Allentown - Both Nights

[cage]

Have only done one or two of these and it has been a long time. I am a fan of 23 years who has never marched. For what ever reason (age, how many corps performed after them, how bad I had to go to the bathroom) my memories are not the same for all corps.

Night 1

Pioneer - I really like this show. I love going to church and love the music in church so this is right up my alley. Variations on Doxology were cool.

Cascades - Great to see them back not a whole lot sticks out, but it is always great to see a corps return after being inactive.

Spirit - I agree with other posts that this show seems to be better than the scores.

Troopers - Some cool moments. I know some are sick of the sunburst, not me. The drum major getting his weapon taken away was neat. Not quite where they were last year, but another pleasing Troopers show.

Colts - Another show that I enjoyed, but nothing is sticking out at the moment

Academy - Was a step up in performance level to me. I thought they brought more energy.

Glassmen - Not at the level of other years.

Blue Stars - A huge step up in excellence. I am not sure if it is changes to the show or seeing it live, but I now see that they are really selling the theme of Houdini. This is a great drum corps that could possibly catch SCV and Phantom.

Carolina Crown - I saw this show at the first Allentown show and thought not anywhere near what they had the past few years. Well they are really selling this show to me. Everything is so exposed. I love their brass sound. To me the rewind section into Promise of the Living is just great. From where I sat definitely the crowd favorite on night #1. After there score was announced they got a standing ovation. I got to watch them practice for a few hours Friday and Saturday and I must say I love their mello instructor. He is really tough one run and congratulates them the next. Very tough on them but lets them know when they do what they are asked.

Cavaliers - Another corps I saw at the first Allentown show. Great drill. The one complaint I have is the soloists playing into microphones. To me this is just wrong. I have come to tolerate some of the use of technology but why do trumpet soloists need to be amped?

Blue Devils - I know the performance level is extremely high. I just haven't gotten them the last few years. The mirrors make it look too busy for me and the music seems to be various measure copied and pasted together. Again I have great respect for their performance level just doesn't excite me.

Al Chez - Played a wonderful version of America.

Night 2

Mandarins - Not much to report good or bad.

Teal Sound - I can not judge this corps other than to say all of the lead guitar stuff really irked me. I was excited to see them for the first time, but I continued to shake my head as the guitar played over the horn line.

Jersey Surf - I have a lot of respect for them sticking to their philosophy of letting their kids take a summer class or working as well as drum corps. I do wonder how good they would be if they practiced all summer like the others. I liked the theme.

Pacific Crest - Nothing sticks out

Crossmen - Great to see Bones on the back side of the track, although I liked the cherry picker idea he used for a couple of years. They kept teasing me with familiar music from their past without ever playing it straight out.

Blue Knights - Far and away my favorite BK show ever. Exciting show and a huge step up from Crossmen. Accessible music played with energy.

Madison - Call me a dinosaur I don't care. This is what drum corps is to me. Straight out in your face. Brought back memories of the 90's. Not quite at that level but well on thier way. From my perspective it was rewarded with by far the biggest response of the night. When score was announced boos started then turned into a standing ovation. That brings back memories from the past as well.

Boston Crusaders - I think they perform the heck out of this show. I did the grunts during Conquest hit, did anyone else? It has been so long since they played themselves off during retreat that I don't even think most in the audience even have a clue anymore.

SCV - Is it possible to like this show and be a let down at the same time. SCV is year in year out over my 23 years my favorite corps. There are some great things out there I just don't think they are comfortable with it.

Phantom - They sorted out the logistical problems of their entrance. Some great stuff out there but again there is something missing for me.

Cadets - I like the idea and the show. They are really good and have made some nice tweaks. The herald trumpets are cool. Following little Jeffrey was fun. Could have done without the Jeffrey pictures. Good job though.

Bluecoats - They are for real. I know you all already know but this is the best Bluecoats ever. They have gone to a new level in design and performance for them.

Bridgemen - They announced their show as something to the effect of the G7 show with selections such as "Your so Vain," "Amazing Fall From Grace." It's not what they actually played but they know how to get the old timers on their side. They are a nice treat to have at Allentown.

Final Thoughts:

Can anyone catch the Devils? Probably not. O

Overall good shows

Some use the bass line on the synth to over power the corps.

[weloveguard]

So the question begs to be asked: Is Jersey Surf being overlooked, underscored by the judges because they are not doing the full tour? I was in Allentown last night and they blew the house down, for the 18-23 corps group. How could the Mandarins beat them, when the scores were announce folks were shaking their heads and screaming. So that's the question, are the judges biased even before Surf takes the field???? By the way, the guard nailed it but good last night too and finished last, Mandarins did 3 and 4's with rifles and dropped and were off sync and finish 8th???

What a way to burst the Surf kids bubble. Interested to hear your thoughts???

[Geneva]

I was at Allentown both nights as well. I was interested to see if Madison could breath any new life into these great classics from their past. I will admit to being skeptical and not convinced that it was a wise move to go back and do it all over again in the modern age. They proved to me that this skepticism was unfounded. It was really exhilirating to see how they owned the place when they took the field and how this connected with the fans. I don't think it is possible to ever truely replicate the overwhelming G bugle dominance of the 1974 and 1975 lines, but they were quite convincing and, if anything, added new layers of nuance, style, and evenness to the old blockbuster blueprint. They have definitely reestablished the brand. I, for one, cannot wait to see what the future holds for them. This type of performance is a good anchor for the activity.

[cage]

Bob Jacobs is well aware that they have a ton of catching up to do in the last couple of weeks because that is when they are on par with the rest of the corps' rehearsal time. There may be pre conceived notions going into some show s if judges are aware of where they placed before their July move in.

[bluecoats88]

So the question begs to be asked: Is Jersey Surf being overlooked, underscored by the judges because they are not doing the full tour? I was in Allentown last night and they blew the house down, for the 18-23 corps group. How could the Mandarins beat them, when the scores were announce folks were shaking their heads and screaming. So that's the question, are the judges biased even before Surf takes the field???? By the way, the guard nailed it but good last night too and finished last, Mandarins did 3 and 4's with rifles and dropped and were off sync and finish 8th???

What a way to burst the Surf kids bubble. Interested to hear your thoughts???

Quick answer - NO

Surf was good, but their show is not even close to as challenging as mandarin, and the only reason surf was as close to mandarin as they were is that the mandarin's show is just a little too challenging for them and the difficult drill is a little sloppy and causing the brass to not project as well as they should. Give this corps this kind of challenge in drill and music for the next couple years and you will seem them start to move up the ranks, but right now it is a shade over their abilities, but they placed where they belonged.