Another Giant's Stadium Review

[TchMuzk]

Let me start by saying that I’ve never written a review before and I’m sure I will upset some people with my opinions. I get the whole thing about how everyone works hard, but these are my honest opinions based solely on what I saw last night. Keep in mind that they are only my opinions and you are ALLOWED to disagree with them. This was my first show all year so first reads on everyone. For most of the show, I was sitting on the 45 year line in the mid level- Pretty good seats.

Magic- Very disappointed with the show design. They split the hornline A LOT and although it balances the field visually, it detracts from the ensemble sound quality and doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense from an effect standpoint. Jesu seemed VERY forced rhythmically- almost “square.“ I’m not suggesting it should be swung, but there should be some kind of “lilt” to it. It was very mechanical. The brass sound was very top heavy- way over balanced toward upper brass. I lost a lot of the baris and contras/tubas. Percussively, I was very disappointed. I thought the front ensemble scoring seemed very unison and even then they had trouble projecting. I saw speakers, so I assume they used mics, but balance was waaaaay off. Battery seemed busy, but really overplayed the brass.

Esperanza- I’ve never seen this corps before- EVER. They impressed me and I actually thought they would beat the Magic. I didn’t recognize any of their music, but their show design flowed better. Nothing stood out as being excellent in my mind, it just seemed to work better. Drill flowed and visually I saw the things I heard. Pit projection was very poor. Color guard was well integrated into the total package but not as clean as one might expect a week before championships. Hornline blended better than Magic’s but not as technically proficient. I thought they beat Magic. Only the GE Visual judge agreed with me tho, so what do I know?

Carolina Crown- First real moments of excitement came with this corps. This hornline is a treat! Balance, blend, tone quality, clarity of articulation, these guys are STRONG. I disagree with them losing brass to Madison, and I’m a Madison alum. Lots of lower body visuals in the hornline add to the overall effect of this show. Not the most demanding drill of the night, but absolutely one of the most effective visual programs out there. I absolutely agree with them beating Cadets in GE Visual and Ensemble Visual. Drumline was well coordinated but I could hear errors as high up as I was sitting. Pit blend was a problem as the vibes were way too loud comparatively speaking.

Madison Scouts- As an alumnus of this corps, I can honestly say I haven’t liked this corps performances for the past several years. That changed last night. Although different from past versions of the Scouts, these boys can play! IMHO, this was the most difficult drill of the night. Unfortunately, they can’t come close to performing it. Yeah, they make it to most of the dots on the page, but at what cost to the performer. Both upper body and lower body technique suffer as they try to run from here to there and back in 2 counts. It just doesn’t make sense to me when Crown’s drill was soooo much easier, yet more effective. Seems to me they could get more effect by doing “less” better. The percussion ensemble was not nearly as bad as I had heard they would be. The pit plays well and is well integrated into the program. The brass arranger has left lots of space for the pit to sing through. The battery is reasonable in their supportive roll, but still a bit dirty for August. I like the tom feature that fades away into nothingness! Color guard is not always staged in what would seem to be the “right” places. I like the uniforms, but some sloppy equipment work detracts for me. Didn’t think Crossmen’s guard would beat them tho.

Cavaliers- At this point in the show, I went to sit with some friends on the lower level so my vantage point for Cavies and Crossmen is different. I was not as impressed with the Cavaliers as I expected to be. All my friends who sat up high, were really blown away with the visual program. At field level, I was not. Performance ? Absolutely. Design? Not so sure. Seemed like lots of movement for movement’s sake, but that’s not really a fair assessment considering where I was sitting. The most disappointing thing for me about this corps was the pit. I am a “pit guy” and I tend to focus on that. Erik Johnson was a MASTER at front ensemble arranging. Last year, the Cavaliers did more with pit cymbals then most corps did with keyboards. This year, Jim Ancona took over. I knew it would be different, but since I liked what Jim had done with the Vanguard, I thought that different could be just as good. I WAS WRONG! The players are strong! The book is not! There was nothing that stood out to me as being tremendous from anything in the percussion section- battery or pit. They are just kinda there. The whole program struck me as a potentially nice visual package, with some kind of musical accompaniment. Clearly this corps is visual heavy. I’ve not seen the other top three or four corps, but I don’t think the fat lady has sung on this one yet!

Crossmen- I had heard really bad things about this team. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had been set up to believe. Conceptually, I think its very “high school band-ish” but it IS entertaining. I don’t believe in using mics for vocals, but they do work here. It was cool to see one of my former students beating on his chest while doing the “weather report” from a “chopper.” I liked the ending flags with everyone’s hometown. Nice touch! Performance-wise, this corps is “all over the road” (pun intended). Spacing issues in the drill. Sloppy brass playing- watch trumpet articulations and phrase endings. Battery wasn‘t anywhere near the level of the corps that beat them. I was surprised they only had three tom players. I really liked the red sequins across the front of the uniform. Its a shame this show probably won’t make finals since it was one of the more entertaining shows of the night. After the Crossmen, I returned to my original seat.

Cadets- OMG I hated this show! I know many people like it and I know these kids are working hard, but I just didn’t care for it. Last year, I hated it but I gave them credit because at the end of the season, they WERE the best corps. This year, I actually hate it more than I did LAST year. I never would have thought that was possible. I don’t like the concept, I don’t like the uniforms, I don’t like the singer, I don’t like the pink tables, I don’t like the drill, I don’t like the music. Gee, I sound very negative. Yeah, there were positives. The drumline plays REALLY well. The entire corps is very expressive musically. The guard is strong as well. They portray character well and they are quite clean. Although I don’t like this show at all, I would never count out the Cadets, they are always the one team that can clean the crap outta the show the last few days and sneak up on some people.

All in all, a good night of drum corps. Can’t wait till Madison. Speaking of Madison, I am playing in the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project Corps. We’ve been working a long time to put together an amazing couple of performances for next week. If you’re in Madison next week, do not miss us.

Sorry if I’ve offended anyone. As I said before, these are just my opinions and you’re allowed to disagree.

[MusicSup]

Joe:

that's a great job. sitting next to you most of the night you really came up with a very comprehesive analysis. Cavies where awesome from the top.

Now. Sing something from the Cavies or Cadets show.

[MikeD]

Let me start by saying that I’ve never written a review before and I’m sure I will upset some people with my opinions. I get the whole thing about how everyone works hard, but these are my honest opinions based solely on what I saw last night. Keep in mind that they are only my opinions and you are ALLOWED to disagree with them. This was my first show all year so first reads on everyone. For most of the show, I was sitting on the 45 year line in the mid level- Pretty good seats.

Good to see you last night, Joe...

Magic- Very disappointed with the show design. They split the hornline A LOT and although it balances the field visually, it detracts from the ensemble sound quality and doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense from an effect standpoint. Jesu seemed VERY forced rhythmically- almost “square.“ I’m not suggesting it should be swung, but there should be some kind of “lilt” to it. It was very mechanical. The brass sound was very top heavy- way over balanced toward upper brass. I lost a lot of the baris and contras/tubas. Percussively, I was very disappointed. I thought the front ensemble scoring seemed very unison and even then they had trouble projecting. I saw speakers, so I assume they used mics, but balance was waaaaay off. Battery seemed busy, but really overplayed the brass.

I was in the lower tier, around the 30...in the section where I saw you.

I had the opposite view on The Magic's sound....I got a lot of low brass, and I actually liked the balance. Agree on Jesu...they tried to put a light rock beat to it...but thet brass did not interpret it that way all too well. Reminded me of something I'd rather forget about what should be me all-time favorite show....THE LARGO!!!! :P

Esperanza- I’ve never seen this corps before- EVER. They impressed me and I actually thought they would beat the Magic. I didn’t recognize any of their music, but their show design flowed better. Nothing stood out as being excellent in my mind, it just seemed to work better. Drill flowed and visually I saw the things I heard. Pit projection was very poor. Color guard was well integrated into the total package but not as clean as one might expect a week before championships. Hornline blended better than Magic’s but not as technically proficient. I thought they beat Magic. Only the GE Visual judge agreed with me tho, so what do I know?

Agree on poor pit projection...may have been the only corps of the night without an amplified pit???

I thought their brass sound was not as good as the Magic's. They seemed short of trumpets a bit, and the staging put those they DID have behind the plethora of baritones a lot.

Carolina Crown- First real moments of excitement came with this corps. This hornline is a treat! Balance, blend, tone quality, clarity of articulation, these guys are STRONG. I disagree with them losing brass to Madison, and I’m a Madison alum. Lots of lower body visuals in the hornline add to the overall effect of this show. Not the most demanding drill of the night, but absolutely one of the most effective visual programs out there. I absolutely agree with them beating Cadets in GE Visual and Ensemble Visual. Drumline was well coordinated but I could hear errors as high up as I was sitting. Pit blend was a problem as the vibes were way too loud comparatively speaking.

Agree...thought so on the vibes too, come to think of it. Can't comment on field brass of course, but in the stands the brass came across VERY well.

Madison Scouts- As an alumnus of this corps, I can honestly say I haven’t liked this corps performances for the past several years. That changed last night. Although different from past versions of the Scouts, these boys can play! IMHO, this was the most difficult drill of the night. Unfortunately, they can’t come close to performing it. Yeah, they make it to most of the dots on the page, but at what cost to the performer. Both upper body and lower body technique suffer as they try to run from here to there and back in 2 counts. It just doesn’t make sense to me when Crown’s drill was soooo much easier, yet more effective. Seems to me they could get more effect by doing “less” better. The percussion ensemble was not nearly as bad as I had heard they would be. The pit plays well and is well integrated into the program. The brass arranger has left lots of space for the pit to sing through. The battery is reasonable in their supportive roll, but still a bit dirty for August. I like the tom feature that fades away into nothingness! Color guard is not always staged in what would seem to be the “right” places. I like the uniforms, but some sloppy equipment work detracts for me. Didn’t think Crossmen’s guard would beat them tho.

Good evaluation...I did think the guard emoted and portrayed the characters well...they just had major equipment issues.

Cavaliers- At this point in the show, I went to sit with some friends on the lower level so my vantage point for Cavies and Crossmen is different. I was not as impressed with the Cavaliers as I expected to be. All my friends who sat up high, were really blown away with the visual program. At field level, I was not. Performance ? Absolutely. Design? Not so sure. Seemed like lots of movement for movement’s sake, but that’s not really a fair assessment considering where I was sitting. The most disappointing thing for me about this corps was the pit. I am a “pit guy” and I tend to focus on that. Erik Johnson was a MASTER at front ensemble arranging. Last year, the Cavaliers did more with pit cymbals then most corps did with keyboards. This year, Jim Ancona took over. I knew it would be different, but since I liked what Jim had done with the Vanguard, I thought that different could be just as good. I WAS WRONG! The players are strong! The book is not! There was nothing that stood out to me as being tremendous from anything in the percussion section- battery or pit. They are just kinda there. The whole program struck me as a potentially nice visual package, with some kind of musical accompaniment. Clearly this corps is visual heavy. I’ve not seen the other top three or four corps, but I don’t think the fat lady has sung on this one yet!

The DO seem to do a lot of movement-that-ends-up-where-they-started, but it's so darn neat, who cares! :P

Crossmen- I had heard really bad things about this team. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had been set up to believe. Conceptually, I think its very “high school band-ish” but it IS entertaining. I don’t believe in using mics for vocals, but they do work here. It was cool to see one of my former students beating on his chest while doing the “weather report” from a “chopper.” I liked the ending flags with everyone’s hometown. Nice touch! Performance-wise, this corps is “all over the road” (pun intended). Spacing issues in the drill. Sloppy brass playing- watch trumpet articulations and phrase endings. Battery wasn‘t anywhere near the level of the corps that beat them. I was surprised they only had three tom players. I really liked the red sequins across the front of the uniform. Its a shame this show probably won’t make finals since it was one of the more entertaining shows of the night. After the Crossmen, I returned to my original seat.

I think they had a tenor hole...it was maintained through most of the show, but it closed down every so often.

Cadets- OMG I hated this show! I know many people like it and I know these kids are working hard, but I just didn’t care for it. Last year, I hated it but I gave them credit because at the end of the season, they WERE the best corps. This year, I actually hate it more than I did LAST year. I never would have thought that was possible. I don’t like the concept, I don’t like the uniforms, I don’t like the singer, I don’t like the pink tables, I don’t like the drill, I don’t like the music. Gee, I sound very negative. Yeah, there were positives. The drumline plays REALLY well. The entire corps is very expressive musically. The guard is strong as well. They portray character well and they are quite clean. Although I don’t like this show at all, I would never count out the Cadets, they are always the one team that can clean the crap outta the show the last few days and sneak up on some people.

I really liked the Cadets show. While very different in concept than the others, it was very entertaining. The characters did a good job, and the percussion section played a lot better than I thought they would.

I liked the ballad, vocals and all.

No negative for me with the pink tables...I thought they used them VERY well.

All in all, a good night of drum corps. Can’t wait till Madison. Speaking of Madison, I am playing in the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project Corps. We’ve been working a long time to put together an amazing couple of performances for next week. If you’re in Madison next week, do not miss us.

Sorry if I’ve offended anyone. As I said before, these are just my opinions and you’re allowed to disagree.

Nice review, Joe...best of luck in Madison! And of course, best of luck with Bush.

[Matt_S]

Thanks for the review! I disagreed with some of it, like you stated I would (I like both Cavaliers and Cadets more than you), but I like that you shared your honest opinion. :)

[momoblooo]

Erik Johnson was a MASTER at front ensemble arranging.

Agreed, Cavaliers pit was incredible while he worked with them. He's working with Bluecoats this year; their pit has some great stuff.

Very nice review!

[momoblooo]

Now. Sing something from the Cavies or Cadets show.

Cavies? Hmmm, I really like their show but I can't sing anything from memory...

Cadets? Okay, here goes: Ooooooooooh aaaaaaaaahhhhh mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ahhhhhhhhhhhh oooh eee oohh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa uuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...etc., etc., etc.

(Hint: that's the vocals over the ballad!)

[rut-roh]

I was humming the tuba/trumpet mute groove from the Cavaliers show on my way out of the stadium. That's some cool stuff! And in my car I was going through the ending musical sequence of their opener.

Edited August 4, 2006 by rut-roh

[Matt_S]

If you want to hear someone singing Cavaliers, catch me at work. I'm always getting those melodies stuck in my head!

[Jamesdrum007]

Excellent review Joe. I appreciated your perceptions and the way you expressed them. Nice.

Looking forward very much to your performance with Mad Alum in Mad City. Enjoy.

[JustABandMom]

Cavies? Hmmm, I really like their show but I can't sing anything from memory...

Cadets? Okay, here goes: Ooooooooooh aaaaaaaaahhhhh mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ahhhhhhhhhhhh oooh eee oohh aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa uuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...etc., etc., etc.

(Hint: that's the vocals over the ballad!)

Tooooooo funny!! :P