Jenison 6/21

[wayd]

A beautiful night for drum corps last night. The stadium was a little less than 2/3 full, which is rather disappointing considering the Grand Rapids metro area has around a million people and the area is a hotbed for marching bands. The show organizers could have done a better job getting the word out, but this was only the second time the show has been hosted by Jenison and the crowd was an improvement over last year. Anyways, on to the corps!

First up was SENIC CITY. I believe this was the first time I have ever seen this corps, and I was quite pleased. They had some wonderful soloists and their Chicago show had some nice design elements to it. The theme of the show was "Saturday in the Park," so they had the guard dressed as people I guess you would see in a park (policeman, waitress, jogger, etc). Problem is, these outfits served to obscure the guard which was probably a little small in relation to the corps to begin with. There are different ways to get the theme across, without making the guard invisible. The other main problem that this corps had was that the stronger players in the horn line had left their superman capes on when the entered the field and attempted to carry the entire show on their shoulders. As a result, there were too many voices sticking out (especially in the sops), and there were a number of occaisions when the meter pulled. Overall, though, this was a nice start to the evening and this corps is deffinately headed for a nice year.

Next up were the AMERICANOS. I've always enjoyed this show and this year was no exception. The mello's at the start of La Fiesta were like butta. Just beautiful. The guard had nice uniforms that looked nice on a variety of body types and worked well with both the male and female members of the guard. Toward the end of the show the corps got noticably tired and started to run out of gas. They did pick up the intensity in the closer, and with time endurance will improve. Some rewrites would probably also increase the intensity in the middle of the show as well, but it is hard to say how much was a design problem and how much was a lack of endurance. Also, a couple more contra's would have helped balance out the corps sound. I am looking forward to seeing this show as the summer progresses though.

The third corps of the night were the MARION GLORY CADETS. Do you remember in '96 (I believe), when Marion just blew everyone away? I was at a show that summer in Caledonia, MI and they stole the show, getting by far the biggest crowd response of the night over a number of open class corps. That year they were probably half the size they are this year, but my oh my are the differences incredible. That year every member was clearly performing to the highest degree, but the show was written to allow them to excell. Not the case this year. As many of people have pointed out, this show is just not right for the corps. I'm not sure whether it is too difficult, as many have suggested, since I am sure they have people all over the place in learning the show, but the music and drill are just all wrong for a corps this size. There seems to be absolutely no melodic line in music, and the music and drill never seem to go anywhere leaving the audience completely flat. Now I am sure Marion will improve as the season progresses (they always do), but I have a feeling that come late July they will still not be able to connect with the crowd the way they did six years ago because this show is just all wrong. Too bad for the kids.

Next up was intermission, and a mad dash for me to the restroom (Jenison's stadium was built in the 70s when people apparently did not need to urinate, thus there are two urinals and two toilets in the men's room. Being a Jenison alum, I knew that the line would be long if I didn't hurry. Thankfully a recently passed bond initiative will bring improvements to the athletic facilities and hopefully some more toilets).

Also during intermission, the ubiquitous "annoying little kid dragged to the show by a parent who marched 20 years ago" left. Note to parents: leave the toddlers and infants at home or sit away from everyone else. A two year old can barely make it through a barney video, much less a four hour drum corps show. My advice, take them to a rehearsal where you can leave as soon as the lose interest. My wife and I left our little girl with grandma. You should too.

Back to our regularly scheduled review.

The GLASSMEN were up next and they didn't disappoint. I've never been a big Gmen fan, but they did a good job of winning me over last year. Their show is much more upbeat compared to last year's show, but it doesn't seem to have the intensity that last year's did. Getting rid of the feet in the horns will make make a huge improvement in their overall sound. I can't say enough about the flugel soloist. I am assuming it is the same guy who wowed us last year. The solo doesn't have as many notes as last year's, but it has some incredible intervals. Just beautiful. While the show didn't have the intensity of last year's show, the crowd did eat it up giving them the one of the best crowd responses of the night (only behind Madison and Regiment). Overall, I really liked this show, but I did have Regiment above them in the end.

The BLUE KNIGHTS were in the unfortunate position of following the Glassmen with a horribly boring show. This show was performed very nicely, but in the end it seemed to be an exercise in creating a completely flat show with no emotion. If that was the goal, then they succeeded. I usually look forward to seeing the Blue Knights so I was sorely disappointed after seeing this show. You can have an esoteric and abstract show, without it being boring. Obviously not everyone will agree with that sentiment, but there is no excuse for putting on a show that is this boring. The music had no high points, no were there any quiet moments. It was just a nice mf. The drill had absolutely no velocity, and did nothing to excite you. Also, whoever designed the guard's uniforms should be taken out back and beaten. I thought they were hideous. My wife said they looked like carnies, and my mom said that they were obscene. It was just wrong in every way possible. Sheer fabric + rolls = ew. I always thought that 95 Regiment was the standard bearer for inappropriate guard uniforms for people of varying body types, but the traveling trophy has just left Rockford for Denver. On a positive note, the guard's flags, as always, were beautiful.

REGIMENT was the next corps up, and I am not sure if I can put into words how much I enjoyed this show. I never had the opportunity to see 96 Regiment in person (the one time I was at a show they were at, it ended up being a stand still), so I will have to rank this show as the best Regiment show I have seen since 94. Was it as good as 93? No, but it was baby throwing good all the same. There was none of the disappointing finishes that in my opinion have come to mark Regiments last few shows. Instead, they maintain their intensity throughout the show. The only thing I would see happening is to rewrite the drill for the end of the show. It is good, but it lacks a frantic, crazy quality that will set the crowd on fire. Since I have been making comments about guard uni's, I would like to mention that Regiment's were very nice, complementary, and they were designed to compliment the girls' body types. The guard takes of these kind of coats or tops after the opener, and while some of the girls are showing off their tummy's, the girls that shouldn't have been had uniforms that covered them up. Thank you for that. All I can say is do not miss this show. My faith in what is happening in Rockford has been restored. All is almost well (bring back the white uni's (please)).

The BLUECOATS were the next corps on the field and their show was thoroughly entertaining. I really enjoyed the product they put on the field. In my opinion it was from top to bottom the most entertaining (not necessarily my favorite) product put on the field. I do have to say I was disappointed that they have not finished the show yet. They really had the crowd going until they stood still for the last 20 seconds of the show. I really can't think of anything specific to comment about regarding this show. This is a terrific show.

Closing the show were the MADISON SCOUTS. First let me say, we were all shocked that the Blue Kights beat Madison, but after reading about the missing judge it makes sense. I just wish they would have announced that to the crowd. Madison, has a great sound this year. Just like Regiment, Madison's sound is completely recognizable. Now if drum corps shows were held in parking lots, Madison would be right up there. Unfortunately they're not and in spite of all the talk of an improved visual package, Madison still has a long way to go to catch up with the big boys. Now there were some nice elements in the show, such as the cadet-ish swirl at the end of the show and the company front that came at you three times (and really I think the company front was more musically exciting than visually stimulating), but in general this show is about ten years behind the times (I won't even go into the problems with their marching style, which contributes to many of their visual problems). Now did the crowd eat it all up. You bet, but even tonight there wasn't the same frenzy that you usually see when Madison takes the field. I love Madison, and they put on a very entertaining show. I just hope that they will continue to make the moves that will eventually put them back into drum corps' elite.

I want to apologize for the lack of comments regarding guard work and percussion. This was a first viewing so I didn't pay a ton of attention to the guard, and I'm not a drummer so I don't want to comment on stuff I know nothing about.

Let's keep the reviews coming. I won't be able to get to a show until Michigan City in July, and even that is an iffy proposition with a six week old daughter.

Doug