STOCKTON, CA REVIEW

[Guizeppe]

Place: STOCKTON, CA

Show: MOONLIGHT CLASSIC

Stadium: STAGG MEMORIAL STADIUM @ University of the Pacific (UOP)

Date/Time: June 19, 6:30 - 10:30

Weather: Low 80s to mid 60s

View: From the 45 about half way up (row 30ish)

Ah. The first corps show of the year. You can almost taste the excitement. 12 corps - 5 A, 4 B, 1 C & 2 Senior - should make for one heck of a show. So, with no more adoo, I present my review of the Moonlight Classic:

Venue: A short bit about one of the best stadiums the corps play at this season. Stagg is a bowl with seating at a perfect angle. Seats are 60 to 70 rows high in a U shape around the South side of the stadium. Corps enter via a ramp from the left/North end (a note to those who remember the old ramp that used to send pit carts and marimbas flying into the field, kinda fun to watch even though the slope has been lessened). Parking is easy and close. Really one of the most unknown but perfect places for a show. Crowd was probably 2/3 full by the end of the evening. And perfect weather might I add. Alright, moving on.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Being that this was all of these corps first competition of the year, I will not be harping on drill forms/spacing/marching. I hope no one's disappointed.

In Order of Appearance::

RENEGADES: 65.10

First I need to point out the "unique" pit instruments: A giant raffle drum, a bike with its back wheel scraping a cymbal, chains on a piece of sheet metal, a curtain of duplo-blocks, & a rake scraping a giant washboard. I guess they used them all, I wasn't much paying attention. I like the "evil" warm-up in minor. The opening hit was very powerful. They seem to have 5 drum majors on three sides of the field. The megaphones are back, as well as the screamers, hitting heights once thought unreachable. The contras have a very long bass run that perhaps left them a little fatigued by the end of the show as there was a small tear between them and the pit. Something else that was frequent this night was the lack of guard uniforms. Seems everyone is either saving money or has orders on back-order. The drum line is much cleaner than previous years, although not as big. The solo was very good. Near the end of their show they try, note: try, to use these blue-man group inspired tube instruments carried by some sops. They're too soft, don't use em. Honestly, they don't really even look that cool, so I say ditch'em. Overall they are looking pretty good for the beginning of the season. Far less tagging, which is a very good thing. The music has already come together, so now it's just down to cleaning that drill. Good job.

RIVER CITY REGIMENT: 46.20

Here's the good news, they have uniforms, screamers, and a much larger guard. Unfortunately, they have taken kind of a step back this year. They are about the size they were two years ago with no pit. The uniforms are white shirts/ black pants with a shiny blue sash. The music they chose was very effective, but I think they were too spread out for their size. When you only have 40 or so members there is no need to stretch out the field. More blocks, more lines, more condensing. The two screamers are always a welcome sight, and the drum line was clean though only about 10 large. Not too bad for what you've got, I just hope you get bigger.

BLUE DEVILS "C": Novice

What can I say? More than just cute kids, very talented cute kids. They have new uni's with blue/black jackets separated by a shiny silver sash. Very fancy. I thought it was funny that their drum line, to this point, had the most tenors in it (5). The trio of soloists at the beginning were perfectly in tune and perfectly played. And who doesn't love hearing Copa Cabana on a drum corps field!? The guard was very good, especially around the soloists, and the guard vocal groove leading into the drum line groove was fantastic. The drum line even did the eighth-note off beats. They end with Caravan where it begins with three soloists, all little ladies, who let their hair down before bustin' out those notes. Very cool show. Nothing bad I could say about all the great kids out there. Great job once again.

THE ACADEMY: 64.30

UN..............BE.............LIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am seriously getting chills sitting here just thinking about how I'm going to put this into words. First, let me apologize to the corps because I'm about to ruin the surprise for everyone else who has the privilege to see you this year. So, for those of you who are going to Hayward tonight, or are going to see these guys somewhere this year and want them to be a surprise, please scroll past this review. This was there first show EVER in their brief history as a performing ensemble from Arizona. They take the field at I'm guessing at least 100 large (yes, they are Div. 2). The first thing that struck me was the lack of warm-up. You would think for your first corps performance ever that you might want to warm-up a little. No need. They just came out a blew the house down. They were probably the third cleanest corps of the night, behind BD & SCV, both musically and drill wise. They are extremely well balanced. Imagine if there was a corps out there that did nothing for a few years but study the best - the brass quality of Phantom, the moves of Cadets, the style of Vanguard, the imagination of Cavies, the drums of BD & the crowd appeal of Scouts, then roll it all into one division 2 powerhouse. This is what you would get. My mouth seriously dropped when they hit their first notes. The announcer even said, after the standing O of course, "Can I just say that was amazing!?" They wear all black with their logo on the back of the shirt, and the guard is brightly colored with wonderful flags that do nothing but compliment the corps' performance. Drums clean, brass clean, guard clean. Absolutely unimaginably amazing. Shame on anyone who gets up to go to the bathroom during their slot. And a note to the Hayward program officials, let them go at the end of div. 2's performance line. Must see, must see, must see. The surprise of the year. I felt privileged to be at their first performance in what could the beginning of something timeless. Stunning performance.

FEVER: 56.60

I felt bad for them after what had just occurred, but they showed they are not ones to back down. They are definitely larger than last year. This gives them a much larger and well balanced sound overall. The opener was a little shaky as far as attacks go, but by the end everything was falling into place. They are playing songs in very difficult meters, Tool for example. Tough to do. The guard's uni's are plain black, perhaps not ordered yet, but they were very good flag wise and barefoot (must have felt nice on the grass). The drums are clean and the pit has a very nice solo. Really good performance for this second year corps. The only beef I have is they ended on a soft note, which kind of took the audience by surprise. I halfway thought the show wasn't finished. Is it? Anyway, if they're going to finals they should do well. My prediction of them beating BDB was correct. Very good effort and very intriguing show design. Nice job.

SCV CADETS: 61.85

Well they were the favorite before that Arizona thing happened. I think their thunder was stolen a bit from the crowd. They have broken form from the classic SCV uni's with green pants, a white and green jacket with red sash and one red sleeve. The corps does seem a little smaller, which I think ended up leaving them with less power than usual. The drum line was very clean, as well as the guard. The drum solos were near perfect. The brass is a little off balance, on the high side, and the intonation seemed a little off. The show's music doesn't really grasp me, but overall the performance was pretty tight, only a few missed attacks and forms. They should be a strong contender for the Div.2 crown again this year (as long as the Academy isn't going). Not bad at all.

BLUE DEVILS “B”: 56.35

Hey look, more new uni’s. They look like Blue Knights “B” now, with black pants, white and blue jacket with a shiny blue sash. The first thing that struck us (by us I mean my wife, brother and me) was the guard was wearing complimentary outfits. Who would’ve thought blue corps uni’s would match with different shades of blue guard uni’s. Anyway, they seem bigger which like Fever helped their balance. It’s easy to see where BD “A” gets their great drummers. Very strong drum line with killer basses. The drum feature with the pods was good but needs cleaning. Overall I thought the show was ok, but the brass seemed to play only about 4-5 minutes of the show. The rest is drums, which were good nonetheless. I also thought the closing block should have been condensed for power sake. Not bad, placed where they should’ve.

ESPERANZA: 57.85

Good to see them retain they’re size for the jump to division 1. The opener begins backfield with a big turn and hit that announces their presence in the division. They have a very strong sop section and are pretty solid in every section. I liked their show because it kept moving and had a good beat to it. What I didn’t like was the amount of backfield playing that took place. You could sit on the opposite side of the field and see/hear half the show as if they’re playing to you. Too much for my taste. The guard didn’t seem to have uniforms, just black leotards, but good flags. A nice show that should get them in the top 18 this year. I had them scored above PC.

PACIFIC CREST: 60.60

Very intriguing show design. They start with a “dead” guard member on the 35 with the entire corps 20 yards behind her in a straight line. Then they blast out their first notes and disconnect to form an unsorted mass around her for the big welcome chord. This theme is repeated about half way through the show as well. I would have to say this is a very visual show. Lots of guard work, all good by the way, and lots of movement, but not much music. Seemed to be a lot of staccato blasts and bangs, very BD-esque. The harmon mutes for the sops during the ballad were a nice touch. The brass is well balanced when they’re all playing. A very cool effect was the snares picking up various forms of hand-drums during the drum feature. The music didn’t strike me as great; the marching was good (I’ve always liked their uni’s with the white pants and shiny blue triangled vest thingy.), the drum line at times was dirty. I think the show just needs more in your face moments. Not bad, but tough to say I really liked it.

MANDARINS: 60.80

The only bad news with this corps, and it seems to be a trend, is their size never seems to increase. They still are only marching maybe 80 members. That having been said, they have a great sound for what they are. You’ll be happy to know that they brought back, in major form, the taiko drums. The first minute of their show is all taiko and drum line, very very nice. I’m not a big fan of the singing portion of the show mainly because it goes on a little too long. Perhaps the final chord of the chorus could be blasted at the audience. Better effect I think. The sops are by far the strong section. A little tentative at the start, but got better near the end. As is typical for these guys they like to end with frantic drill with great music, and they don’t disappoint. The music is great, very entertaining. Everyone loves the uniforms. I hope they can get about 30% bigger so they can really contest with the “big” guns. Great show.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD: 75.90

Whoa! Now that’s how you start a show. Absolutely huge first hit. Got a standing O right off the bat. Word of warning to all those who get to sit in the middle section at their shows, don’t stand up for long or they’ll blow you over. By far the best performance captions of the night. The guard looked good for their first show, the cleanliness was second to none, and the brass as on fire. I haven’t heard brass of that quality this early since Phantom last year. The entire show was very high energy (I know, kind of un-SCV like). The only show problem I had was that the drum line, except for the feature, was really overpowered by the brass. Maybe play louder or bring them to the front of the field. Otherwise a fantastic opening program. Definitely deserves a look for champs. Oh, by the way, the pit WAS amped, but because the brass was so good (Loud), you didn’t even notice. I guess it may not be that bad. Fantastic show! I had them first.

BLUE DEVILS: 76.60

First let me say, way to big of point differential. Should have been low 76s if that. They open and close with the underlying theme, which is Summertime with the effect of a train. Really very well done. Very “new-BD” choppiness. Blurts and blasts with staccato chords. That’s really the first third of their show. I thought it was a bit too much, but that’s just me. After that it really takes off. The Renegades megaphones have infected BD who uses them for a moving train effect. There are soloists everywhere who were spot on. When the whole corps does play the tone is, as always, perfect. At one point the drum line uses finger/hanging cymbals to create an eerie effect, very nice. The finish is interesting as the train stops, as does the show. A good BD show; jazzy, brassy, lots of drums. Don’t think it’s near as polished as Vanguard, but definitely has the GE category locked. Good concept show, but no champion.

That's it. Hope you all had as much fun reading it as I did watching it. See you in Modesto.

[BennyASU]

great review! ive been dying for one from Stockton. Thanks!

PS - glad to hear Acadamy did so well out of the gates. Go Emma!

[FYWW]

Great review! I got to listen to Renegades via cell phone from the front side line. Lotsa loud! Looking forward to seeing everyone down here at the SoCal shows in a couple weeks. Especially Arizona Academy!

[Feverbassdude]

Awesome show review man. Just to answer your question about Fever, we're not quite done yet. We have our closer to polish up and put onto the Feild. By the time u see us in Modesto, u will get to see our Finished product. Have a good one man. And I agree, Acadamy has impressed a lot of ppl especially for being a first yr corps. Congrats everyone.

[LisaLisaMoMeesa]

Something else that was frequent this night was the lack of guard uniforms.  Seems everyone is either saving money or has orders on back-order.

ahhh yes.... the "elusive guard uniform". Believe me, the only ones more excited by their arrival than us is our horn and drumline. :P

They're a little late, but DEFINITELY worth the wait!. (We'll have them next weekend.)

Otherwise, as usual, your reviews are not only pretty dead on (minus the bluman group thingy..... I happen to think those tube things are very cool but hey... :P ) ....but your reviews do make a person feel like they were there even when they weren't.

Rock on! B)

Edited June 21, 2004 by LisaLisaMoMeesa

[randomnoise]

Good review, but one correction - the Renegades' drumline is the largest it has ever been - I know because I had to give up a hornplayer to them this year!

8 Snares

5 tenors

5 basses

4 Cymbals

In the past, we have always had 7 snares!

[mrshowfan]

How about Send in the Clowns, yesterday....LOUD!!!!!!!

[drumlaw80]

How about Send in the Clowns, yesterday....LOUD!!!!!!!

... and very moving.

[TerriDitt57]

How about Send in the Clowns, yesterday....LOUD!!!!!!!

... and very moving.

awwwwwwwwwwww. yes. Wish I was there.

[EuphIguess]

Yes that was really good review.....

As my good friend bassman stated earlier Fevers show isnt complete...but when it is were gonna be cleaner and more prepared to blow you away. As we might have shown you in hayward.....

But i really applaud yuor review

Lance

Fever Euphonium 2004

Watch out world FEVERS HOT !!!!!!!!!