Bob984 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I watched the fan network broadcast of San Antonio...........here is my review Pioneer...........young corps works hard....small hornline is showing more confidence.......hopefully, they can build from here..... Seattle..........I think they are more solid than last year......enjoyable show......corps has future potential with more experience........ Mandarins.......I thought they executed pretty well.........show needs more from an effect standpoint......also, much to build on here......... Teal Sound.....major intonation issues today.....if you warm up outside, and it's 100 degrees, and then come inside, you need to retune......... show is interesting.....need to be careful with electronics volume........ Pacific Crest......they seem to have the horses to be higher than they are, but the show just doesn't seem to develop emotionally, and the arrangements are tough to grab onto.......I think they will execute respectably by Indy, but they need to figure out how to sell this show.. Crossmen.........noticeably better today than Minneapolis........front half of show comes across better than last (stamina issues?)....I am hearing brass parts coming through better than before, but still much ensemble work needed to make it work......brass book is good, but not great...... percussion is strongest element, though I don't think they had their best run today.....electronic keyboard at start of a percussion feature was way off today.......I did have them nipping Colts today......... Colts...........I think the performers are competent, but I find the musical book to be very fragmented, and the arrangements are not working very well from a continuity or effect standpoint..........visual design is adequate, but nothing stands out there for me, and much timing work in guard is needed........... Academy...........this corps has the talent to make finals, but the show is holding them back..........good introduction and 1st impacts, then things go downhill, with some major lulls in emotion........they will execute quite well in Indy, but I don't see the overall product challenging for the night show..... Troopers.........show has grown on me, and I think they sell the program fairly well. The musical interpretation is good......they picked some "subtle" stuff, so they need to sell that aspect of it to the fullest. They are competent in all sections, but are going to have to nail it to have a shot, but they are in the running for a finals spot........ Glassmen........marching/visual/guard product is adequate, as is drumline. However, musical arrangements really do not develop and are not strong.....I don't understand the music effect marks or brass.....many quality of sound/intonation issues....mellos especially.......I think they are being overscored at the moment.....clearly under Troopers in terms of quality of programming and show effectiveness......... Spirit.........the show is well-written and interesting.....plenty of variety and impact.....solid in all sections......I do agree that they "throw stuff away" execution-wise at this point, otherwise they would have broken the 80 mark........clearly the front runner for the last spot in finals, but certainly not a lock at this point........... Blue Stars.....product is enjoyable, with good variety. I think the platform, while used effectively, hinders their field space when not being used.........I think they would have been better if they could have somehow wheeled it into place on/off for usage, but that may have not been possible.........I do believe this show is better than Boston's, and will go there when clean......... Blue Knights.....I love this show.....the arrangements, visual program, ethnic drumming, and visual interpretation all work well......it's a deceptively hard show, which is probably holding them back at the moment......I actually believe this show is better written than Boston, SCV, and Bluecoats, but I believe it's going to be hard to execute well enough to get SCV or Bluecoats, but they should pass Boston....... Madison.........very effective and emotional program......musical charts are interesting and voice the brass effectively....brass line is strong..... I do agree that percussion is inconsistent execution-wise, and that needs to be addressed for them to move up.....I believe they should have been 8th tonight, as their musical presentation is clearly more effective than Boston's............ Boston..........guard and visual program are good. Whistling needs work (lol).....initial brass front is their strongest impact, and opener is good.....from there on, the show goes downhill from an effect standpoint, and the closer is especially anti-climatic. They will execute pretty well in all captions by Indy, but the brass and especially music effect marks remain a mystery........I believe this is an 11th place show........ Santa Clara......whereas the hornline has improved, there were major quality of sound and articulation issues today which were not fully reflected in the musical caption scores. When you factor in the fact that the musical choices are a hard sell to begin with, I don't see big numbers in musical effect.... the visual package is very good, as is the guard, and the drumline is contender material.........those factors are propping them up a bit...... Bluecoats......this reminds me of a "criminal two" show. They are solid in all captions, and I think they will hold onto 6th, but I don't think this show is as strong musically as any of those in front of them........they are enjoyable, though........ Phantom........horn sound is quite good, as is musical book. Percussion book generally fits, although the line is not as strong as before....they need to really try to get percussion tight in order to close the gap........ Whereas the drill might be a bit "predictable", I do think it presents the music well. A new visual ending (Chevron, maybe?) might really bring down the house. This show is growing on me.............. Crown..........best brass sound on the field, hands down.....they should be winning that caption by a margin, as well as music effect, because the arrangements are packed with variety and arranged quite well, and they sell it. They are competent in all sections. If they nail it, they have a shot at the title. Cadets........I think the show is stellar from a visual and programming standpoint. It is also quite difficult. I think it all comes together for a very effective product. I don't agree with the guard numbers they have been getting.....not saying they should win there, but I am not certain about the spreads.... If they can nail this show from a performance standpoint, they have a real shot at winning.............. Blue Devils........I find the show to be enjoyable, and I like the musical arrangements......brass sound is huge, but they do have to be careful in execution at times... I do believe they make some visual aspects of their show look easier than they are.......percussion is competent.........don't count them out, because they are not going to give up, and they will execute very well at nationals........ Cavaliers......visually they are quite strong, and the corps executes well in all captions.....visual program stages guard well.....musical book is good but not great, and I actually believe the musical arrangements are not as strong as the 4 corps behind them.......that is starting to show up in the captions, but not to a high degree yet......they do communicate their program well and fans like it....they were well prepared this year, so they probably won't finish below 3rd, but for me, the musical book is 5th........... General.....a strong top 4 corps this year, and that battle could be wild by the end..........I also think 6-11 could be the tightest it has ever been if everyone nails their shows..........I think the battle for 12th will be between Spirit and Troopers.......... GB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crest99 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesleyrp Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Great Review GB I see eye to eye with u and majority of this review! Good constructive/descriptive review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skywhopper Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Thanks for the great review! I hope to see more from you in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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