losnickes Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) Be forewarned: this review may or may not be VERY opinionated at times. Due to time constraints on my end, I'm only going to talk about the top 12 corps of the night. I may get to the others later, but not right now. 12th Place - 79.050 - Spirit of Atlanta "ATL Confidential: A Tribute to Film Noir" When they first announced this show, I must admit I wasn't excited. This is partially due to the fact that I had no idea what "Film Noir" was at the time. In case you didn't know, "Film Noir" is a cinematic term that refers to Hollywood crime dramas. After several years of being sub-par, at best, Spirit is back to being the Spirit that fans can really love. This show is just cool. I don't have a lot to add at this point, as this was only my first viewing of this show. It's definitely worth checking out, and certainly a Finals-worthy performance. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Stars "ReBourne" I LOVE this show. It's quite a mystery as to why it's not scoring higher. In my opinion, this show is Top 6 material for sure. The brass is loud, the drumline is on fire, and the visual design is at a level that could rival The Cavaliers. All ingredients for a good show, am I right? I'm not a fan of the "Bourne" or "Matrix" movies. They don't entice me in the slightest, and when I heard these were going to be the Blue Stars' music sources, I was quite underwhelmed. This show is pleasantly surprising. It's not too intricate to the point where the audience gets confused, and the music is extremely catchy. Will this show make finals? Certainly. Will the Blue Stars finally bust out of this 8th place streak? I'm sure they will. But here's the question: Will they place higher or lower than 8th? Only time will tell. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Knights "An English Folk Song Suite" I'm finally able to like the Blue Knights. I've always kind of enjoyed the visual effects they packed into their shows in years past, but their music was usually kind of forgettable. In 2010, they changed all of that with "Europa." This year, they open with Gustav Holst's "First Suite in E-flat." Personally, I prefer his "Second Suite in F," but this one is great, too. The Blue Knights are playing what a lot of fans call "real" music, and the audience seems to really respond to it. I really like this direction that the Blue Knights are going in, and I hope they put out more shows like "Europa" and "An English Folk Song Suite" for years to come. That kind of stuff never gets old. 9th Place - 83.800 - Madison Scouts "New York Morning" When the Scouts first announced "New York Morning," I thought it was going to be a lot like their 2010 show, but with a title this time. This was enough cause for excitement, because their 2010 show was one of my favorites. I later heard it would be a tribute to 9-11. I thought to myself, "How are they going to make this one work?" Then, I heard they would be playing Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind." I was even more perplexed. This is a very unusual show for the Madison Scouts to perform...or so I thought. This show is classic Madison Scouts all over the place, especially that unbelievable brass that we associate with Madison. That closer...wow. I couldn't imagine the Madison Scouts playing "Empire State of Mind" at first, but now I can't imagine anyone else doing it better than they do. That closer alone is worth the price of admission. In my opinion, the Madison Scouts were clearly better than the three that placed ahead of them. 8th Place - 84.550 - Boston Crusaders "Revolution" I really don't have a lot to say about this show. It's painfully uninteresting. The idea of mixing stuff from "Les Miserables" and the "1812 Overture" is creative, to the say the least. It just isn't working well. When I hear hints of "1812," (which is one of my favorite pieces, by the way), it lacks the excitement and power of the original Tchaikovsky piece. It's really kind of a let-down, for me. Despite the uninteresting music, the corps moves really well this year. They have always been pretty good in terms of visual, but this year they seem a lot better. I can't seem to put my finger on it. 7th Place - 86.150 - Santa Clara Vanguard "The Devil's Staircase" This show faces the same trouble that "Bartók" did last year. It just isn't everyone's cup of tea. The music involved in this show is weird, there's no getting around that. But I find if you watch the show as a moving picture, with the music as background noise, it's really quite a spectacle. The visuals involved in this show are spectacular. There are a lot of intricate, interweaving parts throughout the whole show. It's simply really fun to watch. This probably should have placed higher, but not higher than the Madison Scouts. 6th Place - 86.600 - Bluecoats "Brave New World" I was very excited about this show when it was first announced. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed when I first saw it at the tour premiere. I'm not a big fan of Radiohead, but the Bluecoats' arrangement of "Creep" was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, that's the only likable moment of this show. The ballad is just horrendous. It's a neat idea, but it just doesn't sound good, at least not to me. Of course, I didn't like the ballad in "Metropolis," either. The biggest disappointment of this whole show is their arrangement of "Harvest." Personally, I don't think John Mackey's music works well on the field. It's outstanding music, just not for drum corps/marching band. The Bluecoats' rendition of "Asphalt Cocktail" was passable, but "Harvest" just didn't work out. It's too bad, because the original Mackey work is sweet. 5th Place - 87.400 - Phantom Regiment "Juliet" Never has a show impressed this much and made so little sense like "Juliet." The percussion is great (not like last year, but still pretty good), and the brass is phenomenal, as always. Unfortunately, this show doesn't make a ton of sense. I'm really not getting the whole "Juliet" thing out of it. It's a lot like the movie "Titanic." They could have named that movie "Sinking Boat" for all it resembled the story of the Titanic. They could have named "Juliet" anything, and we'd all be just as confused. The thing is, if you tell the story of "Romeo & Juliet" from only Juliet's perspective, you rip out enormous parts of the story, rendering what's left a very boring, uneventful tale. If you listen to the latest "Field Pass" episode, this show will make a lot more sense. But that's the problem: we should be able to figure it out for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I love Phantom Regiment, they just need to fix some major problems in this show. 4th Place - 89.550 - Carolina Crown "Rach Star" There's not much to say about this show that hasn't already been said a million times. It's cheesy, but it's fun and crowd-appealing. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but it works extremely well. I really didn't care for this show at first, but it's starting to grow on me a little. I always liked the "We Will Rock You" pre-show, and now I especially like the "Paint it Black" section. And of course, who doesn't love that opening hit of "Bohemian Rhapsody?" Carolina Crown won Brass, and that doesn't surprise me at all. 3rd Place - 90.400 - The Cadets "Between Angels and Demons" I've only seen corps use two different-colored uniforms a handful of times, and no one does it better than The Cadets. This show is very "in-you-face" pretty much from start to finish, which is a very fan-friendly quality. After being "just okay" for many years, The Cadets are back with one powerful program. The opening hit of "Angels in the Architecture" is one very exciting moment of the show, and one of my favorites of the whole season. I also really enjoy the "160 BPM" section. This show is very well done, especially with the visual design. We've all come to really love the classic kaleidoscopic Cadets drill, but it's fun to see it in a new way, with two different colors intermingling. The battle scene/drum feature is one of those moments that will be remembered for years to come. It's probably the most "in-your-face" moment of the show. The Cadets just have a few things they need to clean up before Finals. This is a difficult show to perform, and they're doing an excellent job with it. If they can clean it up, they could have a fair shot at the title. 2nd Place - 90.950 - Blue Devils "The Beat My Heart Skipped" It was weird...before the season started, my friends and I heard Burt Bacharach on the radio, and thought it was strange that no one had ever done any Bacharach stuff in drum corps before. Then, just a couple of days later, the Blue Devils announced "The Beat My Heart Skipped." I didn't care for this show at first, but they've recently made some big changes, and this show is simply impeccable. The visual doesn't particularly enthrall me. It's not bad, it just isn't phenomenal. The music, on the other hand, is probably my favorite of the year. It's a far cry from that atonal stuff they were playing last year. Overall, it's just a really gorgeous show. 1st Place - 91.050 - The Cavaliers "XtraordinarY" It may have been just me, but The Cavaliers seemed a bit off tonight. However, I still felt they were the clear winners, and I'm glad the judges agreed. I'm not going to say anything different from what I said in my DCI St. Louis review, so here's just some quick thoughts: All the different "tricks" like the upside-down Tenors, upside-down horns, guard on stilts, etc. are all really neat, and pretty innovative. Yes, they are probably what one may call "gimmicks," but what's wrong with gimmicks in a drum corps show? Gimmicks typically make the show more fun and fan-friendly. It's pretty obvious why the won, and why they've been winning. They're just ahead of everyone else. Will they win at Finals? It's possible. They'll get Top 3, for sure. Here's how I would have placed everybody: 1. The Cavaliers 2. Blue Devils 3. The Cadets 4. Carolina Crown 5. Phantom Regiment 6. Madison Scouts 7. Blue Stars 8. Santa Clara Vanguard 9. Bluecoats 10. Blue Knights 11. Spirit of Atlanta 12. Boston Crusaders Edited July 24, 2011 by losnickes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madalumni Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Great review, thanks! And in 5th place, from Rockford/Loves Park Illinois - Juliet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkcarlson Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 No real upsets here tonight. Judging from tonight and the past couple of shows we've hit the Horse Latitudes of the 2011 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losnickes Posted July 24, 2011 Author Share Posted July 24, 2011 Great review, thanks! And in 5th place, from Rockford/Loves Park Illinois - Juliet. Good catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks for all the detailed thoughts. An excellent review! 8th Place - 84.550 - Boston Crusaders "Revolution" I really don't have a lot to say about this show. It's painfully uninteresting. The idea of mixing stuff from "Les Miserables" and the "1812 Overture" is creative, to the say the least. It just isn't working well. When I hear hints of "1812," (which is one of my favorite pieces, by the way), it lacks the excitement and power of the original Tchaikovsky piece. It's really kind of a let-down, for me. I was surprised they felt the need to add 1812 to the mix with the treasure trove of material that is Les Mis. But I do feel like they sabotaged all the music by splicing it together in bits and pieces. Only the ballad and the very ending feel like coherent musical statements. Unfortunately, as you suggest, the finale isn't as powerful as it might be, and I think that's because the musical development leading up to the climax was scattered throughout the rest of the show. But I agree that the visuals are pretty striking this year, and I'm impressed with Boston's show more each time I see it. 5th Place - 87.400 - Phantom Regiment "Juliet" The thing is, if you tell the story of "Romeo & Juliet" from only Juliet's perspective, you rip out enormous parts of the story, rendering what's left a very boring, uneventful tale. Interesting perspective. When I saw this show live I found the music so incredible that I honestly didn't notice the visual or thematic shortcomings that others have mentioned. I think maybe I'm okay with it being more of an impressionistic montage than an actual attempt to "tell a story". Thanks again! Looking forward to more reviews from you of this and future shows! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strutters '72 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 (edited) It was weird...before the season started, my friends and I heard Burt Bacharach on the radio, and thought it was strange that no one had ever done any Bacharach stuff in drum corps before. Ha! We did Burt Bacharach in 1973. I loved it! Thanks for the review. Edited July 25, 2011 by Strutters '72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losnickes Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 Ha! We did Burt Bacharach in 1973. I loved it! Thanks for the review. Well, I wasn't even thought of in 1973. That was probably a better time for a Bacharach show, though. He was probably a bit more relevant back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losnickes Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 I was surprised they felt the need to add 1812 to the mix with the treasure trove of material that is Les Mis. So was I. 1812 Overture.... Les Miserables.... I don't really see the connection there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storkysr Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 So was I. 1812 Overture.... Les Miserables.... I don't really see the connection there. SAME. Wondered since the start what, historically, let alone musically, connects these works. Perhaps some of the know it alls will grace us mortals with guidance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emc2 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Be forewarned: this review may or may not be VERY opinionated at times. Due to time constraints on my end, I'm only going to talk about the top 12 corps of the night. I may get to the others later, but not right now. 12th Place - 79.050 - Spirit of Atlanta "ATL Confidential: A Tribute to Film Noir" When they first announced this show, I must admit I wasn't excited. This is partially due to the fact that I had no idea what "Film Noir" was at the time. In case you didn't know, "Film Noir" is a cinematic term that refers to Hollywood crime dramas. After several years of being sub-par, at best, Spirit is back to being the Spirit that fans can really love. This show is just cool. I don't have a lot to add at this point, as this was only my first viewing of this show. It's definitely worth checking out, and certainly a Finals-worthy performance. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Stars "ReBourne" I LOVE this show. It's quite a mystery as to why it's not scoring higher. In my opinion, this show is Top 6 material for sure. The brass is loud, the drumline is on fire, and the visual design is at a level that could rival The Cavaliers. All ingredients for a good show, am I right? I'm not a fan of the "Bourne" or "Matrix" movies. They don't entice me in the slightest, and when I heard these were going to be the Blue Stars' music sources, I was quite underwhelmed. This show is pleasantly surprising. It's not too intricate to the point where the audience gets confused, and the music is extremely catchy. Will this show make finals? Certainly. Will the Blue Stars finally bust out of this 8th place streak? I'm sure they will. But here's the question: Will they place higher or lower than 8th? Only time will tell. 10th Place (tie) - 82.900 - Blue Knights "An English Folk Song Suite" I'm finally able to like the Blue Knights. I've always kind of enjoyed the visual effects they packed into their shows in years past, but their music was usually kind of forgettable. In 2010, they changed all of that with "Europa." This year, they open with Gustav Holst's "First Suite in E-flat." Personally, I prefer his "Second Suite in F," but this one is great, too. The Blue Knights are playing what a lot of fans call "real" music, and the audience seems to really respond to it. I really like this direction that the Blue Knights are going in, and I hope they put out more shows like "Europa" and "An English Folk Song Suite" for years to come. That kind of stuff never gets old. 9th Place - 83.800 - Madison Scouts "New York Morning" When the Scouts first announced "New York Morning," I thought it was going to be a lot like their 2010 show, but with a title this time. This was enough cause for excitement, because their 2010 show was one of my favorites. I later heard it would be a tribute to 9-11. I thought to myself, "How are they going to make this one work?" Then, I heard they would be playing Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind." I was even more perplexed. This is a very unusual show for the Madison Scouts to perform...or so I thought. This show is classic Madison Scouts all over the place, especially that unbelievable brass that we associate with Madison. That closer...wow. I couldn't imagine the Madison Scouts playing "Empire State of Mind" at first, but now I can't imagine anyone else doing it better than they do. That closer alone is worth the price of admission. In my opinion, the Madison Scouts were clearly better than the three that placed ahead of them. 8th Place - 84.550 - Boston Crusaders "Revolution" I really don't have a lot to say about this show. It's painfully uninteresting. The idea of mixing stuff from "Les Miserables" and the "1812 Overture" is creative, to the say the least. It just isn't working well. When I hear hints of "1812," (which is one of my favorite pieces, by the way), it lacks the excitement and power of the original Tchaikovsky piece. It's really kind of a let-down, for me. Despite the uninteresting music, the corps moves really well this year. They have always been pretty good in terms of visual, but this year they seem a lot better. I can't seem to put my finger on it. 7th Place - 86.150 - Santa Clara Vanguard "The Devil's Staircase" This show faces the same trouble that "Bartók" did last year. It just isn't everyone's cup of tea. The music involved in this show is weird, there's no getting around that. But I find if you watch the show as a moving picture, with the music as background noise, it's really quite a spectacle. The visuals involved in this show are spectacular. There are a lot of intricate, interweaving parts throughout the whole show. It's simply really fun to watch. This probably should have placed higher, but not higher than the Madison Scouts. 6th Place - 86.600 - Bluecoats "Brave New World" I was very excited about this show when it was first announced. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed when I first saw it at the tour premiere. I'm not a big fan of Radiohead, but the Bluecoats' arrangement of "Creep" was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, that's the only likable moment of this show. The ballad is just horrendous. It's a neat idea, but it just doesn't sound good, at least not to me. Of course, I didn't like the ballad in "Metropolis," either. The biggest disappointment of this whole show is their arrangement of "Harvest." Personally, I don't think John Mackey's music works well on the field. It's outstanding music, just not for drum corps/marching band. The Bluecoats' rendition of "Asphalt Cocktail" was passable, but "Harvest" just didn't work out. It's too bad, because the original Mackey work is sweet. 5th Place - 87.400 - Phantom Regiment "Juliet" Never has a show impressed this much and made so little sense like "Juliet." The percussion is great (not like last year, but still pretty good), and the brass is phenomenal, as always. Unfortunately, this show doesn't make a ton of sense. I'm really not getting the whole "Juliet" thing out of it. It's a lot like the movie "Titanic." They could have named that movie "Sinking Boat" for all it resembled the story of the Titanic. They could have named "Juliet" anything, and we'd all be just as confused. The thing is, if you tell the story of "Romeo & Juliet" from only Juliet's perspective, you rip out enormous parts of the story, rendering what's left a very boring, uneventful tale. If you listen to the latest "Field Pass" episode, this show will make a lot more sense. But that's the problem: we should be able to figure it out for ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I love Phantom Regiment, they just need to fix some major problems in this show. 4th Place - 89.550 - Carolina Crown "Rach Star" There's not much to say about this show that hasn't already been said a million times. It's cheesy, but it's fun and crowd-appealing. It sounds like it wouldn't work, but it works extremely well. I really didn't care for this show at first, but it's starting to grow on me a little. I always liked the "We Will Rock You" pre-show, and now I especially like the "Paint it Black" section. And of course, who doesn't love that opening hit of "Bohemian Rhapsody?" Carolina Crown won Brass, and that doesn't surprise me at all. 3rd Place - 90.400 - The Cadets "Between Angels and Demons" I've only seen corps use two different-colored uniforms a handful of times, and no one does it better than The Cadets. This show is very "in-you-face" pretty much from start to finish, which is a very fan-friendly quality. After being "just okay" for many years, The Cadets are back with one powerful program. The opening hit of "Angels in the Architecture" is one very exciting moment of the show, and one of my favorites of the whole season. I also really enjoy the "160 BPM" section. This show is very well done, especially with the visual design. We've all come to really love the classic kaleidoscopic Cadets drill, but it's fun to see it in a new way, with two different colors intermingling. The battle scene/drum feature is one of those moments that will be remembered for years to come. It's probably the most "in-your-face" moment of the show. The Cadets just have a few things they need to clean up before Finals. This is a difficult show to perform, and they're doing an excellent job with it. If they can clean it up, they could have a fair shot at the title. 2nd Place - 90.950 - Blue Devils "The Beat My Heart Skipped" It was weird...before the season started, my friends and I heard Burt Bacharach on the radio, and thought it was strange that no one had ever done any Bacharach stuff in drum corps before. Then, just a couple of days later, the Blue Devils announced "The Beat My Heart Skipped." I didn't care for this show at first, but they've recently made some big changes, and this show is simply impeccable. The visual doesn't particularly enthrall me. It's not bad, it just isn't phenomenal. The music, on the other hand, is probably my favorite of the year. It's a far cry from that atonal stuff they were playing last year. Overall, it's just a really gorgeous show. 1st Place - 91.050 - The Cavaliers "XtraordinarY" It may have been just me, but The Cavaliers seemed a bit off tonight. However, I still felt they were the clear winners, and I'm glad the judges agreed. I'm not going to say anything different from what I said in my DCI St. Louis review, so here's just some quick thoughts: All the different "tricks" like the upside-down Tenors, upside-down horns, guard on stilts, etc. are all really neat, and pretty innovative. Yes, they are probably what one may call "gimmicks," but what's wrong with gimmicks in a drum corps show? Gimmicks typically make the show more fun and fan-friendly. It's pretty obvious why the won, and why they've been winning. They're just ahead of everyone else. Will they win at Finals? It's possible. They'll get Top 3, for sure. Here's how I would have placed everybody: 1. The Cavaliers 2. Blue Devils 3. The Cadets 4. Carolina Crown 5. Phantom Regiment 6. Madison Scouts 7. Blue Stars 8. Santa Clara Vanguard 9. Bluecoats 10. Blue Knights 11. Spirit of Atlanta 12. Boston Crusaders So what would you do to make Boston show more interesting. IMO It is a very special show and enjoyed by many of the fans. Great year for drum corp kids have worked hard in that heat. Have a great day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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