Columbia, SC

[profhill]

So, I drove the 112 miles to Irmo High School for what may be my only show of the season. Most of these shows have been reviewed already, but I would like to state my opinion.

Magic

It was nice to see that everyone made it to the show safely.

Capital Regiment

They were good tonight, but obviously not as good as Spirit. Equuss was way slow, but had some nice moments. I really liked the rifle moment intertwined with the snares and mello soloists. Second song was ok. I'm not sure if the visual is going to create a big enough effect. I did like how there was no moment for applause afterthe big release, it just sort of went on. The closer, wasn't as developed as the rest of the show, and the had amplification problems (see Cadets) but it was fine for a first performance. They are going to be perfectly respectable by the end of the year.

Spirit

It's a good thing they have hired Richard Saucedo and Mike Gaines, you could certainly tell there is a quality to their product that clearly seperated them from CR. They were very pleasant to watch. I enjoyed their performance. Will it move them from 12th place? Maybe, but more importantly, it will certainly keep them in Finals. They were clearly a step below Crown and Boston from both a design and a talent standpoint. They are what they are, and what they are is enjoyable.

Boston

Loved it!!!!!! They were my favorite of the evening. Their show was drill and music, not much of a deep meaning, no storyline, but that was certainly ok. My concerns with them have to do with some of their effects are not as effective as they need to be. Their vertical design moments need to be bigger. They need to go from a 6 to a 10. Once the staff figures out what's going on with that, they will be great. In fact, they might be the best Boston ever. They are more talented than the 2000 corps and they will probably not finish 5th, Bluecoats, Phantom, and SCV are probably just too good for Boston to beat them. But, I really did love this.

Cadets

The members are really talented and are doing what they have been asked to do really well.

My biggest concerns are with what they are being asked to do. Not the singing or speaking, but the whole concept of what's going on. It's supposed to be continued from last year, that didn't come across at all. If you didn't know that, you wouldn't have understood why there were school girls out there on the field at the beginning of the show, who never return.

The costumed people didn't portray the story line at all. In fact, I had no idea which characters they were supposed to be, and I felt a littled embarassed for them because they were out there speaking and dancing, but it had real reason to be there.

The big props in the back didn't matter to me. It would have been fine if they weren't there. So that leads me to believe that they don't need to be there and are basically useless.

The benchs were carried onto the field and the moved off, they were sort of used while they were on the field, but not really. This is the one area of the show where I can give them some time to develop. Obviously, they aren't going to have their hornline members standing next to the benches doing nothing during the drum feature. (Said drum feature was really cool musically.) So, I will wait and pass judgement on how the benches are used, but right now they are as useless as the big props in the back.

They had MAJOR amplication problems tonight. As I said earlier today to someone, if you choose to live by the mic, you die by the mic. And they died by the mic tonight.

To be honest, I really didn't buy it last year, but they had some cool ideas that year so I could forgive them. But, I really don't buy it this year and it doesn't have any cool ideas yet. Maybe they'll be there, but what I saw tonight was a programming mess.

Phantom

I liked this a lot. I enjoyed their music, their drill flowed well and there were clear vertical design moments that were happening. Since, I didn't get to see last years offering live, I saw it on video and LOVED it, this is the first time I have liked them in live performance since 2003. I like them more this year. Both their musical and visual offering has more depth.

My concerns are with the portrayal of the the Faust story. They either need to be more literal, actually depict the Faust story with acting, or less literal and use the emotions and ideas of the story as inspiration for each movement.

I think they want to be literal and actually depict the Faust story on the field. I'm all for that, but they need to go about 5 more steps in that direction for it to be as effective as it can be. I would seperate Faust and Margarite and never have them as members of the color guard. They should be more like actors and tell the story through pantomime.

Musically I think the storyline is there, but it isn't being shown enough visually yet. Maybe they need to not think like a "drum corps" and think in more theatrical terms. That would be something I would like to see.

Crown

Their show is drill and music. There doesn't seem to be much in terms of a unifying visual idea, but I liked their music and drill. There are some effective moments. They weren't great, they weren't bad, they just were. I wouldn't mind watching them again, but I could live without seeing them again. I'm very ambivilent about them.

Edited June 25, 2006 by profhill

[JMS0527]

Great review and thank you!

[notelvis]

Very nice review, thanks.

Rather than add my own I'll piggyback on to yours if you don't mind.

Teal Sound I really enjoyed this corps' performance. They are clearly a division II corps (about 32 horns) but they opened the show with a solid statement and a confidant presence that is uncommon for a division II corps this early in the season. This corps has demonstated steady growth and improvement and are not getting ahead of themselves. The drum corps highway is littered with the debris of corps from Florida who have gone bankrupt trying to move up too quickly. Teal Sound's measured growth seems to be working for them and they have literally shown themselves to be a pleasant improvement each time I've seen them.

Magic I enjoyed this show also. More than I expected going in. With a corps that has always seemed on the edge financially (see above remarks about debris), it's nice to see them here with a nearly full-sized corps of kids who have an entertaining product. It's early, it's sloppy. It may make semifinals and it may not but this corps is here and they are a legitimate corps. That they made it to the show safely was a bonus for us.

Capital Regiment Big corps with new uniforms. An obvious step up or two up in talent level. They look good on the field. With all this going for it, Why did it seem like this show lasted thirty minutes? It was pretty dull. For instance, the gaggle of high school band kids around me spent most of the show trying to figure out which members had lost the one shoe and two plumes that a judge removed from the field. This was actually more amusing than the show on the field. Sadly, this was exactly the kind of show I've come to expect from Capital Regiment. So much going for them but their efforts to play the modern drum corps game leave me flat.

Spirit I agree with what you say. This show could move them up a spot or two in the end. This has the potential to be one of their better shows in some time. They have to clean and remain enthusiastic in rehearsal before you pencil them in for a Saturday night in Madison though. We've not yet seen what the other corps in the 10-16 neighborhood are bringing this year and there are lots of miles to go before then.

Boston Again, what you said (mostly). I thought that Boston brought a remarkable energy to their performance (hard to believe it's not even late June quite yet.) I hope to see show again from a different vantage. I felt that this show was more performance ready than Crown and I'm glad it was rewarded with the higher number last night.

Cadets I could almost swear I heard their drum line vocalizing dat, dat, poop, dat, dat, poop. Yes to what you say again. They do what they do well BUT mercy what a mess when the speakers fizzle into static and you can only hear random bits and pieces of what is said. Thanks to the mic going dead on the vocalist we could tell that it's a really nice hornline playing those back-up parts. We amused ourselves trying to figure out who the costumed characters were based on the snatches we could understand through the static. Clearly we heard the girl in the yellow called Alice so the guy with the furry white costume would be the rabbit. When the girl in red said "Off with her head" we knew we had the Queen of Hearts so the guy who looked like the joker was clearly the Mad Hatter by default. This show will probably win it all (I'm being facetious........after being a fan, participant, and fan for more than twenty-five years I know better than to pick a winner in June) mainly because I disliked it so much.

Phantom Yes. Yes. Yes. The best hornline of the night. The typical Phantom richness is there and anyone who has ever seen Phantom at anytime in the last thirty-five years could listen to the first 20 seconds of this show with their eyes closed and recognize it as Phantom. The balance throughout crescendos, decrescendos, just plain loud moments is unreal good for this time of the season. The staging and use of the guard could be improved I thought. For much of the show I found myself thinking "their guard is smaller than usual" and then I would count them and satisfy myself that there were about 32 guard members out there. It's just that chunks of the guard seem to be 'off-stage' at various times during the show. When they are on-stage they seem to be comingled more closely with the rest of the corps and sometimes lose visual clarity. That said, I still believe Phantom should have won last night. The Cadets didn't really die by the mic, they just caused us all to suffer by it.

Crown My friend pointed out that there have been instances where he has seen Crown early and thought the show was an incoherent mess but then loved them upon a second viewing during the last two weeks of the season. Your remarks coupled with those of my friend mean I'll take another look at Crown in July when I visit relatives in Texas (a trip strategically timed to coincide with the San Antonio show) before I pass judgement. However, the early return on Crown is that if you loved what they have brought to the field the last couple of years you might see this show and wonder what happened to a corps that appeared on it's way to great things. Hard to see them challenging even the reportedly red-hot Bluecoats for another rung up the ladder. Besides, they have Boston to contend with now as well. I will say that Crown's guard is going to be very good again and dressed in purple there was never a period of having to hunt for them and count them as I found myself doing with Phantom.

Ok - The venue. Irmo High School. Very nice stadium for an early season tilt and with Crown's marketing forces now behind it I have never seen this many fans at this show.......even when it has fallen in late July and the corps are more nearly on top of their games. Kudos to Crown. There was plenty of staff help with folks to point you to your seats and guard the portals during corps performances in a firm but mostly polite manner. The concession lines were a little long and they might want to consider an additional booth next time BUT the overall experience was far superior to what you find at Nightbeat in Charlotte. One pointer though, after buying the $25.00 tickets on line and paying the $3.00 internet handling fee, it's a bit much to charge $6.00 to park and another $2.00 for the program. Particularly after buying the tank of gas for a 350 mile round-trip excursion. C'mon folks. Sell a few more ads or something. Oh.......and an FYI, with two furniture stores across the street and railroad tracks from the stadium, it is possible to avoid paying to park at the school.

Edited June 25, 2006 by notelvis

[ampfan]

How can everyone forget to mention the dog on the field during Teal Sound's performance?

[X DM]

Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to seeing all these Corps for the first time this year shortly.

[ajlemm]

I am not going to be able to see the Cadets until the DCI Midwest Championships in Indianapolis, but I have to say after reading everyone's posts that I am a little confused. It seems that everyone has been extremely disappointed by their show, yet they keep outpacing everyone by at least two points. They must be doing something right. I know they have the history, but are they that much technically or effectually better than Phantom every night?

Could someone clarify this for me? I really want to see the show. I can't wait until July 8.

Phantom's show seems to garner much more crowd connection, which is so important to me, but I guess we aren't on the field making those calls.

Maybe it is because everyone has unbelievable expectations for the Cadets that people have been pretty critical. I am also extremely disappointed that Phantom won't be in Indy. It seems that everyone loves their show.

[profhill]

Could someone clarify this for me? I really want to see the show. I can't wait until July 8.

Maybe it is because everyone has unbelievable expectations for the Cadets that people have been pretty critical. I am also extremely disappointed that Phantom won't be in Indy. It seems that everyone loves their show.

The Cadets have MAJOR programming issues with a really talented corps that's doing everything they are asked to do really really well. Phantom has fewer programming issues, but there are differences in how much they are achieving, especially in the visual area.

How much a show connects with the audience does not really figure into the judges decisison. There is a difference between enjoying a corps and them being the best. Most years my favorite corps (the one I liked to watch the most) wasn't the one that scored highest. However, I would be hard pressed to say that my favorite corps should have finished higher.

I really don't think I had unbelievable expectations for The Cadets this year. I really haven't liked anything they've done since '99, so I really wasn't thinking I was going to like this show. But, they are a really talented corps being asked to do really stupid stuff.

[PhantomR]

Capitol Regiment Big corps with new uniforms. An obvious step up or two up in talent level. They look good on the field. With all this going for it, Why did it seem like this show lasted thirty minutes? It was pretty dull. For instance, the gaggle of high school band kids around me spent most of the show trying to figure out which members had lost the one shoe and two plumes that a judge removed from the field. This was actually more amusing than the show on the field. Sadly, this was exactly the kind of show I've come to expect from Capitol Regiment. So much going for them but their efforts to play the modern drum corps game leave me flat.

it's Capital.

~>conner

Edited June 25, 2006 by PhantomR

[PhantomR]

can someone PLEASE post pictures of CR's new uniforms?

~>conner

[George]

The Cadets have MAJOR programming issues with a really talented corps that's doing everything they are asked to do really really well. Phantom has fewer programming issues, but there are differences in how much they are achieving, especially in the visual area.

uh - according to the judges you've got it all backwards

Cadets are winning GE - but they just got the drill on the field and its extremely difficult so the brass and percussion performance is lagging right now. A couple more days with some time to get comfortable with the drill and they will start capturing the music captions - the lines are incredibly good.