. SCV cymbals always a favorite of mine, and they don't issapoint this year. The hornline is great whan they play. Which isn't really that often. But great timing, and demanding music. The drumline is good, but I've come to expect a bit more from SCV, but I honestly didn't watch them that much as there is so much visual going on all of the time. The guards flag work was unacceptably bad, but their weapon work was intense and outstanding. Very very good. It's a neat show all in all, but even if it were perfect it's not a top 3 in my opinion. Visualy awesome, musically forgettable.

Cadets: Again I'm biased, but this corps is outstanding! The visual aspects of this show make no mistaking what they're about. It's the most demanding show of the the night by leaps and bounds. The drill is not perfect yet, but even the very difficult and new portions are readable. The drumline is smokin! Though I will say their feature has been cleaner in the past, but over all jaw dropping beats. The horline is as good as you expect them to be. The guard wearing the corps uniform is great, and it's just a fun show IMO. I know a lot of people will complain that it's cheezy or a gimmic. But it works for my money. Great stuff, and a definate contender.

Phantom Regiment: Great hornline as always, not perfect, but very, very good. I don't get the concept of the show, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable. Guard was good, but forgettable (for a guy that doesn't pay much attention to guards) The drumline shocked me with their beats of deliciousness. The feature was great, tenors threw down, snares were clean and the bass line cut threw everything. Not the best line of the night, but close IMO. Not as demanding as the Cadets. All good stuff though. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the soloist that just stood in the back corner. To the soloist FYI your F was sharp all nght. Just sayin. Great show all around

All in all a great weekend of drumcorps. Great stuff from everyone. There wasn't a boring or distracting group all night. Best of luck in IN to all!

Once again my opinion are my own, and represent me and me alone. If you're unhappy with something I wrote, my intention is not to offend, and I hope you don't take it that way.

[chris ncsu]

"beats of deliciousness", I love it!