Dave Sloan Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 ok... greetings to all you dcp-ers. Long time reader, first time reviewer so here goes. The Venue: Berry Stadium in Cypress, Tx: Very nice stadium, large press box, plenty of seats and a grass-tro turf field. Only complaint was that this was the inaugural event for the stadium having just been built, so people didn't exactly know how to run it and what to expect. This resulted in people waiting 10 minutes for people to locate stamps for reentry and extreme congestion at the concessions, but all things considered: a pleasent experience. The Weather: A very humid, not so hot day with a very calm, cool night. No precipitation and basicly great weather for the drum corps spectator; the first few corps probably had it a little rough but certainly when it was time for Spirit, the weather was very chilled, for Texas. Revolution - I had heard that they were having a great year and they did not fail to disappoint. Music was pretty cool, I think BK 2003, and they did rather well, quite balanced for a hornline of that size and certainly a credit to their staff. Some intonation issues and uniformity issues but nothing that can't be fixed. Visually, they have a bit left to clean, which isn't necessarily bad, it just means that that is what they need to take the show to the next level. Form wise it wasn't bad, I'm talking more individual technique wise. About the guard and drumline, I liked them both but as those areas are somewhat foreign to me, that is all I can say; it does no good to talk of things I haven't the knowlege to back up. But if they keep this up and keep growing, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the seasons to come. Kudos Revo Pioneer - Mandarins - sorry guys, I went to go hear some hornlines warmup, I will catch you guys in San Antonio. Spirit - Very nice, that opening hit... just says it all. They definitely have a hornline this year and they don't suck. Not in the slightest. The show is very Spirit, I think, and it works for them. Only complaint... still a bit dirty and a missed release after a huge brass hit. Just little things but it's the little things that seperate the men from the boys, right? Again, easy stuff to fix, they should make finals, easy. SCV - So... I didn't know what to expect from the 06 SCV. A very interesting show nonetheless. As is a very common description for this show, it just doesn't stop. There is always some element that keeps things moving either visually or musically, and since the show is MOTO PERPETUO, I suppose that is appropriate. I liked it though. Performed rather well, the drill is quite good, kudos Pete Weber, just gotta clean those box rotations, like those priority diags just stick out like a sore thumb. And their horns could light up a Christmas tree with that sound. I'm talkin' BRIGHT. Not that that's a bad thing, just stuck out. I just like how they looked out there; they looked and sounded like Vanguard, the tradition and class that has become such an integral part of their identity, and this show fits it to a tee. So, with everyone else, just needs cleaning and they will have a heck of a show. Crown - Their show painted a visual/musical portrait of someone deep in thought. Most interesting. They did communicate this concept very well using a lot of nuances from having everything go crazy to hearing some very isolated, independent themes. A very witty horn book by Mike Klesch, and an extremely talented hornline to boot. Man those horns especially in that opening hit..... stuff that dreams are made out of. They have definitely come a long way in a very short time and their still coming. Doubtful if they can touch the top 5 this year, but with this kind of talent, who knows about the future? Cavaliers - as a music education major attending the prestigious University of Houston, I get plenty of exposure to the Cavalier ideals, both from members that I go to school with and the ideas they are taught via my band director who is their caption head. That being said I knew what to expect when it came to the Cavalier sound. I knew that they were going to sound immaculate and the balance was going to be impeccable. What I didn't know was that they could be loud too. Folks, the Green Machine is loud this year, and they have the book to show off that magnificent hornline. Drums could use more exposure, not for more cool sound effects either. I mean they have a really cool break in there, but eh.. something missing I think. The guard is just.... words cannot describe. So creative and innovative is the guard product this year, that it is very hard to comment on it in todays vernacular. The drill of course was amazing as I knew it would be. The show is oozing GE and there are so many user friendly moments that it boggles the mind. Just gotta do something about that ending, which I hear is in the works and should be ready by Atlanta. But that is what is holding them back now is the weak ending. Fix that and the Green Team just might bring home trophy number 7 Sorry if this seemed a little scatter-brained, I didn't really intend on doing a review, just sorta spur of the moment. Any questions about any of this and I will try and answer best I can. Thanks and you stay classy DCP oh yeah is this like a ninja or something, what emotion is this guy trying to convey. Just a question, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thanks for the GREAT review. I too had the pleasure of attending the show in Houston this evening. The venue was AMAZING - one of the most incredible HIGH SCHOOL fields I'd ever seen. They DO have a thing for "bigger is better" in Texas, it seems! While there may have been a few minor kinks to work out - my impression was the the show was produced EXTREMELY WELL and that the crowd had a GREAT time. Kudos to the folks in Houston for hosting a great event .... and thank you for your kind hospitality. -john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Great review! Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
this_guy Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Great review! One question: In Revo's review you say "they did not fail to dissapoint", yet you seemed pleased with their show. Was that just an error in grammar? Don't mean to harp on you, just trying to figure it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyDangerfield Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Crown ROCKED and IMO should have been at least a point ahead of SCV... not even close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcsbaribc Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 ok... greetings to all you dcp-ers. Long time reader, first time reviewer so here goes. The Venue: Berry Stadium in Cypress, Tx: Very nice stadium, large press box, plenty of seats and a grass-tro turf field. Only complaint was that this was the inaugural event for the stadium having just been built, so people didn't exactly know how to run it and what to expect. This resulted in people waiting 10 minutes for people to locate stamps for reentry and extreme congestion at the concessions, but all things considered: a pleasent experience. The Weather: A very humid, not so hot day with a very calm, cool night. No precipitation and basicly great weather for the drum corps spectator; the first few corps probably had it a little rough but certainly when it was time for Spirit, the weather was very chilled, for Texas. Revolution - I had heard that they were having a great year and they did not fail to disappoint. Music was pretty cool, I think BK 2003, and they did rather well, quite balanced for a hornline of that size and certainly a credit to their staff. Some intonation issues and uniformity issues but nothing that can't be fixed. Visually, they have a bit left to clean, which isn't necessarily bad, it just means that that is what they need to take the show to the next level. Form wise it wasn't bad, I'm talking more individual technique wise. About the guard and drumline, I liked them both but as those areas are somewhat foreign to me, that is all I can say; it does no good to talk of things I haven't the knowlege to back up. But if they keep this up and keep growing, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the seasons to come. Kudos Revo Pioneer - Mandarins - sorry guys, I went to go hear some hornlines warmup, I will catch you guys in San Antonio. Spirit - Very nice, that opening hit... just says it all. They definitely have a hornline this year and they don't suck. Not in the slightest. The show is very Spirit, I think, and it works for them. Only complaint... still a bit dirty and a missed release after a huge brass hit. Just little things but it's the little things that seperate the men from the boys, right? Again, easy stuff to fix, they should make finals, easy. SCV - So... I didn't know what to expect from the 06 SCV. A very interesting show nonetheless. As is a very common description for this show, it just doesn't stop. There is always some element that keeps things moving either visually or musically, and since the show is MOTO PERPETUO, I suppose that is appropriate. I liked it though. Performed rather well, the drill is quite good, kudos Pete Weber, just gotta clean those box rotations, like those priority diags just stick out like a sore thumb. And their horns could light up a Christmas tree with that sound. I'm talkin' BRIGHT. Not that that's a bad thing, just stuck out. I just like how they looked out there; they looked and sounded like Vanguard, the tradition and class that has become such an integral part of their identity, and this show fits it to a tee. So, with everyone else, just needs cleaning and they will have a heck of a show. Crown - Their show painted a visual/musical portrait of someone deep in thought. Most interesting. They did communicate this concept very well using a lot of nuances from having everything go crazy to hearing some very isolated, independent themes. A very witty horn book by Mike Klesch, and an extremely talented hornline to boot. Man those horns especially in that opening hit..... stuff that dreams are made out of. They have definitely come a long way in a very short time and their still coming. Doubtful if they can touch the top 5 this year, but with this kind of talent, who knows about the future? Cavaliers - as a music education major attending the prestigious University of Houston, I get plenty of exposure to the Cavalier ideals, both from members that I go to school with and the ideas they are taught via my band director who is their caption head. That being said I knew what to expect when it came to the Cavalier sound. I knew that they were going to sound immaculate and the balance was going to be impeccable. What I didn't know was that they could be loud too. Folks, the Green Machine is loud this year, and they have the book to show off that magnificent hornline. Drums could use more exposure, not for more cool sound effects either. I mean they have a really cool break in there, but eh.. something missing I think. The guard is just.... words cannot describe. So creative and innovative is the guard product this year, that it is very hard to comment on it in todays vernacular. The drill of course was amazing as I knew it would be. The show is oozing GE and there are so many user friendly moments that it boggles the mind. Just gotta do something about that ending, which I hear is in the works and should be ready by Atlanta. But that is what is holding them back now is the weak ending. Fix that and the Green Team just might bring home trophy number 7 Sorry if this seemed a little scatter-brained, I didn't really intend on doing a review, just sorta spur of the moment. Any questions about any of this and I will try and answer best I can. Thanks and you stay classy DCP oh yeah is this like a ninja or something, what emotion is this guy trying to convey. Just a question, thanks Great review Dave! Looking forward to seeing your old corps Saturday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paultxsa Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Great review!One question: In Revo's review you say "they did not fail to dissapoint", yet you seemed pleased with their show. Was that just an error in grammar? Don't mean to harp on you, just trying to figure it out. was wondering that myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sloan Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Great review!One question: In Revo's review you say "they did not fail to dissapoint", yet you seemed pleased with their show. Was that just an error in grammar? Don't mean to harp on you, just trying to figure it out. Yes, sorry about that. It was indeed an error in grammar. What I meant was "did not fail to impress", "did not disappoint" or something along those lines. It was a bit late last night and I was probably starting to check out. Oh well, thanks for bringing that to my attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phlickster Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 I was there as well. Great evening for Drum Corps! Everyone around me was amazed that this is a high school facility (it would put many university football stadiums to shame). The facility was built by the Cy-Fair School District and will be shared by multiple high schools. It would suit me just fine if the show was moved to this facility from Rice (I'll admit this is a selfish desire on my part due to it being only a few minutes from my home) for the future. I really thought Pioneer had a shot at Magic last night. They continue to close the gap and their show has the potential. Too bad the don't have a few more members to fill it our a little more. I also had Crown over SCV, but knew it would be close. Another great show from the Cavies with a theme that the crowd buys into from start to finish. Well Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFsmack Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Crown ROCKED and IMO should have been at least a point ahead of SCV... not even close. You know...these are the EXACT words a buddy of mine said as he was leaving the show...and calling me to let me know how it went. "at least a point" "not even close" What's the deal, then? Sometimes I feel like DCI tries to create these pockets of tension with the scores. I dunno. It just seems so fishy that BD looks to be like a clear winner right now... and that SCV/Crown/Boston are sooooooo close. I don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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