San Antonio: A Review

[JayM]

DCI Review

Blue Knights - 12th - 78.50

I may be a little biased toward this corps as my cousin marches in their

snareline, but I thought they were pretty good. If nothing else, they're at

least a lot better thanthey were last year when they did that stupid Blue

Toons show. This corps is definitely very talented and I was pretty

impressed with their brass. Unfortunately, the show isn't really that

enjoyable. It consists of some Shostakovich Piano Concertos, which, when I

heard about, I thought, "hey cool, BK is playing Shostakovich", but it ends

up just being too dark and too esoteric for the audience to enjoy upon first

listen. Hopefully, their staff will learn to design a decent show sometime

soon. I though their on-field warmup was pretty cool, though. I'm a big fan

of their '99 Trittico show, and it sounded like they played part of that as

the warmup. I think they deserved their placement in 12th, no matter how bad

I feel for my cousin.

Spirit- 10th - 79.95

This is definitely the best Spirit I have ever seen. The last time I heard

them was at the Dallas show in '99, and this is like a completely different

corps. I love the way the baby blue looks on the corps. They just have this

presence on the field now that was non-existent with those crappy

cream-colored things they used to wear. The opener might remind some people

of the Glassmen's 2001 show, what with the random punch chords tied in with

some body movement. I was a little worried that the whole show might be like

that, but they pleasantly surprised me. Their ballad is absolutely gorgeous

and definitely something that everyone should get to listen to this summer.

After seeing a few of the Spirit kids in uniform in the stands, it appears

as if this Spirit corps is fairly young, which I guess is a good thing

considering how well they are doing. I think this corps has a very bright

future and will most likely finish in the top 12 this year.

Seattle Cascades - 10th - 79.95

It is so incredibly hard for me to believe these guys were in Div 3 just 2

seasons ago. They play a whole lot of Bernstein stuff, and I think they do

it quite well. Profanation was done very well, as was Preludes, Fugues, and

Riffs, and I never object to hearing Make Our Garden Grow done on the field.

The only complaint I have is that they took the green sash out of their

uniform. Maybe I just wasn't sitting close enough, but it was really hard to

see anything other than black and white on their uniforms. Hopefully they'll

change this sometime in the next few years. Overall, I thought their show

was very good, and look forward to seeing their progress in the future. It's

so great to have another corps break into the top 12.

Crossmen - 9th - 83.80

I was really psyched about hearing these guys after only getting to see them

from the side at the Dallas show. Unfortunately, I think they had an off

night. The music was really cool, and they have an awesome hornline, but

they just seemed to lack emotion. One thing I do think is really cool is the

fact that they are marching a 6-man flugelhorn section. I always hear a lot

of people complaining that the middle voices sound thin with just the

mellos, but it appears now that at least 2 of the corps (scv and xmen) are

experimenting with different alto voicing. The flugel line definitely adds

another dimension to their sound, bridging the gap between the mellos and

trumpets. I love what the Crossmen have been doing since their 2000 show,

and I hope they continue doing it in the future. This show has the potential

to be higher than 9th, but I guess only time will tell.

Bluecoats - 8th - 84.20

I may be a bit biased toward the 'Coats also because I plan on auditioning

there this Fall. But anyway, I missed these guys in Dallas because of one of

my friends had somewhat of an emergency, so I was definitely psyched to see

their show. This show is definitely very cool and very entertaining. The

corps looks like their having a whole of fun performing this show, and

that's what all about, isn't it? The brass is very solid and they handle the

high visual demand pretty well. Honestly, I didn't go in expecting a whole

lot, but they were really impressive. They should do very well in Madison.

Boston Crusaders - 7th - 84.55

I definitely dig the Boston Crusaders this year. The show is somewhat

similar to the Cadets' show, in that it has a patriotic theme. Throughout

the whole show, the guard has these things that I can only guess are

overhead projector screens like the ones you see in schools all of the time.

Two guard members whole each side and then walk away from each other,

revealing a message printed on the screen. They said stuff like "Liberty is

Unifinished Business" and "Land of the Free", and other various patriotic

stuff. I think the effect of the screens was pretty cool, and it was always

fun to try and figure where the guard members hid after they closed one of

the screens. In the middle of the show, the whole corps

starts dancing around and playing jazz, something I didn't ever think I'd

see out of Boston, but it's done very well. The crowd got really into this

part of the show. I love the way this how ends, and apparently, so did the

crowd. The whole corps makes uses of their uniforms and the guard use their

flags to great effect by getting the shape of an American flag and laying

down on the field. The hornline was the red stripes in the flag, some of the

guard the white stripes and the rest of the guard was hold holding flags

with stars on them. All in all a very neat effect that the crowd dug. They

sing again this year, and I think it's done very tastefully, and definitely

adds something to the show. Good ol' BAC, always singing. =) I'm looking

forward to seeing these guys butt heads with the 'Coats and Xmen in the

future.

Phantom Regiment - 6th - 85.80

I've been a big Phantom Phan since 2000 and it's nice to see they've got

another very good show this year. I believe this is the first time they've

played Shostakovich since their '96 show, though I could be mistaken. Either

way, it's very nice to have the two (PR and Dmitri) back together again. As

Forrest would say, they're like peas and carrots. The show is definitely

very dark, but in a good way, unlike BK's show. The hornline is very good

and something I'm very happy about is the fact they're doing a real ballad

this year. I can't say that I liked last year's "ballad" very much, as those

of who you saw last year's show can probably relate to. With such dark

music, though, you would expect them to be in black uniforms, instead of the

khaki/white unis. Maybe they'll go back to black sometime in the future.

Near the end of the show, be sure to look for the PR logo drill form. But

anyway, it's good to see PR continue on their journey to the top. On another

note, PR gets my vote for best souvie shirt. Look for the dark grey shirt

with the PR logo in the center.

Glassmen - 5th - 86.15

A lot of people seem to think that the Glassmen are boring, but I'd have to

say I'm a pretty big fan of this year's show. They're no Cadets, but the

show definitely has its moments. The music is very pretty and executed very

well. The amazing flugel soloist is back again, though it isn't nearly as

technical a solo was it was last year. Either way, it was done beautifully.

Though I wish PR was beating them, I can see why the Gmen are scoring so

high. They have a great hornline, and as always, they march very gracefully.

I laughed when I saw their souvie booth, as they've seemed notice people

think that they are boring, and have created shirts to poke fun at

themselves. There are three shirts...one says BoringT, another says

"BorinBb, We took the G out of Boring", or something to the effect, and the

third one, "Glassmen, Boring our way into your Hearts". I think it's cool

that they can poke fun at themselves. If the kids enjoy what they're doing

and don't mind the fact that most people think they're boring, then hey,

more power to them.

Santa Clara Vanguard - 4th - 89.30

First thing I noticed was the new uniform design. They've taken the dark

green on the pants and jacket and lightened them up a lot. It took a while

to get used to it, but I think it was a good decision to make. I usually get

to listen to SCV's show a few times in mp3 before I actually see them live,

but unfortunately this year it doesn't look like anyone has any bootleg

recordings of them. As such, it took a bit for me to get into this show. I'm

sure it will be great after I listen to it a few times, but I can't say that

I could sing any part of the how right now. I think they'll do well again

this year, but most likely will be stuck in 4th, like always.

Blue Devils - 3rd - 90.35

It's amazing the difference a couple of days can make. These guys were so

much better tonight than they were on Thursday at the Dallas show. I think

they've changed the show around a bit since then, and it definitely made a

difference. After Thursday, I pretty much figured that BD would be stuck in

3rd this year, but who knows...I can see them making a climb to at least

2nd. Who knows...anything can happen. The show was very entertaining

tonight, and I didn't get the feeling that the arrangements were choppy, as

some people have said. The guard is amazing, and the hair as a prop thing is

really cool. The soloists were on tonight and overall it was just a great

show. Props to BD for doing an entertaining show this year. None of that

Awayday Blue crap we got stuck with last year.

The Cadets - 2nd - 90.50

These guys were also a notch up from Thursday night. I think the opening

drill move has been changed a bit, and they also added some pictures of

advertisements and such from the 40's on the sides of those big black

blocks that the guard and soloists stand on. Boogie Woogie was awesome, as

usual, and the hornline just seemed really on tonight. I think the best part

of this show is when the all-male rifle line starts spinning their rifles

and yelling stuff out. I can't really explain it too well, but it's

definitely awesome. There were so many parts of this where I got the chills.

The part where the guys change from regular clothes in military uniforms

gets me everytime. I don't know what to say other then that. This is

definitely one of the best Cadet's show ever, and even if they don't win, it

won't matter, people will remember this show for years to come.

The Cavaliers - 1st - 92.45

I don't know if anyone is going to be able to touch these guys this year.

The hornline is amazing, the drumline is phenomenal, and the guard smokes. I

dig the music and the drill is awesome, as usual. Also, it seems as if the

Cavies have maybe found a new trademark dance move. They did this thing a

few times in the show where they turned back and forth, and moved their arms

like they were running or something. Kind of hard to describe, but I think

if you see it you'll know what I mean. I don't really know what else to say

other than that I think this is the best hornline drum corps has ever seen.

I don't see anyone catching them this year.

So that's it. This was definitely the best DCI show I've ever been to. There

was not a single show I didn't enjoy. This is such a spectacular year for

drum corps, I can't even begin to explain how great this show was. One of

the coolest parts of the night was the guy I was sitting by. He said he was

on the Cadets' bass line in the 60's the first year they allowed rudimental

bass drumming was also drum major sometime in between '60 and '65. It was so

awesome just talking to him about all the corps and hearing all of his

stories and stuff. It was so cool to talk to an old timer and not get the

feeling that drum corps now is somehow inferior than what it used to be. His

name was Ken Samara, I believe, but someone feel free to correct me.

But anyway, that's about it for now. Feel free to leave comments about the

review as I spent a good deal of time on it. Maybe next year I'll be on the

other side, performing for you guys.

--

Jay Mendoza

Dallas, TX

[Sluggo]

thanks Jay for your review

[radiosteele]

Wow...spectacular review!!!

I will look forward to being in the stands hearing you!!!

Look out for Doug Thrower when you get to Canton, he'll work you to the bone, but he can be loads of fun...

Good luck!

[timmy88]

Phenomenal review, Jay! Thank you so much. I felt that I was at the show.

You managed to breathe excitement in the description of each corps' show!

You critiqued what was good, what were some things not so good, and managed to NOT beat up on anyone!

You win my vote for one of the best reviews I've read this season!

Thanks again, Tim Hendrix

:)

[JayM]

Thanks for the comments, guys! It makes me feel that the time I spent on the review was well worth it.

[StradmanBW]

Doug and the rest of the 'coats horn staff are really awesome people. Funny as heck, and really good too.

[GMichael1230]

Jay,

This is by far the best review of all the ones we are privilged to read !!

Excellent job.....

Good to see you over here too !!

~G~