San Antonio Review

[tigger2]

In order of appearance of the corps I saw live:

COLTS: A solid performance all around. They have a good level of confidence and swagger about them and it helps carry the rock theme. The flags are designed well and the overall color palate works well indoors. They seemed to not quite reach the audience. Not getting the visual score hype they have been receiving, but do fid it nice and tidy, but with little risk. At this level risk is perhaps not important. Some weaknesses in brass and percussion showing up today.

ACADEMY: The concept makes sense and I applaud their design team for doing something new for this corps. That said, too many things do not work to pull the show all together. Moving and using the chairs should garner some points for sure from a construction standpoint. Taking some risks: singing Piano Man and wanting the crowd to join in. It get it but fear the audiences especially at the big DCI shows are perhaps overall too “serious” to do a sing along. Talent throughout.

PC: The best I have seen them. Each faction of the group seems to be at the same performance and talent level. The heart imagery and heartbeats work well to tie the show together. Pretty clean in some sections of the show. Thought the drum and brass parts fought each other at times. Interesting to see them above Colts. I thought it would be close.

CROSSMEN: This theme does fit them well and harkens back to their past style. The preshow isn’t quite believable yet, but they have time to work that out. I was struck by the lack of tempo speed following PC. As a design choice it works for their tunes, but I felt like it gave the show too much of a sense of sameness in many regards: the repertoire of what weapons, flags, and drums can do in a limited tempo range starts to look and sound too much the same. That said, they do have a few wow moments. The peace sign and brass acapella moments work well. I like the down ending. See them as competitive for that 12th spot. We will see.

TROOPERS: Much like Colts, not a ton of risk and some low impact demand, but much more detailed and finessed than the corps before them, except Crossmen. The Troop 11 stuff works well. They sound great at times, but with lots of synth support. Pretty flags and a good dose of tugging at our patriotic heart strings. Drum line a bit rough today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eager to see how this show sets them up for 2014. Not sure they can break in top 12 this season.

BOSTON: Loud. Loud. Loud. Following the corps before them, I was expecting a bigger jump up in quality. Though loud, did you catch I mentioned that, there is a lot of over blowing and pitch issues. Revealing the red uni as we all expected works well. That said, I feel it is what the show has going for it, but I wanted a lot more. Too much of the show looks and sounds the same. The Rise theme is not evident to me. Guard was a bit off today as well. Drumline perhaps their strong suit, but the battery and not so much the pit. Overall I was disappointed. I was not expecting them to place ahead of Spirit today.

SPIRIT: Following Boston who I felt looked and sounded the same too much, the huge amount of musical and visual variety in Spirit’s show made for a very exciting and refreshing 12 minute of drum corps. They seem to have continued to make alterations to the show since Minneapolis. They work well for me. Great brass sound, though I wanted more punch at times. All the authentic 1920s stuff is so well thought out and cleverly presented that it is entertaining without being trite. Some amazing trumpets and mellos. The drum solo is really well crafted visually and musically. The thread of Sweet Georgia Brown throughout is clever. A few drops and dirty spots, but a great show. Their best in a long time. Think catching Boston and even BK for similar reasons is a possibility.

BLUE STARS: I understand the show more now that I have read several reviews and explanations, but I find it a bit thin from a show construction stand point in that if a show is a bout characters, like with great films, you have to for some reason care about the characters or at least one of them. Not sure this is possible in a drum corps show that relies so much on character and story line development. The sound great during certain portions of the show. They had a couple of ensemble tears tonight however. Guard was not near as clean as I would have expected. There were some clever effects that fit the theme. I feel they will have Crossmen on their heals from here to the end.

BLUE KNIGHTS: I reacted much like I did last time I saw them a few days ago. The first half is pretty good and I am engaged most of the time. The second half is a big change in effect and performance for me. Love the guard uniform and guard overall. The circle theme is well integrated throughout. Some pretty brass sounds at times. I found the brass book to be pretty simple compared to many of the corps who placed below them (Colts, Academy, PC, Troopers, Boston, Spirit). The show is pretty WGI and indoor drumline influenced, which is not necessarily a band thing. In this show it creates too much sameness overall though for me. Think they show needs some changes in order for them to stay in their current spot. I appreciated much of what they did and liked them a lot better than last season.

SCOUTS: A big change from BK that kind of re-energized the crowd. Smart. Smart. Smart. They really play up who they are, have been, and are currently becoming. Tapping into the whole testosterone thing works great. They were pretty loud, but with too much synth! Drumline is super aggressive and featured several times. The best guard they have had in a long time. Lots of anger and dissonant sounds. Clever use of the copters. The over use of scatter, machine guns, and company fronts wore a little thin with me. They seem to have several moments of transition that need a lot of attention. Great job pulling at out heartstrings, though I found the dead solider section to be of less than good taste. I looked forward to the singing section; It didn’t really sell tonight however. Not sure they will stay ahead of Cavies.

CAVIES: I found the show to have many well-crafted moments and some highly musical guard work and a fantastic percussion program. The theme works pretty well though several sections you just have to dismiss fully understanding and just go with it. The drill has some wonderful moments of construction and full corps integration, it is pretty dirty however. There is a good amount of confidence coming off of the field. The brass did not have a good show. Not sure if it was the dome AC, but pitch was the weakest of any corps of the show. Lots of individual sounds and articulation issues throughout for the brass. I liked the show and see tons of potential. Eager to see where they take it. Decent crowd reaction.

PR: Big and grand and at time gorgeous as we would expect from them. The percussion and brass book didn’t always work for me. The pit writing seemed odd at times as well. They will be clean come finals week. Not sure there is enough stuff in the show to take them higher. Think they will have Bluecoats on their heals. Think they need to perhaps see where they can take a few programmatic risks in the future in order to gain more competitive ground.

BLUECOATS: Others have described them as BD lite. I cannot say that I completely disagree. It makes sense that corps look to who is winning and aim for that style of show. It has always happened. Despite Michael Cesario’s claim that DCI promotes unique and divers styles, the corps with the most unique voices tend to score in the bottom half of world class. Interesting concept throughout. Some great subtle musical and visual moments that really drew me in tonight. Seemed a bit flat tonight. Think the could take PR if they can tap into the emotional value of the show even more.

SVC: Loved this show. Great music, drill, spinning, and playing. As with last year, the drum writing is not always musically congruent with the brass writing. Pretty dirty compared to those around them, but more emotion that most. Would love a show like this to win and perhaps redirect the indoor influence that DCI is promoting (not that drum corps should not beg, borrow, and steal from other arts when those things work on a football field).

CADETS: Loved this show too! and thought they sold their product best tonight. All section of the corps ware amazing. The theme is subtle but I think clear without trying too hard. The brass arranging is stellar and the battery clear as a &^%$*#$ bell. Don’t know what else to say. Think there is a new ending perhaps on the agenda not that this one doesn’t work. Better than they were when they won with Angles and Demons show. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

CROWN: Loved this show too! Fantastic in all areas. Best brass for sure. Corps seemed flat tonight. Need a new ending which I think is a guarantee. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

BD: Didn’t love this show. Pushing the creativity envelope for sure. Lost of difficult show manipulation by the designers. Parts of the arrangements are brilliant, shockingly so. Great drum line and horn line, but where is the musical challenge? No, I am not talking crescendos and decrescendos. Not asking nearly as much of the individual performer or ensemble as six or so other corps. Hope someone is having the achievement discussion. A great drum corps. Bravo. Not a champion of the activity right now. If the activity changes to reflect this type of programming because it wins, we will loose the audience. I have seen them twice live and can count on two hands the number of people that stand for them at the end. Despite what many will say about the audience standing as a sign of who should be champion, people buy tickets to be entertained and yes, blow away. Other than the speakers that dish out a lot of sound, the experimental nature of this production blows me away, but nothing else.

Edited July 21, 2013 by tigger2

[OC Euph]

Angry that you don't have reviews from before Colts

[jwillis35]

A very nice review, and thanks for posting this. I did not get a chance to watch on FN live, but just watched a few corps and overall I see everyone making big improvements.

As for the top 3 here is what I see:

1. BD is very good. Always are. I actually like a lot of their music until the last 1.5 minutes. They do not need tubas with all that electric bass, and they don't need bass drums with all the synth tom patches they use. Too much of that electronic drum set sound. What they always do well is play brass and drums, march, and their guard is excellent. They have no weaknesses there. Cadets have a slight weakness in guard (although I think they will be top 3 or 4 come the end). And Crown has their percussion, although I must say their percussion writing is wonderful and they play well. Where I see the flaws in BD's show this year is in two areas: 1) visual analysis, and 2) GE visual. Too much scatter drill and too much clutter. What they do is certainly demanding, but it lacks exposure to error types of demand that Crown, Cadets, and SCV have. This should be showing in their Visual Analysis and Vis Construction numbers. Their music GE is pretty solid if you ask me, and their soloists are wonderful, but especially the flugel horn soloist. However, the Visual GE is also weaker, like the Visual Analysis. Lack of continuity, flow, too much clutter that ultimately hurts other aspects of the show, lack of large-scale forms to go along with the small micro ideas they implement, and the impact points are not as effective as Crown and Cadets.

Now, whether these two captions put them under Cadets or Crown remains to be seen, but I think they are being over-scored in those two areas.

2. In many ways the Cadets have the most complete show. They have GE, visual, great brass, drums, and the guard will be there in the end, and their marching is already good for such a demanding show. I think their impact points are amazing, their phrasing is impeccable, and their percussion will be 1 or 2. There is a LOT of exposure to error in their show. More than people might think. All those straight lines that move side by side while the performers shift forward and backward, and all right in front of US, the audience and the judges. No hiding, just straight up in your face demand, even with the subtle stuff. The long-sustained phrase they have in their ballad which just builds and builds and builds is fantastic and so well constructed. They should be much higher in music analysis and visual analysis, and their GE numbers are starting to move. This show is DANGEROUS and if they put on a monster Cadets-like clean...Holy Name will be tough to beat in August.

3. Carolina Crown has been the show I have felt would win ever since I watched a webcast of them from Stanford. In many ways I still think this. They have brass, guard, major GE, great visual analysis and visual demand, they have exposure to error and they seem to be cleaning nicely. Their only weakness is percussion, and honestly I think they play really well. We're still talking top 5 or 6 with their percussion, and in WC competition that is good. Sure, that weakness can cost them a few tenths that might ultimately allow Cadets or BD to take it, but if they can just stay close in percussion and clean the rest, then I like them to win or be right there with Cadets. I actually like their ending the way it is. Love the guard at the end as well. Just clean it.

I will also say this about a few of the others I watched (still trying to catch up on watching each corps from SA).

1. SCV is a lovely show with major GE and great drums. Their guard is wonderful. The marching is still dirty, but I love their drill. One of the best on the field in my opinion. Brass demand is much lower than with Crown, Cadets, BD, and brass performance and marching performance are still suffering. If this corps shows up CLEAN come Indy, they have a shot, especially if that 3rd place corps is BD. I know they have been creeping up on Cadets, but once Cadets clean their feet I think that show is going to take off.

2. Phantom is always good and I always LOVE their music. They suffer, IMO, from visual GE, visual analysis, and visual demand. Their brass will come around, and percussion is playing well. Their guard is always one of my favs. This show is in danger of being passed by Bluecoats.

3. The Bluecoats are ready to make their push. They have implemented changes and have fixed some construction errors. It's not perfect but as they clean I believe they will jump Regiment this year. Their visual analysis is stronger, brass and percussion are stronger, their music GE is maybe not quite as good, but visual GE is better, and the guard is only a nudge under Regiment. Honestly I would only give Phantom 2 small captions over BLOOO. Guard and Music GE. I think if Bluecoats clean their feet (a big if) that they will take the other captions and start moving in score. Just a hunch.

4. I do not see Cavaliers over Blue Knights or Boston so I am not sure how that is happening. I think the judges are giving the Cavies too much credit. Yes, their drums are great and the drill isn't bad, but brass is horrible, music analysis is bad, music GE is lacking severely, visual GE is hurt by many things, visual analysis is being over scored, and their exposure to error is weaker than most in the top 12. They have a nice guard and good percussion and not much else. I know I will get flamed for this but I just think the judges are afraid to score them appropriately or they are just not seeing the faults of this show. How they are within .2 of Madison is beyond me and a judging crime if you ask me. The Cavaliers are a well-run and excellent organization, so these are not hate comments, just calling it the way I see it.

[theCHEZman]

In order of appearance of the corps I saw live:

COLTS: A solid performance all around. They have a good level of confidence and swagger about them and it helps carry the rock theme. The flags are designed well and the overall color palate works well indoors. They seemed to not quite reach the audience. Not getting the visual score hype they have been receiving, but do fid it nice and tidy, but with little risk. At this level risk is perhaps not important. Some weaknesses in brass and percussion showing up today.

ACADEMY: The concept makes sense and I applaud their design team for doing something new for this corps. That said, too many things do not work to pull the show all together. Moving and using the chairs should garner some points for sure from a construction standpoint. Taking some risks: singing Piano Man and wanting the crowd to join in. It get it but fear the audiences especially at the big DCI shows are perhaps overall too “serious” to do a sing along. Talent throughout.

PC: The best I have seen them. Each faction of the group seems to be at the same performance and talent level. The heart imagery and heartbeats work well to tie the show together. Pretty clean in some sections of the show. Thought the drum and brass parts fought each other at times. Interesting to see them above Colts. I thought it would be close.

CROSSMEN: This theme does fit them well and harkens back to their past style. The preshow isn’t quite believable yet, but they have time to work that out. I was struck by the lack of tempo speed following PC. As a design choice it works for their tunes, but I felt like it gave the show too much of a sense of sameness in many regards: the repertoire of what weapons, flags, and drums can do in a limited tempo range starts to look and sound too much the same. That said, they do have a few wow moments. The peace sign and brass acapella moments work well. I like the down ending. See them as competitive for that 12th spot. We will see.

TROOPERS: Much like Colts, not a ton of risk and some low impact demand, but much more detailed and finessed than the corps before them, except Crossmen. The Troop 11 stuff works well. They sound great at times, but with lots of synth support. Pretty flags and a good dose of tugging at our patriotic heart strings. Drum line a bit rough today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eager to see how this show sets them up for 2014. Not sure they can break in top 12 this season.

BOSTON: Loud. Loud. Loud. Following the corps before them, I was expecting a bigger jump up in quality. Though loud, did you catch I mentioned that, there is a lot of over blowing and pitch issues. Revealing the red uni as we all expected works well. That said, I feel it is what the show has going for it, but I wanted a lot more. Too much of the show looks and sounds the same. The Rise theme is not evident to me. Guard was a bit off today as well. Drumline perhaps their strong suit, but the battery and not so much the pit. Overall I was disappointed. I was not expecting them to place ahead of Spirit today.

SPIRIT: Following Boston who I felt looked and sounded the same too much, the huge amount of musical and visual variety in Spirit’s show made for a very exciting and refreshing 12 minute of drum corps. They seem to have continued to make alterations to the show since Minneapolis. They work well for me. Great brass sound, though I wanted more punch at times. All the authentic 1920s stuff is so well thought out and cleverly presented that it is entertaining without being trite. Some amazing trumpets and mellos. The drum solo is really well crafted visually and musically. The thread of Sweet Georgia Brown throughout is clever. A few drops and dirty spots, but a great show. Their best in a long time. Think catching Boston and even BK for similar reasons is a possibility.

BLUE STARS: I understand the show more now that I have read several reviews and explanations, but I find it a bit thin from a show construction stand point in that if a show is a bout characters, like with great films, you have to for some reason care about the characters or at least one of them. Not sure this is possible in a drum corps show that relies so much on character and story line development. The sound great during certain portions of the show. They had a couple of ensemble tears tonight however. Guard was not near as clean as I would have expected. There were some clever effects that fit the theme. I feel they will have Crossmen on their heals from here to the end.

BLUE KNIGHTS: I reacted much like I did last time I saw them a few days ago. The first half is pretty good and I am engaged most of the time. The second half is a big change in effect and performance for me. Love the guard uniform and guard overall. The circle theme is well integrated throughout. Some pretty brass sounds at times. I found the brass book to be pretty simple compared to many of the corps who placed below them (Colts, Academy, PC, Troopers, Boston, Spirit). The show is pretty WGI and indoor drumline influenced, which is not necessarily a band thing. In this show it creates too much sameness overall though for me. Think they show needs some changes in order for them to stay in their current spot. I appreciated much of what they did and liked them a lot better than last season.

SCOUTS: A big change from BK that kind of re-energized the crowd. Smart. Smart. Smart. They really play up who they are, have been, and are currently becoming. Tapping into the whole testosterone thing works great. They were pretty loud, but with too much synth! Drumline is super aggressive and featured several times. The best guard they have had in a long time. Lots of anger and dissonant sounds. Clever use of the copters. The over use of scatter, machine guns, and company fronts wore a little thin with me. They seem to have several moments of transition that need a lot of attention. Great job pulling at out heartstrings, though I found the dead solider section to be of less than good taste. I looked forward to the singing section; It didn’t really sell tonight however. Not sure they will stay ahead of Cavies.

CAVIES: I found the show to have many well-crafted moments and some highly musical guard work and a fantastic percussion program. The theme works pretty well though several sections you just have to dismiss fully understanding and just go with it. The drill has some wonderful moments of construction and full corps integration, it is pretty dirty however. There is a good amount of confidence coming off of the field. The brass did not have a good show. Not sure if it was the dome AC, but pitch was the weakest of any corps of the show. Lots of individual sounds and articulation issues throughout for the brass. I liked the show and see tons of potential. Eager to see where they take it. Decent crowd reaction.

PR: Big and grand and at time gorgeous as we would expect from them. The percussion and brass book didn’t always work for me. The pit writing seemed odd at times as well. They will be clean come finals week. Not sure there is enough stuff in the show to take them higher. Think they will have Bluecoats on their heals. Think they need to perhaps see where they can take a few programmatic risks in the future in order to gain more competitive ground.

BLUECOATS: Others have described them as BD lite. I cannot say that I completely disagree. It makes sense that corps look to who is winning and aim for that style of show. It has always happened. Despite Michael Cesario’s claim that DCI promotes unique and divers styles, the corps with the most unique voices tend to score in the bottom half of world class. Interesting concept throughout. Some great subtle musical and visual moments that really drew me in tonight. Seemed a bit flat tonight. Think the could take PR if they can tap into the emotional value of the show even more.

SVC: Loved this show. Great music, drill, spinning, and playing. As with last year, the drum writing is not always musically congruent with the brass writing. Pretty dirty compared to those around them, but more emotion that most. Would love a show like this to win and perhaps redirect the indoor influence that DCI is promoting (not that drum corps should not beg, borrow, and steal from other arts when those things work on a football field).

CADETS: Loved this show too! and thought they sold their product best tonight. All section of the corps ware amazing. The theme is subtle but I think clear without trying too hard. The brass arranging is stellar and the battery clear as a &^%$*#$ bell. Don’t know what else to say. Think there is a new ending perhaps on the agenda not that this one doesn’t work. Better than they were when they won with Angles and Demons show. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

CROWN: Loved this show too! Fantastic in all areas. Best brass for sure. Corps seemed flat tonight. Need a new ending which I think is a guarantee. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

BD: Didn’t love this show. Pushing the creativity envelope for sure. Lost of difficult show manipulation by the designers. Parts of the arrangements are brilliant, shockingly so. Great drum line and horn line, but where is the musical challenge? No, I am not talking crescendos and decrescendos. Not asking nearly as much of the individual performer or ensemble as six or so other corps. Hope someone is having the achievement discussion. A great drum corps. Bravo. Not a champion of the activity right now. If the activity changes to reflect this type of programming because it wins, we will loose the audience. I have seen them twice live and can count on two hands the number of people that stand for them at the end. Despite what many will say about the audience standing as a sign of who should be champion, people buy tickets to be entertained and yes, blow away. Other than the speakers that dish out a lot of sound, the experimental nature of this production blows me away, but nothing else.

Great review, thanks for taking the time.

[theCHEZman]

A very nice review, and thanks for posting this. I did not get a chance to watch on FN live, but just watched a few corps and overall I see everyone making big improvements.

As for the top 3 here is what I see:

1. BD is very good. Always are. I actually like a lot of their music until the last 1.5 minutes. They do not need tubas with all that electric bass, and they don't need bass drums with all the synth tom patches they use. Too much of that electronic drum set sound. What they always do well is play brass and drums, march, and their guard is excellent. They have no weaknesses there. Cadets have a slight weakness in guard (although I think they will be top 3 or 4 come the end). And Crown has their percussion, although I must say their percussion writing is wonderful and they play well. Where I see the flaws in BD's show this year is in two areas: 1) visual analysis, and 2) GE visual. Too much scatter drill and too much clutter. What they do is certainly demanding, but it lacks exposure to error types of demand that Crown, Cadets, and SCV have. This should be showing in their Visual Analysis and Vis Construction numbers. Their music GE is pretty solid if you ask me, and their soloists are wonderful, but especially the flugel horn soloist. However, the Visual GE is also weaker, like the Visual Analysis. Lack of continuity, flow, too much clutter that ultimately hurts other aspects of the show, lack of large-scale forms to go along with the small micro ideas they implement, and the impact points are not as effective as Crown and Cadets.

Now, whether these two captions put them under Cadets or Crown remains to be seen, but I think they are being over-scored in those two areas.

2. In many ways the Cadets have the most complete show. They have GE, visual, great brass, drums, and the guard will be there in the end, and their marching is already good for such a demanding show. I think their impact points are amazing, their phrasing is impeccable, and their percussion will be 1 or 2. There is a LOT of exposure to error in their show. More than people might think. All those straight lines that move side by side while the performers shift forward and backward, and all right in front of US, the audience and the judges. No hiding, just straight up in your face demand, even with the subtle stuff. The long-sustained phrase they have in their ballad which just builds and builds and builds is fantastic and so well constructed. They should be much higher in music analysis and visual analysis, and their GE numbers are starting to move. This show is DANGEROUS and if they put on a monster Cadets-like clean...Holy Name will be tough to beat in August.

3. Carolina Crown has been the show I have felt would win ever since I watched a webcast of them from Stanford. In many ways I still think this. They have brass, guard, major GE, great visual analysis and visual demand, they have exposure to error and they seem to be cleaning nicely. Their only weakness is percussion, and honestly I think they play really well. We're still talking top 5 or 6 with their percussion, and in WC competition that is good. Sure, that weakness can cost them a few tenths that might ultimately allow Cadets or BD to take it, but if they can just stay close in percussion and clean the rest, then I like them to win or be right there with Cadets. I actually like their ending the way it is. Love the guard at the end as well. Just clean it.

I will also say this about a few of the others I watched (still trying to catch up on watching each corps from SA).

1. SCV is a lovely show with major GE and great drums. Their guard is wonderful. The marching is still dirty, but I love their drill. One of the best on the field in my opinion. Brass demand is much lower than with Crown, Cadets, BD, and brass performance and marching performance are still suffering. If this corps shows up CLEAN come Indy, they have a shot, especially if that 3rd place corps is BD. I know they have been creeping up on Cadets, but once Cadets clean their feet I think that show is going to take off.

2. Phantom is always good and I always LOVE their music. They suffer, IMO, from visual GE, visual analysis, and visual demand. Their brass will come around, and percussion is playing well. Their guard is always one of my favs. This show is in danger of being passed by Bluecoats.

3. The Bluecoats are ready to make their push. They have implemented changes and have fixed some construction errors. It's not perfect but as they clean I believe they will jump Regiment this year. Their visual analysis is stronger, brass and percussion are stronger, their music GE is maybe not quite as good, but visual GE is better, and the guard is only a nudge under Regiment. Honestly I would only give Phantom 2 small captions over BLOOO. Guard and Music GE. I think if Bluecoats clean their feet (a big if) that they will take the other captions and start moving in score. Just a hunch.

4. I do not see Cavaliers over Blue Knights or Boston so I am not sure how that is happening. I think the judges are giving the Cavies too much credit. Yes, their drums are great and the drill isn't bad, but brass is horrible, music analysis is bad, music GE is lacking severely, visual GE is hurt by many things, visual analysis is being over scored, and their exposure to error is weaker than most in the top 12. They have a nice guard and good percussion and not much else. I know I will get flamed for this but I just think the judges are afraid to score them appropriately or they are just not seeing the faults of this show. How they are within .2 of Madison is beyond me and a judging crime if you ask me. The Cavaliers are a well-run and excellent organization, so these are not hate comments, just calling it the way I see it.

Great review, thanks...

[tigger2]

Angry that you don't have reviews from before Colts :thumbdown:/> :tongue:/>

Sorry you are angry. Really, you are angry? Others at the show could have written reviews. I see your affiliation and at least

suppose why you are angry. Too many life responsibilities to loose a whole day to drum corps. Got there as soon as I could.

Angry? Really? Like angry angry?

[ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar]

Angry that you don't have reviews from before Colts :thumbdown:/> :tongue:/>

I've marched with a non-finalist group before, and know what it's like to feel under-appreciated.

But get over yourself. The guy sat through 17 performances and wrote a great review based on what he experienced.

[Catan]

BD: Didn’t love this show. Pushing the creativity envelope for sure. Lost of difficult show manipulation by the designers. Parts of the arrangements are brilliant, shockingly so. Great drum line and horn line, but where is the musical challenge? No, I am not talking crescendos and decrescendos. Not asking nearly as much of the individual performer or ensemble as six or so other corps. Hope someone is having the achievement discussion. A great drum corps. Bravo. Not a champion of the activity right now. If the activity changes to reflect this type of programming because it wins, we will loose the audience. I have seen them twice live and can count on two hands the number of people that stand for them at the end. Despite what many will say about the audience standing as a sign of who should be champion, people buy tickets to be entertained and yes, blow away. Other than the speakers that dish out a lot of sound, the experimental nature of this production blows me away, but nothing else.

Have to disagree here. BD's brass program is incredible difficult this year, imo. The sop book is absolutely ridiculous, and the constant multilayering of the already-challenging Rite rhythms and dissonances makes for a music book that is more demanding than practically any other corps on the field this year.

Many parts of the show are much more challenging than they first appear as well. The opening baritone statement, completely unison while the entire section is spread out in a huge rotating block (each player several yards from each other) is breathtaking - the fact that they play so in tune.

Another section near the end of the show, when the corps gradually turns back field in small groups, each group playing a different melody backfield while the remainder of the corps faces to the front continuing unison stabs while marching a frenetic drill. The entire corps, although eventually spread incredibly far apart (with sections mixed) stays together while playing multiple melodies.

I also can't get enough of the swung baritone lick in the opener. Crazy playing.

As far of the rest of the top 6 goes, only Crown even comes close in difficulty. Crown's brass book is technically more challenging, but overall quite flashy with not as much substance. Very straightfoward and not as complex harmonically.

[emc2]

In order of appearance of the corps I saw live:

COLTS: A solid performance all around. They have a good level of confidence and swagger about them and it helps carry the rock theme. The flags are designed well and the overall color palate works well indoors. They seemed to not quite reach the audience. Not getting the visual score hype they have been receiving, but do fid it nice and tidy, but with little risk. At this level risk is perhaps not important. Some weaknesses in brass and percussion showing up today.

ACADEMY: The concept makes sense and I applaud their design team for doing something new for this corps. That said, too many things do not work to pull the show all together. Moving and using the chairs should garner some points for sure from a construction standpoint. Taking some risks: singing Piano Man and wanting the crowd to join in. It get it but fear the audiences especially at the big DCI shows are perhaps overall too “serious” to do a sing along. Talent throughout.

PC: The best I have seen them. Each faction of the group seems to be at the same performance and talent level. The heart imagery and heartbeats work well to tie the show together. Pretty clean in some sections of the show. Thought the drum and brass parts fought each other at times. Interesting to see them above Colts. I thought it would be close.

CROSSMEN: This theme does fit them well and harkens back to their past style. The preshow isn’t quite believable yet, but they have time to work that out. I was struck by the lack of tempo speed following PC. As a design choice it works for their tunes, but I felt like it gave the show too much of a sense of sameness in many regards: the repertoire of what weapons, flags, and drums can do in a limited tempo range starts to look and sound too much the same. That said, they do have a few wow moments. The peace sign and brass acapella moments work well. I like the down ending. See them as competitive for that 12th spot. We will see.

TROOPERS: Much like Colts, not a ton of risk and some low impact demand, but much more detailed and finessed than the corps before them, except Crossmen. The Troop 11 stuff works well. They sound great at times, but with lots of synth support. Pretty flags and a good dose of tugging at our patriotic heart strings. Drum line a bit rough today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eager to see how this show sets them up for 2014. Not sure they can break in top 12 this season.

BOSTON: Loud. Loud. Loud. Following the corps before them, I was expecting a bigger jump up in quality. Though loud, did you catch I mentioned that, there is a lot of over blowing and pitch issues. Revealing the red uni as we all expected works well. That said, I feel it is what the show has going for it, but I wanted a lot more. Too much of the show looks and sounds the same. The Rise theme is not evident to me. Guard was a bit off today as well. Drumline perhaps their strong suit, but the battery and not so much the pit. Overall I was disappointed. I was not expecting them to place ahead of Spirit today.

SPIRIT: Following Boston who I felt looked and sounded the same too much, the huge amount of musical and visual variety in Spirit’s show made for a very exciting and refreshing 12 minute of drum corps. They seem to have continued to make alterations to the show since Minneapolis. They work well for me. Great brass sound, though I wanted more punch at times. All the authentic 1920s stuff is so well thought out and cleverly presented that it is entertaining without being trite. Some amazing trumpets and mellos. The drum solo is really well crafted visually and musically. The thread of Sweet Georgia Brown throughout is clever. A few drops and dirty spots, but a great show. Their best in a long time. Think catching Boston and even BK for similar reasons is a possibility.

BLUE STARS: I understand the show more now that I have read several reviews and explanations, but I find it a bit thin from a show construction stand point in that if a show is a bout characters, like with great films, you have to for some reason care about the characters or at least one of them. Not sure this is possible in a drum corps show that relies so much on character and story line development. The sound great during certain portions of the show. They had a couple of ensemble tears tonight however. Guard was not near as clean as I would have expected. There were some clever effects that fit the theme. I feel they will have Crossmen on their heals from here to the end.

BLUE KNIGHTS: I reacted much like I did last time I saw them a few days ago. The first half is pretty good and I am engaged most of the time. The second half is a big change in effect and performance for me. Love the guard uniform and guard overall. The circle theme is well integrated throughout. Some pretty brass sounds at times. I found the brass book to be pretty simple compared to many of the corps who placed below them (Colts, Academy, PC, Troopers, Boston, Spirit). The show is pretty WGI and indoor drumline influenced, which is not necessarily a band thing. In this show it creates too much sameness overall though for me. Think they show needs some changes in order for them to stay in their current spot. I appreciated much of what they did and liked them a lot better than last season.

SCOUTS: A big change from BK that kind of re-energized the crowd. Smart. Smart. Smart. They really play up who they are, have been, and are currently becoming. Tapping into the whole testosterone thing works great. They were pretty loud, but with too much synth! Drumline is super aggressive and featured several times. The best guard they have had in a long time. Lots of anger and dissonant sounds. Clever use of the copters. The over use of scatter, machine guns, and company fronts wore a little thin with me. They seem to have several moments of transition that need a lot of attention. Great job pulling at out heartstrings, though I found the dead solider section to be of less than good taste. I looked forward to the singing section; It didn’t really sell tonight however. Not sure they will stay ahead of Cavies.

CAVIES: I found the show to have many well-crafted moments and some highly musical guard work and a fantastic percussion program. The theme works pretty well though several sections you just have to dismiss fully understanding and just go with it. The drill has some wonderful moments of construction and full corps integration, it is pretty dirty however. There is a good amount of confidence coming off of the field. The brass did not have a good show. Not sure if it was the dome AC, but pitch was the weakest of any corps of the show. Lots of individual sounds and articulation issues throughout for the brass. I liked the show and see tons of potential. Eager to see where they take it. Decent crowd reaction.

PR: Big and grand and at time gorgeous as we would expect from them. The percussion and brass book didn’t always work for me. The pit writing seemed odd at times as well. They will be clean come finals week. Not sure there is enough stuff in the show to take them higher. Think they will have Bluecoats on their heals. Think they need to perhaps see where they can take a few programmatic risks in the future in order to gain more competitive ground.

BLUECOATS: Others have described them as BD lite. I cannot say that I completely disagree. It makes sense that corps look to who is winning and aim for that style of show. It has always happened. Despite Michael Cesario’s claim that DCI promotes unique and divers styles, the corps with the most unique voices tend to score in the bottom half of world class. Interesting concept throughout. Some great subtle musical and visual moments that really drew me in tonight. Seemed a bit flat tonight. Think the could take PR if they can tap into the emotional value of the show even more.

SVC: Loved this show. Great music, drill, spinning, and playing. As with last year, the drum writing is not always musically congruent with the brass writing. Pretty dirty compared to those around them, but more emotion that most. Would love a show like this to win and perhaps redirect the indoor influence that DCI is promoting (not that drum corps should not beg, borrow, and steal from other arts when those things work on a football field).

CADETS: Loved this show too! and thought they sold their product best tonight. All section of the corps ware amazing. The theme is subtle but I think clear without trying too hard. The brass arranging is stellar and the battery clear as a &^%$*#$ bell. Don’t know what else to say. Think there is a new ending perhaps on the agenda not that this one doesn’t work. Better than they were when they won with Angles and Demons show. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

CROWN: Loved this show too! Fantastic in all areas. Best brass for sure. Corps seemed flat tonight. Need a new ending which I think is a guarantee. Could see this winning, depends of judge draw.

BD: Didn’t love this show. Pushing the creativity envelope for sure. Lost of difficult show manipulation by the designers. Parts of the arrangements are brilliant, shockingly so. Great drum line and horn line, but where is the musical challenge? No, I am not talking crescendos and decrescendos. Not asking nearly as much of the individual performer or ensemble as six or so other corps. Hope someone is having the achievement discussion. A great drum corps. Bravo. Not a champion of the activity right now. If the activity changes to reflect this type of programming because it wins, we will loose the audience. I have seen them twice live and can count on two hands the number of people that stand for them at the end. Despite what many will say about the audience standing as a sign of who should be champion, people buy tickets to be entertained and yes, blow away. Other than the speakers that dish out a lot of sound, the experimental nature of this production blows me away, but nothing else.

Boston will rise. under scored

[OC Euph]

Sorry you are angry. Really, you are angry? Others at the show could have written reviews. I see your affiliation and at least

suppose why you are angry. Too many life responsibilities to loose a whole day to drum corps. Got there as soon as I could.

Angry? Really? Like angry angry?

sorry I guess the wasn't apparent enough haha. Nah Not angry at all, just sad that a lot of reviews are only of top 5 or 12 and what have you. Very nice review otherwise