DeKalb, IL

[wheelerand]

So tonight was the "real" Midwest Championship. Sadly, I will not be at DeKalb show 3 of 3 (two weeks from yesterday; D2/3 show). Sadly, because I remain firm in my conviction that this is the best place I've ever been to see a drum corps show. It's 2:30am now, so forgive me if I get a little jumbled in my thoughts here.

I won't go into details about the venue again, having done that last night. Just a couple more notes. First, it's great when you have the kind of setup that allows souvie stands to be staged OUTSIDE the ticket gates. We could come and go and browse as we pleased without having to go past the ticket people. And DeKalb has a lot of area for the stands, too - it really is a "Souvenir Marketplace" rather than just a set of souvie stands. Second, kudos to the ushers for keeping people from entering/leaving during shows. Y'all should have been at Rockford. Now if you could only have done something about the "expert" behind me that fancied himself a show announcer and really loved the sound of his own voice, and about the group of absolute morons next to me who talked and laughed through every show but the Cavaliers...

So, Royal Airs went on first tonight for an exhibition. As usual, they got the crowd pumped, and I really enjoyed their show (which, if you have not seen it, is much more complex than last year's show); however, they did not really seem completely on top of it tonight. As my wife mentioned, they seemed nervous. This was especially evident in the national anthems, which would have been better off played by an ensemble (like the announcer said was going to happen) rather than the two soloists. That's a lot of pressure for one person to take. All that said, the Royal Airs are always a welcome addition to any show, and tonight was no exception.

Govenaires led off the Senior Division. In the three years that I've followed drum corps, I have come to regard Govenaires as kind of a halfway step between Chops and Minnesota Brass - showmanship akin to Chops, but not quite as far out; serious brass line like MBI. Their show this year is really entertaining, from the Drum Major's addresses to the audience to the music and the color guard. I saw this show once earlier this year and it seems to have changed a lot, but I can't really put my finger on the changes. Their show brought applause from the audience at several points. The DM dedicated the last song to Roman Blenski, which I figure got them the extra half-point they needed to get into 2nd place (just kidding :) ). This really is a crowd pleasing show and gets the crowd involved.

Kilties went next. They ended up in fourth place in Senior Division. I have not yet read the recaps, but from the stands, I don't see what the judges are objecting to with this show - other than perhaps the color guard, which had a really off night. Several members seem to have forgotten pieces of the drill - it wasn't just drops, but not knowing where to toss, etc. This happened repeatedly throughout the show. "Drum Corps for the Common Fan" is a great show, particularly musically. The drill is not all that difficult, but the arrangements are great and are real crowd-pleasers. "Syne Fanfare" sarted off facing backfield in a diamond formation, and incorporated effective foreshadowings of other tunes to come in the show. "Fanfare for the Common Man" is just a great tune, and the Kilties played it very well, IMO. The brass line was particularly good in this one. Again, there was a hint of foreshadowing of "Simple Gifts". The third number, "Miss Otis Regrets", was a great brass number, featuring a clean sop solo and improved drill in terms of hitting the lines. This number is a wonderful contrast to "Fanfare" and "Simple Gifts" because it brings a bit of comic relief to the show between two heavy-duty numbers. A reprise of "Miss Otis" led into "Simple Gifts", which was played only by the brass and began facing backfield. A hint of a strain from "Common Man" was heard at the end. The show ended with reprises of several of the numbers, a screaming sop trio, and some well-spaced arc formations. There is a lot of musical continuity in this show; it's just a real treat to experience.

Chops, Inc. finished in 3rd place, just 0.3 behind Govenaires. "Johnny Kickstand", the drum major, came out in a habit and the same red tennis shoes that the corps wore two years ago with the Hawaiian shirts. This show featured several nice solos and a couple of really good percussion passages. I wasn't familiar with most of the music, but it was still an entertaining show. Brass seemed a bit weak in several places, but the percussion seemed particularly strong.

Minnesota Brass, to no one's surprise, proved to be the class of D3 tonight. Their show, "Dreams and Fantasies", is bound to make a serious run at DCA Finals. I particularly like the CG uni's for this corps - they complement the corps uni's well while maintaining their own distinctiveness. "Celebration Suite" opened with the pit playing and the guard moving; the rest of the corps came in shortly thereafter. "Drume Negrita" started with an excellent sop and bari duet and was a wonderful tune to listen to. Three screaming sops highlighted this number at the end. I lost track of which number was which in the middle of the show, but there were several good brass solos and some nice guard work as well. "Conquistador" was a powerful closer with excellent rifle work, a very strong brass line, and a driving percussion feature. The show ends very strong.

Marion Glory Cadets, the 2nd-place corps from D3 prelims on Friday night, went next. Their show, "Oppressions in Red" has a lot of symbolism in it, some of which I know I haven't gotten yet. The hammer & sickle flags, the "chains" binding the guard in the opening number, the marching with arm swing and leg kick, are all reminiscent of Russian themes. I have not worked out how the martial arts piece in the second number is specifically Russian. This was a nice visual, but would be better if they could design a way to get the brass section into and out of it without having to have them run all over the field. Brass and percussion both played consistently well throughout the show. The third number featured a section where the brass line all picked up flags and did some drill with them. This drill has really developed over the season. I'm not sure yet about the symbol on the flags, but I assume that it has a Russian connotation of some sort. The flags, too, are new by the way (new since Dixon, at least) - previously, they were using white flags throughout the show. The third number ended with the brass marching through the pit - a cluttered visual that I hope they will change. The pace picks up in the closer, which features some great brass play and guard work with furled flags that they unfurl during the number.

Blue Stars produced a near-replica of their Friday night score (60.65 on Friday, 60.60 tonight) with their "Visions of Blue". I can easily see where this show might compete for the D3 title this year - great content performed very well. "Gavorkna Fanfare" opens with a full-corps start, and is a wonderful tune. The brief snippet from "Chorale and Toccata" was slower, leading into a whimsical number called "Follies". This number featured the percussion section, and if you watch the pit closely, you'll see that they squeeze as much fun as they can in between the notes they are required to play. "Lento" is a beautiful ballad and had a really nice mello solo in it; the closer, "Symphony for Brass and Percussion" featured some really driving percussion and good flag work in the guard. The company-front at the end of the show had a good impact.

After intermission, Capital Regiment led off the D1 competition. The opener, "New World Symphony", started with the corps facing backfield and contained some really good flag work, as well as a strong brass and percussion statement and a high-impact ending. "Escapade (part 1)" opened with a nice brass statement and eye-catching saber work. This number featured an often-cacophonous sound and lots of volume in the brass. Formations were easily readable and executed well, and number ended on a strong note. "Journey of the Brave" featured lots of different equipment in the guard - rifles, sabers, and poles - all used to good advantage. "Mysterious Mountain" featured the brass line and was a really beautiful ballad; some of the drill lost a bit of visual impact because it was so scattered. The percussion feature and brass entry in "Escapade (part 2)" were both really strong; the drill in this number was also very effective but got jumbled near the end in the tight formation. The company front at the end was a major impact point. Overall, this makes a good show for the corps' first year in D1; Cap Reg finished 7th tonight.

The Colts' "Symphonic Visions" show has improved a lot since I saw them last. Drill is both more complete and much more complex. They line up in a great formation, and "Ritual" opens with a strong full-corps hit - brass, percussion, and flags. The music gets a bit choppy after that and loses a bit of impact - more due to the arrangement, I think, than the performance. An eye-catching "blender drill" (I can't think of another name for it) was a highlight in this number, as was the consistently excellent guard work. A high-impact horn visual on the 50 led into a driving percussion feature and a strong brass re-entry. "Harrison's Dream" (the "Song" part of the show) began softer and slower, with the corps facing backfield. The dual flags in the guard were a real visual treat in this part of the show, and the arc formation at the end was well-done. "Dance" began with a nice side-to-side drill and included a musical reprise and a high-impact company-front ending. The audience really appreciated this show; the corps had a strong all-around performance, ending up in 5th place for the evening.

The Madison Scouts' "Gold, Green, and Red" show is a musical and visual treat. An audience favorite, this show featured lots of fast-paced drill, absolutely wonderful color guard work, and a brass line that may well have been the best of the evening from an audience standpoint. The flags used in the show signified the three major passages of gold, green, and red. The percussion opened the show, with the brass marching in a straight line from the left-hand 15 to the 50, where they opened up into several smaller lines parallel to the sidelines. I really can't describe that drill very well, but if you've seen it, you won't forget it. "Gold" featured the brass section and the pit in turn, and ended very strong in a long, seprentine form. The flags have been updated for "Green". Where they once contained only the Madison fleur-de-lis, they now all have years on them. The first, lone, flag had the year 1938 on it; the rest of the flags entering later all had different years on them. I'm not sure if there is significance to each of those years or not. There was a hint of "The Way We Were" at the beginning of this section - very effective with the 1938 flag. Percussion came to the front sideline for "Atmadja", which was played by the brass only. This tune ended with a bright white flag done in the same style as the sheer ones, but with the year 2003 on it. The overall effect was a real highlight on the current year; this has been added since the last time I saw the show. "Urban" featured some great rifle work and the coat rack props, which I still have not fully figured out. The "Red" section of the show, "Reve Rouge", is a really great ballad, opening with sabers and mello with the rest of the corps facing backfield. The color guard in back introduces the red flags in this number, while the guard in front does some excellent work with rifles and sabers. "Finale" began with a deliberate pace, and a big brass and percussion hit in a standstill formation. Again featuring well-synchronized rifle work, this number was highlighted visually by the gold/green/red flags, tying the passages of the show together. The show ends with a real attack on the front sideline, and an eye-catching "wave" formation at the very end.

The unenviable task of following Madison fell tonight to Pioneer. There's lots to like about Pioneer's show, "Spirit of the Pioneer", this year, but the brass line seemed a bit weak after hearing Madison. It's an illusion - the brass line is not weak at all - just an unfortunate placement. Pioneer had their new guard costumes tonight, and I must say that I thought the orange was a bit much. IMO, the corps would have been well-served to save their money and stick with the black costumes that the guard wore once earlier this year. Also, I again question the usefulness and financial soundness of paying for guard costumes that are available for only the last three weeks of the season, but maybe that's just me. The show itself continues to improve in just about every area. The audience got a kick out of the way the DM surveys the crowd and nods his head before turning to start the show - a nice piece of showmanship. The opening form - a diagonal line of brass and percussion, with three "lines" of guard (one of which has only one guard member) extending from it to the front sideline - was one of the best of the evening, and the building of the opening movement and music from left to right is an effective device. Flag work and the brass line were both effective in this opening number; drill continues to improve but lost some cohesion toward the end when the whole corps was running. "I Will Proclaim the Name of the Lord" began with the corps facing backfield and a really good percussion feature; drill was solid, highlighted by some fast-paced side-to-side movements and well-executed lines. Rifles had a bit of trouble in this number, but the ending was strong. "The Lord's Portion is His People" began quieter, with a nice brass statement. The tune built as it went on to include a driving percussion feature. A circle of baritones toward the end provided a really great harmony sound, and the number ended with the corps in posed positions. The closer began with the pit and then the brass line. Brass in this number could be more forceful at some points, but this was overall a wonderful closer; head-bobbing rhythm, good formations. Though they finished 8th, Pioneer had their highest score of the season and is truly getting "Better Every Day".

Southwind started their show all to the right of the 50. The guard used long, curved batons to great visual effect in this number. Percussion and Brass both played very well, and the drill was easily readable. The company-front ending was a particularly high-impact moment. "Lezghinka" began a bit muddled drill-wise, as the corps scattered into several groups while the percussion played. A brass quartet followed, as the percussion moved out of the scene. Formations in this number featured circles and arcs, well-executed and an effective visual touch. A soprano duet highlighted the number musically; the drill ended with the brass spread out in vertical lines from the 10 to the 45 on the left, and the percussion in a line on the right-hand 30. Percussion entered next, and the spread-out brass moved into a tight form. Visual was cool here, as the brass faced the percussion and then entered by section. Circle formations and side-to-side movement highlighted the closer, which ended in a sort of "spin drill". Southwind, who has been battling Cap Reg all season, ended up with the upper hand tonight, finishing in sixth.

The Glassmen's show, "The Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, and Water" continues to improve both in the music and in the drill. It had been some time since I had seen the G-men, and I was pleasantly surprised by their show tonight. The show opened with sabers and flags in the guard and a strong brass and percussion statement. Diagonals were a bit jumbled early on. "Air" featured some really demanding drill and good brass play. The purple color guard flags went well with the costumes and with this year's incarnation of the G-men's uni triangles, which are purple. "Earth" opened with the marimbas leading into a small group of brass that played very effectively. This number featured the brass, as percussion went backfield. The guard wielded sticks for part of the number - presumably a reference to the "earth" theme. "Fire" opened with what sounded like fireworks, but were actually some very well-played "clapsticks" by the percussion. Red flags added to the "fire" theme, and a strong percussion feature highlighted this number. "Water" saw the guard bringing on the field several large balls that had some colored water in each of them. The drill seemed a little imprecise in terms of how it communicated the theme early on, but the number built nicely in both brass and percussion and ended with the guard sporting flags with a clearly water-related motif. Glassmen finished fourth tonight, less than half a point behind Madison.

This was the first time I had seen the Bluecoats show this year. You'll want to read the show writeup before you watch it; otherwise, you'll miss many of the "hunted/hunter" references. I did read the writeup, and I'm sure I still missed most of them. The show began with the corps looking around warily, as if being pursued by a hunter. Flag and rifle work was well done, and the opener featured some really nice drill, ending with one guard member "trapped" in the middle of a tight corps formation. "Adagio" began slowly and softly. The sopranos circled around the "trapped" CG member. "Mediterraneo" had a Latin feel to it, as the guard tangoed in the opening. Brass had a really nice tension-building passage in "Libertango", which passed on into the percussion. The closer saw sections of brass and percussion surrounded, "trapped", by circles of guard members, as four guard members "trapped" a lone horn player. The quarry escaped, however, and the show ended with a company front that melted back into a tight block, with one guard member once again trapped in the middle. Bluecoats get lots of kudos for communicating a theme well without needing to resort to a lot of gimmicks in this show. Their second-place finish took much of the crowd by surprise, but was a fitting reward for a well-performed show.

No one was really shocked, of course, that the Cavaliers took top honors for the evening. Their "Spin Cycle" show continues to get more and more complex, and I was having a hard enough time keeping up before. If you're ever going to review this show, you're going to struggle with the fact that every time you look down to jot a hasty note, you're missing five or six drill moves. The show began with a really nice cross formation, and movement and music built from the inside out, with groups of corps members "spinning" around each other. Corps members spun around individually and in groups as they came out of this initial formation, hinting at the many different incarnations of "spin" that the show would feature. Several arc formations were particularly impressive in the opener, and the block ending added even more impact. "Resonance" opened with the corps again facing backfield, and the brass and marimbas playing. Some really eye-catching flag work highlighted this number, which ended with the corps spinning into lines and sitting down, leaving one baritone and one rifle standing. "Terminal Velocity" began slowly, with first one pair (horn/rifle) "spinning" up, playing a very short passage, and "spinning" down, and then another. This theme continued to build, and brought chuckles from the audience at the somewhat whimsical nature of the drill. Some great rifle work and flags that matched the guard costumes (the phrase "lemon-lime" comes to mind) added to the visual, which was highlighted by a bit of a reprise of last year's "fight club" scene, with the corps surrounding the guard. The guard broke through the brass line in an impressive drill, and the rifle and flag work at the end of the number brought many in the audience to their feet. "Centrifugal Force" featured more spinning and a particularly fun drill that saw a lone color guard member running desperately around to get out of a contracting spiral. The guard member made it, to the applause of the audience. The ending company-front arc was another high-impact formation, and the audience expressed its appreciation with the loudest, longest applause of the evening. As was the case in each of the last two years, the music, which seemed to me weak at the beginning of the season, seems to be gaining in strength. I'm not sure whether that's due to changes in the show or to my increased familiarity with the music.

Capital Sound closed the evening with an exhibition of their wonderful show, "Passages". This show would certainly be one of my choices for a personal DVD of 2003. The guard was a little off in some spots tonight, in comparison to last night, but this is a really nice show that highlights the entire corps in turn. The opening full-corps statement by the brass, percussion, and guard, is a real attention-grabber; flag work and brass staging in the opener really add to the impact. "Lessons" begins on a lighter, even whimsical note, with some kind of quirky moves by corps members. Drill is mostly individual in the beginning of this number. Driving percussion to the end of the number leads into a choir to begin "Reflections". The choir is my major objection to this show; not because they aren't good, but because I just have a problem with human voice in drum corps shows. A group of six brass (one of whom was not playing due to having an arm in a sling) highlighted this number, and the whole brass line played really well. Percussion rejoined in "Celebration", which opened with a nice passage by the tympani. This is a really enjoyable tune - a great drum corps piece of music. Drill all throughout the show is much improved over even a week ago.

So, that's the review. It's now 4:15am and I really need to get to sleep. I just want to say one more time what a great experience DeKalb was - both nights. If you live in the Midwest, this is really the one "can't-miss" show of the season. It's also the "can't-miss" venue of the season. Two wonderful evenings have produced nearly ten hours of great drum corps. This weekend has truly been the highlight of Drum Corps 2003 for me.

--Andrew

[Panther Pilot]

Nice job keep it up.

[welloverpar]

As Mr. Burns would say..."Excellent".

[AlexL]

cavies couldve done better.. i was at their clinic in the afternoon (if you can call that commercial a clinic), and it was better then.. their opener was soft. great show still though