DCI Eastern Classic - Friday Aug 5 2016

[wvu80]

Has there been much changes in overall positions since a month ago?

Ha! Nice try! :augen51:

No thanks.

[soccerguy315]

Both Blue Devils and Bluecoats were on fire tonight.

Very impressed.

[mountaineers97]

Well at least I was able to watch everyone twice before they cut the feed:)

Edited August 6, 2016 by mountaineers97

[Ghost]

Well at least I was able to watch everyone twice before they cut the feed:)

Got to love fast forward!

[wvu80]

Midnight! Goodby, live feed. It was great while it lasted.

I was able to go back and see the hi-cam. Blue Devils in particular benefited from that view IMO. Such clean lines, large forms looked great.

But wow, those Aqua Dress Girls with the swishy hair routine looked really, REALLY bad. Very UN-like the fantastic BD championship guard we have come to expect every year.

And they did it right in front of a yellow backdrop so it stood out like a sore thumb. Several girls were off, not just one. At least one was off by at least a whole count. it was a hot mess and compared to the precision of the drill going on around them, it must have cost them some points.

BD is either going to have to water down the routine, clean like crazy, or get rid of it altogether. The latter would be my vote as swishy hair doesn't do much to advance the story.

Edited August 6, 2016 by wvu80

[ftwdrummer]

So, I was at the show tonight. Second time doing Allentown (first time was 2014).

Pio was really enjoyable! The burning at the stake was well done.

Cascades are just a solid drum corps. Top-to-bottom solid. The feature work using the "O"s as frames worked nicely...though I couldn't help but wonder if anyone in the corps had a dog to jump through them after they were done.

After what their off-season was, it was just nice seeing Spirit out there. Pretty enjoyable little show they have there, too. Love the cymbal line feature work. And the bass cadence.

The shadowboxing for Colts did not work tonight, apart from one box that was slightly off-angle such that it caught the sunset on it. If they want that effect to work, there needs to be more light in the box. Good musical selections...not sure how I feel about dubstep "Nights in White Satin," and with a title like "Nachtmusik," part of me would have liked to hear something from "A Little Night Music" (didn't even need to be "Send in the Clowns"), but decent show. Looking forward to seeing it in the theater Thursday.

Troop...Troop gets a digression.

The recorded intro framing the show works really well. Also, hearing the actual corps members talking is really cool. "Walking with Heroes" was well-handled. The AIDS section...the AIDS section was absolutely devastating. A left turn for drum corps, but *so* well performed. The guard work with the ladders in the "FIRE" section was very well done. And the closer...

So, my mom was diagnosed with (a stage 0, non-invasive form of) breast cancer last fall, and had multiple surgeries over the course of the past nine months (including a double-mastectomy). It's not been the best of times. So...the last movement of Troop's show hit me hard. Very hard. In the best way possible. I may or may not have gone full ugly (if quiet) cry in the stands while mouthing the words along with their playing.

Yes, the lines were not the cleanest. Yes, the uniforms are definitely different from what we're used to seeing. But...thank you to the Troopers, for giving me that emotional impact.

INT, on the other hand, was the perfect palate cleanser.

Madison wasn't as bad as I thought they might be! I mean, the show design/staging is definitely a hot mess, but they perform the heck out of it. There's a good idea for a show in there, but the way they design that idea out doesn't quite work, but the members perform like crazy. Sort of like how a movie can have a good idea, a so-so script around that idea, but good performances (e.g. "Star Trek Into Darkness"). It's a bit of a design miss, but there's something there--they just didn't crack it this year.

Academy was just fun. The xylophone ribs were fantastic. "Unchained Melody" doesn't hit me the same way it apparently hits most of y'all, but they perform it really well. Definitely a deserving finalist. Kudos to them.

BK...eh. Just...diffuse and confused and there's some good ideas in there but it's just kinda all thrown out there and none of it quite hangs together even with the vocalist from 2014 at the end. It...just doesn't quite work. Awesome battery, though.

BD...oh, BD. How are they so bloody clean every single year? The tarp was well-done. The trombones are excellent. The uniforms are delightful. The backdrops work well. The ballad is gorgeous. That hurricane drill is awesome...but it doesn't hit me the same way last year and 2014 did. It's not quite the miss for me that 2012 was...but I'm not sure yet what thing from this show will get stuck in my head years after the fact, the way the 2014 and 2015 shows (and, heck, even the after-the-opening-fanfare section of 2013) get stuck there.

Bloo...these guys just sell the heck out of the show. This is the one show where I found myself head-banging a little bit, then glancing around, and yeah, other people were getting the groove head-nod going, too. They were the only corps that got that many ovation moments...part of me expected a standing O after the opener, based on reaction during the movement.

The ramps weren't always slammed together tightly tonight. According to my sister (who follows their Snapchat) they clamp together in back regardless, so that wouldn't be a problem, but it wasn't a great look.

I think the flugel soloist stood up for the first solo as a way of improving the visual distinction (the "where to look" aspect). I probably would have gone with flags for the two guard members surrounding him to draw attention, but standing up was effective as well.

Dem bass trombones, tho...those bass tbones were GOOD.

The whole show is an awesome rock-out live and I'm pretty sure I pulled my diaphragm in five different places trying to "BLOO" louder at the end (to be fair, I was a percussionist; I didn't need lung capacity). I have no idea if it will actually win. I hope it does. Regardless, seeing that show live is something I'll try to always remember, same as seeing "Felliniesque" and "Tilt" at Allentown two years ago.

Looking forward to driving up again tomorrow night (I'm staying with family in suburban Philly). Especially looking forward to the Bridgemen Alumni. More (probably more detailed) tomorrow.

Edited August 6, 2016 by ftwdrummer

[mfrontz]

Thanks and best wishes to your mother and your family.

[ftwdrummer]

Thanks and best wishes to your mother and your family.

Thanks. The last tests came back clear, and it was a form that shouldn't spread. So we should be out of the woods.

*knocks furiously on anything vaguely wood-like nearby*

[Jast45]

Anyone have the reason the recaps are not available--I mean the recaps they have shown all season. Are they waiting until Saturday to post them all. I would like to see who won visual etc.

[Tim K]

Thoughts on Allentown

I got to the stadium just as Pioneer began. Overall I thought it was the most ambitious show I've seen from Pioneer. They seemed to have a bit more volume. I recall reading there were some electronic issues at other shows which did not seem apparent last night. Cascades seems larger and had some great moments. I like their large orange "O's." Spirit had a pretty solid show considering the challenges they faced off season. I do think unless they are going to use their iconic arrangements, they should steer clear of using the pieces. I found Colts engaging, but thought we'd see more from their props.

Troopers: I could see why in some shows they are close to their competitors and even surprise them, and other nights there is a distance. It is a sophisticated show with some interesting and difficult moves. It has a phenomenal impact musically, and the theme has depth that is portrayed well. It also goes from spot on clean to a bit dirty for this time of year. Last night was a bit underscored in my opinion.

Madison: disclaimer: Madison 1999 is one of my favorite shows. I listen to it and watch it frequently. I'm sure I compared the two in my mind even though I would deny it. This show misses the mark. If it is portraying Judas, why did it have "Everything's Alright," "Gethsemane," or "I Don't Know How to Love Him?" Why did they use bright colored light blue flags for "Gethsemane" and darker flags for "Everything's Alright?"' If they wanted to portray a light/dark contrast, it didn't work. I may feel differently in Indy next week, especially where I will be sitting with some Madison alums, but I expected something different.

Academy: this was the show I anticipated most since so many are predicting it will knock BAC or I might add Madison from finals. Bump out, maybe, knock out, not necessarily. Whatever happens it will be very close. I usually enjoy Academy and this year is no exception. The concept is clever, and who ever comes up with some of the smaller design details like xylophone skeletons deserves a lot of credit. What I did find interesting is that when Academy took the field, the crowd response was polite, but not that enthusiastic. By show's end, the crowd was wild.

Blue Knights: I enjoyed the ending, but I'm not sure what I saw. Maybe after a long drive and traffic, sublime was lost on me. Will reserve judgment until I see it again next week.

Blue Devils: there's a lot of content in this show, perhaps the most of any corps this year. I thought it was very fast paced, and captures people's attention. I thought the guard was amazing, but I will have to agree with the person who critiqued the Aqua maidens/sirens. To me they tried to go back to "Felliniesque" where the girls sat at the table and swished their hair. It worked in 2014, not so much last night, but that's a minor critique of a great show.

Bluecoats: they owned the night and they knew it. They added some color since the last time I saw the show, and they had a great night.