Jump to content

2006 DCI Classic Countdown Review


Recommended Posts

I attended the Classic Countdown at the Montrose Regal 12 cinema in Montrose, Ohio, a suburb of Akron. The temperature was a little chilly for drum corps, but IT DIDN'T MATTER! Indoor drum corps, baby!

I arrived just in time for the opening theme music to the cinecast and was pleasantly surprised to see footage of the '72 Anaheim Kingsmen, DCI's first ever World Champion, on the screen. I own the Brass Roots documentary video put out by DCI back in '97 and it also featured this footage, so it was a pleasant, but familiar, surprise. Before the 12 voted shows started, I was able to survey the theater. The “upper deck” was mostly full, while the “lower deck” was totally empty. I’m not sure how many people fit in the theater so I can’t give an estimate for attendance. Also, there was a speaker in the front of the theater which couldn’t handle any of the low bass drum sound, especially during the early shows. Since the theater only used the front speakers instead of ALL of them, this was a significant annoyance.

The show started off with the 1975 27th Lancers. Their repertoire consisted of the Crown Imperial March, Chameleon, Celebrate, Spectrum Novum, and Danny Boy. Of all the 70’s drum corps I’ve experienced, either live or through recordings, ’75 was the one with the most exposure as my aunt and uncle owned LPs from that year. This was a show I listened to a lot so I was very familiar with the audio portion of the program. The visual, however, was new to me and, I have to admit, a little more cheesy than I liked. I liked the goose stepping the corps did to open Crown Imperial and, of course, Danny Boy is always going to be a favorite of mine, but the weird “prancing” and “dancing” the guard did was not to my taste. Of course, as many have pointed out, this was during a major transition time for the drum corps activity and especially for color guard. The audience on the video really seemed to appreciate what they saw, plus it’s hard to NOT cheer for the Lancers. I’ve seen pictures of the chime rack used during this show so I wasn’t surprised when I saw it during the cinecast but there were a few murmurs and snickers around me. I guess 27th REALLY wanted chimes in their show!

The 2nd show of the night was the 1979 Blue Devils. Their repertoire was the Chicago III Suite, La Suerte de Los Tontos, and My Heart Belongs to Me. I did not expect the fast paced drill which started the show and thought it was a nice touch. Having heard the 1978 version of the Chicago III Suite, I’m amazed at how much the arrangement changed between the two years. BD marched this show very well and the brass…well; it IS the Blue Devils, after all. It blew me away that the crass baritone solo during La Suerte was actually a mellow French horn solo instead. Guess I don’t know what a frenchie is supposed to sound like. I’ve never been a fan of Barbara Streisand but I am a fan of the Blue Devils PLAYING Babs’ music. That’s the only time I’ll admit that. The ’79 Blue Devils are a great show and well deserving of the 1979 title.

Show #3 – The 1980 Bridgemen. Their repertoire was Thunder and Blazes, Pursuit of the Lady, In the Stone, Big Noise from Winnetka, and the War Between the States. I love the sound of this show and wonder why more corps didn’t use brass horns without silver or chrome plating. The drum line was its usual smoking self and always a treat to watch and listen to. The visual portion of this show, however, reminds me why I would NEVER march with the Bridgemen. Any corps that has a member dressed as a chicken for the entire performance, wasting a spot which a horn, drum, or guard member could have been, deserves my scorn. I don’t give a #### about show concept or entertaining the crowd if you’re denying somebody the chance to do what you’re SUPPOSED to do in a drum and bugle corps: Play a horn, play a drum, or spin guard equipment. The Bridgemen are a corps I can listen to but just cannot watch.

Next up was the 1984 Garfield Cadets. Their repertoire was West Side Story. Of course, if you don’t know that by now, you’re either brand new to the drum corps experience or just plain ignorant. This is the show which people more often than not say changed drum corps and pushed it forward. Watching the show, I can say that, from a design standpoint, there was more going on in this show than most shows throughout the entire 1980’s. There was velocity in the drill which I don’t think I saw from anybody else until 1988 Suncoast Sound. The arrangements were absolutely beautiful. The execution, though, makes me want to see the other corps from 1984 to see what the level of execution was for the activity in general. The infamous Cadets Bounce was very evident on every close-up, while the drill itself just seemed…dirty. The horns, while loud, were not clean, with fraks coming from all sections and a crass horn sound which makes me wonder why there wasn’t a two-way tie for high brass between BD and SCV. I agree that this show set design standards for years but if this show was judged under the tick system, it would not have won at all.

The Madison Scouts 2nd championship show from 1988 came next on the program. Their repertoire was Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra and Malaguena. Of course, any time the Scouts play Malaguena sets the drum corps world on fire, but it’s interesting that this is the only year that the Scouts won playing it. Now, if they only found something worth performing for the first half of the show…Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Orchestra just did NOT translate into drum corps brass and percussion. This essentially means that Madison won 1988 with just half a show. I have a problem with that, but I get the feeling that 1988 was not a year where the best show won but one where the show with the least issues did not lose. On a more positive note, the marching of the Scouts was phenomenal. The toes were seriously cranking, a sign of Todd Ryan’s influence on the visual staff. I do love awesome marching technique.

1989 Phantom Regiment rounded out the 1980s as well as the first half of the program. Their repertoire was the New World Symphony, although Slavonic Dances No. 1 served for the drum solo. This is the first show which, to me, had the total package. The brass was glorious, the drill immaculate, the percussion sweet, and the execution championship level. I still don’t understand what 1989 SCV did that Phantom did not that year, especially since Phantom did so well they tied the record score (at the time) of 98.4. Yes, the Going Home/Largo segment was different, but it was so good! This show, in my opinion, was the best show of 1989, and its victory tonight in the Classic Countdown definitely brings back the argument since 1989 SCV won last year.

After a 15 minute intermission, the Countdown returned and moved to the 1990s, starting with the 1992 Crossmen. Their repertoire was Begin, Sweet Earth, Appalachian Morning, The Four Elements, The Rain Forest, and Under the Sun. 1992 was my first year marching and my first live Finals and this show was one of the most energetic shows of the year. That’s saying something considering the shows of 1992. The drum line is the section which people still talk about when it comes to this corps. Watching the drum solo, I am blown away at the stick heights of the snare line as they literally ram their solo down our throats. This line was all about grooving and execution. Their flash was their technique as there were no stick visuals throughout the show. The drill was dirty but I’ve never thought of Crossmen as a visual corps and, heck, that drum line makes me forget everything else.

Talk about your mood changes: 1993 Star of Indiana was anger, anger, and then some anger thrown in for good measure. Their repertoire was Medea and Music for Percussion, Strings, and Celeste. Note that this was actually not the first time either Barber or Bartok was used by a drum corps, with the 1991 Cavaliers using Die Natale from Barber for their advent show and the 1991 Freelancers using Bartok’s Dance Suite. Neither of those pieces, however, conveyed anything remotely resembling angst and there was no murdering of husbands or children involved, either. This is another Todd Ryan corps so, once again, the toes, they are a crankin’. The brass was its usual Star of Indiana awesomeness. The drum line was incredibly clean, whether they were playing tastefully subdued during the first half of the show or full out during the end. Normally, I’m against spandex in drum corps, but, upon further examination of the color guard from ’93 Star, they can wear all the spandex they want because there was some serious crazy hotness going on. In the final analysis, though, I think the words of Craig Hedden, a brass tech from ’93 Star who I marched under in ’92 and ’94 Glassmen, sum it up best: “We should have been louder!” I understand Star wanted to contrast the two halves of their show and were definitely showing off how controlled they could play but, in the end, they were just TOO controlled to keep me interested in the show as a whole.

With the 1995 Cavaliers, we get a little bit of everything. The repertoire was The Planets, which made this show an anniversary/tribute show of the 1985 Cavaliers, the first year the corps broke the Top 5 of DCI. This show had everything: The anger and power of Mars, the beauty of Venus, the speed of Mercury, and the joy of Jupiter. The drum line really showed off during the drum solo, both with technique and with jaw-dropping visuals. The drill was definitely influenced by the show concept with many rotating “orbital” forms. The horns may have been the weakest section of the corps but they still were up to the task. This was another total package show for me.

The 90s came to an end with the 1999 Santa Clara Vanguard. Their repertoire was The Canyon, Barber’s Symphony No.2, Barber’s Symphony No. 1, and Blue Shades. This show was all about power and pulled the crowd into the performance from the first moment. The Canyon was what Philip Glass wanted to do with this piece. Too bad his original composition was longer than the entire SCV show because it’s much better in just two minutes. SCV was another corps which used aggressive music from Barber, although it was not music which made me want to stab the person sitting next to me repeatedly. This would be a good thing in my opinion. Blue Shades featured the Vanguard actually jamming, Blue Devil style, something you don’t expect to see. I’m glad they kept that to a minimum because I can only take so much of SCV NOT being SCV. While this is one of my favorite shows of 1999, I think the only reason SCV was able to tie Blue Devils for the title is because of the energy of their performance. There wasn’t a strong section in the corps to me, although the equipment work of the color guard was impressive and something I don’t always notice. If the corps performed cleaner, then they could have been the outright champs of 1999.

The 2004 Carolina Crown began the final portion of the show. Their repertoire was La Boheme, Seasons of Love, and Bohemian Rhapsody. This was a very popular show two years ago, as well as a very controversial one due to the use of amplified vocals during Seasons of Love and the drum solo. I will not comment on either portion of the show as many people have already debated the pros and cons of amplified vocals and that is something for another discussion. What I will say is that I do love the sound of a King horn line, whether it be two-valved G bugles or 3-valved Bb bugles. I also really enjoy the percussion arrangements of Paul Rennick and am sorry that he moved exclusively to Phantom Regiment. The highlight of this show is, by far, Bohemian Rhapsody, by far the best arrangement and performance of this piece by a drum corps and a portion of the show which I listen to repeatedly. Overall, I enjoyed this show very much and am glad it made the Countdown this year.

The final show of the evening was the 2005 Bluecoats. Their repertoire was Caravan, Incantation, Ombra, and Hajj. I am very biased for this show, as was most of the crowd in the theater, as Canton was less than an hour away from us. This was also the best Bluecoats show ever from both an execution and a design standpoint. I’ve always been a fan of the Bluecoats brass and this show was no exception, but it was a pleasant surprise to have such a strong drum line from Canton. This show had something exciting happen from the first note to the last and I cannot wait to see how they build off of this show for 2006.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Show #3 – The 1980 Bridgemen.

The visual portion of this show, however, reminds me why I would NEVER march with the Bridgemen. Any corps that has a member dressed as a chicken for the entire performance, wasting a spot which a horn, drum, or guard member could have been, deserves my scorn. I don’t give a #### about show concept or entertaining the crowd if you’re denying somebody the chance to do what you’re SUPPOSED to do in a drum and bugle corps: Play a horn, play a drum, or spin guard equipment. The Bridgemen are a corps I can listen to but just cannot watch.

Kevin,

Thanks for your kind words about the 1980 Bridgemen.

Just a clarification on the "chicken", "bird", or "duck"... (I've heard her called all three!)

First of all, I did NOT care for the idea, but it wasn't my call, of course, and I'm willing to bet that if you asked the members of the 1980 Bridgemen, 80-90% of them would agree with me! I felt the same way about the clowns, and dancing animals, however, they were all part of the desired "three-ring circus" effect which the corps was striving for in "Thunder and Blazes". (By the way, a VERY difficult song to play! Try it sometime!!!

The bird on the other hand, was a whole different story. The person that wore the costume was a very lovely woman named Bernadette. She had marched as a member of the Bridgemen guard in 1979, and, I believe, 1978. She had planned on marching in 1980, but was forced to leave the corps in early spring (March '80), for personal reasons.

"Bernie" was able to clear up the issues which had kept her from marching in the guard, and returned to the corps in May 1980. Unfortunately, her guard spot had already been filled, and someone came up with the idea of the chicken. Bernie was asked if she would be interested, and she responded that "it would be better than not marching at all." (I'm paraphrasing).

While I thought the WORLD of Bernie as a person, I was NOT crazy about the whole bird idea, as previously mentioned. Then again, where is it written that we all "must", or "should" agree with EVERYTHING that our staff members/program coordinators decide to put into the design of our shows???

I'm fairly certain that not everyone is crazy about EVERY single aspect of the design of the show that your respective show coordinator/staff decide to implement as part of your performance. And with ANY organization, certain elements of the show design are NOT "up for discussion", and the bird concept just happened to be one of them.

And just remember, the horns, drums, color guard, and drum majors were ALL doing what they were supposed to do. Our drum line won the drum championship, our horn line placed 4th; we placed third in general effect; we were 5th in marching; and we only lost to the 1st place Blue Devils by less than half a point!!!

Hope that clears things up a bit!!! :)

Edited by overthehillDM
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...