Kalamazoo Show

[Workenstiff]

Ok , i just got back from K-ZOO show. I am not a pro poster , nor do i claim anything else. I'm just a guy who went to drum corps show. Here's what I thought:

( Marched in the 60s ,,,9 years,,and drove for a Div 1 corps 2000, 2001,2002.

Div 3 ,,,,,,, i love seeing the small ones trying to keep up in steps/marching with the tall/older guys. All were very entertaining. Its sorta drum corps , before all the junk. Keep up the good work.

Div 2 ,,,,, Same ,, Its refreshing . Really enjoy watching how the young men and women are trying and doing so great.

Score announcment Div 2 and 3

Dont like the silver , gold medal crap,,its not the Olympics DCI ,,, did you ever hear of originality????????? I'll tell yah right now ,,I am not a Fan of DCI,, the organization.

Div 1 ::: Hmmmm

The good, the bad , and the down right ugly::::

Kavaliers : Liked the music,, strong horn line,,, unins had a good look to them ,,opposed to other years. Didnt notice guard to much, but overall a hummable rep.

Colts..... hmmm ,,, what happened here. It just seemed to me like they have given up or something. I remember years back when I really enjoyed the music and their drive. It just wasnt there. Nothing to really remember. Guard was on the brink of ok to good.

Spirit: Just cant get into their uniforms , i dunno no pazzaz. Seemed more like a band at times with some of the moves. Band good,,,at a band contest. Other then that ,,I really cant recall to much.

X-men ::: Never really payed to much attention to them in the past,, so went to get a soda. Hmmmm,,, wrong move. Great music,,,drill , drums,,,( yes I said drums and not percussion. It was a great treat to actually let my soda turn into water watching them. Like the unis,,,,a commanding sorta look. No real outstanding WOW ,,sorta moment,, but just a great overall show,,,, should have scored better I thought.

Glassmen::: What the #### is going on here.???? Awful music,,, if thats what you wanna call it, terrible guard unis. Didn't notice the drill that much ,,because I was trying to figure out what they were playing,,,which was a hopless cause. Reminded me of Star of I ,way back when ,,,,when they hit a note,,,then silence ,,hit a note , then silence. Half way through I took a pit stop.

Crown ::: Just an overall great show. Great uni look,,,guard combined well. I cant remember to much of the music right now ,,,but I did like it as they were playing it. Liked a drum thing they did in the mid show,,dont know why i noticed it ,,but i liked it, it stood out.

Boston :: This a great example of why amps ,,SHOULD NOT BE USED. The whole show was a disaster. Horns good. Guy on the cymbals in the pit ,,talking thru the show ,,sucked. Reminded me of Blast,,( which I loved,,,but a different venue altogether. IF I WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME HOW TO INTERPRIT A SHOW ,,,, I'd go to an opera, or some other venue. I wanted to yell ,,shut up,,,,,,especially when he started on the ,,,remember someone you love, or close to you ,,,blah blah, #### ,,i started to get sick. The music after the yelling spree was over,,was beautiful. But I was always wondering if he was going to start yappen again,,and it ruined the song. Then he started yelling ORANGE,,,BLUE , YELLOW ,, etc as the guard flew out of these STUPID boxes on the field,,, I cant go on with this ,,the whole concept makes me wanna throw-up. This isnt the Boston i liked. I hope the boxes get blown away,,( literally ). Its was a complete joke seeing these huge boxes trying to be lifted up the stairs to the field!!! The end of the show was the type of an end of a show that you say ,,,IS THAT IT????? Shape up Boston. Oh ,,drill was good ,but again i was waiting for the amp guy to start yappen again, and ruin it .

Madison::: This is when the drum corps show started for me.I felt that from the crowd,,like something is going on here. Sorta like when you anticipate a bad thunderstorm coming on. Something is going to happen , and you can feel it in the air. Guard is slick. Good presence,, sorta like here we are ,,and we're #### good,,,,,and they deliver. Three things stuck out that I remember well. The company front angled turn, and the horns crispness,,if thats a word, and the high tosses by the rifle line. Dont like the unis that much,, ok i guess. There is one thing about Madison that bugs me. I know they play alot of different music ,,and have alot of original shows, but when I heard what they were playing this year ,,,Jazz Orchestra type opener and Malaga,, I thought ,,hmmmm 1988 again,,or ,,oh that again. BUT,,, somehow they seem to pull it off. I just think, Aren't there any other Latin type songs LIKE Malaga but not LIKE Malaga, that the horn line can shine with that type of music, but a different beat or something. I know what I'm trying to say ,,but just cant get it out. The show was great overall,,,first standing Oh's during the show of the night, and well deserved. The ending is goosebump city,,, the note they hold ,,so long ,,so clear,,is just #### great,,,,its how I expect a show to end with a BANG,,,( hint hint ,,Boston and Blue Devils.) Madison is back ,,and with a bang.

Phantom ::: Hmmm ,,, Not classical music ,,as i expected and loved from Phantom ,,,but yeah buddy ,,,good show. Guard was great REALLY stuck out. Needs more work ,,but off to great start. I didnt see the crab walk,, or whatever they call it,,but i was sitting very low,, I like that move , if they did it. Cant pick out a certain song ,, like with Madison to hum to ,,but overall a VERY enjoyable show,,except for those red square things,, they bring out mid way through the show. Dont know what they added ,,except a little shine from the lights, very little ,,but guess it was ok.. just expected something to happen more with them i guess. Guard unis sucked. Dont know exactly why ,,but didnt fit the show i guess to me.

Blue Devils ::: The last time i liked the devils when was they played when a man loves a women. This show was a ladder rung over ok. Horns are superb, even though at times it sounded like Star,, with the little bleeps of this and that,,but the horns are SO good ,,they can pull it off. Solos were a bit off tonight,,cracken sometimes,,but when they pulled it off with the screechen high notes ,,,YEAH BABY. Liked the off beat slur of horns at the ending of some songs. Just weird sounding notes that sorta just came and left. One thing that bugged me ,,and it bugs with alot of other corps too,, is that they start to play a song ,,(In this case Duke Ellingtons "A" Train,, and you hear the melody ,,but it just never develops into the song you are familiar with. I sit and wait for the main melody to appear ,,but it just never really does. It goes all around it but never gets there. Oh well. The drill ending is another one of those ending that says ,,,is that it???? Good try with the train sounding drums and junk ,,,but it goes no where. I fully expected the corps as they marched to the end of the field,, and then sort of just walked around there,,(until the guard was off the field) ,,,to blow the stadium away with some sort of reprise or something,,but no ,,just the drums fading into a train sound,,,,,,and poof,, thats it. I waited but nothing. Crowd didnt know if it was the end,,same as Bostons ending.

Well I know this was long,,its 4:30 AM. As i said these are just my thoughts with no pro knowledge of drums, horns , guard etc.

My guess as finishes :

B.D

Madison

Phantom

Crossmen

Boston

Crown

Glassmen

Spirit

Colts

K.Kavaliers.

America at the end blew my mind. Bye

[cavalry37]

....Finally, someone who tells it like it is....I am a Spirit fan and former member, but you have to give it to someone who boldy states their opinion....look forward to another review from you.....

[dcifan2002]

a honest review .

thats what we need more of.

thanks

^OO^ ^OO^ ^OO^

[GMichael1230]

Boston ::  This a great example of why amps ,,SHOULD NOT BE USED. The whole show was a disaster. Horns good.  Guy on the cymbals in the pit ,,talking thru the show  ,,sucked. Reminded me of Blast,,( which I loved,,,but a different venue altogether.  IF I WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME HOW TO INTERPRIT A SHOW ,,,, I'd go to an opera, or some other venue. I wanted to yell ,,shut up,,,,,,especially when he started on the ,,,remember someone you love, or close to you ,,,blah blah, #### ,,i started to get sick. The music after the yelling spree was over,,was  beautiful. But I was always wondering if he was going to start yappen again,,and it  ruined the song. Then he started yelling  ORANGE,,,BLUE , YELLOW ,, etc as the guard flew out of these STUPID boxes on the field,,, I cant go on with this ,,the whole concept makes me wanna throw-up. This isnt the Boston i liked.  I hope the boxes get blown away,,( literally ). Its was a complete joke seeing these huge boxes trying to be lifted up the stairs to the field!!! The end of the show was the type of an end of a show that you say ,,,IS THAT IT?????  Shape up Boston.  Oh ,,drill was good ,but again i was waiting for the amp guy to start yappen again, and ruin it .

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

OMG !!! b**bs b**bs b**bs :P ^0^ b**bs LOL LOL LOL

The BAC-borg is gonna have a field day with this......but hey, he's wrong, he doesnt know what he's tlaking about or he has a beef with Boston....uh-huh !! LOL

~G~

[dcifan2002]

what about crown doing ' UP WITH PEOPLE " singing with the mics ?

tell me they took that cheese out >

[93Bluecoat]

This is the kind of review that usually gets totally flamed, but all of us WANT to read. I get so tired of "Crappy Corps A was solid...good percussion and good overall sound and look"

Everyone else, take note, this is what we need more of.....even if you are going to flame my beloved corps. We're all big boys and girls, we can take it (or at least you should be able to!).

Thanks.

[InspaDave]

OMG !!! b**bs  b**bs  b**bs    :P  ^0^  b**bs  LOL LOL LOL

The BAC-borg is gonna have a field day with this......but hey, he's wrong, he doesnt know what he's tlaking about or he has a beef with Boston....uh-huh !! LOL

You forgot about bashing the kids!

[BlooooContra]

YES! THANK YOU!

No more sugar coated reviews. It's OK to hate something.

And it's great that people have spoken up saying they dig the review before the others jump down your throat for saying something negative about corps X because the member's parents might be reading the forums and "How would that look to them?"

LOVED your review. Can't wait for another.

[Lancerlady]

Okay then next time I will tell it like it is! :) I like this review though! Honest!

[Mike Ferlazzo]

First, it would be helpful if reviews would have complete sentences. That makes them easier to read, like your daily newspaper.

Second, everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, I have little interest in taking someone seriously who goes to the concession stand during one corps, and the restroom in another -- and then tries to tell me how good or bad they are.

Third, and most important, the kids and staffs are out there busting their humps to try and maximize their shows -- and yes, entertain too! They do 10 to 15-hour practice days a lot of the time. These talented people deserve more appreciation than criticism. This isn't professional sports and they're not getting paid tons of money to perform. In fact, they're paying for the privilege to toil and sweat and make the best field shows in the world! Let nobody forget that these are the greatest musical marching units in the world, and that's what makes this activity as great as it is -- and the competition so intense. That part of it hasn't changed through the years!

Freedom of the press is certainly one of the most cherished amendments in our country's constitution. So people are entitled to write what's on their mind. I appreciate that you took the time to write down some of your random thoughts on the show.

But I, for one, would like to read a review from somebody who appreciates the kids and people in the activity. They need to realize that different corps try to create different identities -- some that people like, and some they don't like -- otherwise, it would be pretty boring if they all looked the same. But ultimately, it's those risk takers (i.e.: The 1983 Garfield Cadets, The Santa Clara Vanguard in various years, The Cavaliers in various years, Star of Indiana 1991 and '93, The Blue Devils various years) that have redefined our beloved activity into what it is today. And whether you like amplification or not -- and I, like most of the reviewers, don't believe it's necessary -- don't let that cloud your appreciation of what these young people are trying to do. After all, there were a lot of people who were predicting "death to drum corps" back in the late 1970s when the decision was made to create "the pit."

I haven't seen the controversial amplified shows yet (Boston, Carolina Crown), but will be soon (Allentown, Denver). When I do, I'm sure I'll also judge whether it adds or detracts from their show -- but that won't keep me from standing and applauding the effort in the end. Ultimately, that's the greatest reward you can give these kids -- so they hopefully will keep coming back, and bringing others.

I come to praise drum corps, not bury it!

Edited July 11, 2004 by Mike Ferlazzo