Popular Post Tez Posted June 18, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted June 18, 2012 It's been a while since I have posted, but I attended the Louisville show tonight and here is my take: My seats were on side A, 45 yard line, about 30 rows up (great for a good musical and visual read). Blue Stars - They had an enjoyable program and performance to start out this show..... very familiar music, and some nice features for the different sections. I like how they play on the "Jaws" sounding theme to the beginning of the 4th mvt. of New World. I also really enjoyed the end of their show with the corps spread over 60-70 yeards. The Myron drill does seem very difficult, but I think it fits the theme very well and I don't think it is too hard to be clean by finals. I found Blue Stars' level of performance to be decent, just not incredible. I think they will end up around the same place as last year. Bluecoats - As others have said, this group is executing at a very high level for this time of year. The visuals are especially impressive with the amount of polish and cordination. I think some of the electronics they add to the show are effective... like some of the pseudo-rock grooves, there just may be too many, and the volume level of the amps were too high. A couple that I brought with me to the show who have never seen drum corps before commented that they thought electronics in general "cheapened" (their word, not mine)the experience. Yes other corps used them, but I thought the Bluecoats were the most abusive. I remember their drum line being really solid as well as their reliable clean brass sound. I look forward to where this show can go, as I'm sure much will be added with the level they are executing at right now. Carolina Crown - In no way do I have any corps affiliation or bias toward one group over any other, but I must say that I thought Crown was significantly better than all the other corps tonight (and that is something with two of the "big 3" at the show)...... Definetly not in cleanliness, but in demand, maturity of show design, and overall general effect. This brass section truly is playing at another level right now. The professionalism was evident from their first note. The show is simply full of drama.. it has many high points, from the frenetic pace (both musically and visually) of the opener, to the subtle and sparse quiet sections that seem to only build the tension more. The release of this tension about 3/4ths of the way through with the full statement of "Fanfare," I think will go down as one of the defining moments in drum corps history when it's all said and done. I truly believe that. Contrary to what some others have said, the various timpani and concert bass drums around the field's exterior are extremely effective, and I really hope they don't nerf this section. The "surround sound" feel it gives to the sound at these points is something I've never experienced, and you truly must hear it live to appreciate what they are attempting. Yes, the show is dirty... probably only cleaner than Blue Stars tonight, and there are some timing issues with the percussion and even some in the front ensemble... but it really takes some onions (if you know what I mean) to even attempt what they are doing.... and I think they just might pull it off. I hope the judges agree and Crown can ride this show to their first championship in August. Spectacular performance... the only corps tonight that received a standing ovation from literally everyone that I could see. Cadets - They had a very solid performance, and seem to be the only corps that was clean in all captions (well, maybe Bluecoats were too). The Christmas music is actually refreshing when most other corps play music that many fans are unfamiliar with. I love Bocook's arranging style and Sacktig's drill, and they have created another powerhouse of a show. Their level of cleanliness was so high tonight, I hope they don't run out of room to make the show better (esp. with Crown cleaning their show)...... I'm sure they won't though, and the real ending will help lots. Also, I must say, the chunk that they chopped out of the swing section in Jingle Bells really took some of the exitement away from that part in my opinion. All of the rapid harmonic modulations, and increases in intensity seem to come out of nowhere instead of the more natural build up they had in some of the early recordings I heard. I think in its original form, that section would get a much bigger pay off than what they are offering now. Other than that, I thought everything else was very effective. Killer drum line, and very loud brass. Cavaliers - This show was better than what I was lead to believe after reading some reviews of last night's performance. I thought their level of execution was just below Cadets and Bluecoats, and the brass was decently loud. They still had that "Cavaliers" sound too. I did hear some timing issues in the front ensemble, but nothing that can't be addressed with time. The show was a little scattered with a lack of any apparent flow, at least to me. Even if I don't understand the specific story they are trying to portray (which I rarely do for any corps other that PR '08), I still like to be able to follow the emotional/dramatic journey of the musical and visual content. I could not do this here, at least not on the level of the other corps tonight. I think their execution will keep them near the top competively, but audiences may not react to this show as they have with several other Cavaliers shows of the past. Overall, a great night for drum corps in Louisville. Here are some of my personal placements for tonight..... I would consider myself very knowledgeable about music in general.. somewhat knowledgeable about visual... and a complete novice when it comes to colorguard. Overall Effect: 1.Crown 2.Cadets 3.Bluecoats 4.Blue Satrs 5.Cavaliers Visual 1.Cadets 2.Bluecoats 3.Cavaliers 4.Crown 5.Blue Stars Brass 1.Crown 2.Cadets 3.Bluecoats 4.Cavaliers 5.Blue Stars Percussion 1.Cadets 2.Bluecoats 3.Cavaliers 4.Blue Stars 5.Crown Overall Placement: 1.Crown 2.Cadets 3.Bluecoats 4.Cavaliers 5.Blue Stars I think the judges will put Crown in 3rd, or maybe even 4th based on their level of dirt, but in my book, I'll take a dirty demanding show, over something a little more "status quo." 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tummygoat Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Great review! I sat on the 45 yard line on the other side and agree with everything you said. I've been watching drum corps since I was introduced as a fan in 1992. I never gave myself the opportunity to march with anyone, but it is nice to go to a great venue like Louisville and take it all in. I dont know what the official scores will be and I don't think it will matter at this point. It is so early that all corps had issues and room for improvement that these performances will be so much more polished by the end o the year. With that in mind, it was pretty clear to me and the rest of the fans there that Carolina Crown has a show in a different league this year. It was very messy, but hardest show of the night and very reminiscent of some of the greatest cadet runs of the past. The crowd gave them the most receptive and emotional response of the night. I am not sure why there are unkind things said about this corps on this site, but the show has everything a fan would love. The sound was incredible. Other than cleaning it up, I hope they can help sell the concept a little more as I'm still not sure it is conveyed effectively. The other issue is there is hardly any color. The whole field is one giant Creamsicle. They need color! Cadets were really fun to watch. You might not expect a Christmas show to be that good. I don't think it will be a championship contender but it will be a fan delight and still a very solid scoring show. As you stated the Cavaliers are way better than they are getting credit for and the sound is very typical of Cavies. They need to work on concept a bit but musically there are some nice parts. I thought the Bluecoats were great. This site really hypes them up and I was excited to see them. They have great execution and a good show design. They could win tonight but their show design is not in the same league as Crown or Cadets in my opinion. The synth was fun but felt like I was in a movie theater listening to the surround sound effect coming on the whole time. This was a very enjoyable show. I'd rank the corps based on show design and what they could be by the end of the year. Crown Cadets Bluecoats Cavaliers Blue Stars 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) Great review guys! Thanks for sharing. I agree with a lot of what you said, but we disagree on Carolina Crown. I simply do not see the show design. Great brass and they have a demanding brass book, but the visual is cluttered by too much dancing, prancing, posing, and a lot of visual things that I can't make sense of; and their guard is hard to figure out. If the visual does not get cleaned, and if they don't make sense of it, and if the guard doesn't develop more contrast, and if their percussion doesn't kick it up a notch, then they will go no higher than 3rd or 4th at Finals. Now, having said that, they definitely have demand and a very high ceiling. But to me it is clear they can't just clean, they must also tweak this show in order to flesh out some of the more important elements. Edited June 18, 2012 by jwillis35 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gak27 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Great review guys! Thanks for sharing. I agree with a lot of what you said, but we disagree on Carolina Crown. I simply do not see the show design. Great brass and they have a demanding brass book, but the visual is cluttered by too much dancing, prancing, posing, and a lot of visual things that I can't make sense of; and their guard is hard to figure out. If the visual does not get cleaned, and if they don't make sense of it, and if the guard doesn't develop more contrast, and if their percussion doesn't kick it up a notch, then they will go no higher than 3rd or 4th at Finals. Now, having said that, they definitely have demand and a very high ceiling. But to me it is clear they can't just clean, they must also tweak this show in order to flesh out some of the more important elements. Getting a red mark for expressing an opinion? Wow... You weren't the least bit offensive; your only "transgression" was casting a negative light on some of Crown's show. For shame. FWIW, I agree with you (and offered a similar opinion in my review). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMCK Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 ...but in my book, I'll take a dirty demanding show, over something a little more "status quo." I'm with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisVT2003 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Crown just linked this review on their facebook page. Great work reviewer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 great review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Good review. FYI, that's not the "Jaws" theme. It's actually part of Dvorak's New World Symphony. See Phantom Regiment's second-place show from 1989 (which still holds the second-highest second place Finals score ever). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DcFr3aK Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Yeah, Senior Williams is the one who took that to create Jaws! So it should read something like this: "That Dvorak sounding movie Spielberg made!" LOL :tongue: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcbari Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Side A 40 yard line, about 2/3 of the way up... Bluestars-Some nice musical moments, but obviously a younger corps than anyone else in Louisville this night. Music is the sgtrong point at the moment, and the youth shows up in visual execution issues. Fun program, hope they continue to gain confidence. Bluecoats-Clean product for this early. Excellent execution in all sections. Amps too loud. Guard has integration issues that distract from the excellence of their execution. Crown-Amazing hornline, gutsy book...as an old guy, I had to love that at the loudest point in the show the synthesizer players had their hands down and stepped back, letting the brass and pit/cymbals be the music...and the loudest point of the night from any corps (during "Fanfare" in a 100 yard spread). Field percussion were weak, and their 4th place finish helped drag their music score down to 2nd. Guard uni's do not work...I didn't even notice the guard...drill integration of the guard is also weak. Still, they did get a true "old school" response from the crowd instead of the now obligatory "I'll stand up out of appreciation instead of sheer visceral excitement." Cadets-This show weirded me out...it just seemed too...easy... Great execution in all sections (some weak trumpets are exposed in the ballad stage right); great design...just...eh. Cavaliers-No idea what the "storyline" is supposed to be, but the show package will take them far. Already quite clean in all sections (a few muddy horn licks, but hey) and obviously missing much of the horn flashes and kata movements that they will put in later. Will end up being a crowd favorite again as well as meeting the sheet criteria. I do miss when each corps had its own style of drill...It looked like every corps was doing Cavie drill moves from the 2000's. I miss curved path passthroughs and reshapes, etc...everyuthing I saw was follow-the-leader, squad drill or scatter drill...not much visual artistry, just movement for the sake of movement from all of the groups. I want the breathtaking design of '88 Cadets, '93 Star, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.