Allentown Review, Part 1

[Kamarag]

This review will be combined from both Friday and Saturday nights at Allentown. I’ll just review it as if it was one giant show. I’m going to leave one corps, Jersey Surf, for the end because I believe their performance merits special attention. There will also be an expanded section on the Cavaliers, for reasons that will be explained.

I am going to be critical of some corps and what they are doing, because I think it’s important that since this is a review and not a report, and both the good and bad factor into accuracy.

The opinions are mine and mine alone, unless I specifically express otherwise. I stopped writing reviews after too many folks took criticism too seriously, After a DCA review last year, you’d have though I’d clubbed some baby seals in my driveway or something, the way some folks reacted. This weekend compelled me to write this.

My wife and I had greats seats in Section J on the side 35-40 yard line. They were fantastic seats, with Friday being at the top of the lower bowl and Saturday being a little lower. Both nights were crazy hot…a real sweat box.

I’ve been attending DCI East in Allentown for a very long time, as a performer, brass instructor, and fan. Crowds here, over the last few years, have been jaded and very picky about who and what they will cheer for. It’s been a very East-coast based fan club as well. Some corps, despite amazing performances, have been met with nothing but crickets, especially if they were on the lower end of the competitive spectrum.

Thankfully, those jerks got lost, and a whole new set of fans filled the stands this year with the largest, most raucous and passionate Allentown crowd since the mid-80’s. It was a fantastic atmosphere both nights.

Cadets2, Saturday night exhibition

I’ve been a bit of a fan of C2 since I first saw them in Jackson, NJ back in early July. The corps is incredibly young, with most members appearing to be 17 or under. What they have accomplished in five weeks is really impressive. They have a very demanding program, but they are really starting to get ahold of it.

Percussion is the standout section, though I think they had a bit of a rough go at times tonight. Brass is no slouch, and they have the most difficult brass book in DCA. They have filled most of the brass holes, but are still carrying a couple. That may change after tonight. Guard is the weakest section, but even they have improved enormously.

C2 had some performance issues tonight in all sections, as few that weren’t there in Downingtown two weeks ago. They played with passion, making up for the achievement issues with a strong, effective run. Crowd really liked them a lot. They should be in the 3-7 mix at DCA Championships on Labor Day weekend. The design is there, it’s all about the members maxing the beast out.

Pioneer, Friday night.

Pioneer is a tough corps to watch sometimes. On the one hand, you know the kids are getting a great experience. They are touring, eating, sleeping and traveling well, and are probably getting decent fundamental instruction on a daily basis.

That said, the programs that they have produced in recent years are somewhat mystifying. Vastly underwritten at times, very overwritten at others. Some fantastic musical choices and decent arrangements (Dropkick Murphys) are present at times, but the rest is…not. I wish Pioneer was able to put in place a consistent design team and instructional staff that would be there together over a period of years. I’m not going to get into why they haven’t done that.

As for tonight, the performance was about what you’d expect. Big percussion section playing at low volumes the whole show (never say anything above the 6” mark) yet still hamstrung by the small, weak brass line that causes the percussion to sound overbalanced. It’s really a case of underbalanced brass. They never go above a mezzo forte at any time. The music ensemble is sloppy, especially when playing anything articulated (like Garry Owen).

It’s better visually than it is musically. The color guard is written much smarter than the music ensemble, giving the performers challenging but achievable material. The props look decent, though their placement causes drill to be compressed and cluttered at times.

Now, all of that said, the members gave a very spirited performance, and you can tell that they are doing all they can to give the crowd a show. The crowd, who normally wouldn’t have even noticed Pioneer was on the field, really stayed with the corps and was very appreciative when they finished (that’s when I started to suspect the crowd was going to be something special).

Sadly, Pioneer will conclude their season on Thursday with this show. They will most likely be passed by several Open Class corps, and not make it to semi finals.

Seattle Cascades, Saturday night

I love the uniforms, especially the neon green plume. With any other them, they would really look great. This is a corps full of pretty talented kids who are doing everything they possibly can to sell a complete dud of a program.

It’s clearly a show with an Asian theme (Japanese), based on pit and guard costumes and banners place backfield. Aside from a few guard things and some Taiko drums, that’s as far as the theme goes. The musical book is utterly forgettable, sounding like every generic marching band original composition you’ve ever heard. You know, the kid bought from online. The problem is that the band shows you can purchase as a package actually work well musically most of the time.

This one doesn’t. There is absolutely no Japanese musical flavor at all. Nothing is in a Japanese style, other than a synth patch in the pit at the start. Even the Taiko drum section, while played with the right beaters, isn’t played in the traditional style. They wrote a generic drum part to fit what they were doing in other sections. The theme of the show was clearly dropped on top of the brass and percussion books, and the drill. It’s just superficial.

That said, there’s a lot of talent here, talent that is clearly being trained pretty well. The performers work hard, and never give up. That really says something.

Cascades season will also most likely end on Thursday. They will finish ahead of Pioneer, but not by much, and that’s as far as they are going.

Mandarins, Friday night.

This is a show that’s come a heck of a long way since the Stanford show (live feed). I really like the program. It’s a very cool take on Mayan culture. The costumes, props, and musical book all support the theme very well. Clearly a lot of research went into this to ensure as culturally accurate of a program as drum corps will allow.

Standout section was the battery. They play aggressively and with precision, and the book is really well written except for one section, during the ballad where they ram notes. The ram them cleanly, but it’s not very musical.

The brass plays very well, but they lack dynamic range. The softs could be softer, and the louds aren’t nearly powerful enough. The color guard is competent and the book is written right where it should be for their talent level.

The drill works really well too, and the chant sections are super fun, without being silly or goofy. That’s not easy to pull off, but they do. The only visual gripe is that the very cool ziggurat prop is way too far backfield. It was hard to really get a read on members performing on top of it.

This is a corps that I’ll absolutely watch after the season is over.

Jersey Surf, Saturday night.

I’m going to post about Surf at the end of the review.

Academy, Saturday Night.

Academy was in the toughest spot of any drum corps all season. They had to follow the Jersey Surf. Add that to the fact that the brass was apparently late (and received a penalty), they could very well have given up before they started. No need.

The crowd was still buzzing about Surf, so I doubt many even notice there was a delay. I know I sure didn’t. Academy certainly grabs your attention with their unique black uniforms with white trim, but what stood out was the pink biker costumes with gladiator helmets. As I told my wife, “That’s a lot of pink.”

I always cringe when I hear Stravinsky on the field. Well, until Academy played their take on Rite of Spring. It’s like Stravinsky on crystal meth or acid. Lots of different musical styles were used to portray the piece, and they were all cool and effective. Visually, the pink really worked. It stood out against the black uniforms and made visual sense.

I have no idea if they were trying to tell a story (about pink Roman gladiators?), but the show was just super cool. It’s weird, but it works.

Yes, there were performance problems in all sections, and the brass lacked the power they’ve had in the past, but all around it’s a very good program.

Colts, Friday night.

Colts really have a fantastic presence on the field. I love the red uniforms, especially with the red plumes. The guard uniforms are colorful but a little silly looking at first. That kind lf goes away when the show starts and you don’t notice as much.

The guard has improved tremendously since I saw them a month ago. I was a bit disappointed that they waters some cool saber work that involved brass players, but I understand why, as it wasn’t even close to being achieved in early July. The only thing the guard is doing now that didn’t work was the long green ribbon. One segment got twisted and was a major distraction, but in all honestly the whole thing really isn’t needed.

There were some performance issues in all sections, and the show really felt flat most of the way through, much like it did in July. I suspect the performers just aren’t buying into the design at all.

…. until the trumpet soloist starts “All By Myself”. My gosh, what a transformation. It’s a whole new drum corps from there until the end of the show. Clearly the members LOVE performing the ending, and it shows. I found myself once again wishing that the whole program had been designed that way. It’s simply fantastic and one of my favorite moments from this season. I’ll be adding it to my iPod playlist, but only after I edit out the first nine minutes.

Troopers, Friday night.

I’ve always been a fan of the Troopers, and have really enjoyed them since their resurgence. This program, however, vexes me. It’s supposed to be a steam-punk sort of deal with an Americana feel, but it just never really works.

The old-timey narration seems forced, and the “feats of wonderment” he promises never really occur. I think the musical choices didn’t do them any favors either, despite being from famous American composers in Barber and Copeland.

The performers do a nice job in all sections. The brass line in particular has moments where they sound fabulous, but then follow it with sections where they sound really…not fabulous. They do have two particularly cool sections where they feature trumpets on Harmon mutes, and each has a different musical flavor. Loved that a lot.

Visually they try to do too much, and the whole thing ends up looking very cluttered. Some shows are just hit or miss. This one is a miss, and hopefully the design team will make some different choices next year. It’s not terrible; it’s just very mediocre.

Pacific Crest, Friday night.

I’ve really enjoyed watching Pacific Crest over the last few years. I have tremendous respect for the approach the staff takes in building the corps over time. They are clearly training their members and building a very successful program.

This year is no different. They are better in all sections than last year. The brass line in particular has such a bold, rich sound. It’s a real shame that the sound engineer had the pit and synth mixes way to high. We were able to hear every single note of synth doubling across the ensemble spectrum, even beyond the low brass. As a trained sound engineer, I find that inexcusable. It was a major distraction and he covered up a fantastic brass line.

I have one more electronics issue that I hope PC fixes. The have a really nice solo (I think it was a mello) about mid way through the program. They amplified it dry during the first half, and the resulting sound is exactly what you would expect from dry instrumental amplification…harsh and artificial. This changes in the second half, when reverb was added. It completely changed the character of the sound and it was much more natural and balanced. The kid was a fantastic performer though. Please, PC, you owe it to the soloist to figure that out. If I had been on PC’s brass staff, I could fix all of these problems with a pair of bolt cutters, or failing that, give the sound engineer a good whack over the head.

The rest of the show is just fantastic….easy to figure out, and lots of fun. True Colors is really well done, especially the mello section soli. The reveal on the colored flags is masterful, and the crowd loved it. They really need to get the sloppy performance and achievement problems out before Indy. If the guard does one thing in the next few days, let it be this.

I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing this show again next week on the live streams.

Glassmen, Saturday night.

This year’s Glassmen show is very typical Glassmen. It’s not the most accessible music, but they make it work. It’s melodic and pleasant to listen to.

All sections are solid, with the color guard being the real standout. They were the first guard that really achieved their book throughout the program. It’s well designed and fun to watch.

The corps marches very well, and the drill and visuals are written right where they need to be for their talent level. It’s a serious program, and they take it seriously. I particularly liked the section of the show with the stained glass-esque props.

There’s really not a whole lot to say other than Glassmen present a cool show that is performed admirably. I wish it stood out more, but this is the road they have chosen to take. They are not a finalist corps, but they are clearly a few steps above those corps behind them.

Crossmen, Saturday night.

Crossmen reached into their past thematically, with a program called Fragile that is essentially “Songs for Planet Earth Part IV”. The musical choices and arrangements are exceptionally well done. Part hummable melody and part complex writing, its both fun to listen to and challenging to take all the details in.

The guard is very good, with the occasional performance error. Drill is good, and the corps moves better than the last few years. The visual program isn’t nearly was detailed or refined as the music, but it’s good. It’s just not great.

Percussion has the old Crossmen groove down pat when warranted. They are achieving at a higher level than at any time since the move to San Antonio. It’s realy going to be fin to watch the percussion section grow under the current staff.

I saved the brass for last, because I wanted to make sure I emphasized that this is, by far, the best Crossmen brass section since 1998 or so. They are playing with the most refined sound of any corps outside the top twelve, and better than the two Blue corps above them. At no time does this brass line get out of control, yet they have a very wide dynamic range. They may not top out with loud volumes like the corps above them, but they just sound so much better.

Sadly, Crossmen aren’t going to make it into finals this year. The visual, while better, just isn’t progressing at the same rate as the music and needs another year. I wish this wasn’t the case, but it is. I fully expect them to get better, and instead of sneaking in this year, they will kick the door down in 2013.

That covers the corps placing 13-22 (save Surf). I'll get the next part posted tomorrow.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Kamarag

[Jeff Ream]

I look forward to the rest

[pistolpete]

Excellent review. I agree with you about the fantastic crowd atmosphere on both nights.

[ChrisVT2003]

Awesome review! Thanks for writing it up.

[Jeff Ream]

come on dude. put up the rest!

[Kamarag]

come on dude. put up the rest!

Working on it. Good lord, man, eat a cookie or something.

[N.E. Brigand]

Makes me sorry again not to have been able to go to Allentown this year -- and not to be able to see any World Class corps live until (my first ever) Finals, where I'll miss these groups, some of whom I've enjoyed very much on the Fan Network.

[Drack1cba]

Did you finish this somewhere else?

[Kamarag]

Did you finish this somewhere else?

Nope, I wrote the next part but bagged it after receiving five nasty-grams from folks who didn't like what I said about their corps.

So, F-it.

[OrlandoContraAlum]

Nope, I wrote the next part but bagged it after receiving five nasty-grams from folks who didn't like what I said about their corps.

So, F-it.

Did you save it somewhere? If so, can you PM it to me? I enjoyed your first part.