plugcatcher Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 7/9/2005 -- DCI Columbia A beautiful night for drum corps in Columbia, MO at Faurot Field on the University of Missouri campus. I took my wife, who had not been to a show for nearly ten years, and we had excellent seats right on the 50 yd. line, 63 rows up. (Which reminds me, does anyone know why you can only get terrible seats through DCI's online ticket ordering system, but if you call them directly three days before the show -- which I did -- you get unbelievable seats that supposedly weren't available online? Seems strange.) Anyway, our wonderful vantage point did have its flaws. It may have been the shape of the stadium, our elevation from the field, or something else, but the volume just wasn't there tonight. Add to that a very nice older gentleman sitting next to me who had a severe case of gastrointestinal distress -- we were privileged enough to smell him as he stood to applaud after every performance. So, our great seats did have a couple of drawbacks. On a positive note, it was nice to have Brandt Crocker announce the show, and I was glad to see that DCI had a souvenir booth set up which many people stood by & watched the Legacy DVDs on TV. On to the performances: Memphis Sound -- 61.075 (Div. II) I had never seen Memphis Sound before tonight, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's great to see a newer corps doing well on the field, and I think that Memphis Sound has a solid future. Unfortunately, my viewing of their performance suffered because 1) they didn't hold anyone's attention, so people talked through the whole show, and 2) their lack of volume was very evident sitting so high up. So it was difficult to get a good read on their program. Kiwanis Kavaliers -- 56.525 (Div. I) As others have said, KK seem to be suffering from lack of membership this season. Their hornline was very small (22, IIRC), but they had a nice full drumline. Their show consisted of the theme from The Incredibles, Secret Agent Man, Pink Panther, and Mission Impossible. They got a nice response from the pink tails they use as guard equipment during the Pink Panther section. They perform their show well, but the lack of bodies in the horn line prevents them from giving that "oomph" that they need to sell it well. Capital Regiment -- 70.475 Chiaroscuro. Okay, let me get this straight: A drum corps show about light and shadow? So now not only do I have to be able to understand a musical theme, but I have to be a graphic design student as well? Maybe an art historian? I don't get it. Flame away if you must, but I just don't see how the music they played had anything at all to do with light and shadow. And I don't understand why every corps nowadays needs to make their show sound more important by naming it after some word that has more of a chance being heard in a spelling bee than in a football stadium. Fortunately for myself, I had previously heard the word and knew what it meant. But for many people around me, they were left wondering what the heck it was. It would've made more sense just telling people that the music they were playing was "Symphonic Dances in Shades of Darkness and Light". But that's just my opinion....I could be wrong. <rant over> Anyway, aside from the silly show title, Cap Reg has a great corps this year. I really enjoyed their show, beginning to end. The sundial that is rolled around on the field was not distracting to me at all, and in fact, I thought they made good use of it as a focal point for various drill sets. I was extremely impressed with the maturity of this corps, especially the drumline. While their book is obviously not as difficult as some higher-placing corps, they're playing it very well. Their hornline delivered some nice volume, and with some cleaning, I believe they should be a semi-finalist corps. I'm looking forward to seeing them again later this summer. Colts -- 74.650 Okay, I've got another bone to pick. I know that this is the first time in recent memory a show has been held in this area. And I know that many of the fans tonight were probably seeing their first show live. So I understand that many people don't yet understand drum corps show ettiquette. But, do we really need to hear from Mr. Joe Band Director (sitting right behind me) that "X" number of his students/children/friends are marching in Colts this year -- every 30 seconds......during the show??? "He's on the 25.......no, the other 25..............Look, he's walking up to the front.......He just passed the gong on the right side............Look right past the cymbals...............He's on the 42 over there by the drums..............He's turning around now..................No, that's not him, he's on the 34 now..............He's the one with the black pants on carrying the horn.................." OH. MY. GOSH. Talk about annoying. Mr. BigMouth (who was friends with Mr. Flatulence beside me) wanted to make sure everyone within a 15-foot radius knew where his son was at all times through the show. I understand him being proud and all, but please shut up. <rant #2 over> The Colts seemed to be a little flat to me tonight. Again, this could have been because of our vantage point, or it could have been because of the distractions around us. But I just didn't think they had a great show. Having said that, I think this is one of the stronger corps the Colts have had recently, and their show is finalist-caliber. I love the variety in selections, which is something that just isn't done much anymore. The Red Pony, Estancia, Till There Was You......quite an eclectic mix. I really like their program, and I hope to see them back on Saturday night this year. Bluecoats -- 80.875 Wow. The Bluecoats are on fire this year. They are for real. This is, in my opinion, the best corps they've ever had. Not my favorite show from them, but definitely their best corps, all-around. It has been noted that they've recently made significant changes to their show, and you can almost see those spots appear out of nowhere in their performance. But it's obvious that they have the talent to clean this show up, and I think it will carry them far. I kept waiting for the big amplified "drum-speak" to be a huge shock in the middle of an otherwise outstanding show, but surprisingly, it never appeared. I was expecting a huge, loud, overblown vocalization that would ruin the show for me, but what they did was very tasteful. The vocals were soft, very short, and fit right in to the show. I am definitely not a fan of amplification, but if this is the worst it ever got, I could live with it. I wouldn't like it, but I could live with it. It's good to see the Bluecoats having a banner year. It will be interesting to see how they match up with the top 5-6. Madison Scouts -- 84.125 My second viewing of the Scouts this year was very satisfying. The Scouts are doing it old-school this year, playing a straight-ahead, no-gimmicks (except for the girl) drum corps show. They play fast, loud, and in your face. While the entire corps is great, the drumline is really impressive this year. Looking at the recaps, I see that the Cavies beat them by .10. No way. Not even close. These guys were easily the best tonight, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them place in the top 3-4 in drums on Finals night. Nice turnaround, Madison. I especially like the staging as they reveal Carmen during the second tune. The drill is very effective at pulling your eyes right where they need to be. But I wish Carmen did more than just prance around. She's very effective, but I keep waiting for her to pick up some equipment and spin with the boys. And does anyone know: Does she enter the field in the backfield podium, or does she come in with the rest of the guard, perform the opener disguised, then come out after a costume change? I kept forgetting to watch for that tonight. Anyway, the Scouts are well on their way to their best finish since '95. I don't know if they can catch the Cavies, and I don't think they have the horses to win it all, but they should easily be sitting in the top 5 on Finals night. Cavaliers -- 86.175 I'll get right to it. I don't love the opener. I thought I did, but I don't. It just lacks the punch that I want it to have. And I'm not too sure that I like the last few minutes of the show, either. Too jam-oriented. I just remember thinking that it didn't sound like the Cavaliers. These guys play their show extremely well, but I'm just not sure about it. The Cavies' Chicago-theme is cool and kinda cheesy at the same time. The baseball stuff is cute, but the fire helmets have to go. (Channeling Simon Cowell) "If I'm being honest, to me they look like something you'd see in a cheesy production number on a cruise ship." The ladders were used to a somewhat lukewarm effect, and I'm not sure I liked leaving them on the field for such a large portion of the show. The field just seemed cluttered. But the rest of their visual book was very nice, and the crowd really seemed to love the last move within the circle of ladders. The hornline performs pretty well, although I'm not sure they're up to par with some of the great Cavies' hornlines of the recent past. The drumline had some fairly blatant ensemble issues midway through the show, and to my ear, weren't nearly as clean as Madison. I'm sure both sections will be spotless by this time next month, though. The guard was, as usual, great -- clearly the best of the night. The show, while entertaining, just didn't strike me as a championship show. It will probably place very high at Finals, but I just don't know if it has what it takes to win it all. Maybe another viewing will convince me. ------ The encore was played by the Bluecoats, I think. We didn't stick around for it, as we had a long drive home. That's a first for me, as I can never remember leaving a show before the encore. I really hope DCI returns here next year. This could easily be a site for a larger regional show. The stadium is great, and the crowd was enthusiastic. It's good to see DCI searching out new venues for shows. I really think it helps expand the activity. This concludes the review. Any opinions or statements that you disagree with or that you find offensive can be directly attributed to the hangover I have from the fart-fumes I breathed all night long. Blame it on Mr. Butt Stench. Have a nice day, Plugcatcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vhsmbdm Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 Madison and Cavies both... just strike me as very old school shows. Though Cavie's show is somewhat original and cheesy... It just feels old school to me (and I like it). It would be nice to see a show like either of these two win a title again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 re: Cap Reg... Chiaroscuro is the name of the Robert Sheldon piece they are performing; it's not just a randomly drummed up name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plugcatcher Posted July 10, 2005 Author Share Posted July 10, 2005 re: Cap Reg...Chiaroscuro is the name of the Robert Sheldon piece they are performing; it's not just a randomly drummed up name. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> After a quick check, I see that you're absolutely correct. Corpsreps.com just has the piece listed as "Symphonic Dances in Shades of Darkness and Light," which is the rest of the piece's title. That was what I was going by. I stand corrected. ..........but I still don't like it. Plugcatcher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMichael1230 Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 Great review, thanks ! ~G~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madsct9701 Posted July 10, 2005 Share Posted July 10, 2005 To answer your question about carmen. We will not be seeing her spin at all this year. She has no spinning experience or none that would make her be able to hang with the rest of the guard. She is there to dance and only to dance. Ask far as how she comes onto the field, if you cant figure out where she comes from, then the gimmick of having her in the show is working. J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Posted July 11, 2005 Share Posted July 11, 2005 I just wanted to say, The entrance of Carmen is a well-guarded trade secret, and I think it's the coolest thing that they manage to sneak her out there the way they do...I saw the show in Normal, so I know it' s progressed even more, but I was blown away by the show and I love everything about it, I would love to see them win the championship...I think the audience would go wild!!! Thanks for your comments!! I agree..It's working!! To answer your question about carmen. We will not be seeing her spin at all this year. She has no spinning experience or none that would make her be able to hang with the rest of the guard. She is there to dance and only to dance.Ask far as how she comes onto the field, if you cant figure out where she comes from, then the gimmick of having her in the show is working. J <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.