ithacaguy Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 This is my first DCI show of the year. I marched with Southwind, the Rochester Crusaders and the Syracuse Brigadiers. I was sitting around some legends, Frank Ponzo, Jim Prime and Freddy Martin. The conversation was good and we were able to discuss the shows. I learned a lot from these guys. I was sitting 2/3 of the way up on the 50 first level. Mandarins- I was running late after visiting some friends sorry I missed the show Blue Knights- Not very impressed. A lot of timing and phasing issues. Nothing very memorable about their performance. Their sound was not very present and there were a lot of ensemble and balance issues. Crossmen- Much improved from Wildwood, NJ early June, but still a little lack luster. I like the new uniforms. Their lead line is incredible and they have some players. It is a nice drift back to 1992. Crown- Yeah, they are good. Top 6..no...but good. Their opener is excellent and they were the first corps to get me on my feet. The amping of the pit is wonderful, but I think it is ruined with the singing and talking. Take it out!!! They have a great sound and march well. I love the cream uniforms against the turf, they really stand out. But I do not like the plume on the side of the shako....no Michael not a good idea. Blue Coats- I like the new uniforms. I think that the guard is the best part of this corps. They have 7 contras or tubas whichever they have and it does not make for a balanced sound. In my opinion they have a lot of tone color issues because the low brass is trying to over play the horns. They have some interesting visual stuff but nothing amazing. Their guard really does steal the show. Many side to side issues due to poor visual design. Phantom- YES YES YES! If I could have awarded first place from pure "cool show" status phantom would win. I love the music and visually they are top notch. The foot work and little dance stuff really adds and is quite clean. But that is the problem. They are pretty clean in that department, and I don't know how much further they can take it. There was a huge ensemble tear in the middle of the show for about 30 seconds and I was on edge. But they have a wonderful sound and really were amazing. I felt a lot of energy from them tonight. BD- Not so much. I am a BD fan but I don't like this show. I'm glad they ditched the striped pants though. The concept is cool, but there is no flow to the show. They do what they do well, but I don't like what they are doing this year. It is a lot of brass stabs and percussion breaks. I waited for 5 min to hear something that resembled a melody and it was summertime in the ballad. Cadets- Well I have a couple good friends in Cadets and I heard the music from the winter and I wasn't so impressed. BUT Cadets really have changed it up and performed well tonight. I thought they had a very good sound, but lost clarity in the technical passages of the show. I think the end of their show needs a little more gas. If they can crank it up in the end they have a better shot at a higher placement, if you care about scores. Overall I give this show a 6.8 out of 10. I was a little let down by what I saw. The venue was ok, but a little noisy. The best part was seeing old friends, that I marched with or went to college with. I'm very proud of all of them in Cadets, BK and Crossmen. I see Vanguard this Sunday and I can't wait! Aaron *Disclaimer- these are just my opinions. I think everyone on the field did wonderfully, and I know how hard they work.* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phansouth Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 DId BD ditch the pinstripes??????? I hadn't heard this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 That would be a pretty expensive ditch if they did. I can't imagine why they would...you can't even tell they are pinstriped unless you are within about 8 feet of a member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 They Wre striped last weekend in Alabama. You can't tell from the stands though (BD) I don't understand why thier is so many mixed reviews about the Bluecoats show. It was designed to be accesible for all. Loud, Fun, High-Speed Drill and as tep up in percussion People either talk about how GREAT the drill is or how AWFUL it is. How BALANCED the hornline is or how UNBALANCED it is, etc. Not that I disrespect anyones opinion, but it is interesting to see how many people post contradicting comments. Nice review though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Bluecoat Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Ice, I agree.....on the review where he states that the Bluecoats are only marching 7 tubas....come on! Think about it....you think a corps battling for the top 5 is only going to march 7 tubas?!?!? They may have had some balance problems, but it's not because the corps is trying to compensate for INJURED members! They've got 10...apparently had some little injuries lately and they were only able to march 7. As for the drill design comment....not sure what show you're watching! It's a great show, easy to get into, tons of demand, visually exciting with a great drum line and color guard, and a typically awesome Bluecoats hornline. The thing about the numbers that has me cheesed off is that EVERYONE seems to make comments like, "The color guard steals the show......the color guard is incredible....the color guard is box 5.....the color guard is the best they've ever had".....yet the numbers don't reflect (17.1 last night). I've seen what other alledged box 5 guards are doing, and the Bluecoats are hanging pound for pound in demand and cleanliness.....give them the number they deserve! Ok.....breathe in breathe out..... Thanks for the review though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Bluecoat Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 ...then again, I'm the world's biggest Bluecoats homer. Sue me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Bluecoat Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 ....then again, I'm the world's biggest Bluecoats homer. Sue me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Only problem I had with the Bluecoats when I saw them in San Antonio was that the ballad dragged a bit and it seemed like the whole piece was played to the backfield (and that got lost somewhere on the other side of the dome). The up-tempo parts, though, were pretty darned fun. :) (That is, the other 9 minutes of the show!) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 I had a really big problem with the flow of the show...it didn't seem to make sense to me... maybe i need to listen to it again for it to make more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlooooContra Posted July 23, 2004 Share Posted July 23, 2004 Just to clarify things, the show's entitled "Mood Swings." All the bizarre transitions and modulations.... there ya go :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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