ALLENTOWN - Day 2

[wvu80]

For those interested in these things, I've prepared a combined recap for the two evenings of Allentown, despite my general disregard for combining scores from two different events/days - even with the same panel.

You'll find the "Allentown - Combined" show results on the DCP Scores page under August 1st at http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/scores/

-john

That's a lot of work. Thank you, and thank you for the link.

+++

I didn't hear the scores announced as I was trying desperately to see the replay of the top corps before the feed went black, but I thought the two-day scores were intended to be combined for an overall Allentown winner. Am I making that up, or did it used to be different a few years ago?

Edited August 2, 2015 by wvu80

[KVG_DC]

Crown tied for top GE and took Vis too.

I was looking at the Combined recap there.

BD was scored higher in Vis from night one.

Although Bloo and Crown are tied on GE. Is there a tiebreaker that's applied that the DCP recap is shading Bloo with the gold and Crown as a silver there?

[JoeDz]

Can someone tell me when we had 4 corps within a point of each other going into prelims?

August 21 Dream Contest (with thanks to Corpsreps.....pre-dates DCI:

1 Blessed Sacrament 83.320 2 Cavaliers 82.500 3 Troopers 82.283 4 St. Lucy's Cadets

82.216

And fourth and fifth were:

5 Kilties 80.400 6 Royal Airs 79.466

[jwillis35]

Last night's show was wonderful.

So if you throw Blue Devils into the mix, speaking top 4 here, we still have 4 corps within .7 of each other going into the Buffalo show tonight and the Massillon (Canton, OH) show on Monday. I know we've had some tightly competitive years, but 4 corps within .7 going into Finals week is amazing.

My general reflections on last night are as follows:

Carolina Crown - Last night I made a call after seeing this show that I feel they will win. Still feel the same this morning. Crown has brought out Mr. Clean and, as I stated last night, put the "spit and polish" on this baby. Amidst the truly exceptional display being given by all the top 4, something hit me last night with Crown and I think this is your 2015 Champion. GE will be the key. Blooo won GE last night. But if Carolina is close in GE and nabs wins in Guard, Visual Ex, and Brass then they win Gold. Their show just "pops" in a way the others do not at this time. Perhaps BD comes the closest to this. That ending....OH MY, that will send the fans into a tizzy in Indianapolis. The slight change to the story, and the addition of Gold at the end, made all the difference for Crown this year. They got a standing ovation from me (jumping off my couch). Get used to the color GOLD.

The Cadets - Been a long-time fan of the Cadets dating back to my childhood years when they seemingly came out of a slump in the late 70s and rose to power and to change the activity. Their uniform has been iconic for decades, so it stands to reason that some are having a tough time with the change. I am one of them, but not because I can't stomach change. I simply feel the all-black hides some of the amazing visual this corps produces. That was a big risk and I applaud them for having the guts to take such a risk. But in so many ways I think it hurt visual. All that aside, BOY did they perform last night. The show is exciting and captivating. It's also jaw dropping. They are getting cleaner and they have visual demand, musicianship, and powerful music. This is clearly a championship caliber corps. Let's see what they do.

Bluecoats - This show has been one of my favorites from day one. At Akron I felt Bloo was giving the activity the most unique and futuristic look of anyone. That remains true to this day. This show will be studied, with elements copied in years to come. This really is the future in so many ways, and I believe their stunning and skillful approach to minimalism, a concept like Kinetic Noise, and to electronics has, in large part, given them a strong general effect presentation. Their GE win should not be surprising to anyone. Everything about the show says "NEW." They play great (brass and percussion), and nobody beats their tubas (WOW). They marched their cleanest show to my eyes last night, and the guard contribution is beautiful. I could easily see this medal on Finals night.

Phantom Regiment - Back in the spring I heard a recording of their park concert from Rockford. I really liked the music, even though some of the arranging was a slight departure from the "Regiment" style. But when I saw the show on DCI Live with visual I was underwhelmed. To me, the visual was too cute with too much jazz running. They've made a TON of changes and it seemed clear to me last night that Rockford is ready to make a charge at the Cavaliers and Blue Knights. Not sure how close they get, but boy did they put out a nice show. Phantom's brass is really really good. They are probably not getting quite the credit they deserve, which often happens with shows that lack in so many other areas. But this show is ready to "POP" and I would not be surprised if they took 6th on Finals night. It's a long shot, but I could see it happening.

Madison Scouts - I am really LOVING this show. This is another show that early season was not grabbing me. They were the opposite for me when compared to Phantom. I felt strongly that they had a much better visual program compared to last year's show, but musically I was underwhelmed with the first half of the show and somewhat enjoyed the second half. Now the entire brass and percussion book is reeling me in from top to bottom. If anything I think the guard contribution and the props are not as strongly integrated. Some of the flag choices are interesting and I wish they had chosen a different look for the guard. Having said that, this is the closest Madison has come to looking like the OLD Scouts from the 90s while trying to be somewhat new and fresh. Would love to see them push higher, but I don't think their show design is as strong as BK or Cavaliers, and Phantom is just out performing them.

Boston Crusaders - I love this show. It's been one of my favs since Bowling Green. They put up a nice score last night and look to be breathing down Madison's back. The music is wonderful and I LOVE their props (the banners and the percussion setup in the middle at the intro). The corps plays and drums well. Guard is great, and the vocalist was wonderful, and has been all season. Their ballad is my favorite this season - even over Bloo and BD. If anything they probably needed better impact from the combination of drill and props. They will be a joy to watch come Finals.

Crossmen - Excellent performance last night. Strong presentations in brass, percussion, and guard. Their marching is good but not as crisp as Colts, who I think should be closer to Crossmen. That aside, their theme is conveyed really well. I don't particularly care for that type of theme, but Crossmen have made it very clear what they are attempting to do. A lot of corps have struggled with that this year. For Crossmen it's just a matter of taking that next step in performance captions. Their ballad is really well done and captivating. We should see them on Finals night.

The Colts - I honestly thought Colts should have been closer to Crossmen in score. Boy can this corps MARCH. Dang. They are cleaning nicely and I really enjoy their show. They are taking that next step when approaching Broadway musicals for field -- incorporating elements of the libretto, acting, staging, and the singing to go along with excellent brass and percussion writing. Years ago this would easily be a top 12 show. I'm kind of pulling for them, but there are so many great corps out there, it's impossible for everyone to make top 12. Hey, it's just one extra night of performing. Don't let it get you down if it doesn't happen, Colts, because your show is just tremendous. I was very impressed by their guard, and the sound of their brass had moments of Blue Devils like sounds. Honestly, I am shocked this is not closer to, or over, Crossmen. Just my take.

Troopers - This is another one of my FAVORITE shows of the year. From day one in Akron I have loved this show. I love the music, love the visual design, the props, and I think this kind of show works so well for Troop. Early on they had a lot of work to do with marching ex. Still think they do, but it's so much better. This show is another example of a show that would be Top 12 on many other years. I would love to see Troop in Finals, but in the long run what matters is entertaining the audience and being great. They are great, entertaining, and they've likely had the summer of a lifetime. In the end that's all that matters.

I will review Oregon Crusaders, Pacific Crest, and Jersey Surf another time. My apologies to them. I was in and out of performances (writing drill for some local bands) with the DCI Live telecast running in one room and working in my studio room.

As an aside, I am sitting here this morning listening to some Michael Buble and thinking to myself that BLUE DEVILS need to do a show featuring some of this music. :)

Edited August 2, 2015 by jwillis35

[pbeau]

Last night's show was wonderful.

So if you throw Blue Devils into the mix, speaking top 4 here, we still have 4 corps within .7 of each other going into the Buffalo show tonight and the Massillon (Canton, OH) show on Monday. I know we've had some tightly competitive years, but 4 corps within .7 going into Finals week is amazing.

My general reflections on last night are as follows:

Carolina Crown - Last night I made a call after seeing this show that I feel they will win. Still feel the same this morning. Crown has brought out Mr. Clean and, as I stated last night, put the "spit and polish" on this baby. Amidst the truly exceptional display being given by all the top 4, something hit me last night with Crown and I think this is your 2015 Champion. GE will be the key. Blooo won GE last night. But if Carolina is close in GE and nabs wins in Guard, Visual Ex, and Brass then they win Gold. Their show just "pops" in a way the others do not at this time. Perhaps BD comes the closest to this. That ending....OH MY, that will send the fans into a tizzy in Indianapolis. The slight change to the story, and the addition of Gold at the end, made all the difference for Crown this year. They got a standing ovation from me (jumping off my couch). Get used to the color GOLD.

The Cadets - Been a long-time fan of the Cadets dating back to my childhood years when they seemingly came out of a slump in the late 70s and rose to power and to change the activity. Their uniform has been iconic for decades, so it stands to reason that some are having a tough time with the change. I am one of them, but not because I can't stomach change. I simply feel the all-black hides some of the amazing visual this corps produces. That was a big risk and I applaud them for having the guts to take such a risk. But in so many ways I think it hurt visual. All that aside, BOY did they perform last night. The show is exciting and captivating. It's also jaw dropping. They are getting cleaner and they have visual demand, musicianship, and powerful music. This is clearly a championship caliber corps. Let's see what they do.

Bluecoats - This show has been one of my favorites from day one. At Akron I felt Bloo was giving the activity the most unique and futuristic look of anyone. That remains true to this day. This show will be studied, with elements copied in years to come. This really is the future in so many ways, and I believe their stunning and skillful approach to minimalism, a concept like Kinetic Noise, and to electronics has, in large part, given them a strong general effect presentation. Their GE win should not be surprising to anyone. Everything about the show says "NEW." They play great (brass and percussion), and nobody beats their tubas (WOW). They marched their cleanest show to my eyes last night, and the guard contribution is beautiful. I could easily see this medal on Finals night.

Phantom Regiment - Back in the spring I heard a recording of their park concert from Rockford. I really liked the music, even though some of the arranging was a slight departure from the "Regiment" style. But when I saw the show on DCI Live with visual I was underwhelmed. To me, the visual was too cute with too much jazz running. They've made a TON of changes and it seemed clear to me last night that Rockford is ready to make a charge at the Cavaliers and Blue Knights. Not sure how close they get, but boy did they put out a nice show. Phantom's brass is really really good. They are probably not getting quite the credit they deserve, which often happens with shows that lack in so many other areas. But this show is ready to "POP" and I would not be surprised if they took 6th on Finals night. It's a long shot, but I could see it happening.

Madison Scouts - I am really LOVING this show. This is another show that early season was not grabbing me. They were the opposite for me when compared to Phantom. I felt strongly that they had a much better visual program compared to last year's show, but musically I was underwhelmed with the first half of the show and somewhat enjoyed the second half. Now the entire brass and percussion book is reeling me in from top to bottom. If anything I think the guard contribution and the props are not as strongly integrated. Some of the flag choices are interesting and I wish they had chosen a different look for the guard. Having said that, this is the closest Madison has come to looking like the OLD Scouts from the 90s while trying to be somewhat new and fresh. Would love to see them push higher, but I don't think their show design is as strong as BK or Cavaliers, and Phantom is just out performing them.

Boston Crusaders - I love this show. It's been one of my favs since Bowling Green. They put up a nice score last night and look to be breathing down Madison's back. The music is wonderful and I LOVE their props (the banners and the percussion setup in the middle at the intro). The corps plays and drums well. Guard is great, and the vocalist was wonderful, and has been all season. Their ballad is my favorite this season - even over Bloo and BD. If anything they probably needed better impact from the combination of drill and props. They will be a joy to watch come Finals.

Crossmen - Excellent performance last night. Strong presentations in brass, percussion, and guard. Their marching is good but not as crisp as Colts, who I think should be closer to Crossmen. That aside, their theme is conveyed really well. I don't particularly care for that type of theme, but Crossmen have made it very clear what they are attempting to do. A lot of corps have struggled with that this year. For Crossmen it's just a matter of taking that next step in performance captions. Their ballad is really well done and captivating. We should see them on Finals night.

The Colts - I honestly thought Colts should have been closer to Crossmen in score. Boy can this corps MARCH. Dang. They are cleaning nicely and I really enjoy their show. They are taking that next step when approaching Broadway musicals for field -- incorporating elements of the libretto, acting, staging, and the singing to go along with excellent brass and percussion writing. Years ago this would easily be a top 12 show. I'm kind of pulling for them, but there are so many great corps out there, it's impossible for everyone to make top 12. Hey, it's just one extra night of performing. Don't let it get you down if it doesn't happen, Colts, because your show is just tremendous. I was very impressed by their guard, and the sound of their brass had moments of Blue Devils like sounds. Honestly, I am shocked this is not closer to, or over, Crossmen. Just my take.

Troopers - This is another one of my FAVORITE shows of the year. From day one in Akron I have loved this show. I love the music, love the visual design, the props, and I think this kind of show works so well for Troop. Early on they had a lot of work to do with marching ex. Still think they do, but it's so much better. This show is another example of a show that would be Top 12 on many other years. I would love to see Troop in Finals, but in the long run what matters is entertaining the audience and being great. They are great, entertaining, and they've likely had the summer of a lifetime. In the end that's all that matters.

I will review Oregon Crusaders, Pacific Crest, and Jersey Surf another time. My apologies to them. I was in and out of performances (writing drill for some local bands) with the DCI Live telecast running in one room and working in my studio room.

As an aside, I am sitting here this morning listening to some Michael Buble and thinking to myself that BLUE DEVILS need to do a show featuring some of this music. :)

Thanks for the great review J. I would also like to add some great individual performances. The SCV baritone soloist, the Crown trumpet solo and the Scouts trombone solo were all tremendous.

[Kamarag]

Sounds much more accurate than this opinionated (fraudulent) nonsense we have now in the execution captions. How can anyone ACCURATELY compare (remember) all the errors in an entire 11 minute performance they saw 5 or 10 or 25 or 36 corps ago with the current corps on the field? Not possible with the human brain, which can only keep track of about 7 things at a time max. Ok, instead of paper tick sheets, how about a phone app where a judge taps the screen every time they hear or see an error? Just tie it into the current automated recap system. This would also solve the current slotting problem. 2, 3, 4 corps with the same caption score? That's fine if that's what their error count really is.

Oh, please. One of the main reasons the tick system was abandoned was because the judges weren't held accountable for error identification, and were unable to consistently agree on what constituted an error. As hard as that was 35+ years ago, it would be next to impossible now.

That judging system should forever remain in the trash bin of history.

[Maneuvah]

OF COURSE! But I'm sure that's true of EVERY corps which is why he emphasizes that people who's sole goal is to win shouldn't march Cadets. Any given year, there are great corps who are trying to win. Take the past 15 years for example. If he or the corps was ALL about winning, do you really think they would have risked putting out the type of shows they put out in the last 15 years?

Of course it was about winning. The rub: the Cadets design staff, more than any other top 5 staff, has squandered championship-caliber talent with ineptitude, incoherence, bad taste, and cheese in design. "This I Believe" was a fail from the start. 12.25 made me actually groan when I read the show concept announcement, and I knew it would fail that very second. I could go on...

With all the talent and intelligence among alumni and fans of what the traditional Cadets were known as - "the thinking man's drum corps" - you'd think they'd have no problem coming up with show concepts and designs that are aesthetically unified and authentic to the music and that have meaning and import and innovation.

But if all else fails, you can always go for fire trucks, or banners, or whatever other gimmick you can pull out of your azz at the last minute to grovel for GE.

I'm tired of the marketing-as-design crap.

I just want good show design that doesn't hobble the brilliance and commitment of the MMs, who, even back in the 70s, were known to be the "hardest working drum corps in the country".

Is that too much to ask?

[wigwam]

I understand that the brass and percussion is holding them back but the judges do like the visual and I think that's pretty impressive. Too much talking does not interfere with the tremendous show visually they're preforming on the field.

Yes, the constant talking does interfere with the show. In fact, it ruins it.

[George Dixon]

Of course it was about winning. The rub: the Cadets design staff, more than any other top 5 staff, has squandered championship-caliber talent with ineptitude, incoherence, bad taste, and cheese in design. "This I Believe" was a fail from the start. 12.25 made me actually groan when I read the show concept announcement, and I knew it would fail that very second. I could go on...

With all the talent and intelligence among alumni and fans of what the traditional Cadets were known as - "the thinking man's drum corps" - you'd think they'd have no problem coming up with show concepts and designs that are aesthetically unified and authentic to the music and that have meaning and import and innovation.

Wow - what a statement.

How you do you know they "squandered" championship talent all these years. As if they Cadets "deserve" or have a "right" to the championship and only the inept and bumbling staff keep it from happening.

Here's the reality - Cadets historically have worked with LESS and achieved MORE than the typical top corps. Less money, less talent and fewer resources.

It's only around the mid 2000s that Cadets organization itself caught up somewhat to the resources of, say, a BD type or SCV type or Star type organization.

Now - do they have their misfires in design? Sure. All organizations do.

They take risks.

So if you're a fan - get used to the risk taking and realize, with RISK comes reward OR the possibility that it doesn't work out

2007 SHOULD have won - many of us feel that way. The kids performance at semi-finals was one for the ages. It was NOT a "failure"

The 12.25 program was wonderful - many of us still enjoy listening to the program. It was NOT a "failure"

If Cadets of 2015 win - fantastic. If they get 2nd, 3rd or even 4th - it was NOT a "failure"

As a fan I'm much more concerned that the kids had a great summer (they are) and were challenged (they have been) than the final placement

JMO.

So frankly - you're the one who seems to make it "all about winning"

Edited August 2, 2015 by George Dixon

[GUARDLING]

Oh, please. One of the main reasons the tick system was abandoned was because the judges weren't held accountable for error identification, and were unable to consistently agree on what constituted an error. As hard as that was 35+ years ago, it would be next to impossible now.

That judging system should forever remain in the trash bin of history.

AMEN!!!!!!