DCI Southwestern Evening Show Review

[MikeN]

This one's only 8 pages in MS Word - shorter than the other one. -Mike

When last we left me, I had just finished the afternoon show and did my Mike Tyson spend-money-like-it-was-water routine in the "Souvenier Marketplace." Who thinks of these names, anyways?

After spending all of my money and rendering me as urchin-like as Pioneer’s guard, we went and dropped off the <stupid DCI policy, grumble, grumble> camera at the car, and went to eat at Fuddrucker’s. Has to be the rudest staff I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. “Bill, I *said* your order is ready! Get up here!” Great burgers, though. By the time we ate, drank and rested, it was already time to get back up and trudge in for the evening show. Like last year, DCI left everyone out until the last minute. Unlike last year, it wasn’t 110 degrees. So we were in a much better mood, which made the evening show much more pleasant than last year.

We were in the same seats again, with new company, though. A bunch of Glassmen supporters sat around us, including the family (or at least extended family) of Kyle the Glassmen DM. They had no clue what it is he did, but they were there to support him. Good for them! There was also a lady who brought her 3 or 4 month old little girl and plugged her ears with cotton. Guess what – it didn’t help much. If I know to not bring an 8 month old, they should have known better. She was an awful cute baby, though. So happy. Then, so asleep. :) We also had a *lot* of corps members who’d been let loose for the night looking for empty seats to squat in during the shows, but they were very polite and never made a fuss when they had to move. That makes it a lot less annoying.

Okay, we get the National Anthem – no frills trumpet arrangement – from a guy at the Bandmaster’s Association. Nicely done. It was funny, though. Nobody sang at first, then it kept getting louder and louder to the end. What, did everyone forget the words?

And on to the show!

First - Bluecoats (8th - 84.20) presented “Urban Dances,” the music of Concerto for Bass Trombone, Dancer in the Dark and Pedal to the Metal. I loved their tom players last year, and they’re back doing more of the same. It’s stuff that you have to see in person, ‘cause they’re usually being covered up by the hornline, but they’re almost always playing something cool. Jenna thought the guard uniforms were nicely designed. The main thing that stood out about them was the intensity and energy of the program. You could tell that we were in the “big boy” corps now. The tempos seemed a bit higher than what others had performed to that point as well. I liked the taxi flags, and … well, that whole segment, really. I didn’t see anything that just killed me on the drill front, but I was low, too. Unless it’s *really* obvious, I probably missed it. I wish I had more to say, but they’re just a solid, clean, fun corps. I thought they should have been in 7th.

Crossmen (9th - 83.80) appeared next, performing “The Signature Series,” containing The Heat of the Day, Candle in the Window, and Strawberry Soup. I’ve heard this show a bunch, so I knew what I was getting into musically. This also makes it hard to write a lot about *what* they do, since I know it so well, so I’ll just remark on generally *how* they did it. They didn’t disappoint! Incredible drumline. Fun to watch. The silver stripe on the jacket adds a flash of brilliance to the group, but I think I liked the red better. Funny part – in the snare solo in Strawberry Soup, a snare lost his silver sash. Don’t know how, but the judge was nice enough to pick it up for him and lay it on the sideline. I don’t think he meant to draw attention to it, but he left it shiny side up, so it sat there reflecting for the rest of the show… This is one of their best corps ever, but I don’t know if they’re better than the 1997 group. They seemed a little tired tonight. Especially after the mile-a-minute Bluecoats. The fun part is, I don’t have to decide which Crossmen show is better – I can simply like both. :)

Seattle Cascades (10th - 79.95) got to perform next, and the second time was the charm for them and me. Maybe it was the familiarity with them at that point, but the music seemed a lot more accessible. No fatigue at all, and the guard was that tiny bit sharper that made all the difference. I felt they lost the tiebreaker to Spirit, but I wouldn't say 11th for a first time Division 1 corps is bad - would you?

Also reprising their afternoon performance was the Blue Knights (12th - 78.50). They seemed to have lost most of the energy they had in the afternoon, which was a shame. The second time, though, I was able to discover the melody and repeated motifs in the opener. Boy, did that make it more pleasant to listen to! So, in retrospect, this one is a show that requires repeated viewings to really get into. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not! If I’d gotten to judge them based on the early performance, I’d have put them in 10th over both Spirit and Seattle, but based on that night show, 12th was the right spot for them. At this point, I don’t think you’d hear them complain!

Spirit (10th - 79.95) came out to perform again, and Jenna watched them this time. She had trouble, though, ‘cause they marched a hole in the hornline. I left out of my afternoon review that the horn movement in the opener where they’re facing left to right and back while crescendoing was a blast to both hear and watch. Nice effect. I thought they were a little looser than during the afternoon show, but I’d still have put them in undisputed 10th. The opener grew a little more on me, much like BK, but I still say it’s not a pleasant piece to hear.

Boston Crusaders (7th - 84.55) finished up the afternoon advancement pack. This time, since I knew where the program was going, I got to concentrate a little more on the total package. Well, even with that, my opinions didn’t change. It’s a nice show. The guard uniforms are still nice, contrasting the dark uniforms.

Intermission – during the intermission, a group of … elderly … gentlemen, some in DCI shirts, some not, had a lengthy meeting in the middle of the 50 yard line. They then took out what looked like tape strips and started to remark the hashes. I don’t know if it was tape, but if that’s adhesive paint or something, that’s too cool. The absolute best comment of the night: the kid behind us (cousin of Glassmen’s DM Kyle) said, just as the group broke up, “The gentlemen in the khaki shorts have won the toss and elect to receive.”

The Blue Devils (3rd - 90.35) began the performance after the break. They presented, “Jazz – Music Made in America,” containing Ragtime, Fascinating Rhythm / I’ve Got Rhythm, House of the Rising Sun and Channel one Suite. Fairly early time for them, I’d say. I’ve heard … audio … of their show a bunch of times, so I was already familiar with the early season version of their music. Most of it, though, has since changed. Ragtime now has a lot more vaudeville in it, and I think it’s starting to clutter the song up. I much preferred the early season version. The guard’s uniforms are pretty bad, but they’re really the only color that stands out of the entire corps (those blue and black unis blend into the field a bit), so they were welcome in that respect. In my review last year, I blasted them for using the hats more than any particular flag, and I wasn’t pleased to see them using that gimmick again in the opener. Thankfully, they put them away after that. I still think Ragtime is a bit too legato for my taste, almost to the point of sounding mushy, but it’s still my favorite song from their show. My initial impression, as I was composing the review in my head while watching them was, “they’re so quiet!” They didn’t get as much projection as even the Crossmen or Bluecoats. I was quite disappointed. That didn’t last long.

We got to the Rhythms medley, and the visual program started to work. The horns are split up, with each block playing one of the medleys. Okay, I can go for that. The rack of cymbals on the sideline is cool, with the drummers mixing and matching, weaving in and out to play them. At the end of that song, where they’d been playing, “Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t got the Swing” they’ve changed it. To what, I couldn’t tell you. The volume meter suddenly blew through the roof, and I don’t think it’s landed yet. The drums cranked up the volume to the point where the little baby down the row startled and started crying, and you couldn’t hear her. The wall of sound – and I mean this literally – was so loud that you couldn’t tell *what* they were playing. Only that they were. I have never heard anything like that in a corps show before, and I’ve been to them for 7 years now. Simply incredible. So, forget what I said about their volume. Until that point, you got the feeling that this was a laid back performance for them. In retrospect, that was by design.

Rising Sun worked nicely as a ballad, especially since it wasn’t that slow. The only complaint I have about that piece is the same charge I leveled against Crossmen’s Harlem Nocturne last year: it’s basically a theme and variations. That gets old. A half-dozen or so guard members with really long hair do a dance with it where they let it hang and whip it around and stuff. Was odd, but fun to watch. Also in this song, the guard got some incredibly fast flagwork going. What was even more odd was that they were the first ones in *either* show that I’d seen do stuff that fast. Channel One, as has been said often online, is too short. They do, however, hit a company front for the push at the beginning of it, and that’s a neat effect.

Overall, I really liked BD’s drill. I thought it was much better than last year’s. Much like the Cadets in ’01, there’s not a lot tying this show together either musically or visually, so you have to just take it in pieces and not concentrate so much on the whole. Here’s how good they were tonight – even Jenna liked them. (And she’s never forgiven them for “One Hand, One Heart”!) If it was possible, I’d have had them either closer to or tied to the Cadets. The major question, I guess. Can this show win? Yes. Will they need outside help? Yes. Cadets or Cavies are going to have to peak, *and* the Devils are going to have to perform the heck out of their show.

Glassmen (5th - 86.15) performed a show called, “Odyssey,” which contained Javelin and Millenium Symphony. I still like, and Jenna still doesn’t like, the shields on the corps uniforms. Their guard was about the only ones to keep the brown/yellow colors that were so much in vogue last year. Javelin is the overarching theme of this show – if you like it (as I do), you’ll have no problem “getting” it. If you don’t like it (as Jenna doesn’t), then you’re in for a loooong show. The timpani in the end zone was a neat touch to start things off, though it really wasn’t used after that. The snares have djembes or some such drum mounted on the snares, and I don’t think it added a whole lot to the show. But, if they’re happy, I suppose. A busy drummer is a happy drummer. There’s a lot more ethnic drumming throughout the entire show than I was expecting. As everyone and their mother has mentioned before, the Flugel soloist is back. I actually like the “ballad” piece better this year than last. Well, if you can call what’s essentially a 132 tempo a ballad. Oh, and for the people who sat behind me. GO KYLE! There, I’ve written it. :) Their DM’s were downright friendly tonight – and they were part of only a few. Lots and lots of body movement in the show. To me, it wasn’t as good as ’99 or ’01, but better than ’98 and ’00. In the race for the 5th spot, I think they currently have the advantage over Phantom Regiment.

Now we’re in the meat of the title contenders. Jenna’s comment, “How much longer until the Cavaliers?”

The next group to perform was the Cadets (2nd - 90.50). They performed, “An American Revival,” consisting of New York, New York, The Place Where Dreams Come True, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and an original closer. Jenna was waiting to see them with her teeth practically bared. She just doesn’t like their shows very much. I tried very hard to go in with an open mind. I didn’t like the ‘98, ‘99 or ’01 shows, but I very much loved them in ’95 – so I was going in with the attitude that I’d like this one, too. And you know what? It’s easy to like. I hate New York, New York, I really do, but they managed to sell even me on it. For me, the main weakness is the ballad. Like the Troopers from the morning, it’s a game of “which one of these pieces doesn’t fit?” That said, though, their weak song is still better than just about everyone else’s strong one. BWBB is everything that’s been advertised, though after the Blue Devils you kept waiting for the volume to go a tiny bit higher. And that’s a small complaint. The DM turned around and tried to get people standing and clapping, but the crowd was generally sitting. I think there was *one* standing-O *during* a performance during the entire day, and I’ll be darned if I can remember who got it. One of these last five groups. Back to the Cadets – I missed there being a tenor feature – that’s what the Cadets have always done so well over the past, well, 12 years or so. The snares did a wonderful full-of-notes solo, but it just wasn’t the same. <longing sigh> The closer, well, it just was sort of there. It’s a reprise of “America” themes, but it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with the rest of the show musically. It does have velocity, though. “Typical” Cadets, in that way. I liked the Appalachian Spring melody in there – nice quote for them to use.

Jenna noticed, as I did, that they sure aren’t marching as much time-wise as the other top corps. Stuart Rice once timed their ’95 show and found that there was less than 6 minutes of marching in the entire performance. I’d say this is around 7 minutes (just guessing), but there’s still enough “down” time to make you notice. However, quantity does not equal quality, and the Cadets’ marching this year is much improved over some of the older models of their corps. No head bobbing, etc. There’s an American flag drill set in this show, too, much like Boston, but the Cadets’ set is a waving flag, and they don’t lay down. The real strength of this corps is in the guard and the visual “story.” Jenna thought they had the best guard unit tonight, and they sold the performance so well that she still remembers what visual moments went where in the show. For her, that’s the equivalent of jumping up and down for them. :) She thought the guys in their skivvies was fun, during the enlisting bit. She also liked, as did I, the WWII posters on the bottoms of the boxes. I was indifferent, but Jenna hated the Pledge in there. Her point – if they’re going through so much trouble as to have a 48 star flag and all of the original posters, why not the “original” Pledge, if you’re going to do it? She felt it had more to do with current politics than patriotism. Didn’t spoil the show for her, but it was noticed. The major complaint she had about the guard, and I wholeheartedly agree, is this: if you’re going to set the mood for all of this, have the guys enlist (and stay on rifles for like the last 6 minutes of the show – bravo!), WHY ARE THE GIRLS (dressed as regular lady-type folks) SPINNING SABRES? It breaks the mood in jarring fashion. C’mon, Cadets – you’ve given us spinning apostrophes and those S’s in 1991; you can do better than this.

I guess it says a lot for just how good they were that we noticed such little details to be critical about. Like I said about BD – can they win Finals with this show? Yes. Will they need the Cavies to stumble a bit? A little, though not as much as the Devils.

Santa Clara Vanguard (4th - 89.30) came on next, presenting “Sound, Shape and Color.” Tour shirts have that stained glass snare picture that was mentioned online a while back. Musical selections were Trivandrum, Symphony No 2 (Romantic), and Symphony for Organ and Orchestra. This, like every SCV show since about ’96 or ’97, needs more than one viewing to appreciate. Again, I don’t know if that’s good or not. Since I only got the one viewing, the only comment I can make is – odd. The music doesn’t seem particularly accessible, including the ballad, which is normally a pretty straightforward piece (I’ve played it before). Nothing in here you’re going to go home humming, that’s for sure. Not the first time, anyways. Drummers never really made it to the front sideline, which was a shame, considering they were throwing down some great stuff! Guard had white elastic straps on their flagpoles in the opener which they’d pull out from the middle to make triangles. Okay, I can deal with that. The “box” thingies, though, didn’t serve much use. They’re a lot like the car parts from the Cadets ’99 show – all you can really do is just run around with them. The new uniforms are a nice design, but that bright green is … yuk. Jenna, though, thought that it was much nicer than the older ones. So, I suppose it’s a matter of personal taste. The guard uniforms were very nice – they have a diagonal silver stripe to match the ones on the corps jackets. That makes for a lot more visual cohesiveness between the two. I have to reiterate the same thing I say every year about these guys: they didn’t do much for me here, but ask me again in 6 months and I’ll probably list them among my favorites. I didn’t like the ’99 show the first time, either. :) Or the 2000 show. Or the 2001 show… (Oh, and like Spirit – major points to them for incorporating the ballad into the closer.)

The Cavaliers (1st - 92.45) *finally* got to perform next. The all-original show is titled, “Frameworks.” I liked the Tron uniforms. Jenna didn’t. There’s 3 main sections to the show, with a lot of subsections. The opener is essentially two different pieces, the ballad is two and the closer is … you guessed it, two. Or maybe three, even. The guard marched with their frame flags for a goodly portion of the middle of the show – long enough to make you notice that they still had them. They used the color of the flags to good effect, accenting different blocks of the corps. Musically, the show is kind of bland. Good, but bland. Felt like a concert band piece on the field. In case you’re wondering, the tapping sound in the dance section seems to be the horn players tapping their valves. Really neat effect.

Drill-wise, where do I begin? Too many moves to recite. If I had to pick one show to watch on high-cam, theirs is it. While the “Fight Club” is neat for the dancing, pay attention to the corps forming around it. You won’t believe just how *fast* they’re moving. It’s like the final move last year where they’re compressing to the corner – they look like they’re gliding at a different rate of time than the rest of the world. Like I said – too many moves to recite, so I’ll stop here.

I know I’ve spent less time covering them than some of the others, but this is a show you have to see to believe. Me telling you how neat it is won’t do it justice. If you’re anywhere near a stadium where they’re performing, run and get tickets now! I can wait to continue until you get back…

…

Having seen the big 4 contenders pretty much in a row, we felt that BD and the Cadets were virtually tied. The Blue Devils’ musical book was a match of the Cadets visual story. Like I keep saying – I’m glad I didn’t have to decide. We were both pretty much agreed, though, that the what the Cadets and BD have over the Cavies for a denser musical book, the Cavies more than wax the entire marching activity in drill (nobody can touch them this year – period) and performance.

Closing out the evening competition, Phantom Regiment (6th - 85.80) was the unlucky recipient of the “Alamodome Acoustic Victim” award. Their show had two dynamics – f and fff. Any musical subtlety was lost in the thundering echoes of the arena. And that hurt them. The musical arrangements are nice, if not the instant classics that they have created before. The ballad isn’t one of those classic “Phantom” power songs, but it works well enough. The opener’s a bit shorter than last year’s. The drum feature that wasn’t is okay, though I’d much prefer that the drums not play their stuff on the back hash mark. Their guard was the only unit that came close to matching the Blue Devils’ velocity tonight. Let’s put it this way – the two guards did such fast work it made me, a drummer, sit up and notice how different they were from everyone else.

The closer, though, is where it’s at in this piece. Jenna captured it best when she remarked, “I find this music – disturbing.” Yep, it was dark, brooding, full of conflict – you know, the stuff that Phantom Regiment always does so well. Nobody really ever talks about it (maybe ‘cause I’m the only one that thinks so), but both their drill and individual marching are improving by leaps and bounds every year. I loved the throwback wedge (front rank kneeling) at the end of the show! For whatever reason, though, whether it was having to follow the Cavies or just being tired (like last year), the show didn’t reach out and grab you. Oh, and Dan Potter neglected to mention that they were the 1996 DCI Champion. He mentioned everyone else’s titles except theirs.

Full retreat tonight. The corps were played on by the Cavies’ bass line. Nobody clapped during the cadence. <sigh> The crowd was surprised by both Crossmen’s and Phantom’s placements – it seems most people had them one spot higher. A few groans for the 10th place tie, but no real complaints. Jenna and I both had the Bluecoats in 7th, and the Crossmen over Boston. Cavies got the most applause, which I found a bit strange. Until a couple of years ago, they were just one of the other big corps. Now, they seem to have new fans everywhere! No matter what some people think about their “esoteric” shows of the last few years, that’s gotta say something right there. Their DM came up to conduct AmeriCanada and God Bless America, and stood right behind me! If you saw him, I was the guy in the gray shirt on the row below. :) I figure that I ought to add that there, since *nobody* stopped me in the hall, even after posting my picture and everything. <sniffle> Somebody’s horns – Jenna thinks it was the Crossmen – were off during AmeriCanada.

Some notes about the facility. Like most pro football stadiums, the Alamodome had a couple of jumbotrons in the corners. Only problem with the one you could see from the concert side was that three of the mini-panels in it were burned out. Was just annoying. Plus, the right – hand overhead bank of lights was burnt out, so the entire right half of the field was cast darker than the other side. Pearl had a great commercial that got played on the screen – they need to make it downloadable! Honestly, so does DCI with some of the spots they ran. They showed a clip of time-lapse from the San Antonio show last year that covered the entire day in 45 seconds. Too cool! I could tell the corps just from the drill forms that flew by. DCI needs a multimedia section with all of this stuff! Too cool. And I’m sick of that Magic Music Days commercial – it’s been the same for 3 years now. Uck.

Cavies got to do their victory concert. A couple of thousand people stuck around to watch and listen. We just stayed where we were – it was enough to see everything. They started with a drum warmup, then their 60-second one. (All Things Bright and Beautiful) They then played the first and last movements of their show (chanting, but no dancing), Stars and Stripes forever (only a few people clapped – heathens) and Over the Rainbow (with a gorgeous mello solo). It was nice to be able to hear the show in a standstill ‘cause a lot of what they do out there musically got lost in the dome tonight. See my review above. The show’s not so bland when you can hear everything. Also, a lot of the percussion visuals got lost earlier ‘cause they were running all over the place at 204 bpm. The horn book is a *lot* more intricate than it seemed on the first viewing. I can see, though, why some people complain – even if I don’t agree. Drummers are also doing a lot of flashy visuals in their show, which also impresses since they’re usually running at the same time!

Overall, I felt that the quality of all of the shows this year was leaps and bounds ahead of 2001. I found something to enjoy in every single corps I watched, including the ones I don’t traditionally like so much. CD’s, DVD’s and videos are in my future – bank account, beware!

Anyways, some souvies were still being sold when we were leaving after the concert, and some were packing up. I had no more money, so we just walked back to the car. Was kind of nice, if a bit humid, and we got to the parking garage without incident.

We get in the car, and the battery light comes on. I figure, hey, if it’s the battery, I’d better keep the car running so we don’t get stranded. Oops. Turns out it came on ‘cause the fan belt quit. Makes sense – battery light=fan belt? So, 15 miles north of San Antonio, kablaam. Head gasket blew. Ouch. Took 2 hours for a tow truck to come get us. (My uncle owns a company, so he made “arrangements.”) We were just over the hill from a rest stop, so I pushed the car off into the driveway. We tried to stay away from the trucks parked there, ‘cause we didn’t, you know, want to be killed.

Also called Jenna’s parents in Austin to come give us a ride home. They were watching Maddy for us anyways, so they brought her along when they picked us up. Seeing that little baby at the show made us miss her a lot. We’d never left her for so long before.

Funny note - while we were waiting in the soup of the Texas night, we did see the MIA Kiwanis Kavaliers semi trucks go rumbling down the highway. Heh. Wonder where they were all day?

Tow truck got there a little before 3. Jenna’s parents got there 5 minutes later. By the time we got home, it had been quite a long day! Stayed up long enough to put Maddy back to bed, type a quick note for dcp and then off to sleep!

Anyways, that was my day / night in a rather large nutshell. If you have any questions / comments, feel free to PM me. Wish I’d had my camera – I’d have won the DVD’s for sure!

Thanks for reading this stuff,

Mike.

p.s. Speaking of DVD’s, I did get to watch the ’90 and ’92 ones. I love the format of them, with the menus and all. I love the quality of the video and sound, the retrospective, well, heck, everything about them! I know what my Christmas presents are going to be now. Well, after a new car…

[CSGreen]

My favorite review so far this season!

[mobrien]

>My favorite review so far this season!

Yeah, I'm going along with that assesment.

Car breaks down on your way out of town and you spend time waiting in a truck stop? Ain't THAT the perfect ending to a total drum corps day...;-)

Matt

[MikeN]

I thought the perfect ending was watching Kiwanis's truck rumble by, since we never could find their souvie stand. :)

Was hoping to see more corps drive by... well, at least it passed the time...

Mike

[Bill D]

That was a fantastic review!

Easily the best of the season!!

Bill D

I am an "old school guy". My idea of perfection is the top four in 72 or 74 or 84 or 88 or 2001. This top four is the best ever.

I may be wrong. I will probably be saying it's the best top 9 ever by August.

It is also nice seeing the level of competition improving after the top twelve.

I remember in 74 there was about 30 good, enjoyable and competitive Div 1 corps. After being 4th in 72 27th finished 18th? in 74. then in 75 they were 4th!

That type of movement is virtually impossible now. The Wilmington Cardinals that year had one of my favorite all time shows. To this day no one has had a better arrangement of "Knights in White Satin" or "Get It On" They had bus trouble b4 prelims arrived minutes b4 the show, and performed their worst show in a month and finished 23rd? I had thought they would have been top 12.

Bill D

[starting line]

That was a comprehensive review, covering some Corps more comprehensive than others, but all in all well done .

[Geneva]

Mike, great review! You made me feel like I was there. Thanks for taking the time to share your observations. :)

[Hops819]

Excellent review, I can't wait to see some of these guys in Madison now! Thanks. :)

[RiverRat]

Holy Scooby Doo!

Nice review!

I'm starting to wonder if you get more points if your review is looooonger! Yeah! That's It!

Can't wait for Madison!!!

[Sluggo]

yeah...you did another AWESOME review!!!! Thank you!