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My first live show in 2 decades-Atlanta, GA


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I said I would review this past weekend's experience in Atlanta so here goes...PLEASE BE AWARE...THESE ARE MY OPINIONS...I mean no harm to the corps or it's members. I know the amount of work that goes into these shows and I respect them all. Some I loved, some I didn't...please don't beat me up for my opinion.

20 years later...I still love drum corps! There were obvious differences and the first notable one was the volume. It was in fact not as "paint peeling" as I remember however, the balance and clarity of the music was amazing. The drill for some corps seemed very intricate with a high degree of difficulty...on the other hand, a few corps scored very high with very simple drill...

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality level from all World Class corps but particularity the lower scoring(The Academy, Troopers, SOA)....pleasantly surprised. I found myself smiling a lot and I'm sure my wife thinks I'm a geek. As for the amplification....it didn't bother me at all. I actually finally "got it" and see the merit to adding it to the show although I wasn't a big fan of the Cadets narration. I'm not sure if it was the acoustics or their PA system but I never understood what was being said even-though I know "What Abe Lincoln said." There was a huge disparity between the sound systems....Blue Knights had the best use followed by the Bluecoats. Cadets...sorry, but it got lost...

The acoustics of the Georgia Dome sucked!!!!! Rim shots overpowered every note being played and echoed five times...It was very annoying. That is the price you pay for being in a dome. The venue overall was awesome. Lots of booths but horribly long lines but the vending crews did an awesome job of pushing people through.

As far as the shows...here is where the subjectivity starts and I hope no one gets offended by my opinions...Everyone squats!!!! Geez...we had a good laugh at that...

The best shows as far as entertainment goes...

Boston Crusaders-Loved Animal Farm...Color Guard was very cool in a sick and twisted way with the masks and I love the darkness of the book and the subject matter.

Madison Scouts was very entertaining and the crowd seemed to love the show. I think they're pretty young this year and the should be stronger and cleaner in the years to come. Trombones added nothing. They were actually a distraction because I was forcing myself to hear them and it was never clear. Not a fan of the T-Bones...sorry Scouts.

Top shows of the night....Phantom Regiment, Blue Knights, Cavilers, Carolina Crown and Bluecoats....by far. I know Phantom isn't scoring very high but I really loved the show. They sounded balanced and appeared to be pretty clean(hard to see the overall drill from the 15th row) but I'm not sure the story line of the show is completely clear.

Blues Knights...probably the best show they've had in years. It had meaning, the narration was clear and followed the musical transitions well and it was actually touching. In my teens I wouldn't have understood the show but being a little older and wiser now...I got it. I actually felt emotional at the end of the show...They get my "Inspirational Award" for the year.

Cavilers...I really think this show has the potential to be a top 5 but time is running out. The marimba army is amazing....brass is tight but not as powerful as the past. While I loved seeing the 4 valve compensating euphonium on the field(I'm a euphonium player)...translation just wasn't there....it needs to be mic'd or take out of the show. It didn't work very well at all...I never heard it.

Carolina Crown...second best show of the night. There were tons of things going on and the drill seemed a lot more difficult in person....but the horn line. HOLY CRAP...that horn line blew me away. Crazy hard book and executed flawlessly...Matt Harloff is a freaky beast!! Very Impressive!

Now the Bluecoats....hands down best show of the night. I'm a little bias because I've really liked them for years and I've been following this show all season but honestly it was the best of the night. They were loud, clean and the show is the most unique original one I've seen. They are either going to push their way to a medal or drive a few corps to improve...they're chasing bronze now and could get more. They had the biggest crowd reaction of the night. The new ending was perfect....the show ended with energy and with a standing ovation well before the last note.

I hate to end this on a negative but the three shows I just didn't get or enjoy was SCV, Cadets and Blue Devils. I nearly fell asleep during SCV's show...I hate to say that but it's the truth and I mean NO disrespect. Even my wife(who knows nothing about drum corps) said it was very slow. Again...Trombones....no value add.

Cadets...I've already stated that the narration was not working in Atlanta...Even though Appalachian Spring is one of my all-time favorites...I'm just not loving this show like I normally love the Cadets. They're pretty clean...just not my favorite show.

Blue Devils...Too much going on...I couldn't concentrate on anything. I felt like I was watching a tennis match looking back and forth between all the props, guard, stages and trying to follow the horn line...also the drill seems too simple. The field looks like a cluttered mess at a garage sale. There seems to be a lot of standing upright playing and I'm not saying that's a bad thing but there are others that have vastly more difficult drill and out marching them. However....the brass sounded awesome. Very clean and plenty volume but not a gold medal show in my opinion. With that being said...I'm not a judge and they are undefeated.

Overall, it was an awesome experience for me as well as my family. My wife who was always an athlete and knows nothing about this type of activity surprisingly really enjoyed it. My son loved it and told me that he enjoyed even more than he knew he was going to...I think that we are officially a drum corps family and now I have to convince my son that he needs to be in music. He loves Phantom so maybe I can motivate him by telling him he could march for PR one day....although my wife did say to me that if our son wanted to be in drum corps that Carolina isn't that far from us...sounds like she sees the merit in this crazy activity we love. As bad as I hate to say it and I know I will get beat up for this....in some ways drum corps today is actually better...but that's a whole different thread. I see the changes had to be made to fit the generation that is currently active...it keeps drum corps current and relative....all of us old dinosaurs are just going to have to get over ourselves. Hot rods have changed, clothing styles have changed and so has drum corps.

So...no it's not the drum and bugle corps of 20 years ago but it is still drum corps, I still love it and now I get to share it with my family...and really...that's what it's all about.

Enjoy!!!

Great review!

FYI, Cavies euph player is mic'ed. It had problems that night.

I am ok with the trombones.

What did you think of the concert double french horns solo in Cadet's show?

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Great review!

FYI, Cavies euph player is mic'ed. It had problems that night.

I am ok with the trombones.

What did you think of the concert double french horns solo in Cadet's show?

Thanks! I didn't know they were having issues with the euph's mic...and there is the problem with amplification. I'm ok with t-bones also but I just didn't feel they made a huge impact. Maybe they will sound better on the recordings. I thought the french horn can across better and I'm ok with that one...actually I forgot about it until you brought it up.

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I haven't watched SCV live, but did you not hear a difference in their opening chord with trombones?

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I haven't watched SCV live, but did you not hear a difference in their opening chord with trombones?

I really didn't. Maybe I wasn't looking for it or didn't try to distinguish the difference but to me it was no different than if it would have been baritones. I was on the 15th row so I should have been able to hear....I don't know....maybe it's just me.

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I really didn't. Maybe I wasn't looking for it or didn't try to distinguish the difference but to me it was no different than if it would have been baritones. I was on the 15th row so I should have been able to hear....I don't know....maybe it's just me.

Interesting. I guess it comes out a lot better on Fan Network in because it sounds pretty dark and... Different? On there.

Either way I'm so glad that you enjoy the DCI of today and thanks for all the reviews!

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I haven't watched SCV live, but did you not hear a difference in their opening chord with trombones?

It's loud, but I would imagine any equivalent bell-front euph or bari can push just as much air across (WHILE STANDING ON THE FRONT SIDELINE) to accomplish the identical effect. So, in my opinion, the difference is just the fact they're all standing in the front in a single line. If they were all backfield playing to the front sideline, the "effect" would be quite diminished simply because of their staging.

For a bunch of chords and not much else, the trombones really add nothing for me.

Just my opinion!

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It's loud, but I would imagine any equivalent bell-front euph or bari can push just as much air across (WHILE STANDING ON THE FRONT SIDELINE) to accomplish the identical effect. So, in my opinion, the difference is just the fact they're all standing in the front in a single line. If they were all backfield playing to the front sideline, the "effect" would be quite diminished simply because of their staging.

For a bunch of chords and not much else, the trombones really add nothing for me.

Just my opinion!

Idk they have an intense sound to them that makes it sound different (and dare I say better!) Our college marching band marched something like 36-44 trombones last season. They made all the difference in the world for our sound.

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It's loud, but I would imagine any equivalent bell-front euph or bari can push just as much air across (WHILE STANDING ON THE FRONT SIDELINE) to accomplish the identical effect. So, in my opinion, the difference is just the fact they're all standing in the front in a single line. If they were all backfield playing to the front sideline, the "effect" would be quite diminished simply because of their staging.

For a bunch of chords and not much else, the trombones really add nothing for me.

Just my opinion!

As a low brass player, I can immediately tell the difference between the brighter tones of the trombone and the darker tones of a baritone, and even darker tones of the euph. It's pretty glaring.

It's like the difference between a trumpet, cornet, and a flugel horn to me.

Edited by jjeffeory
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As a low brass player, I can immediately tell the difference between the brighter tones of the trombone and the darker tones of a baritone, and even darker tones of the euph. It's pretty glaring.

It's like the difference between a trumpet, cornet, and a flugel horn to me.

I too can tell the difference and all I'm saying is it was unnoticeable from where I was sitting in Atlanta. I guess I need to watch these shows again on FN to hear the trombones. So if it didn't add anything in the stands then isn't that useless? I'm sure it will be different on the recordings.

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Speaking of the Trombones.

For all the angst with the rule change and the expense of having all those trombones to play for a time measured in seconds, the effect is pretty mediocre. Put the use of trombones in the context of the tone bending at the end of the Bluecoats show. That tone bend is a highlight/defining effect for this season. Trombones, not so much.

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