AKRON SHOW 6-22

[N.E. Brigand]

A few other comments. Bass amps were too loud at several point in the Cadets and Bluecoats shows. Others had issues as well. I think 3db to 4db can be taken off the electronic bass stuff when it's used with brass. The overly loud low resonance of the thunderous bass wipes out the 800hz through the 1k and 2k frequency range. In other words, it kills the mid voices of the brass line (high bari leads, mellos, and low trumpet voices). It wasn't a lot, but 2 or 3 times in each show where it was really rumbling.

Really? I could hardly hear the front from where I was sitting, granted it was near the top (even though I had line of sight to the speakers). Where were you sitting? Being in the front section will probably being it out a lot more.

I was sitting high on the 50, and completely agree that the synthesized bass was too loud at least twice in the Cadets show and once in the Bluecoats show.

[shawnguitarguy]

I was there tonight, I was sitting 3 rows off the the front on the 50, and I will give my brief and young naive opinions

Spirit- Agreed, fun show, great energy I liked it

Cavaliers- Eh, concept is there show wise but needs work

Boston- Good opener and closer, actually good quality show overall as they're known for,

Cadets- I'm trying really hard to like it, but its just not doing it for me, and the closer is just very anticlimactic, unless the show is unfinished right now.

Phantom- they sounded great, the ballad was beautiful to me

Bluecoats- I just can't get over how much I like the uniforms and their show this year, great corps, and I noticed some cool changes from when I saw them 3 weeks ago at Blueway camp.

...Overall for me I had a great night and I wish every corps the best of luck.

[shawnguitarguy]

And as for the bass amps, I'll agree Cadets are pretty intense. But Bluecoats have toned down from when I last saw them.

[N.E. Brigand]

Bluecoats should be penalized for interrupting Phantom’s show--if the rules don't call for a penalty in this situation, they should. This wasn’t the sound of the brass or percussion warming up in the far distance (surprisingly, this was not a problem like it was for the Akron show two years ago). This was a loud collective “Bloo” shout from the tunnel about a minute before Phantom was done. Totally insensitive to what was happening on the field.

Just a few more quick thoughts on the show. I’ve never a competition so early in the season (at least, not live: I did attend the Akron cinema-cast last year). Much more than on early season videos I've seen in past years, I could appreciate tonight how far the corps have to go. The videographers apparently try to work around the mistakes to present the best possible theatercast, but there were times tonight when I thought that wouldn't be possible.

Spirit of Atlanta: As in the past two years, they play a montage of sampled audio to set the stage while they get the field ready; I find this to be a crutch. Their show is musically entertaining, with some mild bravura moments that will impress with cleaning. The visual program is decent, but there were lots of spacing problems. The "Speakeasy" theme, rather like "Sin City" last year, needs either to be dialed way down or up. More clever tricks like the bar-drinks body movement would help; this was a highlight, but as I was watching it, I murmured, "They need hand props here" and the friend next to me heard and replied, "Or at least white gloves"--something to emphasize / clarify the movements.

Cavaliers: It's weird to see Cavs so early in a show! Their show seems harder than Sprit's but not as clean. As most people know, the Cavaliers have apparently decided to borrow from last years’ Vanguard Cadets show, except that instead of one member who eventually doffs a cloak and hood to reveal the traditional uniform beneath, the entire corps undergoes that transformation. But that moment seems pointless now. They also borrow from last year’s Mandarins' show, but instead of a pyramid prop, they have a human pyramid, which perhaps is different for drum corps but less impressive if you've ever seen good cheerleaders. One brief moment that I liked (and I generally enjoyed the whole show--certainly more than last year's) was when the trumpets stood in a circle facing inwards, torturing (as it were) the guard members in the middle with their music. A few corps tonight (Bluecoats, for instance) use a sampled “whisper” sound. This invariably feels like dumb filler, but the Cavaliers’ whispered “Se-cret So-ci-ety” at the end made me laugh out loud--and I don’t think Cavs were aiming for comedy! This is the cheesiest moment I've seen on the field since the antics of Cadets’ Li’l Geoffrey in 2010.

Boston Crusaders: The wildcard corps who hadn't been seen in competition this year left me feeling ambivalent on their debut. For one thing, I kept expecting the gray uninforms to come off. Didn’t I read lately that BAC's fleet included an extra truck this year? A truck that wasn’t for props? Doesn’t the article about 2013 uniforms on DCI’s website show Boston in red uniforms? The grey doesn't work for me, anyway. Beyond that, I had a hard time making sense of this show. There is one really awkward moment late in the show when everything pretty much stops and the corps moves to the backfield right. (They had started backfield left, writhing in the corner, before running onto the field and variously falling down.) Some transitions are covered by synthesizer, which is never, ever a good idea. (And Crusaders sadly are using a lot more synthesizer this year than last.) There is talent on display, to be sure, but both Spirit and Cavaliers were more entertaining than what seems a largely technical exercise at the moment.

Cadets: This was easily the evening's best show. It's gorgeous, it's huge, it doesn't let down the memories of Star '93, SCV '99, or SCV '00. I love the guard uniforms, and the brightly-colored prop boxes, which do clutter the field annoying at times, at least look fantastic. The orange poles are nice too, but underused. As I mentioned before, there is too much synth bass on two occasions. Honestly, any synth bass is too much for me, but the thunderous goo really got obnoxious at the end of the first section of Symphony No. 1 and then again at the end of the show. Medea still needs work. The quiet ending, while staying quiet, could use more visual cues to help the audience understand why the show is ending that way.

Phantom Regiment: An elegant but not particularly exciting show for me, at least not yet. "Nimrod" is fairly moving. The closing wedges through which a guard member runs is borrowed from Glassmen '99. The trees aren't doing much for me, especially when the trumpets are lugging them around for no clear reason.

Bluecoats: This show seems more difficult but less appealing than Phantom. The sampled voices aren’t helping, just muddying up the sound. The usual impression of synthesizer during transitions is that the corps doesn't want us to hear the percussion. I love the tubas, as long as they’re not being covered by goo. The prop grandstands have potential. The drill didn't feel expansive enough. Not even Crown should be including the "bug-squish" step anymore. To be fair, the music came through much cleaner in the encore, so significant improvement in clarity on the field should be expected.

As noted above, the Bluecoats' encore also included a Green Day song (entertaining, though I didn't know what it was). Besides that, they played their corps song, "Autumn Leaves", and, blessedly, "The Boxer". I didn't see any corps live in 2008, so that was a real treat.

Here’s an oddity from the program book that was sold at the stadium, from the inside front cover, in a description of the Bluecoats:

“The Bluecoats have been a DCI World Finalist (top 12 in North America) since 1987.”

Does it seem right to elide 1999 in that way?

[emc2]

Bluecoats should be penalized for interrupting Phantom's show--if the rules don't call for a penalty in this situation, they should. This wasn't the sound of the brass or percussion warming up in the far distance (surprisingly, this was not a problem like it was for the Akron show two years ago). This was a loud collective "Bloo" shout from the tunnel about a minute before Phantom was done. Totally insensitive to what was happening on the field.

Just a few more quick thoughts on the show. I've never a competition so early in the season (at least, not live: I did attend the Akron cinema-cast last year). Much more than on early season videos I've seen in past years, I could appreciate tonight how far the corps have to go. The videographers apparently try to work around the mistakes to present the best possible theatercast, but there were times tonight when I thought that wouldn't be possible.

Spirit of Atlanta: As in the past two years, they play a montage of sampled audio to set the stage while they get the field ready; I find this to be a crutch. Their show is musically entertaining, with some mild bravura moments that will impress with cleaning. The visual program is decent, but there were lots of spacing problems. The "Speakeasy" theme, rather like "Sin City" last year, needs either to be dialed way down or up. More clever tricks like the bar-drinks body movement would help; this was a highlight, but as I was watching it, I murmured, "They need hand props here" and the friend next to me heard and replied, "Or at least white gloves"--something to emphasize / clarify the movements.

Cavaliers: It's weird to see Cavs so early in a show! Their show seems harder than Sprit's but not as clean. As most people know, the Cavaliers have apparently decided to borrow from last years' Vanguard Cadets show, except that instead of one member who eventually doffs a cloak and hood to reveal the traditional uniform beneath, the entire corps undergoes that transformation. But that moment seems pointless now. They also borrow from last year's Mandarins' show, but instead of a pyramid prop, they have a human pyramid, which perhaps is different for drum corps but less impressive if you've ever seen good cheerleaders. One brief moment that I liked (and I generally enjoyed the whole show--certainly more than last year's) was when the trumpets stood in a circle facing inwards, torturing (as it were) the guard members in the middle with their music. A few corps tonight (Bluecoats, for instance) use a sampled "whisper" sound. This invariably feels like dumb filler, but the Cavaliers' whispered "Se-cret So-ci-ety" at the end made me laugh out loud--and I don't think Cavs were aiming for comedy! This is the cheesiest moment I've seen on the field since the antics of Cadets' Li'l Geoffrey in 2010.

Boston Crusaders: The wildcard corps who hadn't been seen in competition this year left me feeling ambivalent on their debut. For one thing, I kept expecting the gray uninforms to come off. Didn't I read lately that BAC's fleet included an extra truck this year? A truck that wasn't for props? Doesn't the article about 2013 uniforms on DCI's website show Boston in red uniforms? The grey doesn't work for me, anyway. Beyond that, I had a hard time making sense of this show. There is one really awkward moment late in the show when everything pretty much stops and the corps moves to the backfield right. (They had started backfield left, writhing in the corner, before running onto the field and variously falling down.) Some transitions are covered by synthesizer, which is never, ever a good idea. (And Crusaders sadly are using a lot more synthesizer this year than last.) There is talent on display, to be sure, but both Spirit and Cavaliers were more entertaining than what seems a largely technical exercise at the moment.

Cadets: This was easily the evening's best show. It's gorgeous, it's huge, it doesn't let down the memories of Star '93, SCV '99, or SCV '00. I love the guard uniforms, and the brightly-colored prop boxes, which do clutter the field annoying at times, at least look fantastic. The orange poles are nice too, but underused. As I mentioned before, there is too much synth bass on two occasions. Honestly, any synth bass is too much for me, but the thunderous goo really got obnoxious at the end of the first section of Symphony No. 1 and then again at the end of the show. Medea still needs work. The quiet ending, while staying quiet, could use more visual cues to help the audience understand why the show is ending that way.

Phantom Regiment: An elegant but not particularly exciting show for me, at least not yet. "Nimrod" is fairly moving. The closing wedges through which a guard member runs is borrowed from Glassmen '99. The trees aren't doing much for me, especially when the trumpets are lugging them around for no clear reason.

Bluecoats: This show seems more difficult but less appealing than Phantom. The sampled voices aren't helping, just muddying up the sound. The usual impression of synthesizer during transitions is that the corps doesn't want us to hear the percussion. I love the tubas, as long as they're not being covered by goo. The prop grandstands have potential. The drill didn't feel expansive enough. Not even Crown should be including the "bug-squish" step anymore. To be fair, the music came through much cleaner in the encore, so significant improvement in clarity on the field should be expected.

As noted above, the Bluecoats' encore also included a Green Day song (entertaining, though I didn't know what it was). Besides that, they played their corps song, "Autumn Leaves", and, blessedly, "The Boxer". I didn't see any corps live in 2008, so that was a real treat.

Here's an oddity from the program book that was sold at the stadium, from the inside front cover, in a description of the Bluecoats:

"The Bluecoats have been a DCI World Finalist (top 12 in North America) since 1987."

Does it seem right to elide 1999 in that way?

Thanks for your review. A lot of new things going on this year to get Boston ready for their 1st show. Maybe you can get a better understanding of their show if you go to their site or face book, they have posted info on their show there. The 3rd truck was added to make it easer to move the corps and to store dry goods etc. If you go back to 1985 Boston used AMPS and were the 1st to do so. Have a great day.

Edited June 23, 2013 by emc2

[g00fyg00ber]

Cadets: This was easily the evening's best show. It's gorgeous, it's huge, it doesn't let down the memories of Star '93, SCV '99, or SCV '00. I love the guard uniforms, and the brightly-colored prop boxes, which do clutter the field annoying at times, at least look fantastic. The orange poles are nice too, but underused. As I mentioned before, there is too much synth bass on two occasions. Honestly, any synth bass is too much for me, but the thunderous goo really got obnoxious at the end of the first section of Symphony No. 1 and then again at the end of the show. Medea still needs work. The quiet ending, while staying quiet, could use more visual cues to help the audience understand why the show is ending that way.

In talking to one of the guys at the Cadets souvie booth, apparently the show isn't done yet. So that won't be the ending for long, I'm guessing. That being said, I like the way it ends now, but I'm looking forward to see what else they can bring to the table.

[bluehull]

Would you get off it already? Cheer for Spirit, not to "stick it to the man," but for their continued growth.

Are you a G-7 Apologist ?

[theCHEZman]

Bluecoats should be penalized for interrupting Phantom’s show--if the rules don't call for a penalty in this situation, they should. This wasn’t the sound of the brass or percussion warming up in the far distance (surprisingly, this was not a problem like it was for the Akron show two years ago). This was a loud collective “Bloo” shout from the tunnel about a minute before Phantom was done. Totally insensitive to what was happening on the field.

Just a few more quick thoughts on the show. I’ve never a competition so early in the season (at least, not live: I did attend the Akron cinema-cast last year). Much more than on early season videos I've seen in past years, I could appreciate tonight how far the corps have to go. The videographers apparently try to work around the mistakes to present the best possible theatercast, but there were times tonight when I thought that wouldn't be possible.

Spirit of Atlanta: As in the past two years, they play a montage of sampled audio to set the stage while they get the field ready; I find this to be a crutch. Their show is musically entertaining, with some mild bravura moments that will impress with cleaning. The visual program is decent, but there were lots of spacing problems. The "Speakeasy" theme, rather like "Sin City" last year, needs either to be dialed way down or up. More clever tricks like the bar-drinks body movement would help; this was a highlight, but as I was watching it, I murmured, "They need hand props here" and the friend next to me heard and replied, "Or at least white gloves"--something to emphasize / clarify the movements.

Cavaliers: It's weird to see Cavs so early in a show! Their show seems harder than Sprit's but not as clean. As most people know, the Cavaliers have apparently decided to borrow from last years’ Vanguard Cadets show, except that instead of one member who eventually doffs a cloak and hood to reveal the traditional uniform beneath, the entire corps undergoes that transformation. But that moment seems pointless now. They also borrow from last year’s Mandarins' show, but instead of a pyramid prop, they have a human pyramid, which perhaps is different for drum corps but less impressive if you've ever seen good cheerleaders. One brief moment that I liked (and I generally enjoyed the whole show--certainly more than last year's) was when the trumpets stood in a circle facing inwards, torturing (as it were) the guard members in the middle with their music. A few corps tonight (Bluecoats, for instance) use a sampled “whisper” sound. This invariably feels like dumb filler, but the Cavaliers’ whispered “Se-cret So-ci-ety” at the end made me laugh out loud--and I don’t think Cavs were aiming for comedy! This is the cheesiest moment I've seen on the field since the antics of Cadets’ Li’l Geoffrey in 2010.

Boston Crusaders: The wildcard corps who hadn't been seen in competition this year left me feeling ambivalent on their debut. For one thing, I kept expecting the gray uninforms to come off. Didn’t I read lately that BAC's fleet included an extra truck this year? A truck that wasn’t for props? Doesn’t the article about 2013 uniforms on DCI’s website show Boston in red uniforms? The grey doesn't work for me, anyway. Beyond that, I had a hard time making sense of this show. There is one really awkward moment late in the show when everything pretty much stops and the corps moves to the backfield right. (They had started backfield left, writhing in the corner, before running onto the field and variously falling down.) Some transitions are covered by synthesizer, which is never, ever a good idea. (And Crusaders sadly are using a lot more synthesizer this year than last.) There is talent on display, to be sure, but both Spirit and Cavaliers were more entertaining than what seems a largely technical exercise at the moment.

Cadets: This was easily the evening's best show. It's gorgeous, it's huge, it doesn't let down the memories of Star '93, SCV '99, or SCV '00. I love the guard uniforms, and the brightly-colored prop boxes, which do clutter the field annoying at times, at least look fantastic. The orange poles are nice too, but underused. As I mentioned before, there is too much synth bass on two occasions. Honestly, any synth bass is too much for me, but the thunderous goo really got obnoxious at the end of the first section of Symphony No. 1 and then again at the end of the show. Medea still needs work. The quiet ending, while staying quiet, could use more visual cues to help the audience understand why the show is ending that way.

Phantom Regiment: An elegant but not particularly exciting show for me, at least not yet. "Nimrod" is fairly moving. The closing wedges through which a guard member runs is borrowed from Glassmen '99. The trees aren't doing much for me, especially when the trumpets are lugging them around for no clear reason.

Bluecoats: This show seems more difficult but less appealing than Phantom. The sampled voices aren’t helping, just muddying up the sound. The usual impression of synthesizer during transitions is that the corps doesn't want us to hear the percussion. I love the tubas, as long as they’re not being covered by goo. The prop grandstands have potential. The drill didn't feel expansive enough. Not even Crown should be including the "bug-squish" step anymore. To be fair, the music came through much cleaner in the encore, so significant improvement in clarity on the field should be expected.

As noted above, the Bluecoats' encore also included a Green Day song (entertaining, though I didn't know what it was). Besides that, they played their corps song, "Autumn Leaves", and, blessedly, "The Boxer". I didn't see any corps live in 2008, so that was a real treat.

Here’s an oddity from the program book that was sold at the stadium, from the inside front cover, in a description of the Bluecoats:

“The Bluecoats have been a DCI World Finalist (top 12 in North America) since 1987.”

Does it seem right to elide 1999 in that way?

Thanks for a thoughtful clean review..

[bluehull]

Great show tonight. I will write a full review for morning. I will post it in the reviews section.

As I review some of these shows I have to keep in mind that it's early, shows are still rough, and some are not complete. Some corps are just further ahead at this point, some are behind, and what ultimately matters is where they end up come August.

I wasn't sure if this show was being scored, but it turns out they will be announced on Monday. I work bingo for the Bluecoats so I will miss that, but that's OK. I get to see the show in Fairfield. Stayed for Bluecoats amazing encore. Thank you, BLOOO! Outstanding encore!

Crowd was good but somewhat on the small side. I saw some of the arguing on this thread about the crowd size. Honestly, I think it just boils down to it being an expensive show to attend (I spent $30 on a ticket), plus parking and food, and...well if you brought a family that's one expensive night out. The economy is not great, and who knows. :-) I'd still say you had roughly 4,000 in attendance.

I would have placed the corps this way:

1. The Cadets - 74.5

2. Bluecoats - 72.75

3. Phantom Regiment - 71.1

4. Boston Crusaders - 67.5

5. Spirit of Atlanta - 66.2

6. The Cavaliers - 64.5

The Cadets are polished with a wonderful show that contains some powerful music, beautiful music, and one amazing mellophone soloist. This is the strongest I have seen them this early in the season. The brass was excellent and the percussion is awesome! The props work for me, with a set color for each portion of the show. It's stunning how well the music has been written, and the show is very cohesive. If they can master Medea...Look OUT! They will be heard from, no doubt.

Bluecoats have their best show in years. They have a brass line that reminds me of 2007, percussion that reminds me of...oh pick a year (they're all good), great staging, fantastic drill, and the best props for the year award. I love the uniform BIG TIME!!! The show, in a way, reminds me of their 1995 patriotic show, but this one is more artistic, and the parade sequence at the beginning is pure Genius! They will also be heard from.

Phantom is not as clean just yet, but the music book is classic Phantom: awesome, chilling, heart-wrenching, powerful, and filled with great phrasing. The guard is stunning. Not sure they have the percussion to match BLOO and Cadets, and their brass was a notch down from BLOO and Cadets as well. When clean, however, this show has major potential!

The above 3 corps all have top 4 potential, yet not everyone can make it into the top 4 or 5. Should be great fun.

Spirit was fun from top to bottom. Simply a fantastic show that grabbed the audience and I can't think of anything I didn't like about this production.

Boston is good, talented, with some beautiful music at times. I understand the story of the grey, but I just hate grey on the field. Didn't like it with Blue Stars, not with BD back in 1988, and I don't like it now. Love Boston's music choices. The guard is good, drums are good, brass is OK at this point. I can tell the brass will be there when it counts. I think they need to find a way to go to the Red Coats before the end of the show.

Sadly I must admit that the Cavaliers are struggling (at least in my mind they are). This is not the corps I saw dominate the 2000s with 5 titles. The talent just isn't there. The drill isn't there, and they had major music errors and marching errors. I was shocked to hear they beat Spirit the night before. The Secret Society show has its moments, but until the last 2 minutes I was simply not following this show. My friends all felt they would struggle to make top 12. I agree. I wish the kids all the best and hope they push and that they and the staff are able to make something of this show.

I will elaborate more later. Look for that review in the morning.

$30 a ticket, plus parking, food, and getting to and from the show. That's a few bucks for a parent to take a couple of kids. Teenagers do not have that kind of money. Get the tickets down into the mid twenties, and know who you are marketing towards.

[drumcorpsfever]

Bluecoats have their best show in years. They have a brass line that reminds me of 2007, percussion that reminds me of...oh pick a year (they're all good), great staging, fantastic drill, and the best props for the year award. I love the uniform BIG TIME!!! The show, in a way, reminds me of their 1995 patriotic show, but this one is more artistic, and the parade sequence at the beginning is pure Genius! They will also be heard from.

Spot on about the Bluecoats. This is a must-see show. Brass book is awesome, percussion hasn't lost a step from last year's overall 2nd place finish, the field show is the best I've ever seen from Bloo. There's a huge upside to this show as they push the limits in music and motion. I can only imagine what this is going to be like in August.

Look out - they will be there as a contender when the dust settles - they've got the talent and staff to do it..