Lake Erie Fanfare World Class

[richburgher]

WARNING: This is long but I did a lot of thinking that night on the way home to Pittsburgh so I put it all out there.

Boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas has a favorite saying when breaking down matches: “Styles make the fight.” This perfectly described this year’s Lake Erie Fanfare world class show. Not only was there an array of styles on display for a packed house Wednesday night but even within the programs of a similar nature, corps had different approaches to musical programming. The uniqueness and quality of the performances made this the best lineup to come through the LEF in some time and top to bottom maybe one of the best in the Fanfare’s history.

Teal Sound- Don’t you hate it when you go to a drum corps show and guitar hero breaks out? Ok, putting my subjective disdain for electronics and negative jabs aside, Teal has been at the forefront of using amplified instrumentation for a couple of seasons now, and are doing it not with the electronic synths that emulate other instruments still off limits to the activity or dropping sound effects, but by using an instrument that stands on its own, the electric guitar. Using music from progressive rockers Dream Theater and Coheed and Cambria makes the use of a band for “In the Presence of Enemies” a no-brainer, and the integration of the band playing with the corps proper is much better than in last year’s “Velvet Rope”. Instead of the abrupt starting, stopping and long periods of downtime for last year’s headbangers, the bass guitar is used throughout the show and the lead guitar is accompanied by the pit keyboards often while also getting its moments in the spotlight. As for the corps proper, the big brass sound is back again and the drum line continues to improve. I thought the soloists in the ballad and the pit had stand out nights. The music certainly would stand up by itself if it were played without guitars and is quite likable. The subject of guitar use aside and with lots of cleaning to do, Teal Sound has a solid show with “Enemies” and the organization seems headed in a positive direction as a new world class corps.

Pioneer- “The Corps Prayer” is by far Pioneer’s best production in a while and an answer to its critics; proving “the old Irish corps” can perform a quality show outside of its traditional repertoire when they want to. The new uniforms with the traditional military design are also a positive change. Pioneer opens the pre-show with an energetic gospel session, as the guard dances in choir robes and organ music plays right into a charismatic rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. The music shifts from traditional to contemporary and stays up tempo with “Make His Praise Glorious” and the guard sheds the robes to reveal light orange costumes, complimenting the white and green of the corps proper and establishing a subtle Irish reference for the remainder of the show. The narration that I heard in Minneapolis is gone from “The Prayer” and the soprano soloist ends the piece with some very nice sound. “Stained Glass” ends the show featuring church window flags, the “praying hands” scrim (I think that’s what it’s called. If not, let me know) and a big finish. A great show from Pioneer!

Pacific Crest- If you didn’t know who Pacific Crest was when they were open class, you can’t help but know them now. “Maze” packs a big, clean sound and is full of cool visuals throughout. The guard enters the maze, winding its way in and out of the corps but by “Asphalt Cocktail” the fun is over. Shifting block formations and revolving walls lead and mislead brass line, drum line and guard members alike into traps and dead ends. “Sam’s Gone” features the guard using yellow spandex scarves to create and alter more paths to nowhere while the music brings a realization that there may not be an escape for those trapped inside the labyrinth. “Turbine” brings an accelerating musical desperation and a resignation to an escape, building as the pathfinders speed through the changing paths (great use of zigzag pattern flags here) that climax in the revelation of the way out, running though the opening, down a path of color guard flag poles and out of the field. Congratulations on a great rookie world class campaign PC!

The final four corps of the evening I think best demonstrates the “Styles make the fight” analogy. Boston Crusaders and Phantom Regiment perform “story shows”, while Madison Scouts and Santa Clara Vanguard have “music shows”. Though the pairs are linked by similar overall themes, the musical selections by each are very different from the other. As Boston and Madison play familiar pieces to drive their programs, Phantom and SCV introduce new and unfamiliar music and arrangements to their productions.

Madison Scouts- Imagine sitting at the 50yd line on the highest row of the stadium, leaning back against the press box wall at the end of intermission. Madison enters the field and you realize that, on a line, there is only about 25-30 yards of space between you and the front sideline. That was my vantage point Wednesday night and it was time to buckle up. WOW! Madison has been completely turned loose since seeing them last month and the beginning of “Slaughter” envelopes the crowd in enormous sound. Being so close to the field made it very hard to see large visuals like the fleur de lis but much easier to see the guard and they were on fire! Timing and synchronizations were on the button and I don’t think there was a single drop anywhere. Clad in 1920s-era pants, suspenders, tank tops, work shirts and hats, they do a fantastic job of working hard and playing hard as the working class Joes in “Rhapsody”. They project the confidence and Madison swagger very well. Another detail new to me is the blue and gray flags have the art deco design of the top of the Chrysler Building on them. Very cool. The brass soloists are wailin’, the drum feature with guard’s rifle toss cranks the show up even more and the end is pure Madison muscle corps. From opening trill to the double big finish, the Scouts deliver drum corps as only they can.

Boston Crusaders- Royalty and power are the players in “Thy Kingdom Come”, which begins to a great entrance from the back left corner of the field (crowd perspective) with the guard surrounded by the corps moving towards the center of the field. In front of them on the other side of the 50 is the giant Waldo thrown, the object of everyone’s desire. Soon after the blue blood’s introduction the in-fighting begins as corps proper and guard try to find ways to scale and stay atop the thrown during “Symphony 10, Mvt. 2”. The corps plays this very well to heighten the drama and their bunny hop block is very effective and close to clean. Chess piece flags signal continued scheming and skirmishing during “Power shift”, as the male heir to the thrown becomes apparent. He and his choice for queen meet and fall in love during “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini”, building to an all-out crescendo that turns dissonant and then fades to silence. “The Quest for Glory” is the final chance to claim the throne as the power couple fights off all challengers to the hits of “Conquest”. The corps moves fast and flows over the sovereign seat, with individuals climbing and half-vaulting over its arms to form a frame around the new king atop the thrown. There are still some issues with dropped tosses and dirt in general but the show is much improved since July and was a big hit with the crowd.

Phantom Regiment- “Into the Light” has arguably the most elegant beginning of any corps this year. Since there are no tunnels for the corps to hide in here, the corps and color guard begin tucked away in the near left corner of the field. “The Light” (a soprano player in a golden yellow costume) begins his call to them beyond the far right corner at the entrance gate into the field. The corps and guard slowly emerge from the corner with the corps playing to a crescendo to the backfield and moving towards the middle for what seems like an interminable length of time before finally turning and showering the audience with that phat phantom brass. The visual drill moves across the field from left to right for the entire show as the corps follows the intermittent call of The Light and as they get closer the guard’s flags grow brighter in yellow. Michael Kamen’s emotional music is the vehicle for the story and the drum line continues to propel the corps forward. Their drum feature towards the closing moments is fantastic. The chevron formation that takes shape upon finally reaching the light was almost indistinguishable because of the low elevation of the bleachers but the music is powerful and majestic. The end comes when the corps completes its journey to the right rear corner of the field, surrounds the light and peacefully takes it in. A classic Phantom performance in their recent history of story-telling.

Santa Clara Vanguard- “Bartok” intertwines two of the composer’s most well-known works that have been played in previous years, but SCV’s arrangement of “Music for Strings for Percussion, and Celeste” is far from a re-hash of the seminal show of Star ’93, nor is “Concerto for Orchestra” a re-visiting of other recent productions, perhaps Phantom ’01 being the most popular. While 20th century (thanks NR Ohiobando) describes the music, the production has visuals coming from everywhere, so much so that several reads or a good day spent watching a rehearsal is needed to realize everything going on. The pre-show and opener are enough to make your head spin. Pre-show begins with the entire brass line in the right rear corner of the end zone playing while the drum line and guard (wearing red pants, slightly faded red tops with sparkly shoulders and red slippers or booties) slowly scatter to the other three corners. When the music stops the brass slowly leak out, with baritones going to the 50, some mellos and sopranos head to the front right corner to join some of the guard and contras staying in place. Snares and guard are in the near left corner and basses, multi-toms and guard are rear left corner. All of the corners are now connected and frozen in tangled poses. There is one member of the guard running in orbit around the center baritones. Then the show begins with the baritones sounding the beginning of “Concerto” but the corners are in no hurry to move. They begin to untangle but then re-tangle in different poses before oozing towards center field. The tempo and tension in the music increases and the pace quickens with all parties headed there. The sound grows as the contras, drum line and mellos collapse and rotate faster. Flags of red with lime green ovals that resemble eyes fill the air. Sopranos start to pound a 5-not phrase repeatedly as the entire corps descends and wheels as if being sucked into a black hole and crescendos as they slam into a block formation. Silence, the horns lower and random hopping begins to the sound of one keyboard playing a single, repeated note (if my musical terms are incorrect, I apologize. Never had one lesson). This is just in the opening moments! Keep an eye out for the dancing pairs towards the middle of the show performing moves that seem to pull from linear geometry, Indian or Asian ceremonial dancing, a hint of jitterbugging and who knows what else. Shortly thereafter, 16 mellophones along the right front sideline lay down a rich melody for a time before being sucked into another whirling dervish. The big release at the end of “Concerto” is high quality, paint-peeling sound, but it’s understated music and a streaking visual that end the performance. The block forms were this close to locking in. If that and other problem areas (drops and some brass entries) can be cleaned it’s possible the show will sneak up on someone next week. “Bartok” certainly not to everyone’s liking, but the show has a vibe that is like nothing else out there.

More of Phantom’s greatest hits for the encore, which included “Intro to 4th Ballet Suite” by Shostakovich, “Marche Slav”, “1812” and “Elsa”. I know this is a huge review but one last thing. The announcement of Madison placing 4th drew a cascade of boos, then cheering and a partial standing ovation that lasted for probably close to a minute. The Scouts drum majors gave a quick, synchronized tip of the hat and the unofficial title of “The People’s Corps” left with them.

Edited August 7, 2010 by richburgher

[NR_Ohiobando]

(I know you don't have much knowledge for musical terms, but I thought I'd just offer this up for inquiring minds)

I don't know that 'minimalism' would be the best description for Bartok. Minimalist music often has repetitive tendencies and lack of dynamic development (Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, some popular John Adams tunes like "Short Ride in a Fast Machine"), where Bartok's music, though boring to those unfamiliar with it, is well developed and complex in different ways.

So...just to clarify, Bartok's music would probably be better described as 20th Century music that was famous for exploring new tonalities and pitch centers that are rarely distinguished by a typical Major or Minor chord.

--

and on that note: Love the review! Sounds like it was taken out of a newspaper or something.

[richburgher]

(I know you don't have much knowledge for musical terms, but I thought I'd just offer this up for inquiring minds)

I don't know that 'minimalism' would be the best description for Bartok. Minimalist music often has repetitive tendencies and lack of dynamic development (Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, some popular John Adams tunes like "Short Ride in a Fast Machine"), where Bartok's music, though boring to those unfamiliar with it, is well developed and complex in different ways.

So...just to clarify, Bartok's music would probably be better described as 20th Century music that was famous for exploring new tonalities and pitch centers that are rarely distinguished by a typical Major or Minor chord.

--

and on that note: Love the review! Sounds like it was taken out of a newspaper or something.

Thanks again for the correction! I promise: No plagiarism here

[POSITIVenrgy]

Thank you for such a thoughtful and wonderfully descriptive review! Nice attention to detail! And very appreciative of all performances. My heart is very much with Vanguard's Bartok, and your final comment for SCV was spot on....."the show has a vibe that is like nothing else out there". One of the reasons it is my favorite of the year!

[megadrive]

That was a fantastic review. Thanks!

[bacmominator]

What a great review! Loved all the "story lines". Thanks!

[WarriorHal]

The announcement of Madison placing 4th drew a cascade of boos, then cheering and a partial standing ovation that lasted for probably close to a minute. The Scouts drum majors gave a quick, synchronized tip of the hat and the unofficial title of “The People’s Corps” left with them.

Sounds like things are getting back to normal for the Scouts. They put on a super entertaining show, the crowd boos their score, then there's another burst of cheers for the DM as he tips his aussie. It's back to the 1990s...finally!

[byline]

Sorry I'm so late to the party! I didn't get back home till Thursday night, then had other stuff to do. And no, I don't Twitter; I barely Facebook, LOL!

Anyway, on to the show. The site was great, though the stadium was a bit too low for my tastes. I was only about halfway up . . . and behind a chain-link fence, no less. So I can't comment much on anyone's drill. But what the stadium lost in visual, it more than made up for in sound, as the audience was so close to the corps, and the acoustics were fantastic. So, a mixed bag, but I'll take it.

The forecast threatened thunderstorms all day long, but fortunately the rain held off till after midnight. And while the temps were reasonable (much cooler than what I'd been experiencing in Evansville during my visit prior to stopping by Erie for the show), the humidity was quite high, making for uncomfortably muggy conditions for performers and spectators, alike. I really felt for the corps . . . then remembered my own experiences with the southern tours in 1979 and '80, which were probably just as bad, if not worse. That made me feel for the performers even more.

A few thoughts about each corps:

Teal Sound: Started things off with a bang. Didn't much care for the electric guitar solos, but I really enjoyed everything else. Liked the way they integrated drill and body movement with music, and it was clear that the crowd appreciated the level of sophistication they brought to their show.

Pioneer: They've moved away from their Celtic theme, for the most part, and are doing a down-home gospel hour show that's reminiscent of Spirit of Atlanta in the late '80s (guard in choir robes, etc.). While they seem to have difficulty mastering some of the visual elements, their music is entertaining, and the corps conveys to the audience an earnest belief in their show.

Pacific Crest: Kicked things up a notch with their nicely integrated program. I always enjoy this guard, as they bring interesting ideas to the table. I liked their use of the yellow scarves which later turned into stretchy bands that they used for a variety of visual effects. Good integration of all the elements, and a nice sound from the corps that earned them lots of applause.

Madison Scouts: Wow, the men from Madison are back! The whole time I was watching and listening, I was thinking to myself, "Now, this is what drum corps should be!" They really have recaptured that power that I've always associated with Madison. As I said before, I couldn't tell much about the drill for anyone. But man oh man, that sound (which retained its power right through to the end) is what I remember brass lines sounding like, producing the visceral response that is inherent to drum corps! And I love that Madison's guard is back to full strength. They were really exciting, and the crowd was throwing babies from start to finish.

Boston Crusaders: Another good show in the Boston tradition. I didn't find it particularly memorable, as it seems to be somewhat similar in style to Boston's shows from recent years. And, while the guard is quite good, for some reason I found that the costumes blended a bit too well with the corps proper, and sometimes I had a hard time finding them in with the rest of the corps (this also could have been due to my low vantage point; perhaps if I'd been higher up, looking down on the corps rather than over the top -- and occasionally through a fence, darkly -- this would have been clearer). At any rate, the entire corps does loads of striking body movement, and the overall effect is enthralling. Minor quibble: I do find myself wishing they'd play more than a snippet of "Conquest"!

Phantom Regiment: The gorgeous music makes this one of my favorite programs of the year. This guard is getting a lot of flak, and while there are some execution issues, I didn't find them out of line with any of the other top guards. And I must say this: If I were still writing for guard today, I'd like to think that my writing would look something like this. Very elegant and musical, with a nice lyrical flow that visually captured what I was hearing in the music. I don't know what that says about my tastes as a writer, since Phantom's guard is scoring so low (relatively speaking), but I really appreciate what they're doing.

Santa Clara Vanguard: When they were done, the fellow sitting next to me (who has a corps resume as long as my arm) shook his head and muttered, "I don't get it." That came as a bit of a shock to me, as his comments had been positive about every other corps. So that told me that this show isn't for everyone, and after last year's more accessible rendering of "Appalachian Spring" (aka "Ballet for Martha"), it's even more of a complex head-scratcher for many. But with music by Bartok, you know you're not getting an easily accessible show. It was hard to get a read on what the guard was doing, as they seemed all over the place (and again, this was undoubtedly due to my low vantage point; I'm sure the show is far more readable in a higher stadium). The "whack a mole" drill feature got laughs, but I got a sense that when all was said and done, the crowd was puzzled by what they'd just seen. Maybe a little too esoteric for some tastes. Shades of Star? Who knows . . . and it's an issue that Santa Clara has dealt with many times before. As a longtime Santa Clara fan, I wanted to love this show every bit as much as last year's program, but I was also aware going in that different music means a different approach, and I can appreciate that reality. The show is intellectually interesting, and obviously quite intricate, and I wish I'd had a better seat from which to view it, because maybe then I would have found it emotionally engaging, too. Maybe my whole perception is based on nothing more than a crappy seat, which is too bad.

My photos from the show are posted here: Erie 2010

Edited August 9, 2010 by byline