DCA Sunday

[Jeffsjetta]

Sunday...roll out of bed a little later than i wanted to. weather looks great, unfortunately miss the Air Froce corps at the alumni show. alumni may be out of order....i cant remember who went on when.

Brigs alumni....very nice show! I missed the first half, but i loved the fact that you and your field corps played well off of each other! you guys have grown!

Light Brigade.......well...not as much 27th as i wanted, but enough to make me smile. Loved the wheel suring Danny Boy, and the guard reviving some of those classic 27th manuevers. From what Fran said it sounded like you didnt have the whole corps there. wow. great sound with what was there!

Sky alumni. man, your field corps was hyped to see you and you returned the hype. so cool that the field corps sang the corps song as you set up! 10 man snare line...old school style...on slings, mylar heads....and dear god could you guys wail. i am not kidding when i say this...every single kid drumming today should see a video of that snare line. let me say for the record i bow to you all. and the horns were no slouch either! Donnie Solinger always said about that Skyliner sound....you sure had it! screamers, non screamers, you name it. NYNY tag was awesome and so was Elks Parade, dancing Konga included. you brought down the house! Richie...i am proud of you!

Yankee rebels alumni.....IMO, not the best i have ever seen you, but still very good. i am biased, dad marched there 73-76. still, you made this kid who grew up in the Hamilton post a happy boy.

Bsoton alumni...smaller than past years, but still a hype. Conquest always brings down the house!

Blessed Sac...wow! i saw you last year, and never saw you in your heyday, but what a show. truly, your show showed why in your time, you guys were the stuff!

St joes....another fun show. loved the drum feature. Bully always raises the goosebumps.

Cabs alumni.....talk about corps interaction. At times, soloists turned and played to the corps. "Let's Go Hawthorne". fabulous hornline, and Evita brought a tear. as much as i loved the field corps, no one rumps like you guys and gals do. Ponzo....your had your A game today man.

Royal Airs......again, inspiring. the taps arrangement was chilling. the starters gun was great( the crowd loved it!) and you guys and gals marched and played, IMO, better than last year. a lesson in history and more required viewing for kids. I could say a lot, but i am not sure how to phrase it. this folks, is why alumni corps kicks ###.

only one complaint. to the DCA official(he had the blue shirt on) who LOUDLY brought his family to seats near me during a corps show...shame on you. taking seats while a corps is on the field is bad enough, but to be so loud while doing it is worse. if it had been your corps on the field, you would have been ######. well, many around me were.

hotel then a quick nap. back to the stadium, find seats, drop a few things off, then off to the Stadium Club to bs for a few.

5th row, dead center. lower than i would have liked but still #### good seats!

Sun...better show than prelims, and again, welcome back! got to pay more attention to the show this time, and i especially liked some of thebrass voicings used. a great start to a comeback we'll all enjoy seeing.

Heatwave...you too took it up a notch. cleaner than saturday, and with more energy to boot. a well deserved victory.

at this point, to save from being redndant, i will state that IMO, every single corps on the field had their best show of the season at finals. Everyone threw down, and, again, IMO, the best DCA finals i can remember since....oh...1983. top to bottom, no slouches.

Sky......such enegery. NYNY really got the crowd rocking, and you fed off of it. Some definite improvements in performance. Not sure why the score went down, but it was agreat show.

Hurcs...wow! the show grew on me. earlier in the year i didnt like it...i didnt think Vegas was in there enough. man did that change! the props were well used, and the guard was a show all by istelf, especially during Heartbreak hotel. Loved the Mag 7 hit, and also the snippet of Godzilla. yes folks, Blue Oyster Cult on a drum corps field. soprano screamer is among the best out there. drumline, while young, had some quality moments. see my post about Grenadiers from saturday...keep these kids, mold them and wow! hornline had no serious issues and had power when needed. note to DM.....loved your attempt to communicate with the crowd. but the crowd wasnt buying it. look for the reasons why and learn from them. you have the tools to be a great one, but the fans arent buying it.

at this point, the older gentleman next to me decided to lecture me on drinking. i wasn;t drunk, i wasnt loud or abrasive, and in fact the lady on the other side of me joked with me about seeing my posts on here and how many more I owe Ponzo. but this old coot( disrespectful yes but deserved) wouldnt let it go. I finally told him i was getting bombed, i had no intentions of being obnoxious, and, politely with differenet terminology, told him to kiss my ###. he tried to make a comment later in the night but i ignored him.

Grennies....much improved from perlims! maybe some dirt that was offset by hype, but still a great show. First Circle seemed more on tonight than it did at prelims, and the drumline just smoked in some spots. brass seemed to have more power as well.

Crusaders.......great show! you truly lit the place up, and the drumlibe overhype issues from prelims dissapeared. Not sure why the score dropped, but the performance was truly a gas. the direction change from jazz to classical worked well. design came acorss better under the lights, and the guard was truly beautiful.

CV.......much more fun to see in dry conditions! that guard so sells the show....i cant say i like the guard uni design, but i loved the purple. the warmup of georgia, complete with turn around and blow down the house moment was awesome and the crowd loved it. another score i am not sure why it went down, as the performance level was up from prelims.

MBI......perc smoked! total balls by the judges to give the number up that early, but your performance justified it. Hornline had more power than prelims, and the guard seemed to sell the show better. marching also looked much cleaner. your jump was deserved.

Bush.....truly a great show. the guard was incredible, and the brass played with a focus unseen to date. percussion played very well, including a bass run that left me thinking of 93. man...10 more horns and who knows. over all tho, when you look at this field, 7th is nothing to be upset at.

Bucs......no tears tonight, and the corps was on a mission...one could feel the energy from the members. percussion played so very well...minor fuzz here and there. pit is under rated IMO. hornline had a great low sound. the guard was truly into their characters, and this show, like Bush was hurt only by the level of quality around you.

( i expect no nasty grams in email regarding drum comments this year)

renegades........wondered if they could live up to the hype from Saturdays performance. yes! the second viewing allowed me to see so much more that i missed yesterday.....drums had a few issues in the first half that werent there saturday but overall played very well. brass turned it up a notch if that is possible. Guard was very expressive, and Lisa...i cant believe you went out at the end of the show. serious props to you girl. feel no shame in the placement...your second trip to DCA and now you're top 4 or 6 depending on how you look at it.

Empire......on fire! with a day to get emotions in check, this corps came out to make Mr B proud, and they did. no mello issue for Joey at finals, and he nailed all his sop stuff. loved the suit too. guard was very good at the dance stuff, and so was the corps! drumline played very well, and the brass peeled some paint. the whole corps marched very well...may even have been near the top there. in your time of pain, you delivered one for the ages. my heart went out to you all.

David Bruni...much has been said about you good or bad. in my time up there you were always great to me, and i thank you for it. my heart goes out to your family and yourself. again, how you did it i dont know. Buti am in awe that you were able to do it. You made your father proud. i hope someone shows you this. You were "my favorite part"

Brigs...you did not go down without a fight. you gave your all, and then some. you left your hearts on the field in the right way. perc played well, esp the pit. brass line...what can be said? you made my ears bleed, you made my heart tug. surprisingly, i didnt catch the guard much...i apologize, but Christine informed me you did very well. what can you say gang...any other year who knows. but you performed to your best, you had the crowd in your hands, and you reacted with class. my hats off to you

Cabs.........ok...any nerves tonight? None. this corps came and delivered. drum score a bit low IMO, but again, maybe a note or two too many in spots. still...i'd take that show any day drummers. bassline set a new standard in DCA....better than Bucs 00.. they also won showmanship, and its easy to see why. to whoever said months ago the water effect sucked....you're wrong. bassline under the rumps made me giggle like a 4 year old. the whole corps marched their ##### off...or should i say ran. Curt delivered as did all soloists. color guard...greg delivered, the guard responded, and the score stands on its own. hornline...no stamina issues with that drill which is amazing. pure power when eeded, and the ballad again delivered tears. and pit...wow what an improvement! congrats to the whole corps......you deserved it, and deserve to be proud. now remember...you are the hunted, and there are 6 and maybe more corps under you who are hungry.

to Jimmy....the only cabs Dm i have ever known. thank you for so many great memories. a pure class act all the way around. I am so glad you forgave me for when we first met in 96( i kinda told him i was 1 when he took over...it meant it in a good way but he may not have taken it that way, but always a class act he still teases me about it). Also...thank you for the autograph for Ruth you signed on Friday night. she is 90, her husband just passed away in she is in poor health herself., it killed her not to see your last show, and she grabbed my order form today to get the videos. she refuses to go til she sees your last show!

no exhbition, so off to the stadium club while retreat sets up. had an awesome time next to the Rengades drum staff. what a group....truly fun guys. Ed and Lee had me wetting myself laughing. oh Lee...thanks for having Hoppy 3 feet from me. i owe you one :P Ed......if it is true i am why the renebike was in there(i doubt it) i am honored. it worked well too!

retreat....awards not nearly as annoying as last year. still some silly ones. at this rate, i expect high pit crew awards like band shows have.

no real surprises except renegades penalty. it was weird......score announced crowd booed very loudly. kinda like Madison...they play loud, crowd loves em, score announced, people boo loudly. conspiracy?

brigs...awesome tribute to Empire. i have never seen a stadium so quiet. considering the past between the two corps, it was truly touching.

Heatwave vicotry concert, complete with Vic in the stand in hawaiian shirt, jams, black socks and white shows was fun. cabs victory concert was so fun to see....that corps truly enjoyed their moment yet marched their show in championship form.

GG...my brother...way to go man. you did it.

another quick trip to the club, then off to renegades central. what a fun group. I think i have now met the entire corps, and it was quite fun to be told i have the coolest fiancee in drum corps(they were right too!) for the record, i am not why the cops came, i was behaving. well, behaving for me. I thank you all, esp Chris Nalls, lee, Ed, alisha, Stu and everyone..or EVERYONE...for your hospitality. save a spot for Christine and I for Chinese New years.

and thats the season. i said to Christine in the car, this is the best and worst day of the year...it's finals, yet its the end of the season too. DCA 2003 will go down in the books as being the best finals show in years, for having quality corps at all levels,for being well run, and for not having horrendous prices. hats off to all DCA officials.

[MikeD]

Sunday...roll out of bed a little later than i wanted to. weather looks great, unfortunately miss the Air Froce corps at the alumni show. alumni may be out of order....i cant remember who went on when.

GREAT review, Jeff.

Mike

[Sean1]

nice job jeff

[csugrad]

Most excellent!

[mikemey]

Very nice review Jeff!

[SunRunner]

Jeff,

Excellent Review! thanks for taking the time to do one.

Larry Visconti

Sunrisers 72 - ?

[susperc1]

Thanks Jeff

[Jeffsjetta]

again, thank you all. by far the best DCA i can remember since 1983. top to bottom no one sucked, i have no real beef w/judging, the brown shirts, the beer vendors or mother nature.

[Banger3b]

no real surprises except renegades penalty. it was weird......score announced crowd booed very loudly. kinda like Madison...they play loud, crowd loves em, score announced, people boo loudly. conspiracy?

I believe we are begining to feel "at home" in Scranton.

Thanks Jeff for your support,

and also to all the great DCA fans.....we do it for you.

This was a great year.

[Bond624]

Ummm Jeff I want to make you feel better about giving your review..

YOUR REVIEW SUCKED>> HOW COULD YOU SAY>>>> OH MY GOSH YOU NEED TO>>>> .. There does that make you feel like the old..

PEOPLE I AM KIDDING ITS A JOKE>> Really Jeff great Reviews thanks For doing them.

I For one am glad you enjoyed the shows.. Especially ours..

I hope this season has set a new standard (is it new or just back to what it was) in Drum Corps not only Sr.. But since Hoppy was around ( and Jeff I know how buddy buddy you two are) Maybe Jr will take after us and do the same.

Thanks again Jeff. I believe there will be more to come...