Popular Post DrumManTx Posted June 21, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted June 21, 2019 Alright, I jumped on my computer as soon as I got home and typed this up really fast. Haven't read anyone else's impressions, so these are my thoughts without a lot of other input. I sped wrote this, so sorry if there are typos or sentences that don't make sense! I'll edit after I post. Missed doing this last summer. Phantom Regiment - I am Joan Things I Liked: I do think the brass arrangements are better this year than last, some nice moments in there. Percussion had a lot of time in the spotlight and did a nice job overall. I definitely got the overall arc of the show and what I think they were trying to portray. And the uniforms at the beginning of the show were nice. Things I’ll Watch Develop: Definitely lots of cleaning to do, maybe a little more than years past. A big question mark for me was the whole color scheme, the first guard costumes looked ok against the all black, but then the male guard members had those on too and bled in. And then the corps proper changed into something that looked exactly the same as the colorguard. It was hard to follow where they guard was, which was a theme tonight for a few shows. The ballad especially, I felt like the guard could have been being used a lot more effectively. I’m not sure about this one yet, there is a lot of potential in places but lots of places that they’re going to have to clean and develop. We’ll see. Placement seemed fair. Blue Stars - Call of the Wild Things I Liked: Their brass has developed such an awesome sound, some really fantastic moments. Very early into their show I knew we had taken a step up. Percussion is really great too, I love the way the approach writing and playing. Uniforms are cool, the show aesthetic as a whole is really nice. People wanting some run and gun drill need to check this show out, some really cool stuff again this year from Kevin Ford (I think it’s still him?). Colorguard has a ton of great exposed moments that will really shine by seasons end. This show does a great job of portraying their trek through a wintery landscape. The props look really nice. Things I’ll Watch Develop: They just need to clean clean clean the drill. Those box rotations and meshes are really exposed and will be really cool if they end up being able to pull them off. I wonder if they’re going to flesh out the theme more, there is room to really go for it more in spots. But overall, very nice opening from them! The Cadets: Things I Liked: I love the opener, really cool fanfare mixed in with some old school run and gun type stuff. Props are used pretty well from the get go and throughout the show, some really striking moments on those. They interact with and stage them in a ton of ways. Some of the better prop usage I’ve seen this year out the gate. Estancia is VERY intense, I love the usage of different voices in the brass to highlight the intertwined drum features. Clever stuff. All sections seem pretty strong and/or have the potential to be pretty strong. Lots of really cool moments for each section to really shine on. Seems pretty well written for their talent level. Things I’ll Watch Develop: Only things I was not a fan of was the synth stuff towards the end of the ballad, eh. This show has a lot of tone changes that work really well, but not sure if that is one of them. Vocals in the drum feature after that (the do better stuff) hmm. Not sure how I feel about those, but the playing is awesome. This show is going to be one that grows all season, I can tell there are moments to be fleshed out, cleaned, filled in with choreo and the like, etc, but I think it has really strong bones. I can follow the thematic material that they put out in the show announcement pretty well, so I think just keep doing what they’re doing, continue to develop it, and it’ll be really intriguing. They are a little far back in terms of having the show on the field and cleaning but I think there is huge potential there for this show to really grow into something special. I really like it in spots, just still in its early stages a little more than the corps above them. I could see this becoming one of my favorites by the end of the season for sure. Boston Crusaders - Goliath Thing I Liked: All captions for them keep getting stronger, it’s incredible how fast they’ve gelled as a team. Brass especially took another big step this year. This show is a blast, tons of very emotionally captivating moments throughout, and lots of variety in those emotions presented. The David and Goliath arc is definitely there, we haven’t had a ton of story or story-esque shows as of late, but Boston Crusaders have really pulled that off well the last few years, and this year is no different. I think my favorite part is definitely the Rocky/My Shot mashup. So fun, high energy, and has some seriously cool stuff in there. The trombone/herald trumpet feature is easily the highlight of the show for me right now. Colorguard is fantastic, that goes without saying. Lots of great staging throughout, and I think they use their props very well as both a way to shape the performance space and interacting with them. Overall this is a great package for them. Things I’ll Watch Develop: The back part of the show, starting with the Tears for Fears part does feel a little less developed, but I know that’s just going to evolve and get fleshed out as the season progresses. Other than that I think just committing to the character of the show and continuing to emphasize the story and strengthen that and they’re set. Nothing stuck out to me as bad or needing a lot of work. I think they just need to clean and evolve and they’re set. Carolina Crown - Beneath the Surface Things I Liked: I will say from the get go I do like this show more than Beast. Brass is obviously a strong point again and I really like the overall aesthetics of the show. I think the real star is the drumline, they’ve found a swagger and level of excellence this year and last that is a joy to watch. I think the back half of the show really shines, the way Gabriel’s Oboe is shaped is just phenomenal and the closer is very energetic and fun. I think it’s also when the props find their best usage, some cool interactions with the colorguard. Overall this is a very strong showing out the gate for them. I think this show is a little easier to get into than Beast was. Things I’ll Watch Develop: I think the front half could develop a lot more, especially in terms of the props. They remain in the same zone for around five minutes before there is a lot of interaction with them. Stage and front ensemble staging doesn’t feel super necessary to me? It does allow the drumline to be center stage on the front sideline right on the fifty, but I feel like that’s at the expense of the drill the rest of the time. I need to see it live, but the ballad especially being behind all that reminds me a little of Cadets in 2014 with their stage and just making the corps feel really far away. Guard bleeds a little into the corps proper a little much for me as well. But overall no glaring huge issues, nothing I think they can’t fix. I’ve read up on the theme and while there are moments that I think it comes across, I’m interested in how they continue to flesh out the show in that regard. I think they’re very strong out the gate, but have some questions in terms of GE longevity. Bluecoats - The Bluecoats (lol) Things I Liked: WOW. This show, like every show of theirs since 2016, has such a distinct feel to it. From the overall aesthetic, to the arraning style, to the overall flow of the show…...they’re to me the most sure of who they are and how they do things. Glad to see this team together for their seventh season, it shows. I love the way the uniforms, props, guard costuming, and silks all play off of each other. There’s no bleeding into each other, but they all still compliment as a whole. All sections seem strong once again this year, percussion especially seems to have taken a leap forward. Musically this is definitely Beatles but in such a Bluecoats way. Thrower and Rarick have been my favorite duo for awhile now and this year is no different. Elanor Rigby in particular is just woah, reminds me a ton of the Shaker Loops/Electronic Counterpoint stuff leading into the ballad in 2015s Kinetic Noise. Which is awesome because that’s two of my favorite minutes of drum corps ever. Blackbird is also another highlight, another great Bluecoats ballad this year. Staging is very solid throughout, they know how to direct your eye. I think the most fun thing about watching them though is how much they obviously enjoy performing their show, I can’t think of another corps that gives off the kind of performance energy they do. I think this is another very strong vehicle for them, awesome job tonight! I was FLOORED when they finished. Things I’ll Watch Develop: I will say going into this show I am probably not as familiar with The Beatles as I should be, I can tell there are some distinct characters in each section that I feel like relate to each song in that section. I need to go sit down and really immerse myself in each song and read the lyrics to see if that helps out some. It’s one of those things were something is most definitely going on, I’m just not entirely sure what. Probably a me problem. But that’s really it. I don’t see any weaknesses. This reminds me of watching 2016 for the first time. I need to see what BD and SCV are doing, but I feel good about this one. And even if it ends up 23rd, I'll still love it. 7 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamahoNow Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Thank you for the effort in this review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Thanks for the review/ thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfever Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) First off, Crown was AMAZING! There is so much potential in this incredibly cerebral show. Mathematics, concepts, shapes - wow. The show concept this year is terrific. The best show design since Inferno and Relentless. Love the uniforms. Oh, yes... the horn line, percussion, and music. All going to be there by the time the dust settles on the season. Fact is, there is more to Crown this year than just the brass (and percussion). This show is the total package - and was only the first show of the year! In spite of being the first show, being within striking distance of Bluecoats in GE should give hope to all Crown fans for a medal-contending show. Bluecoats show will be another fan favorite. Colors, props, costuming, amps, energy - all there. This show will be the delight of newbies to drum corps. Worth the price of the ticket alone. Really enjoyed the Blue Stars show. Terrific design and staging out of the gate. Cadets - Costuming, props, and 2nd half of the show is what sticks out to me. Felt a little uncomfortable with the "attack" of the queen-looking character and the tearing off her costume by the snare player - someone earlier used the term "cringe worthy" - I'd have to agree. Not sure how this one is going to play out. Not much to add on BAC and Phantom. Although, I am looking forward to see how Boston fills out the show. Finally - I thought the theater announcing crew and corps guest interviews could have been a little better. Not much was added by their input. Would have loved to hear more about what to look for in each of the shows - concepts, movements, characters, design... They offered a little, but not much. Sometimes they talked into the beginning of the corps' production. The new analyst, Lindsey, I think her name is - I keep hearing the word "ABSOLUTELY" ring in my ears. Next theater broadcast, the over/under on the word ABSOLUTELY should be 50. I'll take the over. You buy me the beer! Edited June 21, 2019 by drumcorpsfever 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81Freelancers Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 How was the sound quality in terms of volume? Was it loud enough to 'be there?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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