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Chambersburg, PA - Fri June 27 - "The Fan Show"


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Chambersburg, PA. Was a beautiful night for Drum Corps. Not too hot. Sun behind a few clouds. You could hear the sounds of drums thundering a few blocks away on your way to the stadium. There were only 4 corps performing - but they did so in a slightly different format. Each corps performed twice!

"After traditionally judged performances by The Cadets, Bluecoats, Boston Crusaders and Spirit of Atlanta, each corps will re-enter the field for an encore performance of their full program, this time with live commentary from their programming staff. The show designers want to answer your questions, so be sure to play your part in #TheFanShow by submitting feedback and questions on Twitter with #TheFanShow"

Spirit of Atlanta "Magnolia", 4th place - 66.9

The warmup was quiet, with only a recording of Alison Krauss' "Down to the River to Pray". The front pit very subtly joined as more voices join Alison's. Felt like I was sitting on a plantation porch swing at sunset - the drenched hot summer air hanging in stillness amongst the giant magnolia trees. First time I've seen this show. Thought it was really well put together and enjoyable. The flags were perfect throughout the show. They were not bright flashy stab-your-eyes colors. Very soft and natural looking as if they had broken the flags right off a tree or shrub. But they still had enough impact to get your attention. The opener started with a little Porgy and Bess - drawing first goosebump of the night!

Boston Crusaders "Animal Farm", 3rd place - 72.7

I saw Boston at the Preview show in theaters earlier this week. Music and drill are very difficult, dark and symphonic. The show takes its imagery from the Orwell book of the same name. The guard does well taking on characteristics of the animal masks. My favorite point of the show is when the guard makes a human windmill 20 feet tall. Happens at a nice swell in the music, drawing applause from the crowd. I wasn't thrilled about the show in the theater. But it started to click in person. I'm sure this will pull together really well by finals.

Bluecoats "Tilt", 2nd place - 77.6

I personally thought Bluecoats should have won the theater preview show. Entertainment wise, I felt they should have won tonight as well. "Orange Is The New Blooo" is their show's tag. They surround the field with an orange border skewed a few degrees - effectively tilting the entire field. Large wedges are put to great use during the show, permitting guard, brass, and percussion to tilt in different ways. And of course the big corps pitch bend in the finale brought the crowd to their feet! It was nice being in person so the brass could blow in my face!

The Cadets "Promise: An American Portrait", 1st place - 79.8

Clean and laser sharp already this early in the season. But this is the norm for the Cadets. The show is based on Copland (God I love when they play Copland!) Lincoln Portrait forms the backbone of the show. They take quotes from Lincoln Portrait, but add on quotes from a few other influential presidents in the same line. The narrator has the perfect voice for this show. He does a great job in the spotlight. Throw in a little Appalachian Spring, Symphony #3, and The Promise of Living and you have all the ingredients for placing 1st or 2nd in Finals!

Commentary half

The second portion of the show had each corps come back on in full-show exhibition (a second viewing of each corps!!!) The difference here was the live commentary from a show designer or director. Each corps gave an initial intro describing the show in general and some things to listen/look for. They would play one or two pieces and then stop. They would offer a little more commentary about the next section, and the show continued. They did this a few times during each performance. Corps put so much blood, sweat and tears into the design and performance. So much is probably completely lost on the casual fan that attends once a year or that is attending for the first time. A couple quick things I learned: Boston's new uniforms have the corps song written on the inside of their jackets. Each time they put it on it ties them to the long history. Bluecoats show started with only the music. All the design and drill came after the music.

The show format could to a lot to interest and pull in new fans, as well as help the hardcore fans catch something they didn't know! I hope this show idea continues.

Edited by Caviecub
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Great review. Concise and consistent with my personal observations. Thanks...

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Excellent review!

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