bssop97 Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 The few hours of sleep turned into a quick nap for me. So the break was over and I got back just in time to see Boston with the hamburger in hand. Boston Crusaders Well I was joined by a very attractive guard staff member that needed to find her a seat. Maybe because she was beside me but I really noticed the guard in this show. They make a statement from the get-go and keep it up through out the show. Jesus is a great opener and when the brass turns around they give you a nice rich sound. This along with solid drill and some nice flag work got a great crowd response. I must say that this was MUCH better then their run through earlier in the day. Candide didn’t really do much for me. The arrangement left me real flat, however, the corps sells this part of the show very well. Again nice work from the guard along with some nice drill. The Promise of Living was very nice, warm sounds from the low brass but the high brass was starting to loose some control at the softer volumes. The drill in this segment was ok, nothing to great IMO. Sing, Sang, Sung was the crowds favorite section of the show and my least favorite from a performance stand point. Brass was having some issues with articulation and holding phrases. They where giving it so much at the big impact that it had nowhere to go. That along with some poorly chosen spots to take a breath ruined the effect of this number for me. Ode to Joy... the music was nice but the drill and staging left me going huh. The guard was nice but this drill just dose not read well at the beginning. The end of the show was nice and in your face. Overall... I really like the show and the brass sound when they get it all locked down. Guard grabs your attention, nice use of colors by them. This is a solid 7-9th place show. For all that say they would be down this season, well you guys where wrong. Oh.... and that counts me too. Dislike.... Candide just does not do it for me and some of the drill just does not read well. Like other corps in the show, upper body control is an issue though its down to a few members who make it really noticeable. Backwards technique could use some work too. Bluecoats Oh yeah... hello hard drill that covers the field. Brass book is hard too. Lots of stuff going on in this show. Nice guard, although I like Boston’s better and one rocking drumline. I’m not a drum guy but the writing is very cool and there is some nice sounds that they add to the show. I’m not going to go into to much detail but this show has the most room to grow out of any corps of the night. The brass is nice but nowhere as clean as Madison. The drill is there but it really needs some cleaning. Once the members gets this show under their hands, I think they will pass Madison because they will be able to perform this show to the crowd. I really like the closer and once it gets to where it needs to go, it will get the crowd jumping. Yeah the vocals are like so-so. I could live with out them but they are in the show and I’m not going to let 20 seconds ruin it for me. Honestly I only have a problem with the opening vocal not the last vocal that is followed by the corps chant. That set of vocals fits in with the percussion and sets a nice grove. This corps is top 5 quality but so is about 7 other corps. Overall Likes: Nice music, cool drill, and jammin drums. A very good show that I believe will help push Blue into the elite. Dislike: The first vocal. There was some basic marching problems mainly having to do with carriage and forward technique. There was some knees popping out when others had the straight. The drill still has some slop but I was told that this has only been in for a little over the week. Madison I don’t know how to say it........ #### YEA! Higher, Faster, Louder.... the Madison that I remember but with a better drumline. The corps was like another reviewer said “the cleanest of the night”. The music was tight from an ensemble standpoint. The drill reads very well and is very nice. The show is just power. Brass had the best sound of the night and the do articulate very well, trumpets in the opener where on. They do tend to park it when they really let loose but I’m not going to gripe about it. Now as far as the lady goes.... She does very well and takes away nothing from the show. Her role was effective and should be a non issue. My only gripe is with the marching technique. Well its odd, straight leg but they keep their center of balance to the back leg, not over center of two.... or in simple way, the back foot is flat to the field (heal is on the ground) on the beat while the front leg is straight. It looks odd and its causing problems when you really look at them close (direction changes are causing some upper bodies to sway). This is my only big gripe. Now with me saying how good this show is, how do I think Coats are gona pass them? I don’t see this show getting that much better unless that have some changes in for it. The members have a great sense of showmanship but IMO Coats show has more means of expression but musically and visually. Basically by the end of the season, Coats will have a better show for the sheets. Spirit I’m skipping Spirit... Sorry. It’s a personal thing with me and I just don’t feel well with giving a review for them. I will say this though, I meet several members after the show....nothing but class. Well hopefully I will be a MTSU for Masters to see how at least a couple of these groups progress. I’ll do a review then in a week and a half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomguy Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 on the blue-madison thing.... THANK YOU for that- i agree with you on many of your points.... a couple madison people totally jumped all over my case (mainly one "corpsguy05") and claimed that i didnt know anything... or implied that i was somehow less knowledgeable than himself... and i have no idea how arrived at that conclusion... but its just nice to know that there are other unbiased people out there making the same fair and objective observation- beware of the soon to come flameing though! great review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mybugsyisblue Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 on the blue-madison thing.... THANK YOU for that- i agree with you on many of your points.... a couple madison people totally jumped all over my case (mainly one "corpsguy05") and claimed that i didnt know anything... or implied that i was somehow less knowledgeable than himself... and i have no idea how arrived at that conclusion... but its just nice to know that there are other unbiased people out there making the same fair and objective observation- beware of the soon to come flameing though! great review! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> nice to see unbiased reviews that reflect the sentiment of this biased, and knowledge lacking father of a Bluecoat. I think that's what I was labeled last night. Scott Allaina's Dad Bluecoats '05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueR36 Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 It's unfortunate how defensive some people are. <**> I'm a Bluecoats alum, former staff member and long-time supporter. I'm as excited as anyone about their success the past few seasons. I'm also super excited about the possibilities of this season. But I was lamenting the other day that they could seriously be better this year and challenge upward, but not actually move upward if they pass someone like SCV (Bluecoats have never beaten SCV) and yet get passed by Madison. Would that frustrate me? Yes. Do I want to see Bluecoats pass one or more corps without getting passed by anyone, moving them further up? Yup. But am I going to flame anyone who suggests Madison is better or that Phantom is too good to catch or that SCV will rebound back up to their usual top four spot? Nope. Heck, the visual caption head for Madison is someone who marched Bluecoats for four years. He's from my hometown, I used to be one of his instructors in high school and I'm the one who convinced him to march Bluecoats in the first place, putting him in touch with all the people who helped him get this far in drum corps. And boy am I jealous of what he's done since ... and the talent he has ... but that's another story for another day. Be honest. Be fair. Tell people how you see things. And DEAL with reviews and opinions -- that's what this site is for, isn't it? Pump up your team without necessarily bashing someone else's group. Luckily for me, I'm going to get to see Bluecoats, Madison, Phantom and Boston (along with Glassmen and Crossmen) at the Bluecoats' home show in Massillon on Sunday, July 31. BTW -- if you can, get to that show. It's always one of the best of the summer. - R - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bssop97 Posted July 19, 2005 Author Share Posted July 19, 2005 I agree, some people get really ticked off if a review is not in favor of their corps. I try to keep things fair and if I feel I got a bias towards a corps in a negative way I wont reveiw them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strutta Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 (edited) Did I read that Boston picked up three points on Bluecoats in one night (or was that misprint on the soundmachine scoreboard)? If so, how did that happen? Edited July 19, 2005 by strutta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Boston scored an 83.15, not 85.15. The error begin on DCI.org, not Soundmachine though. But don't let that error make you think Boston's show wasn't on fire...b/c it was. It was my favorite of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bssop97 Posted July 20, 2005 Author Share Posted July 20, 2005 Boston got a really good response from the crowd, better then Sprit and second only to Madison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Lee Maddox Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 (edited) Ooops - there was a Spirit review. Negative just the same. Got cut, huh? Edited July 23, 2005 by Tommy Lee Maddox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsoprano Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 (edited) Pretty much what I figured, too, TLM. The really sad part is, during the years that he marched (mid-late 90s) Spirit was averaging 35 to 40 horns at camps, and would take pretty much anyone with a pulse. I guess it would burn doubly-bad to get cut by a corps that's not even marching a full hornline. Edited July 24, 2005 by oldsoprano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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