DCI Div. I Finals Week Review

[TexasPRfan]

While I’m hopelessly late in posting this, and I’m sure it will not be read by many because of this, I just couldn’t end my DCI year without a review of the Div. I corps from Finals week. For me, this last review is a labor of love, as it gives me another chance to mentally re-live the joy of sitting in the stands during finals week watching an incredible week of performances. This year, that week was full or creativity, amazing execution and just astounding performances from several thousand terrific kids. I have to say I think this has to be DCI’s best year for a top to bottom Top 12 since probably 1999. While not all 12 corps had powerhouse, well balanced shows, every single corps brought something effective to the table and performed amazingly well in at least some capacity. Thank you to all the amazing performers, and to the talented staffs who worked with you!

For a bit of perspective, the 3 shows in Madison were my 6th, 7th and 8th shows of the year, respecitively, after catching the early season show in Lisle, and then the Texas Tour through Dallas, San Antonio & Denton, and then the super regional in Atlanta. Our seats in Madison were terrific – just under the press box, on the 48 in the upper deck.

First off, on Thursday, I was a casualty of the Camp Randall regulations about backpacks and by the time I trekked back to the hotel and back to the stadium again, I ended up missing Pioneer, Esperanza and Pacific Crest! Arghhh! My apologies to those corps & I look forward to seeing you in 2007.

Magic of Orlando – More than anything, I’m extremely thankful Magic is still on the field and bringing us a full sized Div. I corps. Kudos to the folks who have kept the organization intact. Magic was clearly quite young this year, but they still managed to deliver and effective and entertaining product. The hornlines and drumlines were strong and exciting, if not always clean. I can’t remember much about the guard program other than thinking there was way too much purple on the field, but the “ribbon” moments in the ballad were a very nice touch. Still, it was both sad to think back to the last time this corps was in Madison & set the drum corps world on it’s ear, and gratifying to know they survived the 2004 season and are still fielding a corps. Here’s to Magic making it back to the upper echelon soon.

Seattle Cascades – Here’s the first corps which I thought deserved a little more scoring credit than they got in Madison. While I certainly agree with their placement, I thought score wise they should have been knocking at the heels of the Southwind/Mandarins bunch, and not scored close to Magic. Musically and visually, Scades were a major step up from Magic and did a very admirable job of cleaning up this show by season’s end. Seattle had a demanding show that sold reasonably well to the crowd and was enjoyable to watch, despite the obvious youth in the corps and the staff turnover challenges they’ve faced. Like Magic, it’s a little sad to think how far the corps has slipped since 2002, but they seem more poised than Magic to be able to bounce back into at least the mid-Semifinals pack soon, and I hope they do!

Southwind – For 2 years in a row, I have to credit the design team at Southwind for bringing us one of the more creative shows of the year. Musically, I much preferred last year’s book to this years, but I think the performance level this year was actually a step up from last year. My biggest complaint was the chopped up Claire De Lune, which took the wind out of the sails in the middle of the show & did not make sense (yes, I understood the duality theme). When the hornline was playing the piece, it was beautiful, yet the drum groove interruptions never allowed them to build up and resolve anything. Visually, I thought S/W’s design was superior to last season, with a creative & inventive drill. Ultimately, while I think S/W had a better package than Mandarins, they were not able to execute as cleanly (the guard REALLY had problems with the wind), and as a result, justly fell just out of Semis. Still, a great season for Southwind. If only they can hold on to these kids, there can be a very bright future out there for this corps!

Mandarins – I have to admit I did not really like this show at all in San Antonio or Atlanta - Kudos to these kids for investing in their show and delivering a vastly improved, more effective show in Madison. As always, the trademark of this corps seemed to be intensity and execution. The gutsy little corps that can. Musically, this was far from one of my favorite shows of the year, but the rhythmic themes were effective, and for whatever reason (I can’t really put my finger on it), the show just worked anyway. Mandarins guard ultimately made the difference, as they handled the wind much better than did Southwind’s guard. Otherwise, Mandarins would have been the last corps out instead of the last corps in. Kudos as well to Mandarins for having an even better show on Friday. Perhaps letting their hair down a bit without a corps to really compete with allowed them to more emotionally sell their show on Friday.

Capital Regiment – Boy was there a quantam leap up to the next tight grouping of corps (Cap Reg, Blue Stars and Crossmen)! I think Capital Regiment was probably the strongest 16th place corps we’ve had since Crown in Madison in 2002. This was a bold show with strong musical and visual demand, sold relatively well. While the horn line was powerful and effective, I did find them to be a bit muddy, lacking the clarity or friendliness to the ear that was found with Blue Stars. Also, it was amazing how effective the Frisbee gimmick turned out to be. Good fun! I wish the corps would find a bit more accessible path to follow musically, but based on the last few years, I don’t think that’s a direction this corps chooses to follow.

Crossmen – Despite being an acknowledged “amped vocals” hater, I have to admit I did enjoy this show from Crossmen. However, I truly think the amped voice “cheapens” the moment, if you will, with drum corps - interrupting the magic the purity of brass, percussion and guard work on the field. That said, the Radio section of the show was quite entertaining. Musically, Crossmen, like Capital Regiment seemed a bit muddied at times. At other moments, the hornline was pretty powerful and effective. It’s obvious that Crossmen are quite young in comparison to their strong corps of the 90s and early 00s. Quite frankly, I’m quite sure this corps would fare much better competitively outside of YEA, if they could make it financially. It’s clear that the best kids go to Cadets and Crossmen are left with the rest. Visually, the corps seemed improved a bit from last year, but still lacking in comparison to the competition in front of them. Finally, I really enjoyed their “dedication” ballad, and thought it was quite poingnant. Thanks, Crossmen, for a solid, entertaining show.

Blue Stars – Wow. Blue Stars have to be one of the stories of the year for me. What a great show. While as I said, I don’t really like the amped voice, the vocals in this show seemed to add to the show just a tad, or at least didn’t detract from it. Musically, I just loved this show. Great, stirring melodies of old favorites, reborn in refereshing ways. I was surprised to read some reviewers comments about this show being a tired patriotic show (most of those comments seemed to come from folks who saw this show at the movie theater rather than in Madison, for what that’s worth). I felt quite the opposite. The horn line, in my opinion, was leaps and bounds ahead of Crossmen and Capital Regiment from an Ensemble perspective, in terms of clarity of sound. The closing chords in the “worship” section of the show were one of my moments of the year. Visually, this corps didn’t have the depth or demand to push them into finals, but nonetheless, a great show which I never tired of watching. Interestingly, Camp Randall felt almost more like a home crowd for Blue Stars than it did for the Scouts this year. What a triumphant come back for this corps, and I hope they can extend the momentum in 2007.

Colts – Hmm. One of the few shows that I felt just didn’t work this year came from Colts. It’s hard to put my finger on why though. From an execution perspective, I felt like this corps has almost everything needed to make it back into finals – an improved guard and solid horn & drum lines. Yet the design just seemed to go nowhere in far too many places. While the hornline was powerful, and technically proficient, the book sounded muddy most of the time to my ear. The color schemes & guard uniforms just did not work for me either. I appreciated the excellence of this corps, and considered them to be very similar to Spirit. Solid performances from technically proficient corps, but not shows that I particularly enjoyed from a design or effect perspective. I still think I enjoyed this Colts uniform more when they had the off-white pants, as well, instead of the black. That color scheme seemed more effective for them.

Spirit – Congrats to Spirit for making it back into Finals once again. Technically, I think this was probably Spirit’s best corps since their late 90s resurgence began. The horn line was loud and effective, the guard was tight and the drum line was impressive. Yet, the design again was lacking from Spirit. The show just was not attractive to watch – and I blame the guard color schemes for that (certainly not the kids). WAY too much blue made it difficult to convey different moods and nuances in the show. Surprisingly, the Waltz of the Mushroom Hunters section of their show ended up to me being their most effective part of their show, while the Blue Shades ending seemed patched on to the end and very ineffective. Wow, I sound like I really just bagged on both Colts & Spirit, and I didn’t mean to. I appreciated both shows this summer. I just think both corps could be so much more with better-designed shows.

Glassmen – This corps certainly brought all 3 nights shows back to life for me, and seemingly many in the audience. I think this is my favorite Glassmen show since 1999. I just loved this show. There were so many highlights for me – the exciting opening sequence, the breathtakingly beautiful finale to the Moonlight Sonata section, and the creative, moving “deaf” sequence leading to the joyous finale all were highlights of the year for me. I hope the corps continues down this direction for a few more years, as I really like it. Interestingly, I think the MOST effective parts of their show were when they were being most straight-forward with the Beethoven music. What does that tell you about how traditional classical music can still sell on the field? Kudos also, to Glassmen for a great visual design in 2006. I thought the staging for this corps was near perfect almost throughout. If this corps can retain its members – and raise the maturity of it’s brassline in particular, they can certainly be a force again.

Boston Crusaders – Ok, count me in the crowd that did NOT think Boston should have been passed by Madison on Saturday night. Visually, the 2 corps did not seem to be in the same league. While Boston’s guard had an off night on Saturday night, placing 12th in Finals, and being beaten by the Scouts in guard? Come on – no way. Music seemed to be Boston’s big weakness this summer. Not music execution, as I thought their horn line stepped it up in a significant way this year, but music effect. This first half of this show, in particular, did not really draw me in musically. Still, a unique and creative show from Boston that I enjoyed very much.

Madison Scouts – hmm, I could write volumes on this show. What an enigma to me. There were some things I really, really liked – including parts of the drill and some of the music. And then there was the design of guard program – unquestionably the worst in DCI this summer to me – at least out of the top 16. I think I understand what Madison was going for this summer – and it sure sounded good on paper in the offseason, but it just didn’t work as a cohesive package. I will say, this corps got markedly better each night in Madison, and kudos to the kids for that. From up high, I think the green pants and white jackets were a mistake for Madison. With that demanding Rosander drill, they just looked like drill dots out there – and the out of alignment problems were made all the more glaringly obvious with the big white jackets. I hope they go back to the other color scheme, regardless of the specifics of the uniform. What a disappointing step back for Madison from a design perspective, after a very solid 2005. I hope it’s an aberration, for sure. All that said, there were still some very memorable and enjoyable ensemble moments from Madison this year, and I look forward to seeing how this group re-groups next summer.

Carolina Crown – I think I’m in the vast minority here, in that I don’t really have a quibble with Crown being beaten by Blue Knights. At the same time, I just loved this Crown show. What a great visual and musical package. This may have been Crown’s best show & corps yet, and I felt they clearly deserved to break 90 on Saturday night. This horn line has developed such a beautiful, deep, rich sound the last few years. Just a joy to listen to. And this show was filled with many “intrancing” moments. A definite crowd pleaser. Visually, though, I don’t think they had the same depth or exposed demand as Blue Knights, and while this was a great vehicle, I think the BK crew had to work much harder to sell their show. In the end I couldn’t have really argued with either corps beating the other. I loved both shows. Definitely the best top 8 we’ve had in a long, long time. It’s too bad this corps didn’t have a strong drumline to go along with the rest of this show. They would have contended for 4th if they had one.

Blue Knights – I know BK’s 7th place finish on Saturday night was not popular, but wow – this was one of my favorite shows of the entire summer. Not in the same way as Crown’s leap to your feet and yell show, but equally effective in my opinion. This show was just deliciously dark, intense, and FIERCE. I do think, though, after seeing it both high & low, it was a bit more effective from the lower seats. The emotional intensity did not reach the upper deck as well with this show. Still, I’ll say it again because it’s worth repeating, I just loved this show. Lot’s of really cool moments both visually and musically. The closing musical strains are still with me, and the feature guard performer is one of my visual highlights of the year. I just loved the swirling dervish section in the middle of the show. This was a truly a deep, intellectual show – and what else could it have been with what is one of Barber’s deepest, darkest musical masterpieces? Thank you Blue Knights for going your own way and doing it with style this summer.

Santa Clara Vanguard – This corps had to be one of my biggest positive surprises during Finals week. Man, did this corps turn it on at the end of the year, proving me wrong with where I thought this show would top out earlier in the season. One of the most innovative, fresh and exciting shows of the season, and a show that just grew & grew during the last 3 performances. Visually, this may have been Vanguard’s best drill & design ever. And “Moto” just put it over the top. Who other than SCV could have pulled that off & made it just fit, make you grin, and go “yeah. That’s SO SCV, and I love it.” It’s too bad this corps didn’t have the hornline chops the rest of the top 6 had, or this show would have clearly been 4th. Also, in sitting next to a former SCV staffer who is still very connected to current SCV staff members, the corps felt like they had an off night on the field on Saturday night. Perhaps something not visible to us up in the upper deck, but seems to explain things pretty well. With the performance this corps had on Friday, I think they would have taken 4th with ease. As it is, I can’t argue with the placements, but they should have been right there score-wise with Bluecoats and Cadets.

The Cadets – Well, 2006 is FINALLY over, and hopefully all the irrational hate, venom and also blind defensiveness on DCP this year will finally go away. I found both ends of the spectrum equally amusing in 2006. Did this corps/show EVER look like it could win a championship this summer? No, not at least at any time from when I first saw them in San Antonio on. Was it the worst abomination in the history of drum corps? No, it wasn’t that either. What it WAS, was a show that had some very effective moments (the ballad, the closing sequences with the mirrored Alice/Dani, etc.), but was ultimately too cluttered to be effective. What it also was, was the weakest performance execution we’ve seen from the Cadets in many years. While I will be the last to claim to know enough about percussion to be even dangerous, this drumline, while playing a very exciting book, was the dirtiest Cadets drum line I can ever remember. Perhaps it was the constant rewrites of the show, or who knows - but at the end of the day, no section of the Cadets performed up to the level of execution we know & love from this corps. Last year, they just flat-out out-executed everyone with a decent show with some unique innovation. This year, the design just went too far out there, was not cohesive, and it was not backed up by the same levels of execution. Even the color schemes, while certainly reflecting a “60s” Alice in Wonderland environment, were not effective – especially in the opener. I hope & pray the corps moves on in a new direction next summer, and does not do the rumored part III. And all this comes from someone who thought Cadets 2005 was one of the best shows of the year – and one of my favorites. Just like a many a movie sequel, however, this “sequel” show didn’t have it.

Bluecoats – What a great year for the BLOOOOOO team! 3rd for much of the season, and a 4th place finish to cap it off. I know many hard core fans on this site had even higher hopes for this corps, but from the upper deck in Madison, Bluecoats finished right where they should have, or perhaps a spot higher than they would have if SCV had been on top of their game Saturday night. While this show was technically proficient, crisp and clean, it just didn’t have the “umph” or 3rd dimensional depth or emotion of the top 3 corps - which is exactly the feeling I had about what would happen to Bluecoats when I saw them mid season. On Friday night, I was seriously concerned that the show had run out of legs, as the corps was visibly & audibly off that night. Fortunately, and to the ‘coats credit, they had a MUCH better show on Saturday night, and they deserved their placement above Cadets. A terrific and entertaining year for the ‘coats, highlighted by the beautiful and highly effective ballad in the middle of the show. Thanks, Bluecoats!

Blue Devils – Wow. How do you pick a winner from this top 3? Without a doubt in my mind, this was the best, most balanced top 3 since 1993. All 3 corps had amazing, entertaining shows without discernable weaknesses and all performed exceptionally well. It’s too bad any of the 3 corps had to come in 3rd. There wasn’t really a “third place” corps this summer. Just 3 championship caliber shows that had the unfortunate bad luck to be on the field in the same summer. In the end, I think Blue Devils had just a tad less depth than did PR & Cavies - which is why I held to my prediction all season, and all finals week long that Regiment would pass them on Saturday night when PR’s emotional show reached it’s zenith. However, BD, really “brought it” on Saturday night, with a much stronger more effective show than Friday night from the hornline and the drill. The guard, surprisingly, had the dropsies all week, but yet was still amazing. This corps, more than any other, knows how to “perform” – even with their 2005 clunker of a design. This year, they had a great show design to go with that ability to perform. I still have music and visual moments from this show in my head almost a week later. Kudos to BD for a great year.

Phantom Regiment – Ok, at the risk of “I told you so”… Oh ####, I will. I said ever since San Antonio (and not before then) that this corps had hit another gear, would pass BD and challenge for a title in Madison - and wow, did they EVER. Something very magical happened for this show between Dallas and San Antonio this year, and they never looked back. Even saying all that, though, I never imagined just how stunning this show would become in Madison. More than anyone else in the top 3, PR was the one corps that got markedly stronger and cleaner each night. I can’t argue with them being second, just as I couldn’t argue with it if they’d won. The show was just amazing. Visually, those that say they aren’t in BD or Cavies league just need to stop. Do they have the wow or creative movments that Cavies do? No, but they were very very close, and in many ways MORE effective from up top. The staging was perfect, the costuming was brilliant, and I can’t see how the drill could have been written to be more effective. The the closing wedge in the ballad bringing Faust & Margarite together, the rotating wedge-like form while the triumphant Mahler chords reigned down, and the closing chevron form were all visual highlights of the year for me. And musically, wow, this corps was just jaw dropping, stunning, beautiful - you name it. Those chords just wafted away magically in the ballad. From an ensemble perspective, anyway (meaning from the stands), this was far and away the best horn line on the field in Madison. My only disappointments in scoring were Regiment not winning Brass & GE Music, and the amazing “gap” developed in Visual Perf on the last 2 nights while Regiment was visibly cleaner each night than the night before. Still, I can’t say they were better than Cavies or deserved to win. No one really deserved to lose among the top 3. Besides, how much more fitting could you get for Regiment’s 50th Anniversary than another heart-breaking 2nd place performance that won the hearts of the crowd yet again? Would Regiment be as beloved if they actually won with the frequency of the Cavaliers, Devils or Cadets? Thank you, thank you, thank you, Phantom Regiment for reminding me why I love drum corps so very much. The moments you created in Madison last weekend were truly magical. I can’t wait to see what this corps does next, and I pray this design team remains intact for many years to come.

Cavaliers – You knew it from the moment this show was announced. “Machine” was just such a perfect fit for the persona and athleticism of this corps – just like “007.” Last year, I thought Cavaliers were off their “A” game and should have been 3rd. This year, they were back with a vengeance, with what to me is the most visually innovative and entertaining show ever from Rosemont, and that’s saying a lot. The only weaknesses this show had in my mind were the closing 20 seconds or so of the show, and the relative weaker volume of the hornline throughout the show. But wow, so many memorable moments from this show, from the “magnet” stretching scenes to the “stuck” sopranos. Musically, this was the best product of original music I’ve heard on the field, as well. And the guard was amazing too. Just a great show. Finally, the ballad, to me, was the highlight of the show, with some truly effective musical moments that probably locked up the championship for them.

So there you have it – a really long review that’s so late it probably won’t even be read. Still, it was fun to relive the week one more time and put all my thoughts & feelings down in writing. “Sigh” – just 356 days more until next year’s Finals weekend is here.

Harvey

Edited August 18, 2006 by TexasPRfan

[playloud]

Thanks for the review! It sounds like you enjoyed writing it just as much as I enjoyed reading it.

I think you were right on regarding Blue Stars. I'll take a "tired old patriotic" show like that one any day of the week. I sure wish a top 6 corps would do another straightforward patriotic show. Something like Star '92 or God forbid....a Troopers style show.

Hope you make it out to Pasadena!

[jwillis35]

What an Excellent review!! Great job. I really enjoyed it.

Jonathan

[TexasPRfan]

Brad - you bet I'll be in Pasadena! I haven't missed finals since I started going in 1989.

Jonathan - wow, high praise from someone who's own opinions I hold in extremely high esteem!

Thanks to both of you!

Harvey

[TomMoore]

Harvey, I know you were "hopelessly late" in posting this, but I can assure you it was worth the wait. This was one of the most thorough and thoughtful reviews I've read in any drum corps medium since I've been following the activity. Well done!

[Jared_mello]

Thanks for the review; very interesting read. Thanks for filling me in about all the shows I didn't get a chance to see this summer.

[Mark Time]

Excellent review!

[DutchCousin]

Harvey, it was great reading your review, even if we had to wait for it a little longer. As you wrote it was like reliving the week again. Very well written. Thank you for writing so positively about our Blue Stars. I had the privilege of touring with that awsome bunch for the greater part of the season and they worked their behinds of to make an impressive come back in div.1. And they sure succeeded. As someone put it on the Blue Stars forum, making 14th was the cherry on an already frosted cake. The friday show was probably their best of the year. Some of that may have to do with the "home crowd" at Madison which is after all only a short drive from La Crosse. The crowd on Thursday at quarter finals was awsome. So many alunmi came to see their Stars shine again in Div. 1. For many of them it was a very emotional event. I'm sure that really boosted the corps to out perform themselves at semis on Friday. A big thank you to all those who set the standard in the 70's and those who kept the corps alive in the years to follow hoping and believing that one day the Blue Stars would rise again. And also thank you to all those who welcomed us back to div.1 throughout the season. The support from all of you has been delightful

Finis Coronat Opus! (the end crowns the work)

[TCBone]

Wonderful review...made me feel like I was there again....Thank you!!

Harvey, it was great reading your review, even if we had to wait for it a little longer. As you wrote it was like reliving the week again. Very well written. Thank you for writing so positively about our Blue Stars. I had the privilege of touring with that awsome bunch for the greater part of the season and they worked their behinds of to make an impressive come back in div.1. And they sure succeeded. As someone put it on the Blue Stars forum, making 14th was the cherry on an already frosted cake. The friday show was probably their best of the year. Some of that may have to do with the "home crowd" at Madison which is after all only a short drive from La Crosse. The crowd on Thursday at quarter finals was awsome. So many alunmi came to see their Stars shine again in Div. 1. For many of them it was a very emotional event. I'm sure that really boosted the corps to out perform themselves at semis on Friday. A big thank you to all those who set the standard in the 70's and those who kept the corps alive in the years to follow hoping and believing that one day the Blue Stars would rise again. And also thank you to all those who welcomed us back to div.1 throughout the season. The support from all of you has been delightful

Finis Coronat Opus! (the end crowns the work)

As for being one of those members from the seventies (74-77) It was very emotional to see the Stars shine again :)