Allentown Review Part One - Friday (LONG)

[mfrontz]

Good evening, everyone.

All things considered, a very enjoyable evening of drum corps...well, I mean, MOST of it was enjoyable (drip, drip)...I mean, it's one I'll remember for a long time (pause to wipe glasses off).

This "review" is devoid of most technical comments - I will try and describe the total experience of the evening. However, I will not be able to simulate the feeling of being soaked to the skin - you're on your own there.

Went with five friends from church and we had a great time. I am not used to going with people (except for son Michael), and it was great to be with company. We stopped to watch Troopers drumline on the way, and saw college friend with husband and two kids. After buying evening souvies (92 Legacy DVD and WC program), proceeded to seats, running into former neighbors. Seats on the 35, to the right of the press box, row 11: down low.

Beatrix did not perform at 7 due to bus driver getting lost in Allentown. They were going to put them on last, after Cadets - that was the plan. First corps on was Lehigh Valley Knights. A spirited performance for the hometown crowd.

There had actually been some sun before the show began - but as the show progressed, the cloud cover became more and more pronounced. I kept looking up and to my right and kept seeing more and more clouds rolling in. No rain yet, though.

Southwind I viewed from the walkway below the upper deck - was buying my son a funnel cake. I remember enjoying the baritone feature and the percussion feature. Troopers I thoroughly enjoyed. They employed their G bugles well in the arranging - thanks Chuck! I also liked the Native American blankets (I have no idea what they are called) in the ballad. Stayed within themselves. Mandarins win my award for best DM of the evening. He had a lot of style and was obviously enjoying himself out there. Is there significance to the headwear they are wearing? I referred to them as "Klingon headgear," but it occurs to me now that they may be related to the show or be traditional headwear. Let me know.

Next up was Colts, and they were another corps that really impressed me with how comfortable they were with their program. It really fit with their identity as a homegrown midwestern corps and they really sold it to me. During the ballad, "Old Man River," I closed my eyes to focus on the lush sound coming from the brass. I opened them for the big hit, just in time to see the gorgeous appearance of blue swing flags all over the field. Ooh! Ahh! BTW, I still LOVE their uniforms. Truly one of the sharpest looks in DCI. Is that a Cesario creation?

Intermission time and the clouds still thickening. I catch Bob Bennett on my way out of the stands, clap him on the back, and say something like, "Keep holding it off, Bob!" (I've never met the man, but it seemed like a nice, friendly, positive thing to say.) He said, "Well, we've got something coming in on the radar, but we'll see what happens."

The man is right. In line for french fries for my son (who is safely with my friends) I see a former confirmation student who is now starting freshman year at M'Ville U. marching in the color guard (Cannot be! Am I getting older or what?). As I get closer to the fries, the wind starts to pick up, the temperature drops. This does not look good.

It's not. As the Glassmen assume their opening set, the first drops of rain begin to fall. "On the field, from Toledo, Ohio..." and the rain becomes steady. I am up on the walkway again and so have a full-field view of the corps. It is actually very beautiful - as the corps begins the program from the upper left corner of the field the rain falling is backlit by the lights (Now that's GE!) For a while I think that this will be doable. But the rain simply becomes heavier and heavier. Wind is picking up. With the noise of people putting on ponchos and putting up umbrellas, and commenting on the rain, I will be told that they could not be heard from the stands down at row 11 where I was sitting. But I am up on the walkway, with fries that are now soaking wet and clothes to match. Huge ovations from the crowd, but now someone is running out after their percussion feature and they march off. It is simply raining TOO hard.

I make my way to my seat - as I do, the announcer states that "it's just a spot on the doppler radar and there is no lightning yet - we'll see how it goes...stay dry!" Not fifteen seconds later, a flash of lightning and a pretty good roll of thunder. Collective groan from the 7,000 or so people in the metal stands of J. Birney Crum. Now the announcer comes on and announces that we need to evacuate and that it looks like about a thirty-minute storm. How we went from "just a spot" to "thirty minutes" in just under a minute is beyond me, but the crowd obediently files out of the stands and trudges to their cars. I especially feel for the older ones and the ones who are having trouble walking - and we all know that there are many that attend drum corps shows. On the way back we see Phantom drummers hoofing it back to the truck. Oh yeah, they're wet too.

We wait. The rain remains steady, slackens. I call my wife on cell - she laughs at me. Many people simply leave - they may have work tomorrow, maybe just cannot physically or mentally handle waiting around. Perhaps they cannot imagine any field could withstand the pounding of that fierce storm. But it can. Lights come on an indeterminate amount of time later, and we walk back to the stadium - I assume for a standstill. But no, the drainage system of that astroturf field must absolutely be incredible, for we walk by the Glassmen, taking the field. Crown pit members smile, cheer, and applaud the Glassmen as they go through the gate. Glassmen pit guy dragging in equipment looks up at the rain-soaked crowd which now has reconvened in the stands, and says with feeling, "THIS is drum corps!"

Unfortunately, I think that the crowd is too exhausted to give the Glassmen the ovations they deserve. We try, gamely, but perhaps our bodies are saving energy to fight off pneumonia. However, Glassmen's staff gives it up for the corps, one person waving a Union Jack. They deserve it. I like the Samuel Barber stuff.

Crown comes on - amps and all. First amped corps of the night. But they don't work. Doesn't matter. GREAT brass sound (thank you baritones) and the first Crown show design I really like on first viewing in forever. I am sorry, but I don't see how they lost in brass to Glassmen. Their guard was giving it up, too. GREAT show idea allowing to choose a bunch of music from different genres but allowing for the unity of the program. The singing would have bothered me less than the poetry, however, I wouldn't have liked either one.

In the middle of Crown's show, Michael falls asleep. He is dead to the world through the rest of the night.

Bluecoats - WHY hasn't anyone posted that they have a guard??? They were INCREDIBLE!!! "Mood Swings" is, as the Championships program says, a great play on words. Loved this show. However, for some reason - I thought Crown's hornline was even more focused than the Coats. Judges did not agree.

Phantom - I thought that they are doing some wonderful, wonderful stuff. But they were a little bit off this evening - I think the rain may have gotten to them more than any of the other corps. Awesome brass features in the third quarter of the show. Still that great Phantom sound. I looked at the Orlando video and saw this, and felt the same way on Friday: those blocks they are marching toward the end of the show are so hard to march cleanly and hold the shape exactly - is this the best idea? Friend I was with stated it probably looked better from the top - perhaps so. I can't help but think that topping last year would have been taking over from a highly popular coach or band director. Not really doable under any circumstances, but even harder with unfamiliar music. And they do not keep my eyes moving the way Bluecoats do, and certainly not in the way that the corps after them does...

Cavaliers (Bond. James Bond): Wow. Just an amazing show. They are still my pick to win it all, even after Saturday night, not that I'm encouraging anyone to bet against the Devils, and I may change my mind when I review them. Their brass was just, as they say, "spot on." My mind was kept so busy when I watched them that I really can't remember much specific - except, "Wow." But I'm listening to the APD right now, and that's helping. Amazing double-tounging in the opener. Also great sounds from the pit - very mysterious. Love the whistling. Again, that mysterious effect. Visually, of course, their performance was out of this world. Sorry it's not coming across properly - but it was late - then and now.

Cadets - Didn't have a lot of crowd support even though Allentown will be their home next year - and Allentown is close enough to be a home show. Maybe too many people left after the rain, or were just too tired, or didn't come down after the Meadowlands. I really liked this show - brass was really well balanced and had some great moments, drumline was smoking as usual - the baton man was on tonight, and the rifles in the last third of the show were absolutely spectacular. And yet, I thought there was something special about Cavies: something that wasn't there last year, and something Cadets did not have. Perhaps it is that insufferable air of a corps that knows that it is at the top.

Kudos to the corps. Even considering what I said about Phantom, no corps performance all that noticeably suffered from the dousing and the delay. In fact, there were far fewer drops tonight than there were Saturday.

No retreat. No encore. Didn't stay for scores - that's what DCP is for, right? Carried a sleeping five-year-old through the corps bus area and to the car - this is what being a father is all about. My back may not be the same again. When we get there, he wakes up long enough to say in a sleepy voice, "Why didn't we see the rest of the corps?" Then he falls back asleep, leaving very soggy drum corps fans to talk in muted tones about the evening - and hope for better weather on Saturday.

Edited July 26, 2004 by mfrontz

[MAV]

Good morning:

My vote for best review. Easy to read.

And exactly what happened. Very even.

Does your son remember his favorite

corps or moment...before he went to

snoozeland?

Thanks for taking the time to share!

MAV

[CrownsSweetheart]

thanks for the review...loved the side commentary about the food, rain and the little one *awww* :)

[bdrooksopmom]

Thanks for the review. It helps those of us who couldn't go to the show feel like we were there. :P Only I didn't have to get soaked to the bone! ^OO^

[mfrontz]

Good morning:

My vote for best review. Easy to read.

And exactly what happened. Very even.

Does your son remember his favorite

corps or moment...before he went to

snoozeland?

Thanks for taking the time to share!

MAV

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mav,

Thanks so much!

He stays pretty quiet through the shows, although he is very focused on what is going on. Friday, he was fascinated by the Trooper DM's sword - so much so that when we ate at Applebee's Saturday night, he had to have the steak knife taken away from him.

He was very into the BD rehearsal we dragged him too. He was even patient during the half-hour snack break.

On Saturday, he was he gave me a quizzical look when Boston's narrator started talking. Afterwards, he said, "Why did they talk?" I don't think he thought much of it. He LOVED Magic of Orlando. He did the "Vanguard" yell with me. And my favorite Michael moment of Saturday night - when the announcer said to Madison's DM, "Is your corps ready?" Michael says right out loud in his little five year old voice, "They're always ready!" About two rows turned around and laughed.

[MusicCityLegend]

Great review! Excellent narrative skills. Feels like I was actually there except I didn't get drenched by the rain.

Edited July 26, 2004 by MusicCityLegend