Saginaw, TX

[kdt1972]

Just got back from the show in Saginaw - hot and windy, but a good night of drum corps. Here are some brief thoughts on each corps.

Blue Stars - fantastic brass sound overall. Loved the writing in the mello line. Some great impacts. Percussion also was noticeable and tight. The colorguard understandably struggled with the wind, but will contribute significantly to the show. The guard was the first of three that are wearing the 'individual variations on a theme of goth/punk/slut'. I see them improving on last year's placement once scores are announced on Monday.

SCV - The weakest showing by any corps tonight, unfortunately. Guard outfits seemed identical to Blue Stars, but the work was not as together or complete. The horn line showed some very weak moments and never hit me with that 'SCV sound'. Percussion seems to be the stand-out section, but I don't think that will carry them too far. I think they will fall to 8th with this show. I can think of no stand out musical moments.

Phantom - My favorite Phantom showing in a very long time. The colorguard is graceful and elegant, and the show is written to showcase their talent. The horn line had so many well-written impact points - they had the crowd entranced. I know a lot has changed with the percussion, but I did not notice. The 'drum guy' who sat next to me said they were rough in the lot, but good on the field. At the end of the night, those sitting around me felt Phantom was their favorite overall show. The Juliet theme comes through well.

Cadets - A really great show. The Angels and Demons theme comes across well - the characterizations start even before they enter the field. Some very subtle differences in each half of the corps that add up to some great impact. The battle scene with the gold and silver poles, once clean, will be a highlight of the summer. This is the Cadets that I fell in love with when I started following Drum Corps. I hope they stay around. My favorite of the night.

INTERMISSION - like 15 minutes in front of a hair dryer. Winds really picked up (gusts up to 50 mph according to the Weather Channel).

Crown - The pre-show got the crowd involved in the show and was pretty fun. The Rach/Rock theme could work, but right now it did not do it for me. I see what they were trying to do, and I think it will get there. The trusses on the field really added nothing - some predictable colorguard climbing, but that was all. I enjoyed the show overall, but am not sure how far it will take them this year. Great colorguard, look forward to seeing them in more reasonable weather.

Bluecoats - I really enjoyed the Radiohead, especially the first hit. This is going to sound like I am a Puritan (I'm not)... but the voice over of 'What the hell am I doing here', which is repeated several times throughout the show, was surprising. The man next to me had a 4 year old. Hopefully he won't repeat it tomorrow at church. The Bluecoats sound and look very good, but I was not completely sold on their show or what they were trying to portray. All sections very strong, but it didn't flow. It looked like a rough run for the colorguard - many many non-wind-related rifle drops.

Cavaliers - The first use of stilts and upside-down drumming I have seen. A really neat show that picks up where 'Mad World' left off. I think the theme will solidify throughout the summer, and this will once again be a fan favorite. The colorguard is phenomenal, the brass really lets loose, the drill really works. I had them in 3rd. Great showing.

Blue Devils - After a wind delay (really), the Devils took the field. Musically, I really enjoyed their show - some amazing brass runs that will be great in August. I like the uniforms - they work on the field quite well. The colorguard, as always, is world class. The props were a big distraction for me. By the time the pieces came together, it was pretty anticlimactic. The wind and the props did not mix well, so staff and marchers had to intervene to prevent falls. This show will contend for the title.

Overall, for the first night, I was quite pleased. Most corps had finished shows - the only noticeable stop in drill was the Cavaliers. Several guards had unfinished sections of work as well, but not as much as previous summers. Well worth the trip!

My rankings:

1. BD

2. Cavaliers

3. Cadets

4. Phantom

5. Bluecoats

6. Crown

7. Blue Stars

8. SCV

[Directorofbands]

Great review. Thanks for the post.

[DITD]

Thanks for taking the time to write after a late, late night. Us insomniacs appreciate it! Great job with your observations. . .and 1st review of the season.

[3rd Glasgow BB]

fandabidozi!

Thanks.

Will be interesting to see the scores with regard to BD & Cavies.

Last season Devils got off to a flyer where as Cavies were slow off the bat and of course never made up the difference.

Will also be interesting to see how close the fan positioning is to the judges... normally they're not even close!

Edited June 19, 2011 by 3rd Glasgow BB

[steeldrum]

I'll post my mini-review here as well.

Quick impressions from yesterday.

On the drive over the weather looked concerning with a large storm system developing to the west. Turned out to be good news as it mostly just blocked the sun. I'm not sure about that "waiting on the rain" move for Blue Devils, it never really rained more than pianissimo. But the wind picked up a great deal during and after their show so the waiting may have backfired.

Quick recap from my perspective.

Blue Stars - Great entertaining show to start the season. Very loud hornline and enjoyable music. The scaffolding was an interesting visual but I found it somewhat distracting as I was watching it too much to see if anyone fell.

Vanguard - From the opening big moment this show was in trouble as the first note impact was not together at all. I think several horn players missed the que or something. I saw them in practice and that opener was very clean and loud. The show needs a lot of work but will come together. I think the snowy frigid weather the first week of camp in California hurt them, but at least they had a complete show on the field. The drumline didn't disappoint but the hornline is not on their level. And can somebody in the brass section go hit a Bb on a marimba and tune to the pit.....geez!!

Actually, there were about three corps not in tune with their pit. How does that happen???

Phantom - Beautiful show and a step up in brass sound. Not as difficult of a brass show as the past few seasons but it connects very well with the audience. Elsa's Processional was the only song going through my mind on the drive home......beautiful. The storyline needs to be expanded more as I didn't see anything related to the theme after Romeo and Juliet appeared in the back corner.

Cadets - Well done show, great contrast between the Angels and Demons. The battle scene was one of the best moments of the night. Oh wait, the Amazing Grace ballard was even better. Love this show.

Crown - Fun cheese. They had one of the most entertaining shows of the evening and are performing well. Brass is great as usual, and the drumline is much improved this year. Understand the piano players purpose, but don't really like hearing piano music with drum corps.

Bluecoats - 2010 leftover show. This show feels so much like last year's show but just not as good. Tuba section feature....check, funky low brass musical selection....check, overuse of synth sound effects....check.

Caviliers - Best show of the night IMO, best brass, possibly best percussion, and best overall visuals. The upside down tenors was the best moment but not sure how it sounded because the crowd was going crazy. It would be interesting to hear this without crowd noise to see how well they play that way. The snare stick tossing unfortunately was audible and very dirty. I was thinking this show would win but then they stood still for the last minute of the show. So not sure what impact that will have on judging.

Blue Devils - Much more enjoyable show than 2010 but the wind was playing havoc with their props. In the drum feature several "poles" fell over in the middle of their drill, forcing some drummers to stop and pick them up so nobody tripped. And the "house" that was built was from the set of Twister as the wind was blowing it apart. As stated several times these guys have an amazing horn section, but honestly they way over power it with the bass synth.

Final observation and a message to the drum corps staff. Several thousand people paid for the priviledge to see your corps. Can you have a little more respect of the crowd as you race up the steps and shove your way to spots to see your corps? Haven't you already seen it several times?? We had the unfortunate luck of having seats at the top of the aisle that the staff used as a step to get to the standing area under the press box. What a PITA between every corps....closing vent now.

[BozzlyB]

Great reviews guys, thanks! Here's hoping the weather is less of a factor tonight!

[roosevelt]

I'll post my mini-review here as well.

Quick impressions from yesterday.

On the drive over the weather looked concerning with a large storm system developing to the west. Turned out to be good news as it mostly just blocked the sun. I'm not sure about that "waiting on the rain" move for Blue Devils, it never really rained more than pianissimo. But the wind picked up a great deal during and after their show so the waiting may have backfired.

Quick recap from my perspective.

Blue Stars - Great entertaining show to start the season. Very loud hornline and enjoyable music. The scaffolding was an interesting visual but I found it somewhat distracting as I was watching it too much to see if anyone fell.

Vanguard - From the opening big moment this show was in trouble as the first note impact was not together at all. I think several horn players missed the que or something. I saw them in practice and that opener was very clean and loud. The show needs a lot of work but will come together. I think the snowy frigid weather the first week of camp in California hurt them, but at least they had a complete show on the field. The drumline didn't disappoint but the hornline is not on their level. And can somebody in the brass section go hit a Bb on a marimba and tune to the pit.....geez!!

Actually, there were about three corps not in tune with their pit. How does that happen???

Phantom - Beautiful show and a step up in brass sound. Not as difficult of a brass show as the past few seasons but it connects very well with the audience. Elsa's Processional was the only song going through my mind on the drive home......beautiful. The storyline needs to be expanded more as I didn't see anything related to the theme after Romeo and Juliet appeared in the back corner.

Cadets - Well done show, great contrast between the Angels and Demons. The battle scene was one of the best moments of the night. Oh wait, the Amazing Grace ballard was even better. Love this show.

Crown - Fun cheese. They had one of the most entertaining shows of the evening and are performing well. Brass is great as usual, and the drumline is much improved this year. Understand the piano players purpose, but don't really like hearing piano music with drum corps.

Bluecoats - 2010 leftover show. This show feels so much like last year's show but just not as good. Tuba section feature....check, funky low brass musical selection....check, overuse of synth sound effects....check.

Caviliers - Best show of the night IMO, best brass, possibly best percussion, and best overall visuals. The upside down tenors was the best moment but not sure how it sounded because the crowd was going crazy. It would be interesting to hear this without crowd noise to see how well they play that way. The snare stick tossing unfortunately was audible and very dirty. I was thinking this show would win but then they stood still for the last minute of the show. So not sure what impact that will have on judging.

Blue Devils - Much more enjoyable show than 2010 but the wind was playing havoc with their props. In the drum feature several "poles" fell over in the middle of their drill, forcing some drummers to stop and pick them up so nobody tripped. And the "house" that was built was from the set of Twister as the wind was blowing it apart. As stated several times these guys have an amazing horn section, but honestly they way over power it with the bass synth.

Final observation and a message to the drum corps staff. Several thousand people paid for the priviledge to see your corps. Can you have a little more respect of the crowd as you race up the steps and shove your way to spots to see your corps? Haven't you already seen it several times?? We had the unfortunate luck of having seats at the top of the aisle that the staff used as a step to get to the standing area under the press box. What a PITA between every corps....closing vent now.

When it gets hot, keyboard instruments expand and the pitch goes down. However, when it gets how for brass instruments the walls of the horns get thicker and the instrument becomes shorter, making the pitch higher. So, when it gets hot or cold the pit goes one way and the brass go another. When it is really extreme weather, they get so far apart that you can't get the horns pulled out far enough to make it down to the pit.... that is how that happens.

[BozzlyB]

When it gets hot, keyboard instruments expand and the pitch goes down. However, when it gets how for brass instruments the walls of the horns get thicker and the instrument becomes shorter, making the pitch higher. So, when it gets hot or cold the pit goes one way and the brass go another. When it is really extreme weather, they get so far apart that you can't get the horns pulled out far enough to make it down to the pit.... that is how that happens.

Thats interesting, just curious why it wouldn't affect each corps the same way then?

[roosevelt]

Thats interesting, just curious why it wouldn't affect each corps the same way then?

It does effect them the same way (well mostly; corps use different instrument makers, so there may be some SLIGHT deviations). The difference is how they (the staff and the members) deal with the heat / pitch changes. Also, corps that go on earlier generally have hotter weather while corps that go on later have more optimal conditions.

[steeldrum]

It does effect them the same way (well mostly; corps use different instrument makers, so there may be some SLIGHT deviations). The difference is how they (the staff and the members) deal with the heat / pitch changes. Also, corps that go on earlier generally have hotter weather while corps that go on later have more optimal conditions.

That could be the case as this pitch variance was more noticable earlier in the evening with Bluestars, SCV and PR. Thanks for the explaination, hopefully it will sound better tonight when they play towards the end.