Div II/III prelim comments

[corpsreps]

My focus at the show was on taking pictures not on taking notes for a review. I will attempt to provide some brief impressions of each corps. It was a long day but I think they are all still straight in my mind. These are, of course, my opinions. It isn't my intention to offend anyone and hopefully I did not.

Blue Saints did a Beach Boys show. Fun music. Three bass drum filled with water, water guns. The corps is small and have some very young members. At one point a few of the youngest are playing with hula hoops. The corps received a good response from the crowd.

Racine Scouts did a 1970s show. Again, fun crowd friendly music from a small corps. No marching bass drums but there were 4 drums in the pit played by one member. Some nice double flag work by the guard. As the show closes with "I Will Survive" you could feel the crowd just enjoying the experience. The drum set player in the pit throws his sticks and knocks over the set as the show comes to a close. I'd love to see what this organization could do with a larger group.

Spirit of NJ are smaller than last year but are playing much better. During the warm up there are sirens and other noises in the pit to create an sense of urban atmosphere. Drum line sports bandanas during the drum feature. Some very good soloists. I particularly remember being impressed by the mellophone player.

Citations play music from Disney's Millenium Celebration which LVK played in 2002 (Oh, some corps called the Cadets did this music in 2000 too). Always a challenge for a small corps to take on music which won a gold in Div I but Citations chose some different selections and make the piece their own.

Les Stentors play "Pilatus, The Mountain of Dragon". The corps has a nice sound but for their size and abilities, taking on an obscure piece of music might not be the best of ideas. I'm having difficulty remembering the music. I do remember some nice solo work and that the guard was very expressive.

Bandettes have another water theme show but do not use water as a prop as some other corps this year have done. With their distinctive look, the Bandettes are always a pleasure to watch. During the ballad the battery used some type of triangles or chimes. The corps marches well.

Capital Sound play music from Aida by Elton John. I love this musical and adored this show. "Fortune Favors the Brave" is the show title and given their struggles seems appropriate. The music is filled with emotion. The show is among my favorite this season. At the end, the brass come up in front of the pit for a rousing finale.

St. Johns are doing music from Pirates of the Caribbean. As with Magic of Orlando, the corps relies a lot of the guard to tell the pirate story with water/rum. After her salute, the drum major searches the crowd, hand over eyes as if looking over the horizon. For such a small guard (5), they cover a lot of ground and are well staged in the show. Both times I watched this show, I found the guard to be very emotional and expressive.

Dutch Boy present the seasons of the year. There isn't much musically that stuck with me except Carol of the Bells (I think) and Singing in the Rain (as the guard wears rain coats). Guard costume changes follow the seasonal shifts in the music. As with St. Johns this guard really sells the show. The show ends with the brass up in front of the pit.

Marion Glory Cadets tackle the difficult music of The Planets. In typical Marion fashion, the music is almost too difficult but as they gain comfort with the show they become increasingly impressive. The large battery (7 snares) is fun to watch and a strong point of the corps. I had a fun time watching the cymbals. With a very small guard (5 but they had 1 early season I believe), the corps looks for other ways to create visual expression. During the ballad the battery add body movement and move through the field. I don't recall seeing any weapons work from the guard, just flag. I expected some round planet like objects given the theme but didn't notice any.

Fusion plays music by Stephen Melillo. It was nice to see a merger that appears to be successful. The corps seemed strong in all sections and well balanced, though I didn't care much for the musical selections. There was some nice weapons work from the whole guard (I believe they were 10 strong).

Lehigh Valley Knights perform selections from Dance Movements by Philip Sparke and Bacchanale. The show has some wonderful visual moments, made even better by the best guard of the afternoon. This is a fun drill to watch. The guard use a unique curved flag pole for some interesting effects. The drum line has a very difficult book which they handle with ease. Some nice, though brief, solos in the ballad. The pit player who starts off the show is absolutely amazing (alright, so he's my son, what can I say?).

Raiders tackle music by John Adams including Wild Nights and Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Unlike Citations who sold me on their version of a familiar Div I piece, Raiders had difficulty convincing me that their music works. Wild Nights done last year by Phantom in one of the best shows ever is just too difficult to pull off at this level. I didn't like Short Ride when Cadets played it either. That said, the corps has improved greatly since the beginning of the year. I really didn't think they could pull off this show. But they do. Solid in all sections, well balanced.

Teal Sound another obscure show (see corpsreps.com for the details, or at least as much as I have). I didn't care much for the music but could appreciate the vast improvement in this corps over the past year. A very full brass sound is complimented by a great drum line. Some of the battery join in with the guard during the ballad. Great cymbal line.

Americanos stick with Latin music. The corps plays well and I enjoyed the music but I found the show to be not very interesting visually. I'm not sure why. It may be the black guard uniforms which just had a little bit of color at the waist. I remember very little work from the guard.

Yamato's show centers on a theme of timekeeping. The props consisted of Roman numerals for I to XII placed on the field to form a clock. At several points the guard (and sometimes the rest of the corps) reinforce the theme with clock like movements or "checking their watch". Guard really stands out in the show as they are well staged and integrated within the whole visual program. I was not surprised they lept past Court of Honor and thought they should have been closer to Oregon than they were (if not ahead of them). Great show, very well executed.

Court of Honor present Seussical. The staging includes three ramps which the corps uses effectively to highlight soloists and some guard work. Guard is very expressive but seemed to have some difficulties managing equipment with the occassionally strong breezes during their performance. The corps has a large drum rack with rototoms which are used toward the end. I found the equipment visually distracting the rest of the show. Drum book seemed to be one of the easier ones among the top 9 but was played well. I thought they would incorporate much more visually dealing with Seuss but mostly it was the phrases painted on the ramps. I think both Teal and LVK could pass Court of Honor unless CoH executes a near perfect show.

Oregon Crusaders are definitely the corps to beat in Div III and it is going to take one heck of a performance for anyone to do so. This corps seems huge. They use the entire field. I didn't count, but I'd have thought they had 80 on the field. Big full sound. The purple costumes of the guard stood out on the field, making their work much more visible. I was sitting down low but there were times I just wasn't sure what was happening visually. I hear that the show really works from up top. Perhaps tomorrow I'll watch from higher up. From down low I did not like the effects of the pit amplification. It seemed the sound was coming from multiple directions (which, of course, it was).

At this point there was a long dinner break. I was able to take my son to dinner and catch up on the corps gossip. I made it back in the middle of Beatrix.

Beatrix do a nice job with their all Gershwin show, though there was little about the show I found striking.

Memphis Sound play an original repertoire entitled "Elements of Blue". The guard is dressed mostly in blue with some purple mixed in. There are some solid blue flags. But other than that, there wasn't much blue in the show. The purple in the corps uniform is pretty dominant visually. The corps plays and marches well.

Jersey Surf have a very fun show. By now most have probably heard about the Elvis costumes. While they really add to the show, I think it would be better if they had the costume change later in the program. The company front in My Way stepping over the guard was great. The cocktail waitress costumes on the guard were new and the staging of the Elvis costume change is not at the front side line. The corps clearly seems to be having a good time out there and the audience is diggin the show.

Blue Devils B are a real treat to listen to. Great music by New York Voices and Pat Methany. The guard is stunning and perform very well. My only disappointment was I wanted just a little more emotion. I remember Kiwanis Kavaliers playing Baroque Samba a few years back and found that to be a very emotional piece. BDB played it well but didn't generate quite the emotional impact. Minuano was my favorite piece in their repertoire.

Blue Stars look so good as a big corps. They cover the field very well, play well and, even though the music is largely unfamiliar, seemed to connect to the audience. Perhaps it is just part of the Blue Stars mystique. What I noticed most was the marching in the brass. The front/back of the uniform difference make a nice visual effect. The guard makes use of some very pretty multicolor flags.

Fever performed very well. I especially enjoyed Rite of Spring. The corps came on with the sun half covering the field. The shadows coupled with their dull grey/brown uniforms make it difficult to see them at times. One of just a few amped pits of the day, though I couldn't tell.

Impulse seem more serious this year than in the past. The major "fun" is a progressively complex Bettie Boop drawing. The guard was fun to watch and sold the idea of cartoon. The corps is definitely executing at a higher level than in the past but I guess I was expecting more fun, so the show left me feeling a little unsatisfied.

Vanguard Cadets are so much like their older sibling. Unique drill, exciting music, great percussion parts, awesome cymbals, even the Vanguard yell. The music is mostly unfamiliar but there is so much happening in the show it doesn't seem to matter.

East Coast Jazz have improved leaps and bounds over last year. Very exciting show. Easily the most fun of the day. I was very impressed with the improvements in the drum line. All sections, though, were excellent. Loved the guard work. Whether they were dancing or using weapons or flags, there was always something interesting happening. They take on a Div I championship repertoire but handle it with ease. The crowd seemed to love this show.

Spartans are so different from ECJ in musical style but just as excellent. The corps plays with a great deal of confidence. From the drum major's salute, it is obvious this corps is serious about their music and their performance. Most impressive pit of the day. The corps marches extremely well.

Well, those are my thoughts on the day. It was a great day of drum corps. Anyone who thinks DCI is all about Div I needs to get to a major II/III event. In so many ways, II/III is what drum corps is all about. Very diverse performances - from the fan friendly approach of the Beach Boys, original music, Medusa, this day had it all.

[corpsfan18]

Thanks for the review. It's nice to get some info about the div II/III corps!!!!!!!

[CincinnatiGloryMello]

I agree with most of the things stated above. i thought that Vanuard Cadets would have been 1st, with ECJ a close second, then spartans. I also thought that Yamato was 1st or at least a lot closer to Oregon. color guard for marion really seemed to hurt them.

I would have written a full review, but this internet on your tv thing is pretty bad! Cant wait til tomorrow.

[TempistIQ2]

Thanks so much Chris! There are some of us out there waiting for this particular review.

Go LVK! :) SOOOO glad to see them jump up in marks I actually yelped out loud when I read the scores yesterday. Of course everyone in the office turned around to find out what happened, and then looked at me like I was a fruitcake!

Having spent 2 years following Div. ii/iii circuit, I agree completely with your last remarks. Good luck tonight! I'll be in King of Prussia watching the quarterfinals on the big screen, but we'll be thinking about LVK!

Susan I.

[mellomom]

Thanks, Chris-

We've been dyin' for this back here at home. Reviews for DII/DIII have been pretty sparse since Allentown- just a few here and there.

Tell all the kids everyone here wishes them the best!

Mary Ortega

[Sean1]

Nice review

[finleyville]

Thanks for the review.  It's nice to get some info about the div II/III corps!!!!!!! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

SCVC, ECJ then Spartans? Wat show were you watching? No, the judges got it right.

Mike

[JBcontra]

I agree with finleyville