stevenmusumeche Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 The 1 hour rain delay really cooled things down. I was with Crown at their housing site all day, and d### was it hot outside! I kept getting questions like "How can you LIVE here??" Anyway, it made me remember just how hard everyone is working all summer. It's pretty d### amazing, really. Anyway, on to the review. Americanos I got to the stadium a little late, so I had to watch these guys from a low angle. I really like La Fiesta Mexicana, and they did a good job with it. It's not an easy piece of music. A few interval problems here and there, but very impressive for a Div. III corps. Troopers I've always liked the Troopers, and this year is no exception. The standout moment for me was their Ballad, "An American Elegy" by Frank Ticheli. This piece was written in memory of the victims of the Columbine High School shooting. The Troopers did a very good job with it. The drill was pretty neat, and they are performing it well. Spirit Wow. I can understand why this corps has been beating Crown, Madison, Colts, etc. lately. This hornline is amazing, as is the drumline. The opener sounds like comtemporary wind ensemble music, something that Spirit doesn't usually play. However, they performed it well and it came across nicely. The drill is very clean for this point in the summer, and I'm wondering if they are close to maxing out the show. Will their scores stabalize when there is less room for improvement? Only time will tell. I think they are a shoe-in for finals. Biggest crowd response of the night, with the exception of Cavaliers and Cadets. Madison After all the talk on the internet of Madison being horrible this year, I wasn't expecting much. However, they put on a very entertaining show. The crowd loved the Conquest opener and the Fleur de Lis. The hornline and drumline is pretty good, but the guard could use some serious work. The visual is average. I think they will have a hard time making finals. Crown The first impression that I had of this show is "dark." It starts off with backfield playing, then builds to a climax with the statement of Barber's "Medea" theme. This is definately the best Crown hornline ever. While not as loud as Spirit or Madison, the sound is VERY balanced, controlled, and round. The drumline, once again, is amazing. I didn't see ANY other lines that have the amount of difficult exposed parts as Crown. Though I may be biased, I have to say that the pit is incredible. Lots of notes, and very clean. I don't understand why this drumline is scoring where it is. Anyway, my overall impression of the show was that it is very "artistic." The crowd didn't seen to get into the show. Bluecoats I was expecting something really fun and grooving, but I didn't really get it. Sorry, but I could just not get into this show. The hornline, guard, and drumline are performing well. Glassmen Excellent flugelhorn soloist. Some very nice musical moments in this show. The crowd didn't get into this show either. The drumline and pit are amazing, and should be considered a top 3 percussion section. Cavaliers Just a wonderful experience overall. While not known for their great hornlines, this year's Cavaliers have a great sound. Lots of different sonorities that work well with the drill. I love innovative shows, and this one didn't let me down. The drill is excellent, with many nice effects. I wish they'd put in more high velocity stuff. Anyway, that rap/dance/jam thing they do is sweet, and my non-drum corps friend loved it. I was a bit dissapointed with the drum line and pit, because nothing really stood out. They are usually very good, but I heard lots of dirt. Cadets They sure know how to design a winning show. In my opinion, this show WILL WIN in Madison. It has all the elements: great hornline, drumline, guard, and __GE__. Lots of nice moments from the drumline, which has been deservedly winning drums lately. I don't know what else to say, except that I love the show and can't wait to see it again. After the show, I brought an icechest full of Jambalaya to the Crown food truck. It was very funny to watch people. First, they didn't know what it was. Then, they'd take a bite from someone else's plate to try it. Then, they'd get a HUGE plate full of it. The icechest must have had at least 20 pounds of the stuff, and it was all gone within 15 minutes. They also enjoyed the Boudin, though were disgusted when I told them the history behind the food. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofInTheWoods Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Hey Steve, Nice review. I met your former drum major from Crown. He and his wife are teaching Spirit's pit this year. It was great for you to take the food to Crown, especially a Cajun delicacy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenmusumeche Posted July 23, 2002 Author Share Posted July 23, 2002 Hey, Clint and Alicia are my buds! They're doing great and having a blast a Spirit. I hung out with the pit from Spirit before the show and they're all very cool and loving the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMichael1230 Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Steve, Very nice review..how did you coordinate the preparation of such a large amount of food ??? I do sincerely want to know what the Crown guard uniforms have changed to...any props ?? how was the work ?? What type of accessories on the guard ?? Are they going over better now ??....I can't wait to see them in Indy !! ~G~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenmusumeche Posted July 23, 2002 Author Share Posted July 23, 2002 My preparation consisted of calling the Jambalaya Shoppe a week ago and telling them that I wanted an icechest full of Jambalaya and 10 links of Boudin. :-) About the guard.. there are new props.. the most noticable being columns. They don't really "do" much with them.. they're more of a background kind of thing. The uniforms are the same for the girls, and cream colored for the guys. I didn't notice them being very distracting, but I wasn't paying much attention to the guard. That's the percussionist in me :-) Anyway, I may be seeing a lot more of Crown soon, if you know what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 They also enjoyed the Boudin, though were disgusted when I told them the history behind the food. :-) OK, call me dumb. Just remember I live on the west coast. What is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alice childress Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 They also enjoyed the Boudin, though were disgusted when I told them the history behind the food. :-) OK, call me dumb. Just remember I live on the west coast. What is that? you don't want to know.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldManAlto Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 My preparation consisted of calling the Jambalaya Shoppe a week ago and telling them that I wanted an icechest full of Jambalaya and 10 links of Boudin. :-) Boudin is d### good....Us altos last year for Spirit had a feast on it a few times last summer thanks our Cajun comrade and his parents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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