euponitone Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 The drum corps gods were with us tonight! A day full of rain stopped right as the corps were arriving, was just sporadic throughout the show (never once was there a delay), and then it slammed into us full force as soon as i got into my car to go to work. Overall stadium / show site impressions. West Chester is a GREAT place to watch drum corps - in case you were new and thinking about it. One thing - get there EARLY. Parking is a nightmare - there really is no one big lot close to the stadium, and the corps are actually on south campus, so if you come in the main entrance, you will wind up sitting in traffic for 30 minutes. Its better to get there early, park near an exit, and walk a little bit... For me, this place holds a lot of special memories. In 2003, we had a great show here, but I will never forget on of the baritone soloists majorly fracking a note in malaguena. I was the 'new guy' in the line, so everyone assumed it was me, but it was actually one of the section leaders...who refused to admit it. Good times, good times.... My favorite memory of course was 2005. First of all, it was so hot that the vis staff was handing out paper towels during warmup because we literally were dripping with sweat, even in half unis at warmup up. I was actually late to warmup (we were staying at the site), because I was hanging out with this cute girl that I had been talking to on the phone all summer, but hadn't seen in over a month. She auditioned for the corps in the winter, but didn't make it...but we stayed in touch anyway throughout the summer. I think being late to warmup was worth it though...as i am marrying said girl in about a month So - the corps Raiders are much, MUCH better than when i saw them a month ago. In Jackson, I actually buried my head in my program, as I could stand to watch the bumper cars going on out on the field. I knew it was very early for them, and I knew they would get better, and I was right for sure. They still run out of gas a little at the end, but they've got a little more time to figure it out. Show works, drill and music make sense, although i'm not a big fan of vocals that say HEY OUR SHOW IS X Y and Z!!!. Narration, or sound bytes that ARE part of the theme, or are an effect in and of themselves are fine with me...like what the top 3 are all using this year. Narration that actually 'explains' the show...yeah, not a huge fan. Jersey Surf - I already ranted about their uniforms in my last review of them, so no need to to so again here. Just seems strange that a corps with such a defined identity would wipe that out so casually, but what to i know... As far as the show - very enjoyable, fairly obvious theme, but in a mostly good way. Its always nice to see familiar music in a slightly new way (without destroying it), and surf does that very well. They really had no competition tonight, so i cant really comment on their competetive placement Madison - Well, what to say. When i first saw them, marching was a major liability - tonight, much better. Watching warmups, i could still see a lot of things not to like, which is part of the reason they aren't playing with the big dogs, but they are definitely trending in the right direction. As far as ESOM - there's not much I can say that hasn't been said already. I will say this - I am not the kind of person to get emotional, be it at a drum corps show, or anything else....unless i see someone else getting emotional. With that said, i was sitting with someone tonight who i know was at the world trade center pulling body parts from the rubble. While i cant possibly relate to having lost friends and colleagues like that, being that close to someone who has, and seeing their reaction, was definitely enough to get me teared up. Madison definitely hit the mark this year, and like most people, i'm deeply thankful they took a risk that could have been cheesy or pandering...but they nailed it. My only regret is that I wont see it again SCV - Well, this show is not the giant mess that some have made it out to be, but I would be surprised to see it higher than 6th or 7th. Brass is much better than when i saw the vids, but it still isnt a strength. Theme is clear, and comes through throughout, and drill is a treat. One thing - when the announcer does the 'have you ever wanted to escape hell' line in the preshow...i dont think the reaction they were going for was a laugh...but thats what they got. made things a little awkward. Also, i heard a grand total of one person doing the vanguard yell....again, awwwkkkward. All in all....fun show - i'll see it again on sunday... BD - Well, its time for my grand opus on the Blue Devils. I'll try and write in a way that hasn't been done a thousand times, but a lot of this may sound the same regardless. First of all (and i'll cover this again when i get to cadets), the whole moving / running / playing debate is a bit exaggerated. Yes, blue devils stand around A LOT. Yes the other top corps move and play a little more than them. Anyone that cant admit that is pretty much watching with their eyes closed. That said, the gap isn't as big as people are making it out to be - the Devs do quite a bit of demanding marching and playing, and the other corps have a bunch of parked moments, or moments running around with horns down as well. As far as the show - like most people, i find it pleasant, and pretty enjoyable. I dont know bacharach at all, but the music is still pretty hummable. BD brass was definitely on, but i heard some not-so-good holes in the sound, magnified by the fact that they were standing still in a tight block....hardly a difficult scenario. I'm also not to proud to admit that I would like this show A LOT more if it weren't winning (as close as it was)... Most people wouldn't say that...i will. It's not a terrible show, its not the easiest thing in the top 12, its not garbage, or ruining DCI...i just dont think it's quite as good as its getting scored. Literally, 5 tenths lower, and i'd be on board. Yeah, the top 3 all have their own style, and there are different ways of designing a show (and of course, assessing difficulty). On the demand vs cleanliness debate - sure, you need to have both - but i guess the simplest way to express my point is that i feel like the judging pendulum has swung a little too far in one direction, both towards cleanliness, and towards the kind of winterguard-cirque shows that bd has been putting out. Again, its just a matter of tenths for me - and the scores are uberclose now, so we may all be forgetting after finals, but thats just my 2 cents on the whole thing. Cavies - I actually dont have a whole lot to say about them. I'm a little over the whole 'look how wacky we are' type of shows...its been done by several of the top groups in dci lately, but that said, the cavies are still visual masters like no other. They also seemed a little apathetic tonight at the beginning (things just werent crisp and aggressive, but by the end it was gone). The stilts are...well, stilts - i get it, but they dont do a whole lot on them. Throw something and i'll be impressed.... Oh, and its been covered, but man is it nice to hear these guys again. Seriously, they may have been the loudest of the night (although honestly i didn't hear much difference between the top 4 hornlines). They weren't quite as 'pretty' sounding as the devs, but when they wanted to hit you with sound, they punched you in the face. Drill was great as always, and the ending was samurai on steroids. Seriously...craziest drill i've ever seen probably...and they're definitely getting more comfortable with it. Funny thing with the cavies though - they always have great closers, but the very VERY end is a little flat...anyone else ever notice this? Didn't have a problem with their score or placement tonight... Cadets - Finally...seeing the home team live. I sort of wrote off last year - it wasn't bad, but it didnt grab my interest at all. This show kind of left me with a funny feeling - i think i expected the next phantom 08, and what i got was not quite that, but better than anything they've put out in 4 years at least. Part of the problem is that I was never that crazy about the music, but there is no doubt they do it well. As far as the crazy cadets drill, the insane demand, and all the moving and playing - i think that is a bit of hyperbole (going back to the bd comments). In fact, one of the reasons they are doing so well this year, and 5 hundreths out of 1st, is that the show really ISNT that insane. It's the same as 2007 - the show was loud, aggressive, well designed, and in your face, but not so hard that they couldnt achieve it (ala 2009). The drill, with the split unis, is indeed masterfully designed (and as a drill writer in the middle of writing season, i appreciate this 100%), but it also limits their ability to do truly insane drill...which is not a bad thing. The field entrance was great, as always, but it would be nice if a few of the demons wandered closer to the front sideline so we could actually see the 'mischief' they were causing. I saw a few cones flying, and a lot of yelling / posturing, but its pretty tough to make out the details when they are in dark unis and 80 yards away. As far as them losing Music GE tonight - i doubt that will stick, this show, while not my favorite musically, has a ton of great effect moments, and i see them back on top their shortly. Brass was not quite as loud as I hoped for, but they'll get another chance with me on sunday :) Feet are cleaning up nicely, and if they max it out, they should easily be in first there in indy as well. I know i'm pulling for it - this show absolutely deserves to win, but one thing I did come away thinking tonight, which is a big change for me -- I used to think that if the cadets DIDNT win this year, it would be a travesty of epic proportions. After seeing BD and Cavies, i could see someone else winning...as much as it would suck, it really is that close this year (even throw crown in there if you want). All in all, a great year for drum corps! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Nice, thoughtful review. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tez Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 One of the best reviews of the year, I think. You articulated almost exactly what I've been thinking regarding the top 3 shows. And I agree, more than almost any year I can remember, I truly think we have 3 or 4 championship deserving shows. 3-way tie anyone??? You know it could happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 (edited) One of the best reviews of the year, I think. You articulated almost exactly what I've been thinking regarding the top 3 shows. And I agree, more than almost any year I can remember, I truly think we have 3 or 4 championship deserving shows. 3-way tie anyone??? You know it could happen. Well it could.... but the probability of that is 5.3 x 10-6 or lower. It'd definitely be interesting though. Thanks for the review euponitone! Edited August 4, 2011 by NeutralNovice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Good review!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony L. Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Great review. I got to the show late, but will just add a couple of thoughts based on what I saw. Madison sounded great, too bad I didn't get to actually see them. Oh well, I will have to wait until Allentown. SCV was much better than I expected. The horns definitely had some issues at lower dynamics (which unfortunately is the majority of the show). But, the ballad was amazing! One of the few "goose bump" moments of the night for me. And, yeah, the "Vanguard" yell was weak. I know it's become something of a tradition, but sometimes, it just doesn't fit, especially when it is just one person yelling! Cavies were quite the spectacle. I didn't really find the music all that memorable, but they do create some really interesting and new effects that I enjoyed. The horns are significantly more aggressive than Cavies have probably ever been, but of course, the trade off is that they were a bit rougher sounding than Cadets and especially BD. Visually impressive (wish I could have seen it from up high in a large stadium!), but at times there is almost too much to try to watch. As a result, some effects were lost. The good news for the Cavies is that they appeared to have the most visual dirt compared to the other two, so more to clean, and presumably more to gain. BD. I really have to say that I wanted to hate this show (since I really despised the Chairs in 2009, and was not the biggest fan of 2010), but as one of the first lines from "A House is Not a Home" says -- a chair is not a house! Right now BD is performing at such a high level that it is just amazing to watch. Musically, I think they are really wringing the score for as much emotion and impact as possible. Visually, they really do offer a host of interesting moments that are just being performed to the max. I do find that the Say a Little Prayer arrangement and the lead up to the final movement are less successful parts of the show right now. The bad news for BD is that I just do not see where they can improve performance in any significant way and as a result I don't think they will have the horses to win it all. I don't think that their performance level alone will be enough to win it all. But, I said that in 2007 also, and we know how that turned out. Oh, one final comment, the trumpet soloists for BD are not quite up to typical BD standards -- and unfortunately, they are miked up! Cadets were very good last night, but I just think that they are just not quite as far as they can go with this show. The sound of the horns was aggressive, but a bit too harsh at times and there are parts where the horns seemed to be treading water while they collected themselves for the big hits. Also, last night there were a few parts where there were some tempo struggles, not quite a tear, but definitely not in synch. That being said, if they ever get to the point where they work out the musical issues and push throughout, this will be an incredible musical show. Visually, the drill is amazing and performed at a high level (but with room to grow). The battle sequence was amazing for my first time viewing, just a great visual impact. The guard (like Cavies and BD) had some issues with drops, but I am assuming that had to do with the wet conditions. The new guard costumes look fantastic. And thank goodness the head angel has a new costume because the early season version made her look like the mother in "Carrie." On the whole, I completely agree with your assessment, I think this is the show that will ultimately win, but I think that unless the Cadets work on the various performance issues, any one of the top 3 (or possibly 4 as I have not seen Crown yet) may yet win it in Indy. One final question, are the introductions like we saw last night always the way they are done? I saw a comment about SCV's intro, but the Cadets intro was so cheesy and it got a laugh from the crowd too. Just not the way to set the mood for the show that followed. I hope that is no always the way the into works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkmummer Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Great review. I thought you were spot on. I'll offer this to those who are having the issue with the whole play and move thing with the Devils. Obviously it is more demanding to march the types of shows that Cav and Cadets are perfoming, however I think that needs to be balanced with the "other" visual responsibilities that are being asked of the BD's. I was at field level last night. The white 4 X 4's that they are moving throughout the show do carry some sort of demand level. There is some weight to them and they are awkward to carry and balance. You may not want to give them credit for that, but there is a difference of transititioning them through a performance and not looking like a bunch of guys and gals from ACME moving company hauling furniture around. For what it's worth, it's another perspective that you may only get being down on the field and watch them as they move the props that are not on wheels. All this being said, I came away from last night thinking that if any of the 3 top dogs should come away with the title, I would be pleased. It was nice to see 3 different shows all performed at a high level in which I liked them all for different reasons. IMO it may be the strongest (deepest) and most interesting DCI championships in recent memory and great way to end the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 Lol....i marched cadets 06. Of course I understand the awkwardness of trying to march and move around props!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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