Indy "opening" contest

[TroopAlum12]

Sorry I'm late to the party, just got home.

but..HOLY CRAP PEOPLE. This season is going to be legendary. So many good things going on. Here's my review:

Scouts - missed it, but saw it on the Monday webcast. SO no comment here.

Blue Stars - To be totally honest, this show was a solid "meh." The members were throwing down their best, but the show just didn't "WOW" me. And I'm sorry, but I still just don't like how the red plumes look with those uniforms.

Carolina Crown - yeeeaaaah brass! Crown Brass is out and doing their thing as always. Lots of cool moments in the show both musically and visually. There were several, rather hilarious to watch incidents with the tarps though, with the red sheer material getting twisted up and then caught on that poor baritone player's horn. Overall, I'm digging this show and it's music, but there's a few design issues that are holding it back in my opinion. The show seems a little slow/choppy between some of the movements, which always kills the momentum for me. But, I've got faith in the design team that they're going to smooth it out come August. Also, I really sense that the current ending is a placeholder, and that something much bigger will replace it eventually.

I also felt that they shouldn't have placed quite as far ahead of the Cavaliers as they did.

Cavaliers - I'm loving this show concept. It just screams Green Machine. Gotta love some Bruckner 8 in the opener. Drill is VERY classic cavaliers - and there are enough notes in the brass to compete with Crown and the Cadets design-wise. Obviously, it still needs some TLC both in performance and design, but we've got whole season ahead of us. The ending definitely could use some more wow factor. And the "Run, Boy, Run" singing....yeah. It was a little awkward sounding. Again, I like where they are going though, and hope they continue to build upon it.

The Cadets - Definitely one of my favorite shows this season. Man, they can move really well for the beginning of tour. Still some dirt in the horns, but they came out of the gates playing louder than Crown did, and kept that up most of the show. The French Horns...wow. That is one of the coolest moments musically I've seen so far. But...it seems really short. So short it's almost out of place. I really hope they add to it by season's end. Love the staging for the baritone solo as well. This is going to be a medal contender for sure.

Bluecoats - WOW. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this show. I went in thinking the Cadets show was going to be my overall favorite...but then this happened. I am deeply impressed with this show. This is a corps and a staff being innovative and pushing the boundaries in a way that works, extremely well. If they can keep this show up, I feel it will go down as one of those moments in DCI history that changed the activity forever. And, dare I say it, I think this show could give BD a challenge for the gold if they can clean it up. Absolutely amazing work, Dean Westman and the rest of the team.

I'm excited, y'all. No matter what, this is going to be a great season to watch from start to finish.

[HornTeacher]

I think they don't want to get out of control with the scores like they did last year. Some of these corps will be breaking 70 tomorrow or at the next show.

I think you're right, Jeff. I was a bit surprised that nobody broke 70. And I chalk that up to one simple thing...and which, by the way, I predicted in one of the threads regarding this season....

99.65.

[Jeff Ream]

Glad you're not trying to catch Jeff R.!

you need to be active in the OT forums since 2002 for that

[Kamarag]

I think you're right, Jeff. I was a bit surprised that nobody broke 70. And I chalk that up to one simple thing...and which, by the way, I predicted in one of the threads regarding this season....

99.65.

Meh, scores today have little bearing on scores in a month, let alone the end of the season. Tonight's low numbers were likely a result of a full panel and contest dynamics dictating a lower floor from the first corps on. It had absolutely nothing to do with last year's finals numbers.

[futurebluecoat]

Wow. I didn't see it in theaters but I just saw Bluecoats on Youtube. I think this is their year to win gold honestly. Incredibly exciting show. SO much use of electronics but it's great use. Throughout the season they will continue to tweak everything and hopefully add even cooler stuff. And man, that hornline is so freakin incredible. Regardless of what the judges say, they are by far the second best hornline in DCI behind Crown. The last chord of that ballad sounded absolutely unbelievable. They have an incredible brass staff. All of their captions look strong and I really love their drumline this year. The whole corps is on fire. I can't wait to see Kinetic Noise in Akron on Saturday! Bloo wins gold this year. You heard it here first. Just think about where they were at this point last year and they still improved significantly and got silver. Oh my god this is gonna be a great year for them.

[HornTeacher]

Cavaliers - I'm loving this show concept. It just screams Green Machine. Gotta love some Bruckner 8 in the opener. Drill is VERY classic cavaliers - and there are enough notes in the brass to compete with Crown and the Cadets design-wise. Obviously, it still needs some TLC both in performance and design, but we've got whole season ahead of us. The ending definitely could use some more wow factor. And the "Run, Boy, Run" singing....yeah. It was a little awkward sounding. Again, I like where they are going though, and hope they continue to build upon it.

Thanks, TroopAlum. I forgot to mention that very thing in my write-up. That was my musical "heart goes pitter-pat" moment of the show. One, that they programmed Bruckner. Two, that it was his 8th. LOVE that work. It probably was the bright spot of the Cavies program for me.

Edited June 18, 2015 by HornTeacher

[jasgre2000]

Went to the theater show and had a great time. No technical issues (although the sound cut out for about 90 seconds during the previews, which freaked a bunch of people out). I would say there were about 25-30 people there (maybe a little less). The theater was great, with nice big reclining chairs.

Here are my impressions:

I'm not smart or experienced enough to say much about the scores, except to say that I was a little surprised by the spread between Crown and the Cavies. Based on what I've read here, though, it sounds like most think the scoring was right on the money so I'll chalk that up to being a bit of a Cavies homer.

Scouts: As I mentioned after Monday's preview, this show just really isn't my cup of tea. My feelings haven't changed after tonight. I like me some good show tunes, but not in my drum corps. I thought the trombone solo was gorgeous though, if a bit short.

Blue Stars: This show didn't do much for me. Maybe, when they get it polished a bit (it is very sloppy right now), it will have more of an impact like last year's show ended up having. They have a ways to go.

Crown: Loved it ... much better than last year's show, but not quite as great as Einstein on the Beach, IMHO. Beethoven's 9th is, in many people's opinion (including my own), one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. They did it justice all the way up until the Ode to Joy theme at the end. When they hit the theme, I had goosebumps ... and then it just kind of died and didn't go anywhere. The piece deserves more than that, and I expect that they have some major changes to the ending. The opening theme, though, was great ... reminded me a lot of the Mahler 2 opening they did in 2010. I also appreciate that they took a more minimalist approach to the props this year ... the trampolines last year really ruined that show for me.

Cavies: As I mentioned above, I am somewhat of a Cavies homer. I have never participated in drum corps, except as a spectator. I became a fan, though, at the height of the Cavies dynasty in the early 00s. I want nothing more than for the Cavies to return to their former glory. I'm not sure this show will get them there. There are a lot of aspects of this show that remind of the glory years. I think the drill design is very reminiscent of some classic Michael Gains drill. And they have a lot of impressive things they are doing musically. The show didn't really gel for me though, and they clearly have a lot of work to do to get the performance level up to snuff. I did like the show quite a bit, but it needs some work. I'm also not sure that it has anything that will make anyone remember it 10 years from now. I thought the ballad, though, was absolutely gorgeous. The quality of their brass sound was terrific. The vocal performance was a bit off, but I think that was mostly the result of nerves. I'm not opposed to singing in concept, and think it might end up working out really well. I will continue to root for the Cavies, as I always do, but my expectations for the end of the season are a bit lowered after tonight. I really hope they can get this thing up to its full potential by the end of the year.

Cadets: It is an odd numbered year, so the Cadets, of course, have an amazing show. Shostakovich's 10th is one of my all time favorite pieces of music and The Cadets did not disappointment with their arrangement and performance of it. I think they use it a little better than Crown did with the Beethoven. There were some issues with the synth being a bit overbearing in the beginning, but that is a balance issue which, hopefully, can be easily fixed. The horn feature was great ... the right way to use the french horn (unlike last year's Cadets show). Not surprised at all that they won, and it was well deserved. I am actually a bit surprised that the spread between The Cadets and Crown/Bloo wasn't a bit wider. This is probably my favorite Cadets show since 2001 (although I really liked their Barber show in 2013). I think they have a good shot at a title this year.

Bluecoats: I have very mixed feelings about this show. When it started, my mind was blown. They took what they did with Tilt and turned the amplifier up about 10 times. I loved everything about it. But then, after about 3-4 minutes or so, I got a little bored. Then, they came out with this amazing rendition of Woods (the only good song Bon Iver has recorded) which again blew my mind. I think that will be the ballad of the year. But then, a few minutes later, it began to get a bit boring for me again. To be honest, I had a bit of the same experience with Tilt last year. Some mind-blowing moments, but then a lot of down time where things got a bit stale.

I also began to wonder how much of what they were doing was actually being performed on the field, versus being simply played back over the sound system. I think that what the Bluecoats are doing, when they are at their best, is revolutionary and epitomizes everything I love about modern drum corps. I am not opposed to the use of electronics ... at all. I think electronic music is a completely legitimate art form, and one that I enjoy quite a bit. At the same time, I don't want drum corps to turn into a bunch of people marching around to a bunch of pre-recorded sound effects and music. I think there needs to be some kind of limitation on the use of pre-recorded sound. Frankly, I would like a rule that requires all sound to be created on the field (or at least at the stadium by a sound engineer who is a member of the corps). Let corps use synths and other electronic tools to create the kinds of sound effects the Bluecoats are using so effectively, but require those sounds to be created (and mixed) by members of the corps. Maybe that is already the case, but I don't think it is. It seems like the Bluecoats are relying on a lot of pre-recorded sound. It creates some amazing moments, which I appreciate, but I'm not sure how to compare it to what everyone else is doing and I'm afraid that some corps, if not the Bluecoats, might start to use it as a crutch to hide some of their weaknesses.

Overall, I am super excited for this year. Despite my disappointment with the current status of the fan network, I am now planning to pay for the whole season pass. Can't wait to see what happens at DCI West (if I'm able to get a good enough connection at my hotel in New York this weekend). Disappointed that we didn't get to see Boston tonight.

[BRASSO]

I think the Cavs are an improved Corps. I like the theme " Game on ", and when the Designer before they took the field mentioned the vibe of athleticism, It peaked my interest. Guards drive these themes. I did not get the vibe of " athleticism " at all from the Cavs Guard however. The moves were more in the realm of ballet. . Graceful, yes, but not " athletic " to me.

Madison Scouts.... if you are going to do a show that draws its supposed inspiration from " Gene Kelly ", then by gawd have the guard perform a dance step, and moves that Gene Kelly would have done, not one that looks like it might have been inspired from the old TV sitcom Beverly Hillbillies. The guard character looks like a goofball,, ... and by Scouts intention. But Gene Kelly was anything but a happy go lucky goofball in my assessment of Gene Kelly... a man's man dance icon. I loved the uniforms however, and the trombone soloist is very talented on this instrument.

Bluecoats... Their design is unique. its different, as it heavy on adult created electronic gadgetry. But at this artificial, superficial level, it does work as a gimmic. Corps has potential to win it all if the judges like the adult created sounds from the machines.

Blue Stars.... has a design that should keep them in the top 12, imo... kind of a weird circus show vibe, but it kept my interest.

Crown.... terrific guard, music is dark, theme more coherent this season than last season, not as captivating a show for me as other Crown shows, but their score tonite should be encouraging to them.

Cadets....last years show design did not give the Cadets a shot at the title. This one does, imo. This was my favorite design of the nite, as the show flowed seemlessly, imo... and I think there are points to be had in this show design to win it all, imo

Anyway, its late, and thats my brief take on opening nite. By Finals, some Corps shows will take off, others won't have the capacity to do so. Too early to tell for certain which ones will, which ones, won't.

Edited June 18, 2015 by BRASSO

[Jeff Ream]

That's terrible for crown that a fatal fabric failure had to happen. :(

Empire Statesmen 92 prelims. people should have learned from that

[HornTeacher]

Meh, scores today have little bearing on scores in a month, let alone the end of the season. Tonight's low numbers were likely a result of a full panel and contest dynamics dictating a lower floor from the first corps on. It had absolutely nothing to do with last year's finals numbers.

I am totally well-aware of that, Kamarag. But still....it does make me wonder if last year's result didn't have some form of subconscious effect. Oh well, it means nothing...except as an interesting point to debate.