Lexington Review

[phan771]

What? Is this the first full review of the summer? I will give it my best go.

We were a bit late, so I didn't see Tradition. Sorry. I do think the smaller corps go un-reviewed too often. Hate I am part of that stat.

Troopers: They are pretty darned clean for this time of year. The brass play with a beautiful round sound and were well balanced and blended for so early in the summer. The unis look better to me on the field than in photos. The guard costume is a bit busy and doesn't seem to reflect the show theme at all. The show is definitely a classic Trooper's show, chock full of Americana and nods to their storied past. The volume was good and attention to marching and playing detail is evident throughout the show.

The percussion projected well and are clean in spots, however, the book is a bit light for my taste. Though I have no informed insight as to their summer agenda, it seems that the designers and administration wanted to make detailed quality the top of their agenda, with clarity of a simple design theme. Flags were beautiful. The corps seemed extremely confident and in complete control. I believe we saw a complete show. I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing them again.

Crossmen: I enjoyed Bones tonight, but was expecting more. Though their show was more challenging than Troops and it was clear Crossmen have some more talent, I enjoyed Troopers show more. That said, as with Troopers, there is already a lot of attention to cleanliness in the music and marching. Several guard phrases were quite clean. They come on the field gesturing as if in protest which helped set the mood. The guard is carrying protest posters that also help sell the theme well. The uniform looked great on the field tonight. The guard uniform, in varying rich shades of red, were great against the green turf too. I think the flag designs reflect the art style of the 1960s peace and protest movements but they were hard see. Could have been the setting sun that was behind all the corps. These may only be practice flags. My favorite parts include some jazz influenced licks passed around the brass (not really jazz style but cool none the less), and the down ending. Brass, percussion, and guard all seem equally talented. The show is very tidy in regards it appearing finished. The brass and percussion drill did not always match the guard staging. Of course body and such will be added. The volume was a little bigger than Troop's brass, but not by much. I will be curious to see how this show fares over time.

Spirit of Atlanta: I was predicting Crossmen and Spirit to be somewhat close last night based on last year. Not even close. From the first few seconds of their show I was reminded that their are various levels of world class drum corps and this was a completely different league than the previous two corps by far. I am still reeling from how good they were. After the opening minute, which is perhaps as perfect an opening for a show called Speakeasy as you can get, everyone's jaw was literally on the ground. I kept thinking that despite the great shows of the previous two seasons, I was seeing Spirit of Atlanta's return as the elite drum corps they once were several decades ago. The Speakeasy show choice makes perfect sense for them and I love that it comes across as fun and accessible, but also super complex, top eight material, and so full of great effects and coordination. As each moment, tune, effect rolled around, you kept thinking "of course this should be in a 1920s show," but each catches you by surprise in a great way. Costumes are so 1920s and playful. They seemed to use some show flags and some practice flags. The ballad is simply wonderful and the guard in blue dresses and huge blue flags matched the brass's strength and rich sound so well. There is fantastic drinking at the Speakeasy bar section, a KILLER drum feature, a pit that will rival many, and a brass section that nearly hung with Bluecoats' brass at every count. I have not been this blown away by a drum corps since Phantom in finals 2008.

Cavaliers: They certainly get your attention as they come on the field, everyone in secret society monk-like robes, covered head to toe in black. There are standing props in the corner of the field that help develop a mood. They look to be inspired by iconic Mason symbology. Over the course of the show, the robes come off and the musicians and guard are then in their "regular" uniforms. There does not seem to be a reason why they change. I guess some story line will be developed to explain why. The corps eventually goes to the back right corner. A black tarp later comes out in the same corner and then some of the guard change underneath it. The show is extremely dark and angry. The vast majority of the brass book is dissonant and non melodic. There is a lot of angular rhythmic jabs and fortissimo playing throughout. The percussion seem talented, but perhaps less than years past. There was a lot of drums to pit to brass phasing tonight. The guard seemed to be using some practice flags and show flags. The silks that seemed like show flags were striking. There is a cool moment where the guard builds a pyramid, like a cheerleader tower with the brass around them (forgive the analogy). They use the full field well. It will be interesting to see this develop over time. Though appreciating the effort to be different, I can't say I really enjoyed the show beyond the extremely talented color guard. The brass were the most disappointing part of the corps. Their brass playing has declined noticeably over the past few years. Last night seemed to be a pretty big drop off from last year. There was a lot of edge and stick outs constantly. When playing unisons, open intervals, or chords, pitch was shaky. Though edge may be appropriate at time for their music choice, it was the constant sound at various dynamics levels. There is a repeated double tonguing trumpet moment that was nice. The tubas seem talented and produced some good moments. I do not think they should have scored above Spirit, though I am not surprised.

Bluecoats: Clearly the winner tonight because of how prepared they are from a design and cleanliness standpoint. Lots of quality in each section. Best guard, best percussion, best marching, and best brass (brass not by much over Spirit). The bleachers they set up on the field certainly keep you asking what will happen on them and what will they eventually add with the bleachers as the summer progresses. The corp uniform works much better live than I assumed it would, though the musicians do look short because of the long tunic. Each guard member is dressed differently, looking like various parade onlookers from any Main Street parade. The balloons add a interesting whimsy to the overall look and feel of the show. Biodegradable I am sure. There are many well staged and coordinated moments. Nothing that was over the top good however. The show does currently read like a well structured shell waiting for more depth and detail. Some of the brass, guard, and drum drill seems detached, unrelated at times. The show music is bit more melodic than last year which is a welcomed addition. They seem very confident, controlled, and professional. I am eager to see this develop. They seem to have the talent to do whatever they want.

This was a great show. I wish I could be in attendance in Akron tonight. Seems like a interesting start to another great season.

Thanks for reading. Hope this helps relieve some drum corps hunger pangs.

Edited June 22, 2013 by phan771

[Fran Haring]

Great job... lots of insight. Thanks!!!

[Noname]

Thanks for posting!

[oldsoprano]

Thanks for such an insightful review. Great to hear such a nice reaction to my alma mater (Spirit of Atlanta) coming from an unbiased observer. I had those same feelings after seeing Spirit's show Memorial Day, but we all tend to think that way about our own corps.

[young3143]

Great review! Much appreciated!

[TexasPRfan]

Thanks for the review & all the detailed insights! Can't wait to see Spirit now.

[wesleyrp]

Great review!!