Kennesaw Show 6/23

[lisard5]

This isn’t going to be a big in depth review because I really don’t have the time and I don’t hardly remember anything from last night except the highlights, so I’ll try!! I’m still rather new to drum corps and so I’m in that still enjoying all the shows and not being too critical because it makes the show less enjoyable in my personal opinion. Keep in mind I’m in the guard, so that is what I notice the most. Oh and I apologize for misspellings and such. I’m at work and should be doing a tax return instead, so I’m going quickly!! B)

Kennesaw Mountain H.S. The stadium is a really small stadium and was sold out which is nice to get to perform too. The coolest thing about the show this year is that it was perfect weather!!! The last two years it has been raining all day for this show! When I got to my seat I was unhappy that I was in the big highschool, usually talking section. But, I have to tell ya, the school in front of us (Roswell H.S.) was so well behaved and it was greatly appreciated! Ok so on with the show…

Court of Honor – I really like this new corps!! They are doing songs from the Wiz and Wizard of Oz. The guard has made major major improvements and I love the flag colors. There are still some marching issues, intervals and such but the corps has a great sound to them. Drum solo about ½ way through was really great I thought as well. I’m so excited about this corps and I really can’t wait to see them in the future!!

Pioneer – Unfortunately I drank an entire gallon of coke right before the show and it hit me right as they went on the field so I didn’t get to see much of the show except from the side :( Sorry. I like the new hats on the unis though and they have added some orange accents as well. I love the guard uniforms!! Orange and black long dress type things. Looked really good. I’ll try to catch them in JSU tonight since I missed last night.

Southwind – I really enjoy this show a lot. Very pretty guard uniforms to me. Golden dresses with Maroon. The SW corps uniforms are a little different with the black sash but I still like. I don’t really get the gold poles the guard uses throughout the show but it looks nice. There are several parts where the guard work is really intermingled with the corps. Tosses over a hornline/drumline and that sort of thing. Some very cool drill moves as well. One move that I remembered was this block the have on the left side of the field as each voice enters the break away into a new drill set off the block. There is also a thing where the guard has flags and they do some couple flag work with the sops I believe that is very nice. The main thing visually that needs improvement is feet. There are some dirty moments and intervals but that’s all I really noticed.

Madison – Wowie! The sound of this hornline is really awesome. The kids right in front of us were absolutely amazed :) They enter the field as usual (single line) in a super high tempo. They are cleaner than when I saw them last. The guard is pretty good as well. I love the ballad. The guard has big pale flags with various years on them and the fleu de le, looking very old sort of flags. Then as they hit a big note, one guard member opens up a bright new flag with 2003. I thought it was effective. I can’t think of anything else particular at the moment, but I really did love the show! Oh the uniforms that everyone was upset about. . . . have to tell ya, yes they’re not the old Madison look, but I really like them a whole ton and look great on the field.

Intermission – I see the guy I was drum major with in highschool who was the dm for southwind (Matt Ford) for a few years and it was cool to get to talk briefly during the intermission.

Crown – The Bell show (can’t remember the title). Starts with guard on the 50 and the corps in the back with a big huge bell thing. I really like the colorguard a lot. The coolest part (which I didn’t notice last time until they were done with it) was the rifle with bells. Every time they catch it’s a bell sound and they are all on the field in order of what pitch the rifle is. Kinda like Simple Gifts that Blast does with the green guard things with bells. Very very cool!!!! Corps uniforms look really good too, but I still can’t understand the plume on the side. Oh well. The show had some really good moments!! Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Almost had a major screw up due to a judge who accidently tripped up a mello player who was marching backwards. The player got up ok but had to lay still for a couple of seconds while the others marching around him. I held my breath for a moment but then it was ok. Kudos for that kid for playing it cool!!!

Spirit – Ok admitting personal bias on this one being that they’re my favorite and I have friends that march B) There were a ton of changes from the first Kennesaw show that really work well. It’s all pit stuff until the hornline turns around for the first big hit of Somewhere in Time which went off really well. October is wonderful!!! Very emotional piece. The guard has flags saying Seems like only Yesterday and some pictures of some of the guys that helped make drumcorps what it was (I just this morning figured out who they were and why they were important). The guard I guess doesn’t really have a ton of equipment work but what they do have is really good. I did notice some drill issues here and there so there is some still cleaning going on but I’m sure it’ll be great soon. The new ending, LOVE IT!!!!! Company front with Let It Be Me going! Wow, total chill moment for me. Oh yeah, new uniforms I believe (or at least part of them) really look great!! Yeah I had and still have Let it Be Me in my head!!!

Crossmen – Tons of improvement from last time I saw this corps. Very crowd pleasing too. Kinda reminds me of a DCA show actually. Somewhere over the rainbow is really nice. They have a single guard member in white dancing around the bari soloist until all the other guard members bring out their color scarf things and the whole hornline hits a big push, great first hit too by the way. The 2nd, 3rd? song with the drum solo is great. The guard is around the drums while the hornline goes back to the back left corner. Then the come back out like they entered the field last year it appears. It would look really awesome from up high, but being a small stadium, I couldn’t see it in all detail. I did remember still seeing some feet timing issues (mainly when coming out of a run into a normal march step) but its much better than when I saw last. The jam section at the end of the show is what is most memorable. They just lay it all out there and end with the crowd on their feet.

Phantom – One word – Awesome! I’ve always liked Canon ever since we used it as a warm up in the Atlanta Olympic Band. When Phantom plays it the first time its just beautiful. The second time they hit it, OMG incredible, again bit chill moment for me. The white uniforms look great! Oh yeah the crowd response was cool when the DM pulled out the baton out of the back of his jacket. I didn’t really watch the guard much believe it or not, I was too enthralled with the horns!! The guard did have some really cool uniforms and I know I remember thinking that they were really clean and all but like I said I was way into the hornline!!!

Ok so there you have it!! I didn’t really hear the scores because I’d gone out to talk to some friends that march Spirit and catch them playing Band of Brothers, Salvation (which is awesome) and Georgia (which of course is incredible). This was my first review ever and remember I’m still rather new to corps and I really appreciate all that the performers give so I guess I’m not very critical but I thought since I’m on DCP so much the least I could do was attempt to give a review even if its all about the guards!!

Tonight is JSU, Spirit home show AND CV gets to do an exhibition so it’s a show day for me too!!! Yay!!!!!

[FakeFlam]

A few percussion related thoughts from the Kennesaw show:

Whether due to poor tuning, poor staging or timid playing, Madison's line is totally overpowered by their horn line. I suspect that all 3 are factors and it would make sense if this is as young a line as some have suggested. Not at all surprised they were 5th of 7 in drums.

Crossmen: Tenor book is nice, but the snares aren't quite there yet, IMHO. Over time Roger Carter will have them playing with more power and confidence.

Crown has gained some confidence in the last month since I saw them. Paul Rennick has written them a nice book and they're really starting to play it.

Spirit's line is starting to really play aggressively -- snares especially. Fantastic to see them coming with some serious intensity.

Phantom -- this drumline was head and shoulders above everyone. The book is meaty and the line just plays the snot out of it. The snare line had fantastic, uniform technique and the tuning was particularly good. You could see the center snare's eyes light up when the field judge was in his grill just in time for a beefy, exposed flam/paradiddle passage. These guys are tearing it up -- I only wish that I could compare them to BD, Cavies, and SCV this year.

[Ryan H. Turner]

Lisa--WOW!! What an "in-depth" review for someone who says she wasn't going to do an in-depth review. :P

I really liked your review--good job!!! From one reviewer to another....

[ssorrell]

My impressions of the show...

Court of Honor: I was pleasantly surprised. Their marching was so much better than I expected from a start up Div 3 corps. Their drill was nicely written on their level. Ensemble sound was nice. Overall, a nice round package with lots of future potential.

Pioneer: Sorry, I'm usually not one to be even slightly negative about a corps' show, but this show didn't reach me at all. Quite uneventful. I noticed that the percussion section was equal in numbers to the brass or at least very close (I counted 31 percussion and 32 brass), which made me worry about balance, but it really never was an issue. About halfway through the show, someone behind me said quietly, "how long IS this show?"

Southwind: I haven't read or heard anything about SW this year, so I had no preconceived notions about what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. The book was interesting and enjoyable. I thought their drill was exceptional, in fact, maybe my favorite drill design of the night. They had a VERY nice horn ensemble with a good balance from top to bottom.

Madison: Of course I was ready to see them. I had to see their transformation from a non-finalist to contender for the middle of the pack personally. Most notably was the incredible difference in the guard. They were CLEAN, at least to my untrained guard eye. I saw some guys that I remember being on the field last year in the guard, only this time instead of watching them in amazement over their lack of ability, I was dumbfounded by their incredible control and performance level. Kudos to that staff that turned it around. Madison's repertoire isn't one you'll be humming, but it is interesting and it does grab you. They weren't as powerful as I expected them to be, but quite loud none the less. The show was entertaining from beginning to end.

Crown: I had heard so many reviews of how good Crown was and how entertaining the show was. Sorry, but I don't see it. The beginning is interesting and different, but after that, it goes downhill and I lost interest. The colorguard is most definitely the standout in the corps. Lots of big moves and very clean. The most visually effective guard of the night in my eyes. However, take the guard out of the show, and it is unmemorable.

Spirit: Like Lisa, I'm biased as I am an alumnus and on our alumni Board of Trustees. But, I think I can be objective. As an alum, it is nice to heard Spirit play like we used to play way back when. It is powerful and balanced. The music is a good balance of old and new. The guard has come a long way in the last couple of years, but for the life of me, I can't remember much about them. The percussion seems to be holding their own, although there is not one moment where they grab me by the throat and force me to take notice. What is lacking right now is execution in drill. Spirit has many straight lines in the show this year and all too often, they are quite crooked and it is very visable. However, to their credit, they are MUCH improved and getting better all the time. Their drill is much harder than what they have attempted in recent years, and they are just now hitting their stride in cleaning...or at least I hope so. The changes made to the show are much better...the nostalgic portion during October is nice and moving, and the new company front in the closer with Let It Be Me moved many alumni to tears...we haven't heard it played with that much power since...well...1980. The quiet ending is history and the ending is a much better sell now.

Crossmen: I expected to be entertained and I was. This to me was like a 1970's drum corps show. It was loud and fun. I don't recall much dynamic contrast, which could be considered a weakness in design, but Chuck did an excellent job arranging this show! The drill was dirtier than I expected especially considering that I felt it was quite easy. Loud, in your face, and fun...that's Crossmen.

Phantom: I was very much looking forward to seeing them, but anticipating hearing them even more. That hornline is infreakincredible, especially the altos. The many body movements that they are doing makes it even more amazing that they play with such control and finesse. The percussion comes at your throat a couple of times. Sorry, but for the first time in years, the guard never captured my attention. The drill was inventive and effective. the entire show is such a gas, but, I just don't see it winning the title. I'd love to see them take it, but it just doesn't have that "edge" that I expect to see from a champion calibre show. Even though I haven't seen BD or CAvies, I would expect that 3rd is the max for them.

It was a very entertaining night and for the first time in three years, the weather was perfect on this mountain!

[mommyc]

Thanks for the reviews. I'm a Southwind mom of a sop so love reading abt the hornline. What's with the flags and the sops? I haven't seen the show since July 7 and from reading your, ssorrell's and Sean's reveiws, it sounds as if it's changed a lot. I looked at pix on the Web from later shows and found myself repeating, "I don't remember that!" Good job, thanks for the work.

Betsy

[TexasPRfan]

Thanks for the reviews guys!

Harvey Phelps

[Phan Doris]

Glad you all enjoyed the show enough to share with us. Thanks. :)

[DonPRBari]

Thanks all for the reviews!

[tkolbdvm]

A few percussion related thoughts from the Kennesaw show:

Phantom -- this drumline was head and shoulders above everyone.  The book is meaty and the line just plays the snot out of it.  The snare line had fantastic, uniform technique and the tuning was particularly good.  You could see the center snare's eyes light up when the field judge was in his grill just in time for a beefy, exposed flam/paradiddle passage.  These guys are tearing it up -- I only wish that I could compare them to BD, Cavies, and SCV this year.

Thank you for the kind words re: Phantom's drumline.

I know their horns are amazing, but I also appreciate reading people's impression of the drumline.

Anything you can add about the tenors???