Opelika Review

[tigger2]

Pioneer- Seems that gone are the days where the opening few corps made you just hope they could get through their show. Pioneer were enjoyable to be sure. The joy theme is fairly evident throughout, though I am not sure "Danny Boy" carries an upbeat sentiment. Improved guard. Drums to loud throughout. Brass OK.

Mandarins- Pretty big sound for a group that may not make semis, although they are a strong corps with a cool and well crafted show concept. Guard, drums, and brass are all good. They spend a lot of time at the loud and louder visual and musical levels. Think that more attention to finesse, finer details, and subtly could really elevate the GE rep and overall all score.

Colts- I thought I liked this show on video, and am now sure I like it . . . a lot! The visual program is

an extremely well-crafted effort and I would imagine it could place in the top 8 of all visual programs.

The OZ based concept is clever, with pacing and variety that keep you engaged almost every second.

Now that voice over. Good performer. Interesting text, however, it is too much. It covers/competes with too many of the music efforts. It is a new OZ story, not Wicked, not The Wizard of OZ. So, Colts, you have to let us in to the story without making us struggle to hear every word. If doing it as is is an attempt to offer the intellectual component, I suggest trimming it down. The Shakespearean style is cool, though it makes us want to hang one every word and have time to consider, interpret, be in on the story with no doubt (just like going to the movies- we want to understand, but we have two hours to take it all in before it is over). I think this show has a shot at finals. Cleaning up the brass and percussion will be part of them moving up, but the voice over holds most potential for there rise in

my opinion.

Blue Stars- Best corps they have had in a few years. The concept is clever, well detailed and performed. Unique and memorable. The visual program is superior to Madison, easily. Madison however, out plays them. Think this will be am interesting dual between the two groups until the end.

Madison Scouts- The show has changed a lot over the summer. The editing has been smart and has resulted in a better show. That said, the powerful brass and percussion, and improving guard, have a show that is nearly maxed out. Not sure what changes could be added to elevate the rep score. Though there are elements of the time theme, they are not clear or effective for me.

Spirit- I was eager to see this live. It has been no secret that I have been a fan of their recent efforts. Having watched 27th go down, I had strong opinions about why and how our most iconic corps continue to go about surviving. It was clear this was a hometown crowd for them, as I am sure tomorrow will be as well. I hope the members take all of that in and remember how special performing can be. It seemed the corps certainly let it all fly in last night's performance. Their was good energy in several areas of the show and you could tell they really wanted to give the home crowd a heartfelt and energetic show. I too feel like what the show has to offer competitively, and emotionally for that matter, ends there (raw emotion through sheer performance energy). Perhaps in a future review I will be more detailed. Simply put, this is an old school show in that the construction just lacks depth of thought, structure, and a theme that draws you into it. I found it awkward from the pre show, though I did not want to. Perhaps I was pulling too hard for them and counter reacted. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the summer goes regarding placement.

My best to all these fine groups for the rest of the season. Safe travels.