Clifton Show Review (7/19)

[Triple Forte]

Went to the Clifton DCA show last night for my first viewing of senior corps.

And here’s the review……….

Weather: About 80 degrees with very low humidity and a light breeze…….perfect!!!

National Anthem: Song by a girl from the Hawthorne Caballeros competing corps color guard nice voice…. Great Job!

In Exhibition the Raiders: This was my second viewing of the corps and I think they are on the right track. I saw them back in June at the Giant Stadium show. Since then they have really improved the areas of the show that needed some attention (AKA 2nd number) The brass line started with a nice balanced opening impact to get things rolling. The mellophone and trumpet soloist did another fine job. Towards the end of the show the corps seemed a bit tired. I am sure it is just a matter of stamina. This will improve with time. I really like the drill that has been written for this corps. They cover the field nicely without exposing the corps too much. The percussion seems to be a bit better since Giant Stadium and I think I figured out why the snare line is little bit sloppy. It is the SNARE TUNING. WAY too tight in my opinion. But they are definitely improving. The pit did a really fine job and played some nice accompanying parts. Guard was also very good overall. In the ballad the guard pulls out 2 beautiful blue and silver flags (Per member) during a musical impact. Nice job Raiders……keep working…..your practice is paying off.

Summary: Raiders are definitely getting better and the crowd supported their efforts with a polite response.

Sunrisers: Great to see this corps back on the field. They may be smallish but the quality of the performers is at its typical Sunriser self. The show starts with a nice mellophone and soprano solo. The overall sound of the hornline (13 horns) was very controlled for the most part. Sometimes the corps sounded like they had more horns then they actually do and I noticed this when I looked down to jot down a few notes. The color guard uses nice flags throughout the show and do a good job. The drill is smartly written for the size of the corps and the members actually seem very comfortable with their drill assignments. The drumline consisted of 4 bass 2 snare and I think maybe 1 quint player. It would be nice to see 1 less bass and 1 addition snare but they did a fine job with what they had.

Summary: SO Glad to see this corps back on the field and I feel they have a good foundation of talent and members to bring about a bigger and better corps in the coming years. The fans politely applauded their efforts. The crowd gave a deserved standing O when they trooped the stands.

Skyliners: Nice to see this corps with a fielded drumline this year. The hornline played with some good overall drive and the soloists did a fine job to add excitement. The hornline finished every tune strong, which was a real treat. I think they just need to work on establishing a better sense of flow and continuity at this point. The drumline plays pretty good and the pit was especially nice to listen to. The pit was also pretty large in numbers. The color guard did a nice job and used nicely colored flags throughout. Members seemed fairly comfortable with the drill.

Summary: I think the show just needs some overall cleaning. A little work on the transitions and cleaning will put this corps in real good shape. Crowd loved them (As always).

Corpvets: HELLO Corpvets and welcome to NJ. I was really looking forward to seeing the Corpsvets tonight and they didn’t disappoint. Solid overall corps and really nice brass soloists. The hornline did a fine job and I really like the new uniforms. There is one part towards the end of the show where a small ensemble of horns play (Mostly sopranos) and hit some crunch chords. Well the rest of the hornline slowly gathers around them through some interesting drill and build the crunch chord. A little hard to explain but a really nice effect. The drumline did a good job and it appears that the snares need some cleaning. Good overall marching and the drill design is nice. The color guard was pretty big and they performed really well.

Summary: This corps is getting better each year and they have a very serious approach. Really nice overall performance and the crowd liked them. I really look forward to seeing them in Scranton come Labor Day.

Buccaneers: The Buccaneers have a really fun time with there presentation of the Sea’s which is the theme of this years show. The hornline played with a lot of drive and the opener was full of energy. At some of the loud impacts the sound is a bit bottom heavy. I really think it has a lot more to do with drill staging because at some points the upper brass cuts through well. The drumline was really solid and they played a pretty decent length solo about mid-show. The corps also marched pretty well overall. Some of the more difficult areas need some cleaning but nothing that can’t be done. The color guard did a real fine job and I loved their choice of big white sail-like flags in the opening impact. They also do a fine role-playing job in the more comical portion of the show. They also did a good job on the big tosses tonight.

Summary: Overall a really nice show. The corps is balanced overall but I do have some concerns with the balance of the hornline. The lower brass seems to be more noticeable sound-wise then the upper. Some minor staging changes and balancing should clear this up. Nice jobs Bucs…..I love the show and look forward to seeing it again.

Hurricanes: Hurcs do Vegas is a fun show. An absolutely amazing soprano soloist does a fine job throughout the show. The horniline plays pretty well overall and gives a short rendition of Mag 7 in the opener. There was some minor phasing issues but nothing that can not be cleaned up. The hornline seemed a little weak In some isolated spots but I think that this is being caused by some endurance issues. The young drumline did a pretty good job and I think that the snares probably need a little more cleaning. The drum solo was good but seemed to end to abruptly. The marching was pretty consistent throughout and just needs some cleaning. There are a couple of areas in the drill that require individual members to perform some Insane move that is probably not needed. The guard is its usual good self and I really like the playing card props in the beginning (Maybe this has something to do with my love of playing blackjack and gambling…don’t know).

Summary: Overall this is a fun show that just needs some cleaning. The corps followed the Bucs tonight (Which was no easy task) so the crowd was a little short on applause. Most everyone around me (And including myself) really enjoyed the show and look really forward to seeing it again. Should be real nice by DCA Finals.

Bushwackers: The hornline started the show with some really challenging articulations that were performed pretty darn well. There is a part in the show that features a really nice flugal horn duet. The hornline did a fine job in the ballad and pariculary well at the impact. The mellophones horns sounded really nice at the hit in the ballad. The drumline is pretty big and much improved from last year. The new uniforms are nice and the corps marched really well for this time of year. The guard seemed a little weaker than previous years but they did a fine job. I really like the Nasa jump suits and the flags that they used.

Summary: Really good overall job and they may surprise a few corps come finals. The crowd gave the usual Bushwacker/Clifton show response. The corps is very talented and their fine marching surprised me a bit. Pretty clean for mid-July.

Caballeros: Biggest most balanced hornline of the night that performed with a lot of dynamics. There was a little phasing played backfield building to the first be impact but the corps noticed and fixed it quick. The hornline did a nice job and are a bit muddy in the more difficult sections of the show. The pace is really fast throughout the whole show. The drumline did a real fine job and their drum solo is a blast with the extra bass drums…water effects and all. The rest of the drumline comes in and sprays a bit of smoke (AKA Powder) which is real nice as well. The drill is really fast pace and it may get a little to interesting if the field is wet. One brass player almost took a spill and 3 or other players would have went with him/her. The guard was really fun to watch and I feel that they are really doing a good job. Great job by the brass soloists as well.

Summary: Being the Cabs home show they made the place go bananas. Actually this was one of the best performances I have seen from them at this show in a real long time. I am little concerned with difficulty of the music in some isolated spots as well as the drill. They leave no room for error. This corps can definitely challenge for the title. Should be interesting to see them face off with the folks (Brigs) from NY.

Skyliner Alumni: Drum majors arrived in first class style (White stretch limousine) which the crowd ate up. Actually the crowd ate up everything the corps dished out. They are playing a couple of different numbers this year which is a real treat. The 12 snare do a really fine job as do the brass soloists. Nice Job SKY Alum….as always’

Caballero Alumni: I have seen the corps many times since its inception and felt like the corps played the best show they have played in a couple of years. The hornline did a fine job and all of the little new intros/interludes work real nice. The RUMPS to start the show was really nice to hear. The soloists did a great job and the drumline was solid. Marching was confident with room for some minor cleaning. Great job…..the hard work is paying off.

Triple Forte (AKA Mangry)

[Big Adam]

Thank you for the review, it was good, intelligent, positive, constructive and impartial. It's nice to get some feedback from the fans after you went out and worked so hard for them. Thanks again

Adam

[RJ CVmellophone]

Thank you for the review, it was good, intelligent, positive, constructive and impartial. It's nice to get some feedback from the fans after you went out and worked so hard for them. Thanks again

Adam

Triple Forte,

What he said. Thanks.

[Cosette23]

BTW... I just LOVE Cabs pants.. they are so COOl! ^OO^

[JeromeyBush]

The guard seemed a little weaker than previous years but they did a fine job. )

Nice review.What previous year's guard were you watchin? :P

[MJH]

Just my $.02 worth...

I watched The Bushwackers show from the 50 just off the track. Man, what a good show. I really liked the cymbal line and the pit did a great job. The new unis look really cool. There's something about this corps I always like.

Holy Smokes! The Cabs were GOOD! What a hot show! If they're not in 1st on Sept. 1, there is no justice. I haven't seen any of the other top contenders this year, but Cabs have one of the best shows I've seen / heard in recent years. What a high note it would be for the retiring DMs to go out on a first place year.

The other thing I want to say is, what a great group of folks the Cabs are! We couldn't have been made to feel more welcome. A big THANK YOU to the Cabs and all the folks at their Legion Hall!