Another Lima Review

[Machine]

I arrived in Lima last night on the heels of a thunderstorm but decided to brave the lingering rain anyway. I donned my poncho and my brand new Blue Knights hat courtesy of the souvie stand and made my way into the stadium. I watched a small group of colorguard practicing rifle work in the concourse while I waited for the show to start. I arrived early since I hadn't bought tickets in advance. The colorguard turned out to be Scenic City's.

At 7:25 I made my way to my seat. 4 rows up, dead nuts on the 50 yard line. This was gonna be sweet. They announced a half hour delay to allow the rain to diminish and to allow the corps adequate time to warm up. Apparently some had difficulty finding the stadium (glad I wasn't the only one!!). Rather than go back inside I braved the light rain for the half hour wait. Someone must have had access to the weather channel because the rain stopped just a little before 8:00. Show time!

Scenic City - 44.60: This was my first time ever seeing this corps. I was impressed! The show is very well written. It's definitely an appropriate vehicle for a corps of this caliber and size. The two things that stuck out at me were an ungodly number of solos (a dozen at least! or so it seemed...) and the colorguard work. There were a few dance elements incorporated into the show that didn't really seem to work. But, you've gotta learn somewhere I guess. There was also a section where the entire colorguard seemed to be lost and looking to each other for direction. I don't know if it was a newly added section or not. But, it's early, they'll learn it, but most importantly they looked like they were having a blast out there! And that's what it's really all about. The ending caught me a little off guard. It seemed like they were building up for something but got there too soon. It was over and I was thinking, huh?

Marion Glory Cadets - 40.90: I've read previously some commentary about their show design so I tried to keep an open mind going into their performance. Unfortunately, I have to concur with the previous opinions. As perfectly as Scenic City's show was designed, this show is not. The choice of selections requires a powerful, deep hornline. Maybe powerful isn't an absolute must but the musical parts require a depth that cannot be achieved with only 1 or 2 horns on a part. As a result, even if the corps can achieve volume, they don't achieve the power that is inherently a part of the music. Also, unfortunately, I don't think this is a problem that can be entirely fixed with learning. They just don't have the guns to pull it off. Don't worry, I won't leave you all in despair! The kids are doing their best with what they have been given and I admire them a lot for that. By the end of the season I think they will be performing it well, but it won't come anywhere close to achieving the kind of effect they could have achieved with a different program.

Capital Regiment - 54.60: This is a strong young corps with a wonderful show. I can't wait to see them from up top, but from down in the 4th row it looks like they have good movement and field coverage. The feet need some work (but whose don't?). I'm really digging there music as well. There's a wonderful melody in the latter part of the program that stuck in my head until it was jarred loose by the Denver Black Knights.... er, Blue Knights. But more on that in a second. I really like Capital Regiment's show this year and can't wait to see how they stack up against the rest of Div II. They've got a program that can take them places, but they still have execution issues to fix.

Blue Knights - 64.60: Let's all get on the same page here. Blue Knights does not equal Madison Scouts. Blue Knights does not equal The Cadets. Why are people flaming them for not being like someone else? Maybe it's because they are like someone else. They used to be called The Cadets of the Rockies (or something like that), but after watching this show let me tell you a new Star has been born in the west. No wonder they are stirring up so much controversy! This is a dark, menacing show. Almost a reincarnation of Star's '93 program. From the drum major's snarl at the press box just after his ready salute to the final jabbing chord, there is nothing "nice" about this production! They have a beautiful ballad anchoring a sea of chaos (not necessarily a bad chaos). Time will tell if this will be a good thing. If they can harness that chaos and control it to the point where they have "precision mayhem" a la '93 Star and '95 BD, then this show can do some damage come August. BTW - Just to be clear on this, I loved it!

Troopers - 47.60: Let me pull out the Madison Mantra.... "They were robbed!" I mean, come on. If you're gonna fight for anyone it should be America's Corps, right? Everyone loves the Troopers! I honestly expected their score to be higher although once they add drill and colorguard work to the final 2 minutes of their program I'm sure they will shoot up the score sheet. I really really liked this show. For a smallish horn line they were most definitely loudish! I'm not attuned to pick up the nuances of ensemble play but from my vantage point I thought they sounded awesome. The music sounded vaguely familiar. Turns out it's because the Glassmen are doing the same stuff. A positive of the Trooper's over the Glassmen.... they give you a chord that you can become emotionally attached to. BK and the Glassmen have been and were again tonight the biggest violators of my chord principle. I like short jabbing chords depending how they are written, but don't jab for the heck of it. Hold it long enough for me to love it! Especially at the ends of songs and shows. Anyway, overall I thought the Troopers did an outstanding job considering this was their first competition of the season.

Bluecoats - 70.20: Dare I say, en fuego? These guys were smokin' last night! And they finished their drill! The last 30 seconds was worth the wait. I was waiting for the mark time they had been doing at the end of their show when they suddenly split at the 50 and peeled off to towards the endzone. This is some flying drill. After doing what looked like a spiral on each of the 35's (remember I'm sitting practically at field level) they come back together in a box like formation at midfield for that last sweet blast from the hornline. This show has grown on me exponentially each time I've seen it! Their biggest issue is going to be cleanliness. I saw lots and lots of foot phasing issues. Even during the relatively slower and easier ballad. We'll see if they can clean it up enough to move up from last years 8th place finish. Unfortunately for them, competition is much much fiercer this year than last!

Glassmen - 70.40: I was kind of surprised by the score. Even though the Bluecoats were on I didn't think the Glassmen were that far off. Or maybe that's exactly why the score was that close. While the Bluecoats have improved immensely each of the 3 times I've seen them, the Glassmen seem to be virtually the same. They opened their show on fire as well. I love their opening statement and opening piece. They were not the loudest corps of the night but produced probably the best overall sound in terms of control, depth, and texture that I have heard all year outside of the Cavaliers! Wonderfully warm and lush. But that cooled somewhat in the ballad and closer where I noticed some phasing in the brass parts. The battery was once again tearing up the field. They are rock solid! I also saw some foot phasing but not to the extent that I saw in the Bluecoats. I assumed that execution would keep them well out in front, but it appears that tides are shifting in the GE department. I think there is some work to be done in the closer musically. There's a great theme in there, but the piece loses focus quickly after the opening statement and just kind of treads water until the end.

[MikeN]

Thanks for the review!

Mike