DCI Tour Premeir

[hornandsoccer]

Some thoughts:

Theater's probably not the best environment to judge the electronic ooze, but I only really noticed the Bluecoats synth.

Boston:

The show is about as dull as their coats are grey.

The Whitacre was nice, but that's all I can remember. Seriously, I'm watching it on FN right now, and I don't remember any of it.

Spirit:

Love me some Boerma.

Lots of visual demand, but not so much that they can't get there

Lots of drum demand, and they will definitely get there

Nice ballad hit

Closer was genuinely entertaining. In June.

Cavs:

It's June, and it looks like 3/4 of the hornline can't buy cigs yet.

Yeah, I think that's all I have to say about that right now; nothing nice, don't say anything, etc.

Sidebar #1: Did tuning tenor heads become optional this year or something?

Phantom:

Jamey Thompson, have my babies, please.

Pearl = yes. There is exactly one person in the world who can make a Dynasty snare sound good, and that's the guy who built it.

I dig it. Probably my favorite since 07.

Sidebar #2: Blooing during the last two minutes of someone else's show should be a penalty. A harsh one. Absolutely unacceptable.

Bloo:

That caveat aside, the show's cool.

Jon Vanderkolff is a big upgrade.

Rarick delivers yet again.

I dunno about 2nd in drums again, but I guarantee I'm gonna watch 'em regardless.

Not sure I like, or am just ok with the uniforms. I think I like 'em, probably just need some more time.

I like electronics, but seriously, there should be a ban on two digit Hz effects.

Cadets:

Dear BD/SCV - guess what, you're not leading the country in drums right now.

Dear Crown/BD - you might be leading in brass, but it's June, so don't start engraving that plaque just yet.

When I heard they were playing Barber/Bartok, I thought 'well, they better deliver if they're gonna play that' - and they're doing it.

It's very clearly a Cadets interpretation, late 90s early 00s vintage.

False closer is false. Which is good, because Medea is dreadful right now. No problem, though, it's clear as day it's being rewritten.

For the love god put the #### stripe back on the pants. Even Crown figured out that straight cream pants do not look good, and it only took them, what, 15 years?

[CrownBariDad]

Spirit beating BAC?

This was BAC's first show. The other Corps already had 1 show under their collective belts.

[ForTheCommonGood]

Apalled with Bostons placement...easily my favorite show of the night! Glad things got better for them at the competition last night! But I definitly had Cavies and Spirit Below Boston!

[CrownBariDad]

They weren't able to download a sizeable portion of Cavies show--skipped just after they took the field. One second they are in hoods and capes, and then suddenly they're the Green Machine.

Nice crowd. A lot of band kids--but well-behaved.

In Atlanta, so Spirit got a loud cheer. 2nd loudest for Crown and SCV when they were mentioned at other events. No boos for BD (thank you--told you they were well-behaved), but blooos for Bluecoats (including their own in the tunnel--sheeesh).

Band kids love drum breaks. Who knew?

The other reviews about covered it for me.

[DrumManTx]

Spirit was the cleanest of Cavaliers, Boston, and Spirt group. But I think this show has the least amount of room to grow, so some of the corps they beat this early might catch up in August. In finals for sure though.

Cavaliers were the opposite of Spirit. Dirtiest with the most room to grow. I really liked this show, but they're just really really REALLY dirty right now. How high they place in August is dependent on how much they clean.

Boston Crusaders have the bones of a great show. I know a guy in the front ensemble, he says they have A TON of stuff to add, so this is a late season surger in my eyes. Loved the opener and closer, Lean on Me will be amazing in August! Looking forward to what they add. This is NOT EVEN CLOSE to a finished product!

Cadets were the cleanest with an amazing drumline. Did absolutely nothing for me emotionally. Props worked well in some places, not so well in others. Sorry. Top 3, but just no passion to me.

Phantom was the opposite, the representation of the theme is there, and that GUARD. Oh my gosh those ladies are amazing! Best story tellers in DCI, lemme tel ya that. Drill was my favorite of the night.

Bluecoats had my favorite show. Their best show since Metropolis easily. The opener was perfect for this show. Bring that GE to the second half, and they're set.

[BlueDevils92]

Actually I think they will be in a duke it out with BD & Crown... As long as BD can hang with Crown and the Cadets :)

I feel like BD and Crown will be leading each other on this season while phantom and cadets play catch up. Thats my prediction though so anything can happen between now and then.

Edited June 25, 2013 by BlueDevils92

[TeamQuavers]

edit: nevermind, my problem has been addressed in the other thread already.

Edited June 25, 2013 by TeamQuavers

[Tim K]

First observation: very impressed at such an early season show. Just some of my thoughts.

Cadets: Most of the attention regarding who will win in Indy has focused on the action in California, and I was in that group, but after tonight's broadcast of the Akron show, Cadets could be the corps to beat. The show is hardly where Cadets want it to be, as rumblings have stated, but it's far from a slow start. The drum line has attitude and got a good amount of camera time. I also thought the show highlighted Cadets' natural talent at producing good shows. We've had three gimmick shows from Cadets in 2010-2012 (Little Geoffrey and Toy Souldier--don't know why they spelled soldier that way, Angels and Demons in 2011, and 2012's 12.25). Enjoyed all three shows but it was nice to see what I thought was straight drum corps.

Phantom: I thought after seeing the show they were contenders for either first or second in Akron. Third surprised me. "Enigma Variations" will be Phantom Classic, can't wait till a MP3 download is available. The guard begins as the epitome of feminine and ends kind of "Zena the Warrior Princess" combined with "Clan of the Cave Bear" but it works. Probably won't place as high as "Turandot" but is on a par with "Juliet."

Bluecoats: When I heard they were opening with Paul Simon's "America" I thought it would be a good fit for them and for drum corps and I was correct. People have commented about the great guard moves in other threads but I'm not sure these moves caught the attention of the camera. Their show concept may need a few views to appreciate but it is consistent and works. I would have placed them third, but the score was so close to Phantom, it's really quibbling to go into great debates. They'll definitely make things interest8ing this summer.

Boston Crusaders: I assumed they would be solidly in fourth place and bit closer to Bluecoats and Phantom. The show is perhaps their most mature concept that I've ever seen (followed them since 1975 though I'll admit, in the early years I was only about 12, still I know what I liked), and the grey worked better than I thought, though it may be a bit too grey. Since they fared much better the following night and people who saw both shows claim it was vast improvement, I'm not changing my prediction they will fare well this year, and they seem to be well prepared though there is need of tweaking. My thought that they should have been closer in scoring to Bluecoats may be the boas of a longtime BAC fan, but a sixth place placement seemed too low.

Spirit: Like everyone else, I enjoyed the show. Stronger musical show this year, but seems to be missing the flair of 2011 and 2012 but it's early and the show didn't seem complete. However all is forgiven as soon as they play "Sweet Georgia Brown." They should find a higher placement in Indy this year. I expected a fifth place finish, behind Boston but ahead of Cavies.

Cavaliers: Mixed reaction. The show concept works better than I expected. The show lacked the bravado I associate with Cavies, with lots of dropped equipment and an uneven musical performance. To be fair, camera angles were not in their favor and we saw more of the costume change than we probably would have if we were in the stands which for me was a huge distraction. When results were read, Steve Rondinaro and Dennis Delucia expressed surprise at the judges' appraisal of Cavies. The show is stronger than last year, and it will improve, but I don't expect it will end in the top 7

All in all, it looks like it will be another interesting season.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Tim K

[DrumManTx]

And also, Phantoms drill opening is a storybook opening up, I got chills watching that. Jamey Thompson, you da bomb!

[trumpetcam]

Spirit- Unlike many of the previous posters, I don't think they are clean and do think this show has the legs to move up a spot or two this season. The corps seems more mature this year and you can see and hear it. I'd be surprised if they drop with more experience under their belt, including the staff and making better changes this season.

Boston- Didn't really get this show and to me, very little GE going on. Also, why have red flags at the end when the music finally resolves to happy? Makes no sense.. Much like their jacket, the whole show was just very grey and non-descript, IMO. Perhaps more viewings will bring a different viewpoint..

Cavaliers- not sure what to say, other than the performance issues made it hard to focus on the overall show concept. Many "immature" type mistakes, musically and visually, which leads me to believe its a combination of youth in the corps, as well as youth in the training. The only way I can describe it is being "under-rehearsed".. Perhaps the show will make more sense when performance begins to clear up. Just not feeling it at this point and can't decide if its really cool and innovative or incredibly cheesy and trite. For the record, it was very uncomfortable in the theater when Rondinaro stated that the Cavaliers sounded "ragged"..

Cadets- Personally, not usually a Cadet fan, but I LOVED it. I think its the most musical Cadets hornline in almost 20 years and once the closer gets fixed and "up" to Cadet breakneck speed, this show will contend, no doubt.

Phantom - Another great story, with such a depth and beauty of sound to their hornline. Drums are not as refined or as musical as the horns, and I'm feeling that the drum book needs some rewrites to help improve music ensemble. They seemed to have one dynamic most of the show, ON...

Bluecoats - I just dont know. I'm usually always a big BC fan, but there is something missing for me in this show. I know they are into this esoteric America concept, whichI can usually buy, but I'm not connecting the design yet. Im also not sure about the hornline, as it just sounds a little unrefined for the Coats usual high standard this time of year. Drumline is wonderful and overall, its another strong outing from this corps. Bringing in Jonathan V. looks like a nice upgrade for visual design..

My scores and order would have been as follows:

Cadets 75.6

Phantom 73.3

Bluecoats 71.4

Spirit 68.9

Cavaliers 68.2

Boston 67.7

Edited June 25, 2013 by trumpetcam