Toledo Impressions

[lol_@_u]

Heres a review from the Toledo show. It's been quite some time since i've posted a review online so bear with me.

A caveat before I start. I try to be positive about each corps, unfortunately, due to my prior life as a musician, I focus more on the brass side of things. That's not to say that percussionists aren't musicians or color guard members do not contribute, i'm saying that I can give a decent opinion good and bad on a hornline sound (even though I was playing G bugles back in the "day") but I haven't the foggiest about what is great drumming or excellent color guard work. The reason i'm saying that is that often my eyes and ears are drawn to mistakes by the aforementioned sections. If i mention that X dropped a rifle, that's not negating anything good they did, just what I saw.

(Disclaimer over)

START HERE FOR REVIEW

Great night for drum corps. Crowd seemed a little sparse from prior years but with some major competing shows nearby and only 6 corps, a decent turnout.

First up was Troopers. Welcome back guys and girls. I was very pleased with their performance tonight. Kudos also for 12 contras. The show was typical troopers which is a good thing IMHO. There is obviously work to be done, endurance to be established, and volume to be cranked up but for a corps that has come back from the, i'll say it, near dead, a fantastic performance tonight. Whether they make finals or not, I have no clue (does anyone?) but whether they do or not, it's an enjoyable and more importantly (again, in my opinion) accessible show. You don't need a libretto to figure out what is going on. The Sunburst was a nice blast from the past but I think the ending could use a little more juice. The only thing that I found odd was the park and blow section, complete with knee bends. I know that these sections are commonplace for even the most "Classical" of corps (Thanks SCV - Hear Ye Hear Ye in the Copland Show) but to see Troopers do it was a little odd. I think it'll grow on me once the initial "Is that the troopers doing deep knee bends while playing" shock is past. Well done though troopers!

Southwind was on 2nd. They mentioned the untimely passing of a color guard member from last year whose family was in attendance. They wore black ribbons on their uniforms which I thought was a 100% classy and 10000% touching move. I know we all take our "Uniforms" seriously (See other threads bashing the new unis for most corps) but I thought it was a very nice gesture that really wasn't expected. +10 karma for SW. Onto the show, I felt they moved a little more fluidly than the Troopers. There were some parts, especially near the end that were rather dirty but again, it's only June. They've made some strides too from the last time i've seen them (Last august). The original music is well written for drum corps. It's not easily recognizable which will turn some people off (especially after the Troopers) but I think it's one of those shows that you'll check out in October while going through DCI withdrawal and think "Yeah, that's pretty neat". There were a few brass players "Edging out" and sticking out of the ensemble (Almost every corps had that problem tonight though) but it's better to go for it and miss than be timid about it. It'll be interesting to see how this show shapes up. The one non-brass thing I noticed was that they seemed to be low on Color guard numbers. I could be wrong as my CG opinions should not be taken as gospel. I'm also not sure how the Red and Blue sleeves on one CG member (red hair i believe) tied into the show. I didn't have a program or anything but it just seemed a little out of place. A lot of room for improvement and addition in this show which is a positive.

Crossmen were next. I'm a big fan of Symphonic Metamorphis and the weaving of classic crossmen standards with a Hindemith classic was very entertaining. The main sticking out point of Crossmen's show is the demand. The really spread out the field and have some VERY difficult ensemble moments. For example, the hornline is framing the back half of the field facing away and spread over 70 yards and the drumline is in the center of the field playing facing forward. Besides being a poorly constructed sentence, that's some high Ensemble marks if they can pull it off. They also did the standard blue devils move of "Make a form, back it away, and get louder as you do it". Granted, it wasn't as loud as BD yet but hey, it was their first show. That aside, this show has HUGE amounts of potential. The first show jitters got to the hornline near the end of the show with some of the exposed soli sections but i'm not bashing their first show of the year (I believe). If they can clean it up, and i'm sure they will, they'll make finals in my opinion. Well done!

Cavies were next. I'm not a fan of Billy Joel whatsoever. I've heard "Pressure" from being at various stadiums/arenas but the rest of it was greek to me. However, the cavies flat-out outmarched everyone there tonight. It seemed as if they were floating rather than doing 4 to 5 step sizes. Besides the stellar feet, the music kinda left me flat. I heard a few trumpets sticking out tonight due to their loss of control but those who have mentioned the "Squealers" were not kidding. They've got some tasteebros candidates (in a good way) There also wasn't the "Wow" moment in the show yet visually. I think they've (the cavies) have relied on killing everyone in the visual captions and have so consistently, I expect too much of them. The closer felt a little flat, almost as if it was a situation where they are brewing up a new ending but haven't had time to put it in. The end of the show was like "That's it?". I'd look for big changes in the last 2 minutes. I had them finishing 2nd tonight to Bluecoats but without the recap, i'm sure they won all the visual categories.

Bluecoats were next. And pardon the pun, they "Blue" me away. Hands down the most entertaining, the most well thought-out, the best played, show of the night. A warm rich sound (that all the corps had tonight except the home corps) that had plenty of overtones, even in June. I could go on about how great it was for a June show but the best part so far was the use of narration. I'm an "old school guy" so i'm anti-amp anti-talking, but they way they used it (I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet) was subtle yet spectacular. Great job all around.

Glassmen were last. I find their success so far ironic. Usually it's the glassmen that get bashed on these boards, and as a fan of their shows, i always find myself thinking "What is wrong with these people?". This year .. i'm sad to say I feel the same way. The positives. I thought the color guard was excellent. I attended their clinic earlier in the day and made an effort to watch the color guard. They really sell the gypsy theme. They have changed the beginning of the show from the annapolis webcast where they start on the field instead of from the corner. I also felt the battery had a decent show as well. My main negative is with the hornline. I'm not sure who is in charge (I've looked at the website and have seen a lot of names on brass staff) but they sounded "Angry" to me tonight. I heard a few other people mention it as well. Yes, they are loud. Yes, they might have been the loudest tonight. Yes, they achieve the music at a high level when not moving. Unfortunately, 100 Yeses don't always make the best product. I felt that the dynamic was stuck on FFF way too much tonight and the tone quality suffered from it. Almost as if the thought process is "If we play louder, we'll get higher G.E. scores". Granted, there is some logic in that approach BUT it doesn't seem to be working to my ears. Maybe it's because they went right after bluecoats that I noticed it, maybe it's home-show hype for the kids, but it sounded angry, almost to the point of white noise. It was very trumpet heavy and lots of contra (for lack of a better term) blatting. If they can refine it, they'll be as loud as all get out but I worry that the kids will hit a wall in Mid-July from all the blasting they are doing. I'm sure the brass staff knows what they are doing, and it may be a different approach this year than they have done in years past so who knows. I think it's a definite lock to make finals if they can figure out how to refine it. My last comment, Kudos to them for working your corps logo (the shield) into the show but do we really need it 3 times in a row. The first time, it got applause from most everyone, poster included but by the 3rd iteration of the shield, i dont know .. it's like going to the well to many times.

Anyway, I sound like I hated the show, but it was fun, it seemed easy to play and it was accessible. There may be a storyline to the show but I didn't get much of it other than "Gypsies like to dance".

Lastly, when I heard the scores I could have SWORN they said crossmen had a 68. I even heard someone ask at the bones souvie booth and they said 68 as well. I could be going deaf (age will catch up with all of us) but i'll be interested to see the recap and who is right.

I want to state again, I enjoyed ALL of the shows tonight. Everyone has plenty to work on even if I'm overly picky about some things. A perfect night, A perfect stadium , a less than perfect review :)

[PJD2888]

Good review

[exgmdm]

...

Glassmen were last. I find their success so far ironic. Usually it's the glassmen that get bashed on these boards, and as a fan of their shows, i always find myself thinking "What is wrong with these people?". This year .. i'm sad to say I feel the same way. The positives. I thought the color guard was excellent. I attended their clinic earlier in the day and made an effort to watch the color guard. They really sell the gypsy theme. They have changed the beginning of the show from the annapolis webcast where they start on the field instead of from the corner. I also felt the battery had a decent show as well. My main negative is with the hornline. I'm not sure who is in charge (I've looked at the website and have seen a lot of names on brass staff) but they sounded "Angry" to me tonight. I heard a few other people mention it as well. Yes, they are loud. Yes, they might have been the loudest tonight. Yes, they achieve the music at a high level when not moving. Unfortunately, 100 Yeses don't always make the best product. I felt that the dynamic was stuck on FFF way too much tonight and the tone quality suffered from it. Almost as if the thought process is "If we play louder, we'll get higher G.E. scores". Granted, there is some logic in that approach BUT it doesn't seem to be working to my ears. Maybe it's because they went right after bluecoats that I noticed it, maybe it's home-show hype for the kids, but it sounded angry, almost to the point of white noise. It was very trumpet heavy and lots of contra (for lack of a better term) blatting. If they can refine it, they'll be as loud as all get out but I worry that the kids will hit a wall in Mid-July from all the blasting they are doing. I'm sure the brass staff knows what they are doing, and it may be a different approach this year than they have done in years past so who knows. I think it's a definite lock to make finals if they can figure out how to refine it. My last comment, Kudos to them for working your corps logo (the shield) into the show but do we really need it 3 times in a row. The first time, it got applause from most everyone, poster included but by the 3rd iteration of the shield, i dont know .. it's like going to the well to many times.

Anyway, I sound like I hated the show, but it was fun, it seemed easy to play and it was accessible. There may be a storyline to the show but I didn't get much of it other than "Gypsies like to dance".

...

I wanted not to like this review, 'cause I'm a homer, and I really really liked the book. But in re-reading your assessment, I think you're right a LOT more than you're wrong. The rehearsal I watched in the afternoon did spotlight some attention from the brass staff on dynamics and tone control, and I believe that can be and will be improved as the season progresses, but IMO the horns were having such serious issues with visuals that they cannot (YET) focus on producing the musicality that is written into the book. I HOPE they give it time to let the repetitions build up to give the horns a chance to mentally concentrate on music, and that they do not "pour on water" to "fix" the horn line. And yes, apparently Gypsies DO like to dance. Great fun wasn't it?

[myopinion]

Heres a review from the Toledo show. It's been quite some time since i've posted a review online so bear with me.

A caveat before I start. I try to be positive about each corps, unfortunately, due to my prior life as a musician, I focus more on the brass side of things. That's not to say that percussionists aren't musicians or color guard members do not contribute, i'm saying that I can give a decent opinion good and bad on a hornline sound (even though I was playing G bugles back in the "day") but I haven't the foggiest about what is great drumming or excellent color guard work. The reason i'm saying that is that often my eyes and ears are drawn to mistakes by the aforementioned sections. If i mention that X dropped a rifle, that's not negating anything good they did, just what I saw.

(Disclaimer over)

START HERE FOR REVIEW

Great night for drum corps. Crowd seemed a little sparse from prior years but with some major competing shows nearby and only 6 corps, a decent turnout.

First up was Troopers. Welcome back guys and girls. I was very pleased with their performance tonight. Kudos also for 12 contras. The show was typical troopers which is a good thing IMHO. There is obviously work to be done, endurance to be established, and volume to be cranked up but for a corps that has come back from the, i'll say it, near dead, a fantastic performance tonight. Whether they make finals or not, I have no clue (does anyone?) but whether they do or not, it's an enjoyable and more importantly (again, in my opinion) accessible show. You don't need a libretto to figure out what is going on. The Sunburst was a nice blast from the past but I think the ending could use a little more juice. The only thing that I found odd was the park and blow section, complete with knee bends. I know that these sections are commonplace for even the most "Classical" of corps (Thanks SCV - Hear Ye Hear Ye in the Copland Show) but to see Troopers do it was a little odd. I think it'll grow on me once the initial "Is that the troopers doing deep knee bends while playing" shock is past. Well done though troopers!

Southwind was on 2nd. They mentioned the untimely passing of a color guard member from last year whose family was in attendance. They wore black ribbons on their uniforms which I thought was a 100% classy and 10000% touching move. I know we all take our "Uniforms" seriously (See other threads bashing the new unis for most corps) but I thought it was a very nice gesture that really wasn't expected. +10 karma for SW. Onto the show, I felt they moved a little more fluidly than the Troopers. There were some parts, especially near the end that were rather dirty but again, it's only June. They've made some strides too from the last time i've seen them (Last august). The original music is well written for drum corps. It's not easily recognizable which will turn some people off (especially after the Troopers) but I think it's one of those shows that you'll check out in October while going through DCI withdrawal and think "Yeah, that's pretty neat". There were a few brass players "Edging out" and sticking out of the ensemble (Almost every corps had that problem tonight though) but it's better to go for it and miss than be timid about it. It'll be interesting to see how this show shapes up. The one non-brass thing I noticed was that they seemed to be low on Color guard numbers. I could be wrong as my CG opinions should not be taken as gospel. I'm also not sure how the Red and Blue sleeves on one CG member (red hair i believe) tied into the show. I didn't have a program or anything but it just seemed a little out of place. A lot of room for improvement and addition in this show which is a positive.

Crossmen were next. I'm a big fan of Symphonic Metamorphis and the weaving of classic crossmen standards with a Hindemith classic was very entertaining. The main sticking out point of Crossmen's show is the demand. The really spread out the field and have some VERY difficult ensemble moments. For example, the hornline is framing the back half of the field facing away and spread over 70 yards and the drumline is in the center of the field playing facing forward. Besides being a poorly constructed sentence, that's some high Ensemble marks if they can pull it off. They also did the standard blue devils move of "Make a form, back it away, and get louder as you do it". Granted, it wasn't as loud as BD yet but hey, it was their first show. That aside, this show has HUGE amounts of potential. The first show jitters got to the hornline near the end of the show with some of the exposed soli sections but i'm not bashing their first show of the year (I believe). If they can clean it up, and i'm sure they will, they'll make finals in my opinion. Well done!

Cavies were next. I'm not a fan of Billy Joel whatsoever. I've heard "Pressure" from being at various stadiums/arenas but the rest of it was greek to me. However, the cavies flat-out outmarched everyone there tonight. It seemed as if they were floating rather than doing 4 to 5 step sizes. Besides the stellar feet, the music kinda left me flat. I heard a few trumpets sticking out tonight due to their loss of control but those who have mentioned the "Squealers" were not kidding. They've got some tasteebros candidates (in a good way) There also wasn't the "Wow" moment in the show yet visually. I think they've (the cavies) have relied on killing everyone in the visual captions and have so consistently, I expect too much of them. The closer felt a little flat, almost as if it was a situation where they are brewing up a new ending but haven't had time to put it in. The end of the show was like "That's it?". I'd look for big changes in the last 2 minutes. I had them finishing 2nd tonight to Bluecoats but without the recap, i'm sure they won all the visual categories.

Bluecoats were next. And pardon the pun, they "Blue" me away. Hands down the most entertaining, the most well thought-out, the best played, show of the night. A warm rich sound (that all the corps had tonight except the home corps) that had plenty of overtones, even in June. I could go on about how great it was for a June show but the best part so far was the use of narration. I'm an "old school guy" so i'm anti-amp anti-talking, but they way they used it (I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it yet) was subtle yet spectacular. Great job all around.

Glassmen were last. I find their success so far ironic. Usually it's the glassmen that get bashed on these boards, and as a fan of their shows, i always find myself thinking "What is wrong with these people?". This year .. i'm sad to say I feel the same way. The positives. I thought the color guard was excellent. I attended their clinic earlier in the day and made an effort to watch the color guard. They really sell the gypsy theme. They have changed the beginning of the show from the annapolis webcast where they start on the field instead of from the corner. I also felt the battery had a decent show as well. My main negative is with the hornline. I'm not sure who is in charge (I've looked at the website and have seen a lot of names on brass staff) but they sounded "Angry" to me tonight. I heard a few other people mention it as well. Yes, they are loud. Yes, they might have been the loudest tonight. Yes, they achieve the music at a high level when not moving. Unfortunately, 100 Yeses don't always make the best product. I felt that the dynamic was stuck on FFF way too much tonight and the tone quality suffered from it. Almost as if the thought process is "If we play louder, we'll get higher G.E. scores". Granted, there is some logic in that approach BUT it doesn't seem to be working to my ears. Maybe it's because they went right after bluecoats that I noticed it, maybe it's home-show hype for the kids, but it sounded angry, almost to the point of white noise. It was very trumpet heavy and lots of contra (for lack of a better term) blatting. If they can refine it, they'll be as loud as all get out but I worry that the kids will hit a wall in Mid-July from all the blasting they are doing. I'm sure the brass staff knows what they are doing, and it may be a different approach this year than they have done in years past so who knows. I think it's a definite lock to make finals if they can figure out how to refine it. My last comment, Kudos to them for working your corps logo (the shield) into the show but do we really need it 3 times in a row. The first time, it got applause from most everyone, poster included but by the 3rd iteration of the shield, i dont know .. it's like going to the well to many times.

Anyway, I sound like I hated the show, but it was fun, it seemed easy to play and it was accessible. There may be a storyline to the show but I didn't get much of it other than "Gypsies like to dance".

Lastly, when I heard the scores I could have SWORN they said crossmen had a 68. I even heard someone ask at the bones souvie booth and they said 68 as well. I could be going deaf (age will catch up with all of us) but i'll be interested to see the recap and who is right.

I want to state again, I enjoyed ALL of the shows tonight. Everyone has plenty to work on even if I'm overly picky about some things. A perfect night, A perfect stadium , a less than perfect review :)

I heard 68.00 as well for Crossmen's score