Cincinnati Summer Music Games 6/25

[Jeff Ream]

Just now, FlamMan said:

Come on Jeff, these are 16-22 year olds. The season just started and after the start that Madison has had, every day should be full practice.

well....no. Ya see, health and wellness is something that should be taken into consideration, unlike days of yore superman attitudes and crap treatment that led to overworked, underfed, sick and injured kids. Back in the day you didn't have 5 weeks of spring training where they often go 12-14 hours a day every day. Ya beat the #### out of them 24/7, eventually they start breaking down.

[Guitar1974]

2 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

It's boring, has no color, has no movement further proving OLD SKOOL won't succeed

With all due respect, Scouts got probably the best reponse of the night behind Bluecoats.  They had some very cool elements that the crowd really dug, cool drill, etc.  I thought they moved as much, if not more, than most.  The group I took included adults and middle school band kids and they all liked Scouts second to Blooo.  

[FlamMan]

11 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

well....no. Ya see, health and wellness is something that should be taken into consideration, unlike days of yore superman attitudes and crap treatment that led to overworked, underfed, sick and injured kids. Back in the day you didn't have 5 weeks of spring training where they often go 12-14 hours a day every day. Ya beat the #### out of them 24/7, eventually they start breaking down.

Well, you just made a lot of incorrect assumptions. I marched in 4 drum corps 1973 to 1981, the last of which was the Madison Scouts, and I was never ever treated like crap, overworked, underfed, sick or injured. You can attempt to defend the 2019 Madison Scouts leadership team giving members a "rest and relaxation" day 3 days after the start of the season, but while Madison gets rested, their competitors are practicing and the Scouts are losing ground.  The Cadets have the right approach, Madison does not.

[DAvery]

1 hour ago, Cicook7 said:

Still can’t get over how in the US they cut time zones in the middle of states. Must be so hectic if you happen to travel between those geographical areas for work or family.

Or live in the eastern time zone and work in the central time zone. Or as they say - fast time and slow time. 

[hc6434ot]

1 hour ago, Guitar1974 said:

With all due respect, Scouts got probably the best reponse of the night behind Bluecoats.  They had some very cool elements that the crowd really dug, cool drill, etc.  I thought they moved as much, if not more, than most.  The group I took included adults and middle school band kids and they all liked Scouts second to Blooo.  

I love the Scouts’ show. I think they have the most room to grow out of the corps around them.

[hc6434ot]

1 hour ago, FlamMan said:

Come on Jeff, these are 16-22 year olds. The season just started and after the start that Madison has had, every day should be full practice.

Excuse me? They’ve performed THREE (!!!!!!) times! Give them time. They will develop, and they don’t need to read about you b******* about it all

[oldbandguy]

Just a few thoughts on tonight's show....

Fairfield band boosters do a GREAT job every year, tonight was certainly no exception.
Nice job with the SSB by the Fairfield band!
The Hamilton stadium compares favorably to last year's Mason stadium, but parking much better at Mason.
Good size crowd...bigger than Saturday night's show at Canton.
Very disappointed there was no encore...not sure what happened there.

Cincinnati Tradition got things started.  Their warm up was very close to the field and I kept thinking "that sounds REALLY good."  I can remember when this corps was about 1/4 the size it is now.  Nice to see they are continuing to grow in both numbers and quality.  As to be expected they do not have a complete show on the field yet, but what they have is done well...especially knowing it's still June and, unlike the World Class groups, they haven't had the benefit of 4-5 weeks of Spring Training.  I really look forward to seeing their finished product.

Madison Scouts were considerably better than I had anticipated after watching them of FloM.  They were very well received by the crowd.  This corps still carries the mystique of the Madison Scouts name/brand.  If any corps is entitled to do an "old school" style show I would think it would be the Scouts.  However I don't anticipate this show being able to compete, score wise, for a return to a finals position.  The corps appeared to be very young.  I hope they can have a good retention percentage in the next couple of years!  I would also say that the uniform left me a little flat.  Would much prefer they had gone with a retro look from the early 2000s.

The Colts appear to have taken a pretty significant step up in terms of contemporary design.  I like the new costumes, but still prefer the more traditional "red team" look, but I totally understand why they made the change.  They have some nice props, but are still figuring out how best to use them.  The wind created a few issues with them.  The Colts have some fine musicians and a good book.  With some more visual layering and getting the back half of the show stronger musically I could see them in the fight for finals night.

Spirit of Atlanta had the show I most want to see again (with the exception of The Beatles).  Their use of color/costuming/props is indeed top 12 worthy.
They have a very strong music book that I think will become even more appreciated by fans/judges as the season progresses.  This show has MUCH potential and I look for a real battle between them and Phantom this year...which they are winning at this early stage.

The Cadets were better than they were at Canton.  They have some very talented musicians and a music book that I feel can compete for top 6.  I am hoping they have more of Maslanka Symphony #4 in the works.  In my opinion it is simply too short and not yet supplying the impact they need for the ending of the show.  They made some changes visually with the way the treat the queen and her death, but it's still not communicating well to most of the crowd in my opinion.  Cadets do get an A+ for their 4 large props.  They are used very well.  The drumline played much better tonight.  

The BLUECOATS...WOW.  I've watched the development of this show through Spring Training and what really has me impressed and excited is how well the members, in all sections, are making this show "their own."  The 2014, 2016 and 2018 shows all developed this "vibe", but it took time.  Bloo is coming out of the gate firing on all cylinders!  Each member seems to be taking ownership of the production and are selling it to the crowd in a very professional manner.  I think this is going to be the "crowd pleaser" all year long and is most certainly a gold medal contender.   In my opinion there are no weak moments, no weak sections, and certainly no obscure story line or theme to leave anyone confused.  The music book by Doug Thrower and Tom Rarick has quickly become my favorite of anything they've ever done.  That, IMHO, is really saying something.  The Bluecoats have done 3 performances and have added some new things in each.  I know there's still more to come.  The design team of Bloo has done it again!

 

[jjeffeory]

5 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

It's boring, has no color, has no movement further proving OLD SKOOL won't succeed

I mean, OLD SKOOL marched more than today. What they're doing is currently ineffective 

[Fran Haring]

5 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Other countries have their own quirks. One province in Canada is a half-hour different than the next one over. That province was the subject of recent Broadway musical. I haven't seen it; I wonder if any of the songs would translate to drum corps.

Hadestown Province?

[Fran Haring]

3 hours ago, DAvery said:

Or live in the eastern time zone and work in the central time zone.

That cannot be easy.  Do you have to set two watches?   LOL