Your Theater Experience

[Farmboy]

did you get to Arlington really early? surprised you could make it to Tysons that fast, heh.

Ha! Made it in 20 minutes driving like a maniac; luckily they started late at Tyson's.

[HeatherM]

overall, I think it's going to be a very entertaining season. I drove a half hour extra and paid extra for a showing that was supposed to be IMAX. I get there and it is being shown in one of the "regular" theaters. Wonder if DCI is aware of the price/ IMAX thing. Sound was way too low, but a lady in our theater actually called the management on her phone and asked them to turn it up, and they finally did. We had the same sound issues coming back from intermission. Only about 50 people in my theater, but there are 3 theaters near here showing it. Ran into some well known drum corps names from this area and some old friends I marched with "back in the day". Also chatted with some young 'uns that were curious about my jacket. My white jacket with the star on the back. I look forward to seeing the corps again in Allentown.

[DrillmanSop06]

I thoroughly enjoyed the theater broadcast. I went to the Orland Park, IL showing for $15. The show was well-attended with most of the audience being high school band members. There were a good handful of older adults and a minority of individuals who could have been age-outs. I brought a non-drum corps/marching band friend with to the movie but she was already familiar with drum corps and excited to see the show.

I've got to throw some props out to the woman who went to speak with the theater twice to get the volume turned up. They had it set at what I could consider a reasonable, normal movie volume; we all know for drum corps, that simply won't cut it. She came back to applause twice as the theater seemed to be cooperative with our requests for more volume! Sadly, it took two corps for us to realize that we absolutely needed it to be louder.

As for a review of the corps, I was mostly just watching to enjoy the shows especially considering this is June and in June, of course feet are all over the place, concepts are less-than-fully developed, etc. Weather was clearly a persistent issue and some guards weren't throwing equipment as a result. I didn't think it detracted a great deal from the performances overall since most did a great job of covering those areas anyway!

Blue Devils: I really enjoyed this show for the uniform change (it works well from the box) and the use of props (despite the wind issues.) The white cubes created a stark contrast and from the box, actually appear to be superimposed. It's a very neat 2D to 3D effect. The cubes are, of course, cubes. But from the box, the way they are placed gives you the effect of "drawn" 3D. Very neat. The posts they laid and moved throughout the show were also a neat element. I thought the use of props was effective overall and that's what I remember since the volume was too low for me to really appreciate the larger impacts of the show as intended.

Cavaliers: This show is going to be fantastic. It's a feel-good drum corps show with a great balance of traditional elements, quirks, and experimental sounds. The crowd in the theater really warmed up after the upside down tenor feature. That was pretty sick, I won't lie. They ended the show in an arc and clearly have more drill to finalize. Overall, the horns sound fantastic and they have a few awesome screamers. I just wish we could have heard those moments on full blast!

Bluecoats: I remember really enjoying the opener and the sound of their hornline. I don't see the big controversy over the ballad with the four sections of the corps playing and overlapping motifs and ideas. I thought that worked wonderfully and they brought the corps together in a very visually effective manner. I wasn't pulled into the concept nearly as much as in their past shows but it's June; they'll find a way to draw more meat from it!

Carolina Crown: Ok. It's cheesy. So what! People wanted more accessible shows with lots of clear cut, melodic material and Crown delivered and then some. If you don't enjoy electronics or an accessible visual package, you won't enjoy this show. But I thought it was a feel-good show with a lot of technical merit as well. Imagine that: an accessible show with a simple theme AND a great deal of depth! Looks like a lot of fun to perform!

The Cadets: First immediate goosebumps moment of the evening. The way the corps is split works wonderfully and the uniforms are an amazing touch. The creme definitely pops from the box but I absolutely LOVE the way the maroon team almost seems to shadow the "angels." There are moments the corps is isolated and when they come together and intertwine, it's definitely fantastic and tastefully done. The opening moments with the singing were haunting but I understand that isn't for everyone. The fight between angels and demons using the shiny poles needs more character and anger but again, June.

Phantom Regiment: The corps looks and sounds fantastic and I enjoyed their sound and visual package. However, of all the corps, their theme is the least developed and evident. I actually found myself forgetting it was about Juliet at all for the majority of the time and simply let the music and marching drive my experience throughout the show. I'm definitely not saying that's a bad thing but after reading the program description they posted to the web a few weeks ago, I can't say I followed in the slightest.

Santa Clara Vanguard: Talk about a lot of holes! I thought at first it was just very visually dirty but after a closer look, they really are marching an exceptional number of open spots. They were the least developed of all the corps on the field and I truly felt they weren't achieving as highly as the Blue Stars from a performance OR design standpoint. Their theme will be tough to tackle and make evident but I could already clearly tell that the hornline performers were trapped and seeking an escape from the devilish color guard! From a level of excellence standpoint, they were fantastic but less polished than any other team. Their music was also the least accessible. I trust by August, this will be a great show, though!

Blue Stars: These guys are LOUD! They were definitely the most powerful corps from a volume standpoint and their show concept is clever and tasteful. I felt that it was very much driven by the music and less so by a story line. The use of electronics was very nice but the volume seemed to be the loudest of any corps tonight. If they can balance out those sounds with the rest of the corps, it'll be much less jarring. I want to see what they do with the scaffolding by the end of the season; right now, it's just a means of featuring sections but I'd love to see it more fully integrated. Overall, a great performance at a high level of excellence and I can only see this show becoming more entertaining as it continues to develop!

Encore: It seemed counter-intuitive to give the corps with the least accessible music book the encore performance at a show designed to engage the audience. However, they performed a selection of their show AND "Send in the Clowns" for which only a few in the theater clapped. I suspect that most of the attendees had no idea that this was SCV's corps song and therefore didn't appreciate it quite as much as those of us who knew. There was a lot of dead air as members confusedly emptied their spit and such.

Commentary: Dennis Delucia spent a great deal of time making snarky comments. Or so it seemed to me. The banter and commentary between shows as nice and the interviews were fitting and well-timed. I thought they did a great job of filling the gap between shows.

Overall: Congrats to the performers. I have nothing positively constructive to say about the entire "Tour of Champions" concept that hasn't already been voiced.

[SFZFAN]

Cinemark 18 in Houston - great showing - no issues.

Pleasantly surprised at Crown's show. I actually liked it. Imagine that.

Cavies are the corps to beat. Inverted tenors were the hit of the evening.

Cadets were really moving - they will be near the top. Don't like the male guard members in the same skirts as the girls though. The "Angels" drums are exactly the same finish as the Madison Scouts. Nice!

Phantom was delightful - really great music and beautiful uniforms! Drumline is going to be just fine.

BD had their moments but the show is not clicking.

Bluecoats - show is not as good as last year but they look and sound great - Smoking drumline!

SCV - not nearly as bad as folks are spouting on DCP. Great drumline - second to Bluecoats. When this show is cleaned watch out.

Blue Stars - Grey again - boo. Need to lose the scaffolding and spread out the drill. They are too compacted and can't use the field effectively. That is going to hold them back. So much potential and the best hornline in this drummer's opinion. Bad show design but good music...

[jjeffeory]

The DCI ad at the beginning of 2nd half had no sound! 2 minutes+ with video and no sound.

Cadets coming in still no sound!

Now no picture.

It's back.

Later

Fairfax Virginia Regal Cinema had problems ALL through BD and Cavaliers. NCM would remotely shut off the projectors the theater. We missed large portions of their performances. Volume was too low for the first half. I spoke with the manager, the volume went up a bit.

This wasn't a good experience here, but it was pretty full...

[Citizen-Seth]

Ha! Made it in 20 minutes driving like a maniac; luckily they started late at Tyson's.

Were you coming from the Ballston thratre? Found out it was cancelled when I showed up at 6! Metro-ed down to the other Arlington theatre and made it in by the middle of the Cavies' show.

[mikekhs]

Mason, Ohio...

I took 16 of my students. Late start which management explained and he warned us ahead of time of problems during intermission sound -wise. Volume seemed to change throughout the night. First half of Devs was thin and treble sounding and then someone found the slider and we were good for a while. Similar things happened throughout the night. Overall not bad. There were I would say 65 or so folks in the theatre. Dennis and Rondo get a little long winded, but add in Cesario and we are box 5! Holy how long can we drag this out Batman! I was blown away by how few people seemed to be at the show in Texas. Those stands looked half full.

Quick thoughts...

BD - I am curious to see what they keep and what they change.

Cavies - Confused by the stilts and the inverted tenor guys. Guard uni is quite interesting.

Bluecoats - Looking forward to the progress of this show as well. Liked the snare tuning. Show felt a lot like some of their previous shows.

Crown - It will be a fine line to walk to avoid going off the deep end concept wise. Back half of show lost me a bit. Battery is much improved. Pit needs to be in unis I think.

Garfield - My favorite of the night. I could do without the play acting stuff in the opening, but they look great IMO. Battery is throwing. All burgundy uni makes some of the members look short and dumpy. Coordinating some of that visually must be a nightmare!

Phantom - I like the uniform. I like some of the musical choices although I could do without the 60s/70s Romeo and Juliet. Sops seemed to suffer tonight.

Vanguard- Drumline is quite good. Guard costuming not my cup of tea (although seems to be a current trend tonight) I was confused by the people running around outside the forms. More of a distraction and they have already done the perpetual motion thing. I never got a real staircase feel or representation. Music is cool, but will not be real accessible to all folks. (which has hurt them before)

BluesStars - I did not dig this one. The drumline can play. The hornline seems quite loud and capable and I am guessing the guard can spin, but this show I think is limited. I would like to see a field perc judge get up on the scaffold with the battery!

I thanked the theatre manager for hosting the event. I would do this again.

My Thoughts.

MIKE

[jjeffeory]

Congratulations to Carolina Crown and The Cavies for coming out of the blocks the best this season and ending an amazing run for the Blue Devils. Now if you look in your rear view mirror and see something blue behind you, keep in mind that......."objects may be closer than they appear!"

...and the Cadets on Sunday too.

[Bandguy]

Saw the show on the west side of Columbus OH. It was a very good experience! One of the theater workers came out and announced AHEAD OF THE SHOW about the anticipated sound problems (it's going to happen at 7:55!) to the people attending. It was really nice to be warned it was going to happen, and that no corps performance was going to be affected. Volume was fine given all the complaining from the staff people (the wind is going to be bad for the sound!). Definitely a thumbs up good time!

[BRASSO]

A couple of short, random thoughts from the theatre:

First off, kudos to all the marchers for performing so well in such heat and humidity.

Overall impressions....I was struck by, how on the whole, the level of performance level was this good. It's not great by August standards, but it was WAY good for the first 2 shows in June standards. I was impressed with this.

We arrived at seat halfway through BD performance, so unfair to gauge BD. The did seem to have more appealing music this year than last year..... 'do not like the uniform alterations on BD at all.

Cavaliers... DCI is a visual game, and as such, the Cavaliers have game. Stilts, and upside down playing on tenors was a cool effect. Not a fan of the brass book,but they did have some nice solos here and there. They'll add in other things for sure, so this show has the visual design, guard, and the talent to pull off a Title ( no surprise, right ? )

Bluecoats... loved the opener.... lots of demand in this show, I like their brass book... very agressive and on the whole it works.... percussion line seems top notch... REALLY sounded good, imo... Guard and visuals are very good as well. That said, I don't think this show has what it takes to win it all...but I'd love to be proven wrong on this.

Carolina Crown.... kudos for the attempt to do something really fresh and different by bringing in " Rach Star ". The opening and first half of the show does bring you in, but the 2nd half is flat by contrast. You want to finish up strong, not the other way around. That said, I believe this show does have perhaps more room to grow than some others. The show seems choppy to me right now. Brass songs choppy, show choppy. I do enjoy the vibe on this show better than other Crown shows however. This Corps does have the talent to surprise us by Finals... yes there is some " cheese " in this year's show, but overall it is an enjoyable show, imo.

The Cadets....love the Angels and Demons concept with the different contrasting uniform styles...The Cadets will be a definate contender to win it all by August Finlas, imo... the best integrated, seemless show of the night in my opinion....lots of maturity level in marchers this year evident.... wonderful guard with colorful guard instruments that sparkle and give off a nice effect. Brass line outstanding... visuals are splendid... percusssion top notch... lots and lots of room to grow with this show concept too... who wins in the end, Angels or Demons ?

Phantom Regiment..... classy, elegant show.... music is wonderful, identifiable, and played well... there is some choppiness though in the music from song to song, so the show right now does not flow well. The guard looks good to these eyes... the percussion section has work to do though, but the parts played do work very well with the music, imo.... The visual, while pleasing to the eye, does not have the overall demand that the others do. Not sure how much room to grow this show has compared to others... that said, I liked the show... and my overall impression woould describe this year's Phantom show as solid... but safe.

Santa Clara Vanguard....I've noticed some people down on SCV on the DCP reviews, so I went in tonite expecting a real down year SCV... I don't see that at all... first off, the percussion line seems very good...the brass chart is playing WAY more appealing music than last year, imo.... brass chart is agressive, and it worked for me...SCV won't be winning DCI this year, but once we get beyond this, there was much to like about this show, imo.... I do think their brass line might have some brass execution issues that might come to the fore within their mix of Corps though...still gotta love the cymbal line of SCV though...visuals have some neat moves too. Overall, I liked this show much better than last year, despite the fact that they have a lot of issues in performance execution that they'll have to address.

Blue Stars.....unlike some of the other Corps above, the Blue Stars actually had a better 2nd half portion of their show musically than the 1st half musically, imo....I got to believe that the Blue Stars will be doing more with the large props than they are now... the visuals are good, good brass line, good percussion line, nice ballad... the Blue Stars synth playing tonite however sounds like something you'd hear played at a North Dakota Holiday Inn bar lounge mid week with the part time singer playing on his small synth before 6 lost drunks and wondering between breaks where it all went wrong in his career.... unis, guard and corps proper, were a bad uniform decision in my opinion.... Grey uniforms on the Blue Stars was simply bad choice......That said, this Corps show is more entertaining than last year's in my opinion, and the show appears to have room to grow as well.

Oh well... thats my quick snaphots of the Corps on the first week of the season. Who knows maybe I 'll look back on Labor Day and read these comments and think...."hey, just what in the hell were you thinking back then ?

Edited June 21, 2011 by BRASSO