Quincy Review

[Brigadier80]

Thunderstorms finally took a night off and it was a gorgeous night for drum corps in Quincy, MA. Below are some thoughts on the show:

Spartans: They seemed to have the largest corps they have had for several years. For their first show they seemed pretty well prepared. I could not quite follow the show theme but appreciated the Swan Lake sampling. Like BAC they featured 'Falling' from once as their ballad. Big and messy guard should once again compete for the top prize come August once some cleaning is done.

7th Regiment: Were a pleasant suprise...they definately held their own against the Spartans.

Raiders: My friend for whom this show was her first thought their show concept was the easiest to follow of any corps of the night. The show was based on Poe's 'The Raven'. There was narration but it did not bother me. They were not as clean and well prepared as the previous 2 corps but this could be a show to watch this season.

Jersey Surf: What colors in those uniforms...loved them. They have re-defined 'Pit'. They have an actual full pit band that rocked the house during the 20 minute intermission. The show itself is hugely enjoyable with a familiar toe tapping list of mo-town classics. However execution is very ragged at this point in the season. The 2nd number came close to a total meltdown. Execution did improve has the show moved on. Tempo's were uniformly slow through out the show. Lot's of work needs to be done on this show but it will be a fan favorite. They had to be encouraged to see their score jump 5 points.

Boston Crusaders:Heading into this competition I admit I was a bit leery of this show but boy did Boston take it and sell it. I loved it. The performers seemed really energized in a way I have not seen in years. The ballad combination of 'Falling' and 'Lean on Me' was my favorite music moment of the night. That said there is much work to be done. In particular the guard was extremely messy with drops all over the place. When you look at other scores around the country it is a bit concerning to see them break 70 for the first time. Obviously what really matters is when corps compete head to head and I am convinced BAC will more than hold their own. I cannot wait to see where this show goes.

Bluecoats: I loved the new corps uniforms. Very classy. The guard however looked like they come on the field forgetting to put on their costumes. I understand what the idea is behind their costumes but they just do not work. The show itself is very enjoyable. They are really starting to use the stand props in inventive and entertaining ways. The parade motif with the percussion driving the idea was a bit over done. There were a couple of nasty brass breaks early in the show but for the most part they sounded wonderful.

Phantom: Performance seemed a bit flat tonight. Brass volume was low at the start of the show but built nicely as the show progressed. As usual guard was the most elegant and poised of the night. I loved the tree props. Overall this show seems to lack a bit of impact when compared to the last several years.

Cadet's: With the stands so low it was a challenge to fully appreciate the Cadet's show. The props at times blocked parts of the corps from view. Best brass sound of the night. I have not heard brass impacts such as theirs in a long time. Musically speaking they were noticeably setup up from everyone else. Percussion was excellent. They are scoring a bit behind BD/Crown but I think they will compete for a medal. We could see the tightest top 3 score wise we have seen in yeaars.

[cfirwin3]

Thunderstorms finally took a night off and it was a gorgeous night for drum corps in Quincy, MA. Below are some thoughts on the show:

Spartans: They seemed to have the largest corps they have had for several years. For their first show they seemed pretty well prepared. I could not quite follow the show theme but appreciated the Swan Lake sampling. Like BAC they featured 'Falling' from once as their ballad. Big and messy guard should once again compete for the top prize come August once some cleaning is done.

7th Regiment: Were a pleasant suprise...they definately held their own against the Spartans.

Raiders: My friend for whom this show was her first thought their show concept was the easiest to follow of any corps of the night. The show was based on Poe's 'The Raven'. There was narration but it did not bother me. They were not as clean and well prepared as the previous 2 corps but this could be a show to watch this season.

Jersey Surf: What colors in those uniforms...loved them. They have re-defined 'Pit'. They have an actual full pit band that rocked the house during the 20 minute intermission. The show itself is hugely enjoyable with a familiar toe tapping list of mo-town classics. However execution is very ragged at this point in the season. The 2nd number came close to a total meltdown. Execution did improve has the show moved on. Tempo's were uniformly slow through out the show. Lot's of work needs to be done on this show but it will be a fan favorite. They had to be encouraged to see their score jump 5 points.

Boston Crusaders:Heading into this competition I admit I was a bit leery of this show but boy did Boston take it and sell it. I loved it. The performers seemed really energized in a way I have not seen in years. The ballad combination of 'Falling' and 'Lean on Me' was my favorite music moment of the night. That said there is much work to be done. In particular the guard was extremely messy with drops all over the place. When you look at other scores around the country it is a bit concerning to see them break 70 for the first time. Obviously what really matters is when corps compete head to head and I am convinced BAC will more than hold their own. I cannot wait to see where this show goes.

Bluecoats: I loved the new corps uniforms. Very classy. The guard however looked like they come on the field forgetting to put on their costumes. I understand what the idea is behind their costumes but they just do not work. The show itself is very enjoyable. They are really starting to use the stand props in inventive and entertaining ways. The parade motif with the percussion driving the idea was a bit over done. There were a couple of nasty brass breaks early in the show but for the most part they sounded wonderful.

Phantom: Performance seemed a bit flat tonight. Brass volume was low at the start of the show but built nicely as the show progressed. As usual guard was the most elegant and poised of the night. I loved the tree props. Overall this show seems to lack a bit of impact when compared to the last several years.

Cadet's: With the stands so low it was a challenge to fully appreciate the Cadet's show. The props at times blocked parts of the corps from view. Best brass sound of the night. I have not heard brass impacts such as theirs in a long time. Musically speaking they were noticeably setup up from everyone else. Percussion was excellent. They are scoring a bit behind BD/Crown but I think they will compete for a medal. We could see the tightest top 3 score wise we have seen in yeaars.

Thanks for the review. I was there as well and can echo much of what you said... accept that there were no nasty brass breaks in the bluecoats program that I could hear. I believe that the moments that you are speaking of are the side 1 v side 2 ensemble sections... and I'm pretty sure they are written with eighth note separation and they played it quite well. I think the bluecoats continue to be a much underrated group but there will be more favorable scores for them in regional competition. Thanks for the review!

[gcurrier]

nice review--just added my own. Seems funny how our opinions of Bluecoats and Boston seem so opposite lol but thats drum corps! I think we were pretty close otherwise. Great night as it turned out!!!