Guizeppe Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 (edited) Kaleidoscope Klassic: Modesto, CA Venue: Johanson High School Stadium Typical HS stadium, with bleachers that are high enough for a good show. After yesterday I was really worried about the temperature (low 100s), but it actually wasn't too bad (low 90s) with a light breeze. I sat on about the 45 on the left/North side of the field. Alright, let me get this out of the way before anyone gets angry. I will not be commenting on forms/drill/marching because this is show #2 for most of these corps and it's certaintly to be expected that the feet haven't quite got with the program. That being said... RENEGADES: "Wake Up Call" 1,2,3,4 We should have known something was different. It should have donned on us that the evil force was not quite right...when they played their warm-up backfield. Hmmm. Definitely a smaller group than years past, and I think this really does hurt their overall sound. The strong sections are the mid brass and the colorguard, of which I thought the purple flags looked nice. The tympani player basically plays a tenor solo during the drum feature, that rocked. Drum line has lots of dirty notes, but it's early. Stairway, early entries and all, sounded solid with some nice brass moments. Overall though, to be horribly blunt, I think it was a sloppy show(<- my opinion). Lots of overplaying in the sops and there was no real "POW, we are the Renegades" moment. Show's not complete yet?, so I'll hope for better things through run-throughs and practice come 2 weeks from now. Don't look behind you, just get better. RIVER CITY REGIMENT: "The Front Desk" 1,2,3,4 I'm going to entitle their show "A Drum Corps Fan's Dream, Part 2 1/2". Totally unexpected for them to come soaring out of the gates like this, for me at least. They finally have a full drumline (no thanks to me, I know) and a well-balanced/small hornline. And believe it or not, there were moments where I thought they sounded as big as their competitors to the West. They started with music from "The Incredibles", followed by, among other things, "A Mis Abuelos" and "Malaga", which really brought it home. The drum line had a ton of notes, which this early in the season sounded dirty, but the new drums look good. During the drum feature, the brass pull-off some amazing Cavies-esque type drill, so watch for that. They also have a nice full pit after several years of having none. Not the cleanest show by far, but, those scores are no accident my friends. RCR stepped up tonight. BLUE DEVILS "C": "Deadly" 1,2,3,4,5 The brass warms up with "space chords", need I say more? I like the neon green sticks and mouthpieces. They all look taller, or maybe I'm shrinking. The show is all nightmarish music, so it's no surprise that when the pit busts into "Thriller", the rest of the corps does the moves. The headstones were funny (look for Gibbs'), and it was a cool effect having the soloists emerge from them in the opener. Really really fun show. And...the best part...upon exiting the field, a BD'C' mini-corps lined up and played the "Ghostbusters" theme while the rest of the corps exited. Too cute, too awsome, too great. SCV CADETS: "Back with a Vengance" 1,2,3,4 No doubt about it, SCVC has regained their size and is back on the war path. The first thing I noticed was the understated guard unis, which are simply white with a brown midsection. Really complimented the corps with the primarily white jackets. The opener reminded me of SCV 1999, kind of that "wait for it" then hit you in the face type thing. The brass is very well balanced, though not as loud as I think they could get. Very very good drum line, lots of meat played very well for this early. Lots of moving in the opener with what look to be killer moves near the end of the opener. Definitely a more entertaining show than I'm used to from these guys and gals. Well done. BLUE DEVILS "B": "Seriously Good" 1,2,3,4 Pencil them in for a top 3 finish in DII this year, no doubt about it. Membership is at an all time high, which means we get to see a 7 member cymbal line! The drum line shines for this group, sometimes to the point of drowning out their brass compadres. Much like SCVC, BDB's brass could play out a little more, though a very well balanced group. From start to finish the guard is very well integrated, and their unis are definitely interesting. They don't have drill completed yet for the closer, but the music is really groovy and lets them rock out in the end. At one point they make this double arch and play their ballad, which is just wonderful. Look out Madison, BD might just sweep D1/D2. Side note: I think there should be a drum-off between BDB and SCVC, really good stuff. FEVER: "No Worries" 1,2,3 Yes they are smaller. Yes they are DIII. Yes, they can still wail. Marching around 50-52, which includes a full drum line. The guard is small but really knows their stuff. The brass is shaky, but that's to be expected this early. They only have half of their show on the field, but the half they do have really showcases a lot of potential. The drum line can throw down with the best of 'em. The home crowd absolutely loves this group, which leads me to believe this is mearly another step in the process of keeping a great program alive. If the numbers were higher, certaintly a top finisher like last year. You guys are doing the best with what you've got, and that's a lot. Keep it up and finish that show. MANDARINS: "Home Town Pride" 1,2,3,4 This could be my favorite Mandarins show ever. The new unis, though different, make them look like serious contenders for a finals run. Membership is a little up over last year, which gives the brass a big full sound, though they might want to tune a little more. The music is just fantastic and fun. It has a driving beat through nearly the entire show, really gets your toe tappin' (think Crossmen-esque). The over-amped pit during their solo was not so great and completely unnecessary. Drums have a wicked feature, very impressed. Guard is better than average and wear these cut up unis that should be good when it gets hot. Clean this show, clean it good, and I predict top 12 baby!! Those scores are bogus. VANGUARD: "Energy, Energy, Energy" 1,2,3,4 Show opens with a great big hit and an even bigger drill move, very impressive. This show just doesn't stop, of course I guess that's the idea. Another entertaining show with music i've never heard before, so props to them. The brass, though shaky (high brass) during some of the really fast moves, is as always well balanced and relatively clean. I really liked the muted section with the little up and down passages, really unique. The guard is there but not really shown off too much. Is that their uniform or are we waiting for something else? Just curious. Oh yeah, the drums are on fire. Not only do they have a knock you to the floor, attitude in your face solo, but at one point their drill consisted of rotating two circles continuously during the ballad, then joining together to rotate between the brass in one giant follow the leader....very cool. Music is light and entertaining, definitely not boring. This show has energy to burn, and it appears the kids enjoy it because it really came off the field like their having fun performing. Very enjoyable. Top 5...I hope. Their scores were mega bogus. BLUE DEVILS: "Track 1, Disc 1" 1,2,3,4 The show opens with the corps taking up the entire field. Then we get some "gun shots", courtesy of snares, tenors and rims. Then we get a solo sop with some familiar Godfather lick. Then the pit was over-amped, drowning out the background soloists each introducing another Godfather piece. Then the drum line does their solo, which is amazing. Oh yeah, then they form a giant cross...and blow your head off!! Un-freakin-believable. Chills people, chills. They are playing this show like it's finals. No, it's not clean enough for finals...yet. What I mean is they are just kicking the crap out of this show musically. The guard uses rifles (duh) for most of the show. There's about a ten second pause at one point of the opener where the corps goes silent and the guard shows off their spining/tossing skills. The brass is hotter than ever, and boy was it nice to not hear "daaa, daaa, dat dat, daaa, daaa, dat dat". The drum line is smokin' hot with their new drums. The tenor feature alone is jaw dropping, crazy good. I think tonight they were running out of gas near the end, which left kind of a lackluster ending to what will truly be a show for the ages. Throw some more drill in there and this thing will be unstopable. First place anyone? VITO!! The BD victory/encore performance (5) reminded me why I love drum corps. Great shows. Can't wait to see more. Edited June 19, 2006 by Guizeppe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Thanks for the review and the pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suitebari Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I guess the RCR opener does sound a little like the "Incredibles". But if you get the chance watch or listen to "Tank" (opening song) from the animation "Cowboy Bebop". http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/cowboybebop/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guizeppe Posted June 19, 2006 Author Share Posted June 19, 2006 My mistake. You guys were awsome last night. Is Glen marching 'cause I don't think I saw him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisard5 Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I guess the RCR opener does sound a little like the "Incredibles". But if you get the chance watch or listen to "Tank" (opening song) from the animation "Cowboy Bebop". http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/cowboybebop/ I KNEW that sounded familar!!!!! We were doing equipment stuff but I kept hearing something in the background that I knew but couldn't think of !!! Awesome song :) CV played it in 2003 or wait 02 . . I don't remember we played 2 songs back to back years from Cowboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suitebari Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 My mistake. You guys were awsome last night. Is Glen marching 'cause I don't think I saw him? No Glenn Leinhart on contra; and no Glenn Disney on mello. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billj Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 What? SCV dropped the white pants (pun intended) after 1 season? Or are they going to do like back in the 80's, where you never knew if they were going to wear white or black (dark green?) at any given show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music_Man0626 Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Thanks for the write up, and pics. Glad to see SCV got away from the white pants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingdarkstar Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Thanks for the write up, and pics. Glad to see SCV got away from the white pants glad they got away from the white pants too.. the green pants should cover up technique more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Diva Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 they don't need ot cover up anything...they just need a little cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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