Finals Week in Madison...(rather long)

[playloud]

Quite a week of Drum Corps, in beautiful Madison. My wife and I flew into Chicago and spent Monday and Tuesday. White Sox game, Sears tower, sunset cruise on Lake Michigan. Deep-dish pizza at Gino’s East was highly recommended, and I now pass on this recommendation. A life-changing meal.

Headed up to Madison on Wednesday morning, just in time to check in at the Madison Concourse Hotel. The Madison Concourse has got to be one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed, and staying on the Governors Club level is certainly worth the extra money. Private elevator, free bottles of water in the room and free continental breakfast each morning overlooking the capital. Not a bad way to start a day of drum corps.

Headed down (1 block) to I&E. The new Overture Center was probably the nicest location I have ever watched I&E. The theatre hosting many of the larger ensembles was like a full-fledged symphony hall. More than enough room for seating and good acoustics. Highlights for me were SCV Bass Drum ensemble, SCV Cymbals, Blue Knights Brass Ensemble and Cavaliers Brass Ensemble 2. Must have been pure coincidence, but I did not happen to stop by the woodwind room…

My wife was not feeling well, so I headed out alone to a local Madison HS for the show Wednesday night. Capital Sound, Jubal, Madison Scouts and of course the Madison Scouts Alumni Corps. When I arrived, the stands were pretty full, but I found a seat exactly where I hoped – on the 50 in row 1. Drill was unrecognizable, but I was there for sound. Jubal was impressive – good volume and lots of energy. Got the crowd really fired up. They had a solo whistler…a dude using his fingers to whistle a tune, and doing it well! First time I’ve seen that. Had no idea what to expect from Madison Scouts this year, and what I got was a seriously loud opening impact from the hornline. Now tonight was my first live drum corps in over a month, which can skew my perception of volume….but this was loud enough to get me pumped. More on Scouts later. Next was the Alumni Corps, and again I had no idea what to expect…not a disappointment. There is a soprano solo of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” which leads into the full corps playing “The Way We Were”. Took my breath away, let me tell you. At the time, I did not even know the corps had formed a giant Fleur-de-lis. Even cooler! A great night of Madison Scouts history, whether you were an alumni or not. At one point they had every living Corps Director in Scouts history on the field. Scott Stewart got a large ovation, and well deserved. After all the shows, the Alumni Corps, Madison Scouts and many other alumni joined together on the field to sing together “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” This was such a touching moment, I cannot imagine what it meant to each and every Scout out there singing. Well worth the $10 of the show.

Fantastic weather, felt like Southern California. I may have thought we were in the Rose Bowl, but for the giant red “W” in the center of the field….and the great view….and the great sound. But we all know Camp Randall is a wonderful place to enjoy Drum Corps. The stadium is now enclosed, and the extra bit of reverb was noticeable and appreciated. Our seats were in the upper deck, 4th row on the 50. The first 3 rows were reserved for judges, so in essence we were in the front row. Not bad having a row open in front to stretch your legs and set drinks. This was our 10th consecutive year attending finals, with 3 times in Madison. I believe my seats this week are just about the best combination of sound and visual that I have found. Too bad we won’t be coming here again for many, many, many years. Sat next to an SCV Alumni from the early 80’s, and also a finals attendee for nearly 30 years. Some good conversations all three nights. We thought the no backpack rule was pretty ridiculous – we took the same bag into a major league baseball stadium, but it can’t go into a drum corps show?

Well, did anyone actually want to hear about the shows? OK, but keep in mind that I like loud brass and soft pits. I am less interested in story lines, and more interested in impact moments, wherever they come from. I had not seen anyone except BD, SCV and BK before Quarterfinals, and I barely know what an APD is let alone dowload one. Also, I have been known to disagree with the placement of some corps, once in a while. Based on some of the DVD commentaries by judges, I am not looking at the same things they are. Oh well. I had to say after Quarterfinals that I liked almost every show this year, which does not happen every year. I did not take notes, but here goes.

Southwind – The first corps I saw at Quarterfinals, and I was impressed. I thought they should have moved up, but I did not see Mandarins from my seat, so I cannot say for sure. I saw Mandarins early in California, and was not much into their show, for the first time in a few years. Southwind had half the corps in black and half in white. Kind of cool, but didn’t have an oooh/ahhh affect like I thought it might. (I am thinking of ’92 VK when they would spin around and the white uniform would go to red – cool effect.) I remember and liked the bright yellow uniforms of 2000 or so. Great sound, especially from 18th place.

Capital Regiment – I sure liked their show better than last year. The highlight was the Frisbee toss, and my wife thought that was fun. Quite a bit of wind, but that drummer caught it both nights. Another good horn sound. Way to go, Ohio! Putting out some strong hornlines. I hope Cap. Reg. keeps progressing.

Blue Stars – Back in Div I after a long time (not sure how long). Heard a couple tales about the guard from the 70’s and the tight blue shorts. All in all, much of the crowd was appreciative seeing them back in D1 action. My wife did not see Quarters, so I had a preview of everyone. My advice to her regarding Blue Stars was to block out the talking as much as possible, and you might be able to enjoy a nice patriotic show. I read about the theme of the show, but I certainly did not need passages read aloud to me. I would have enjoyed the show much more without narration. The brass was fantastic, and really had some energy. They produced one of my favorite loud-ballad-note-cutoffs of the night. The end of the show was one of the few that had us spring to our feet for an ovation. Nice job. Lose the talking next year.

Crossmen – One of my favorites in 2005, I enjoyed this year’s show a little less. Got started slowly I thought, until the “radio” section. I will say that it was rather clever, but my wife found it very annoying. I got a chuckle from “Find hot singles in your area…”. Some might say, “See, amps are great for drum corps!”. I say that I would trade a couple chuckles if I could get rid of all the other crap coming out of the speakers this week. I enjoyed the “Born to Be Wild” section, and it seemed the horns were into it. Alas, extremely sloppy visual is their downfall, just like last year. Maybe next year they can clean up the drill and slip back into Finals.

Colts – My first brilliant prediction of the night was “I think Colts can pass Spirit.” Well, I was way off, but I still really liked the show. More so than the last few years I think. “As Time Goes By” was nice, and the whole show well done. It was hard to believe at this point that we had not even cracked the top 12.

Spirit – Great horn impact for the start of the show, but I did not get into the show as a whole. I enjoyed Colts show more, but I cannot say Spirit was bad. I recognized Blue Shades, but it’s hard to pull this off after another corps nailed it so recently. It just makes me want to listen to ’99 SCV. In fact, I’ll be right back……….OK, ’99 SCV rocks. Solid show for Spirit; not good enough to move up, but fine for 12th.

Glassmen – Yeah! The most enjoyable Glassmen show since…2000? I like straightforward, recognizable classical music. The Beethoven show was accessible, even if you do not know each tune. I liked the opening statement, the ballroom dancing section, the “deaf” section and the horn re-entry. This hornline could put out some power. Overall an original and enjoyable show. Way to go Glassmen! More shows like this!

Boston Crusaders – Dropped to 10th at Finals, but it was hard to notice a drop in performance. This show had a lot of good things going on, but as a whole was not very memorable to us. No one around us understood the big brain stems or columns or whatever they were. Likewise, no one understood the significance of them coming together at the end. I finally decided on Saturday night that they were they to store flags around the field. The horns seemed louder than most Boston shows I can recall. The drumline had some good moments and the drill was interesting. I just can’t remember much of anything.

Madison Scouts – Seeing them from the top, I still felt the hornline had some giddyup. While there was volume, I still do not think it sounds like the horns of the 90’s or even 2000. I think G bugles and a lopsided balance toward upper brass gave them their unique sound in the past. Someone else said, and I agree, “They sound like everyone else now.” I know their guard was not scoring well, but I just didn’t notice them for most of the show. I was curious to see the drill written by Myron, and I recognized it immediately. Even my wife after the first 2 minutes said, “it looks like SCV drill” and she did not know that Myron had taken over the drill. Unfortunately we both noticed it was very dirty. By no means was it easy drill, nor easy to clean. But that certainly contributed to the lower score. Overall though, I did like the show. I can deal with a little drill dirt if the show has energy, it Madison had it.

Carolina Crown – Hornline. Hornline. Hornline! When Crown gave the crowd its first big horn impact, there was an audible gasp from the crowd. The sound smacked you right in the chest, and brings a smile to your face. A rich, full sound from Crown, which has become distinctive to them. This is third year in a row with a fantastic brass line. 2nd best of the night, I think. It seemed they have the impact moment thing figured out, because they had some spots that made me yell my approval. Awesome show, had our section on its feet immediately after the show. No one I have talked to yet can believe they dropped to 8th. Second year in a row with one of the best shows of anyone, and no singing. Right on.

Blue Knights – I saw this show in California early this summer, and my comment was “It’s different, but I think I like it”. This is pretty much the same way I feel about it. I love the dark brass sound, and the dark music. Some interesting things visually as well, and what has become a unique style for BK – lots of movement and the knee pop. I think this show could have been a disaster if not for the energy being poured into it by the members. I don’t think it should have passed Crown, but congrats to BK for pushing it to the end.

SCV – Mr. Moto rules! I did not know about this guy until Quarterfinals, and then I read the article on dci.org. He is not just circling the field; he is ON with the rest of the hornline. The sops do a little feature down front, and then do a visual where they wipe of their mouths. Mr. Moto does the exact same visual while on the back sideline, exactly in time, then pops his horn up just as the other horns do. In the ballad, he completes the form in the lower left corner, arriving just in time to fill the spot for a beat, then hard pivots around the corner. Good stuff. The rest of the show? I loved it. I saw them in June, and there was so much drill dirt, some lines were barely recognizable as lines. Vastly improved by now, and the drill is very good. Different than Myron’s, but no less exciting and challenging. I love the box the builds from front and back near the beginning of the show; when the form hits, the horns pop to the box and paste a chord. Cool. I was hoping for some more volume from this hornline, but it just was not there. Not in the same league as Crown or Phantom or BD. They cranked it up for the appropriate impact points, but it was not as deep or rich as the above mentioned. Closing drill was great, as the corps exits the field…cymbals on a yoyo string, making the “V”. Wonderful show, which I feel could have taken 4th just as well as 6th. I can’t wait to see next year!

Cadets – Oh boy, where to begin. How about the positives. Brass sounded good, especially the first few minutes. Some great drill around the big door in the middle of the field. Drums sounded pretty cool, had some fun exposed parts. The drummer tossing a stick to another was cool. Beyond that, I am at a loss as to how this can be considered a good drum corps show. I do not see how this is a sequel to last year, besides the fact that I didn’t like 2005 either. I see the door from last year, and the 4 schoolgirls. After that, who knows? The characters were useless and distracting. I watched them more than I should have on Thursday, and tried to avoid looking at them Friday and Saturday, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of real drum corps. My wife referred to the characters as The Easter Bunny, Austin Powers’ Girlfriend, The Joker and Super girl. “Why are they on the field?” she asked me, and I did not have an answer. We wondered what would have happened if the bunny had won a category at I&E. Would he wear that bunny suit for the I&E winners ceremony? I was not as entertained by the pink tables and jumping as I hoped I might be. Nice long chop break for the horns, just in time for the ballad. Wish I could have heard an entire run of the horns playing the ballad without accompaniment, but it was not going to happen. The brass was joined by humming and moaning coming from the young lady with a microphone. I am sure she is a very talented singer, and could do well in a BOA show. I just wish I didn’t have to try and block it out during a drum corps show. The mirror/looking glass thing at the end might have been cooler if they were dressed the same, but I’m sure there was some reason for it that escaped my simple mind. I found myself thinking that it was hard to believe last time we were in Madison, Cadets were bringing me to tears with the “Pledge of Allegiance” ballad, and blowing me away with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Is this the same corps? Overall, my thought was “I think there could be a great drum corps show in there somewhere, it’s just covered up with too much unnecessary garbage. I really hope Cadets will take a different direction next year, but I doubt it. Was the yellow Alice really G. Hopkins’ daughter? Wow, putting your kid in the show tops sending a plane around the stadium with your daughters name on it…..

Bluecoats – I came into Quarters expecting to really like this show, but I was a little let down. The quality was high in brass and especially drums. However, it didn’t seem to have the drive of the 2005 show. Soloist missed the big note on Thursday; the dreaded feeling when you go for a note and nothing but air comes out. Nailed it on Saturday though. I was rooting for SCV to take 4th, but Bluecoats pulled it off. At least they passed Cadets. I think if I watch and listen to the show more, I might like it more. But right now, its not sticking with me.

Blue Devils – I liked this show, but I didn’t love it. I like the big horn entrance, just wish it came sooner as many have said. Whaddya know, I caught myself humming their music in the elevator one night….can’t remember that happening for several years, probably 2002, which was the last show I really enjoyed. The music sounded great, but a little repetitive. I have not seen “The Godfather” (I know, I know), but I did get a few of the gags….fish flags, gunshots…I did not get the chair, however. Someone mentioned before that the “offer he can’t refuse” guy sounded more like Jack Nicholson than Marlon Brando, and I agree. Has this kid even heard the real quote? You would sure think so, but I don’t know. Seems like someone in the corps could do a better imitation. Guard had some awesome rifle tosses going on, but I did see quite few drops. On Friday, during the gun form, 3 rifles in a row dropped. This went down to one on Saturday, but still pretty exposed. They won guard? All in all a great show, and I will not be skipping them on the CD or DVD like last year.

Phantom Regiment – This…place…is…Electric! My favorite show of the week, out of many good shows. This hornline is one of the best I’ve heard live. At separate points in the show, I found myself saying “wow, those mellophones!” or “wow, those baritones!” or “wow those Sopranos trumpets!”. I do not understand how they missed winning high brass. Shocking. The drums were great, and they got rewarded, but this hornline is what made the show exceptional in my mind. The ballad was moving, with trumpets going to Baris, and the long building chord at the end. I want the CD now to listen over and over. They were on fire Saturday night, and earned the 2nd place finish. I do not think they should have beaten Cavies, even though it would have been cool. Two years in a row with my favorite show of the night. Thank you Phantom Regiment!

Cavaliers – This is the type of show that should win DCI. It is an advanced show technically, innovative but entertaining, accessible by anyone in the stands. I think the 007 show was on the same level. Not some complex storyline, but a simple theme which is displayed in every area of the show, in interesting and fun ways. I loved the show, as did my wife and everyone around us. I do not know if the music will be fun to listen to by itself, but we’ll see. It worked well with the show. Its amazing how different corps’ have different ideas of what it is to push the envelope of be innovative. I can only hope that more design teams will be inspired by the Cavaliers so we can see more shows of this type. I am glad the winner, and the top 3 are all shows I would like to see looked up to by high school bands.

Madison Alumni Corps Reunion Project – These guys made good on the hype, and blew the crowd away. Hometown or not, they kicked some G-Bugle butt. “The Way We Were”, “Remembrance” (my wife’s favorite drum corps tune), “Malaguena”. They had some serious power, good sound and some soprano screamers. I hope we get an alumni corps of this caliber every year. Watch out for Kingsmen in Pasadena.

Marine Drum & Bugle Corps – I saw them in March at the Rose Bowl (also got to scout the stadium for seating preferences). They were impressive as always, in their own style. Nothing very fast-paced, and a clean, balanced brass sound. Their version of “Stars & Stripes Forever” is a favorite of my wife. If you ever get a chance to see them perform in Arlington Cemetery during the summer, make sure you do it.

Retreat moved along at a nice pace, which is a positive. Champions Fanfare was a negative. It is not awful, it is just not as emotional or inspiring as America the Beautiful. The ending did not seem to max out in volume, which was a letdown. Why not play both tunes? I will say again that I miss each corps playing something before marching off the field. Doubt we will see this again, but one can reminisce.

Airport security at O’Hare was not as bad as we feared after all the trouble. Don’t you hate it when you get stuck sitting next to some weirdo on the plane? Well, for me the weirdo happened to be named Ryan Turner, who I know by reputation, but had never actually met. Good to discuss some drum corps with him – SoCal Dream, finals week, Harry Potter books. Usual stuff.

Hard to believe Finals will be in Pasadena next year. That’s a 40 mile drive from home for us! I cannot endorse the Rose Bowl as a wonderful stadium for drum corps, but I hope it is not a big disappointment. I am not sure if we will continue to attend finals beyond the first year of Indianapolis. I don’t know of too many options for surrounding activities in Indiana. The downtown area is great, and will serve well as a hub for the show, but we like to make a vacation out of the trip, and I don’t know what else we would do. In addition, I do not want to see Finals in a dome, even if it is raining outside. If it sounds anything like the RCA Dome, I would run away screaming. I understand all the reasons for moving to Indy for 10 straight years, it just may not be a fit for my wife and I anymore.

If you’re not asleep by now, thanks for reading.

[ampfan]

Great review, thanks!

[DrumCorpMom]

Great review. Thanks for taking the time. I throughly enjoyed it. Ditto for me and my husband on the Indy thing. We try to make a vacation out of these trips and there wasn't a lot to do in Madison (other than drum corp) which was great. Spent an inordinate amount of time watching my son's practice sessions and all day at I&E. If memory serves me, there isn't a whole lot to do in Indy to spend alot of time there. Thanks again.

[Medeabrass]

Great review...the new stadium in Indy is not technically a dome...it's a "retractable roof" stadium...As long as the roofs open it should be OK. If it's anything like reliant stadium, then the accoustics should be great. I've heard a couple of concerts there and I was very impressed with the sound.

I tend to agree about things to do in Indy...maybe one of my Star buddies can chime in with some local activities besides going to the rock quarry to drink. We used to go to King's Island all the time when I marched Star...don't remember it being too far away from Bloomington.

[Matt_S]

Thanks for a great review! In the interests of reading more such great reviews in the future, I invite you to look online, ask around, do whatever it takes to find something to entertain you in Indy. I promise it's there, enough for a few years, and you might find that you love it here. Even if not, in following years you can choose to drive two hours to Cincy or three hours to Chicago or four hours to St. Louis.

[TomMoore]

Great review, Brad! It's been a pleasure to sit near you and your wife for what, four consecutive years now? Always enjoy our conversations and your thoughts on the performances we see. Agree with your thoughts on the corps -- mostly, anyway, you know where I would have put the White Team!

Sorry that I won't see you in Pasadena, but I do hope to see you in Indy, in 2008 and beyond!

[PeeWee]

Thank you Brad for the review. I'm also looking forward to seeing what a few corps produce in 2007, namely Santa Clara Vanguard, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, and Phantom Regiment. Each of these corps had their own "achillies heel" in 2006, so I'm hoping they can address it during the off season. SCV (our alma mater) needs to work on brass and percussion, whether that entails new caption heads or just new teaching, I don't know.

California 2007!!!