Rockford, IL June 23, 2007

[ScribeToo]

What a beautiful night we got for our first show of the season (hey, we don't get out much)!

Uncle Z and I had an eventful drive from FDL to Rockford but we did get free Twizzlers at the rest stop so you know it wasn't all bad. **YEAH FREE TWIZZLERS!**

This was the first year I actually made it in time for the VIP BBQ and man was that pig yummy! The Regiment folks know how to feed their people, that's for sure. They had an entire pig in a pan that had been (what looked like) spit roasted and MM MM MM MM MMM! Toasty! I asked for the pigs ears, too (for the DOG, not us!) and they were nice enough to whack them suckers off for us. Now the dog just looks at them like "did that actually come off a real pig's head?" and she barely touches it. dang dog. At least I talked Z out of taking the whole pig face home .. which just about every other male we talked to also thought would have been ultimately cool and they all talked about mounting it to the hood of the car..

clearly it's a guy thing.

Oh yeah. Free Beer too.

Okay so after chatting with some friends at the BBQ and making some new ones (love it when the medical and legal field people talk shop at the dinner table.. mm.. exit wounds-- I guess you had to be there) we decided it was time to take our awesome new seat cushions we got just for being awesome into the stands and watch some drum corps!!

First up, the Kilties. My former corps and still lots of good friends in the corps. We had a good time watching. They do have a big guard compared to other years and it looks like they have the skills to make a real impact visually for the corps -- except when the impact is when their flags trip Anna in the pit and make her take a digger into the bells and over the xylo. I know it was only funny because I know and love Anna dearly and everybody else who saw it was horrified.. but when it hits you that a corps has a fall during their show and you realize that the fall was in the pit, come on. It's funny. Anna rules.. she was laughing about it after the show. The brass needs a lot of work. Drumline too -- the best thing on the field was the bass line. I wish them luck this year.

Following the Kilts, Capital Sound came out and completely blew me away. I swear they reminded me of a lot of early-mid 90s Mandarins corps. For those of you who recall, these were very small corps with such incredible talent in the hornline -- it didn't matter that they had 11 horns.. they all played so well and the show was designed so perfectly for them, it was a joy to watch them progress. I don't think I can say enough about their hornline. So talented! Drumline were no slackers either.. a lot of talent all around in this "little corps that could" -- and Z and I agreed it was refreshing that their French themed show did not require a giant papier mache model of the Arc de Triomphe on the 45 yard line and the corps didn't have to erect a scale model of the Eiffel Tower from guard members and sabers to convey their French theme. So impressive. I remember a good friend once telling me that for a small corps, the drill has to be a variation on a line and a curve.. true.. but when designed well and written to the abilities of the corps, it can be spectacular and this show was. I was riveted to the field the whole time We both enjoyed this show and for the first time in a long time (I'm sure I'll get flamed for this), I am really looking forward to seeing this corps again!

After Capital Sound, another big surprise for me was Pioneer. This was the first time I saw their new uniforms and I really like them. The guard is still wearing a short guard dress -- though at least it's short enough to be modern this year. The corps uniform is reminiscent of the uniforms Capital Regiment wore with the three white bars on the left breast only for Pioneer, the bars are at an angle and their plaid sash is incorporated over the shoulder and onto the front of the jacket. I really like these uniforms. Now their show -- again, I think I'll get flamed for this -- but my expectations were not high. Thankfully I was proved wrong. This is another corps that has finally had a show written to their abilities. Their hornline is great -- they do not sound to be struggling with the book over and above what I expect any corps to be struggling with in the first two weeks of the season (as has been the case for the past - I don't know how many years). Their visual program is compact and accessible thought I did notice they spend an awful lot of time with the brass facing backfield. I think the music is fantastic and well-suited .. don't tell anyone but this is the first "irish themed" show from them I have not actually rolled my eyes and groaned over the first time I heard it. It's really quite good! Z thought they should play 13 minutes of Gary Owen and I told him no. Way to go Pioneer!! You guys stay on this path and you really will get better every day! Thanks for a great show.

After Pioneer came a puzzling half-hour intermission -- until I realized how many people were in the stands and how many actual bathroom stalls this stadium has (even with the port-a-pottys they bring in).. it did make sense and it was nice to chat with the people around us. The mom in front of us was happy to share the story of her daughter Briana Scott who is aging out of Regiment's guard after four years this summer. She also told us a big secret that I can't reveal here but "Bree," as her mom called her, is in for a lovely surprise. :) That's all I'm gonna say about that.

After intermission, we were treated to the Colts -- holy smokes, you guys. I've been a closet Colts fan for a long time but I just can't hide it anymore! Their new look is SPECTACULAR. I know we jokingly passed around the "Sorry, Colts. You tiger now" comments but I have to say that is really NOT a bad thing at all. "RAWR" is what they said about that. Add in Plumezilla and man, they look awesome. Their show is called "Equinox" and looking at the music they chose, I couldn't really figure out what their theme was at all.. but it all became apparent when they put the visual with it and the "sun" came out to melt the giant snowflake. What a total package. They are marching like the Colts again -- confident and consistent and they sound like no Colts corps I've ever heard. Their hornline is powerful and balanced and with a few intonation and tuning issues that will no doubt be resolved, they literally blew me away. The crowd loved them from the first musical statement until they trouped the stands.. what a fantastic program and what a quandary that they somehow did not outscore Blue Knights. Colts, you are awesome. We both loved your show.

Following the Colts were the Blue Knights playing their show "Dark Dances" -- familiar music that my friend Guapo -- who'd joined us by then -- and I finally figured out we'd heard before in 1996 when Regiment played it.. I want to go into a lot of detail about the show but it was kind of non-descript for me. They had some cool visual moments and I liked the music but I found my mind wandering away from the field and wondering if they were going to go back to the dots uniform. I hate to admit that because I go to every show wanting to like every corps. It just wasn't Blue Knights tonight.

When BK was finished, we noticed the Scouts getting ready to come on the field. Now.. this is an Illinois show but it is still a Midwest show and the stands were buzzing with anticipation about their arrival. I will say this and officially proclaim that I really LIKE the uniform. Seeing it on the field made a huge difference for me. From a distance, that gradient thing that everyone (including me) was in such dismay over looks kind of like a draped fabric baldric and is really very effective.. the dominant dark green indeed is reminiscent of SCV mid-late 90s but it also makes them look tall and lean. Their field entrance is a variation on what we've come to know as their traditional "Fleur de Lis" line but they've changed it up a little -- which I like. I don't know how else to explain it but the line comes out.. they leave guys kind of "frozen" mid-step along the way.. then the form compresses and opens back up into half a fleur de lis... which is finished out at the end of the show with the other half on the other side of the field as they leave. Really a cool thing, if you ask me. Z says, "yeah, we understand that's called the intro and outro and we didn't need a monologue to explain that to us." Silly Z.

Now, all you Scouts guys who are waiting for me to say all kinds of things you don't want to hear should probably exit now.

First of all, their marching is not half bad. In fact, I think it looks like they have been working a basics program and the work they've done is paying off. There are still some issues and what look to be a lot of holes in the line but again.. it's the second week of June. Not to mention I talked to a friend of mine on their guard staff and we were just randomly discussing how it appears that more and more corps are coming over to the idea of having "Our Show v 1.0" and making profound changes and not expecting the v 1.0 show to be what's on the field at the end of the season. It's like a corps these days really has to design several shows -- to grow throughout the season so that their scores and placement continue to rise, not stagnate around July 25th. He assured me the Scouts are doing precisely this (and yeah I know corps have been doing that for years but this practice has taken on a new priority -- in th past it was "tweaks" and perhaps VK was the originator of the process because the show they put on in June was never expected to be fully complete until August). Anyway, the music was really good. They fixed the transition from the ballad to the random latin jazz madison signature piece and it worked really well. I did notice a LOT of familiar visuals.. and not familiar in that they were done by the Scouts before.. but familiar from other corps. Interesting.. I could hear people around us when seeing whatever visual pointing and saying.. "OH! Corps X, 2000" or "Corps Y, 1998." Not sure I have a particular issue with that, but if you're going to use an idea that someone else did, you need to improve on it somehow or else you're just rehashing what someone else did.

Okay.. finally, the corps you've all been waiting for.. Regiment. Someone recently said they didn't like the black things on the field. They thought the black things blocked the drill or the view of the drill or something. We were sitting near the top of the stands and quite honestly, the black things pretty much "disappeared" to me except when the corps was using them for something (like the feather stacks).. the corps does drill through and around them and they never even crossed my mind except when i thought, "what was that guy talking about?" The music they've chosen is wonderful.. there was some overblowing tonight but I know that's not typical and hello.. it's June.. I like the theme and holy schneikes that drum finish is freaking awesome!! I do know they will have a couple more costume changes for the guard but we got that the fringe was like feathers and I guess they are birds. Kind of cool. I like what they do with it. I also think they have a really cool drill move at the end of their show where the guard is standing still doing all this crazy work and the corps runs through them. I would like that visual extended, actually because it was so cool. All that being said, knowing that do sincerely like this show and that it is JUNE.. I found myself thinking.. "wow.. what a cool show.. but is it a champion?" When we got home this morning, we read a couple of posts saying exactly what I was thinking.. the show is great but it seems like it was designed with the thought of "we hope this is good enough" -- there's no killer instinct written into it right now.. and they're going to need to have that to win a championship -- regardless of how much everybody in the stands loves them. They need to grow some teeth. Sharp, shiney ones that tear into the flesh of every corps in front of them.

We bailed out of the stadium before scores knowing they would be here before we would.. but as a parting gift for those of you who marched in Regiment and those of you who have been to this show many years in a row..

And Rockford, you have a lovely ghetto but that's a story for a different day.

We're out!

Z and Stef

[Kansasfan]

Great review! I didn't make it to this show but saw many of the same corps in Coon Rapids and Omaha. Granted that's almost ancient history by now, but we seem to have had similar reaction to many of these shows. Some very brief comments:

Pioneer - great to see a larger horn line, better sound than ever, new unis are a good step. Somebody needs to write these guys some more challenging drill. My money says they can perform it.

Colts - yes, yes yes! Great step up, fabulous new look, sound is great, love the addition of the euphs, and key your eyes on the guard - after the show somebody asked me "did you see the move where the guard member tossed a flag through/over the block just before they spun?" Huh? What? So much to watch I missed that!. It's going to be really really fun to see how the Colts/Crossmen/Glassmen/Academy/BK group shakes out.

BK - I'd echo the comments above - this one just doesn't do it for me. Nicely played with a bunch of good moments, but the overall concept leaves me, well, indifferent. :( Almost hate to say it, but I think of this as the "kneeling show" IMHO. That said, the corps does a great job of selling it and there are some tough dance moves in there that every member has to pull off - and they do.

PR - It's just not fair! The sound is awesome, the drill great and man do they move! Love the closer!

All that said, I really enjoyed every one of these shows - I took a first-timer to the Coon Rapids show and he was just blown away. Couldn't stop talking about the shows afterwards - "how can they all run across the field faster then me and then put that much air through the horn at the same time?" Good question. Looking forward to seeing them all in Columbia in a few weeks.

[uncle z]

I know we jokingly passed around the "Sorry, Colts. You tiger now" comments but I have to say that is really NOT a bad thing at all. "RAWR" is what they said about that.

Hah hah.......that's pretty funny.

And Rockford, you have a lovely ghetto but that's a story for a different day.

How do you know? Are you from the ghetto??

[Toby]

I'll admit, Rockford has some rougher areas, but most cities do. :shrug:

[wheelerand]

Someone recently said they didn't like the black things on the field. They thought the black things blocked the drill or the view of the drill or something. We were sitting near the top of the stands and quite honestly, the black things pretty much "disappeared" to me except when the corps was using them for something (like the feather stacks).. the corps does drill through and around them and they never even crossed my mind except when i thought, "what was that guy talking about?"

Stef, that was probably me. And I stick to what I said, but as I mentioned in the other Rockford review, they've adjusted nicely since Menomonie. Up north, the black panels were definitely an obstruction to the show - not really an issue last night. Still not a big fan of FOF (Furniture On the Field) in any case, but they've done what they needed to in order to make it work with the show.

[dciguy01]

Great review! Thanks for the pics, reviewers need to add those into their reviews more often.

[kdaddy]

Following the Colts were the Blue Knights playing their show "Dark Dances" -- familiar music that my friend Guapo -- who'd joined us by then -- and I finally figured out we'd heard before in 1996 when Regiment played it..

Blue Knights 2002 and Phantom 2002

[ea1974]

What a beautiful night we got for our first show of the season (hey, we don't get out much)!

Uncle Z and I had an eventful drive from FDL to Rockford but we did get free Twizzlers at the rest stop so you know it wasn't all bad. **YEAH FREE TWIZZLERS!**

This was the first year I actually made it in time for the VIP BBQ and man was that pig yummy! The Regiment folks know how to feed their people, that's for sure. They had an entire pig in a pan that had been (what looked like) spit roasted and MM MM MM MM MMM! Toasty! I asked for the pigs ears, too (for the DOG, not us!) and they were nice enough to whack them suckers off for us. Now the dog just looks at them like "did that actually come off a real pig's head?" and she barely touches it. dang dog. At least I talked Z out of taking the whole pig face home .. which just about every other male we talked to also thought would have been ultimately cool and they all talked about mounting it to the hood of the car..

clearly it's a guy thing.

Oh yeah. Free Beer too.

Okay so after chatting with some friends at the BBQ and making some new ones (love it when the medical and legal field people talk shop at the dinner table.. mm.. exit wounds-- I guess you had to be there) we decided it was time to take our awesome new seat cushions we got just for being awesome into the stands and watch some drum corps!!

First up, the Kilties. My former corps and still lots of good friends in the corps. We had a good time watching. They do have a big guard compared to other years and it looks like they have the skills to make a real impact visually for the corps -- except when the impact is when their flags trip Anna in the pit and make her take a digger into the bells and over the xylo. I know it was only funny because I know and love Anna dearly and everybody else who saw it was horrified.. but when it hits you that a corps has a fall during their show and you realize that the fall was in the pit, come on. It's funny. Anna rules.. she was laughing about it after the show. The brass needs a lot of work. Drumline too -- the best thing on the field was the bass line. I wish them luck this year.

Following the Kilts, Capital Sound came out and completely blew me away. I swear they reminded me of a lot of early-mid 90s Mandarins corps. For those of you who recall, these were very small corps with such incredible talent in the hornline -- it didn't matter that they had 11 horns.. they all played so well and the show was designed so perfectly for them, it was a joy to watch them progress. I don't think I can say enough about their hornline. So talented! Drumline were no slackers either.. a lot of talent all around in this "little corps that could" -- and Z and I agreed it was refreshing that their French themed show did not require a giant papier mache model of the Arc de Triomphe on the 45 yard line and the corps didn't have to erect a scale model of the Eiffel Tower from guard members and sabers to convey their French theme. So impressive. I remember a good friend once telling me that for a small corps, the drill has to be a variation on a line and a curve.. true.. but when designed well and written to the abilities of the corps, it can be spectacular and this show was. I was riveted to the field the whole time We both enjoyed this show and for the first time in a long time (I'm sure I'll get flamed for this), I am really looking forward to seeing this corps again!

After Capital Sound, another big surprise for me was Pioneer. This was the first time I saw their new uniforms and I really like them. The guard is still wearing a short guard dress -- though at least it's short enough to be modern this year. The corps uniform is reminiscent of the uniforms Capital Regiment wore with the three white bars on the left breast only for Pioneer, the bars are at an angle and their plaid sash is incorporated over the shoulder and onto the front of the jacket. I really like these uniforms. Now their show -- again, I think I'll get flamed for this -- but my expectations were not high. Thankfully I was proved wrong. This is another corps that has finally had a show written to their abilities. Their hornline is great -- they do not sound to be struggling with the book over and above what I expect any corps to be struggling with in the first two weeks of the season (as has been the case for the past - I don't know how many years). Their visual program is compact and accessible thought I did notice they spend an awful lot of time with the brass facing backfield. I think the music is fantastic and well-suited .. don't tell anyone but this is the first "irish themed" show from them I have not actually rolled my eyes and groaned over the first time I heard it. It's really quite good! Z thought they should play 13 minutes of Gary Owen and I told him no. Way to go Pioneer!! You guys stay on this path and you really will get better every day! Thanks for a great show.

After Pioneer came a puzzling half-hour intermission -- until I realized how many people were in the stands and how many actual bathroom stalls this stadium has (even with the port-a-pottys they bring in).. it did make sense and it was nice to chat with the people around us. The mom in front of us was happy to share the story of her daughter Briana Scott who is aging out of Regiment's guard after four years this summer. She also told us a big secret that I can't reveal here but "Bree," as her mom called her, is in for a lovely surprise. :) That's all I'm gonna say about that.

After intermission, we were treated to the Colts -- holy smokes, you guys. I've been a closet Colts fan for a long time but I just can't hide it anymore! Their new look is SPECTACULAR. I know we jokingly passed around the "Sorry, Colts. You tiger now" comments but I have to say that is really NOT a bad thing at all. "RAWR" is what they said about that. Add in Plumezilla and man, they look awesome. Their show is called "Equinox" and looking at the music they chose, I couldn't really figure out what their theme was at all.. but it all became apparent when they put the visual with it and the "sun" came out to melt the giant snowflake. What a total package. They are marching like the Colts again -- confident and consistent and they sound like no Colts corps I've ever heard. Their hornline is powerful and balanced and with a few intonation and tuning issues that will no doubt be resolved, they literally blew me away. The crowd loved them from the first musical statement until they trouped the stands.. what a fantastic program and what a quandary that they somehow did not outscore Blue Knights. Colts, you are awesome. We both loved your show.

Following the Colts were the Blue Knights playing their show "Dark Dances" -- familiar music that my friend Guapo -- who'd joined us by then -- and I finally figured out we'd heard before in 1996 when Regiment played it.. I want to go into a lot of detail about the show but it was kind of non-descript for me. They had some cool visual moments and I liked the music but I found my mind wandering away from the field and wondering if they were going to go back to the dots uniform. I hate to admit that because I go to every show wanting to like every corps. It just wasn't Blue Knights tonight.

When BK was finished, we noticed the Scouts getting ready to come on the field. Now.. this is an Illinois show but it is still a Midwest show and the stands were buzzing with anticipation about their arrival. I will say this and officially proclaim that I really LIKE the uniform. Seeing it on the field made a huge difference for me. From a distance, that gradient thing that everyone (including me) was in such dismay over looks kind of like a draped fabric baldric and is really very effective.. the dominant dark green indeed is reminiscent of SCV mid-late 90s but it also makes them look tall and lean. Their field entrance is a variation on what we've come to know as their traditional "Fleur de Lis" line but they've changed it up a little -- which I like. I don't know how else to explain it but the line comes out.. they leave guys kind of "frozen" mid-step along the way.. then the form compresses and opens back up into half a fleur de lis... which is finished out at the end of the show with the other half on the other side of the field as they leave. Really a cool thing, if you ask me. Z says, "yeah, we understand that's called the intro and outro and we didn't need a monologue to explain that to us." Silly Z.

Now, all you Scouts guys who are waiting for me to say all kinds of things you don't want to hear should probably exit now.

First of all, their marching is not half bad. In fact, I think it looks like they have been working a basics program and the work they've done is paying off. There are still some issues and what look to be a lot of holes in the line but again.. it's the second week of June. Not to mention I talked to a friend of mine on their guard staff and we were just randomly discussing how it appears that more and more corps are coming over to the idea of having "Our Show v 1.0" and making profound changes and not expecting the v 1.0 show to be what's on the field at the end of the season. It's like a corps these days really has to design several shows -- to grow throughout the season so that their scores and placement continue to rise, not stagnate around July 25th. He assured me the Scouts are doing precisely this (and yeah I know corps have been doing that for years but this practice has taken on a new priority -- in th past it was "tweaks" and perhaps VK was the originator of the process because the show they put on in June was never expected to be fully complete until August). Anyway, the music was really good. They fixed the transition from the ballad to the random latin jazz madison signature piece and it worked really well. I did notice a LOT of familiar visuals.. and not familiar in that they were done by the Scouts before.. but familiar from other corps. Interesting.. I could hear people around us when seeing whatever visual pointing and saying.. "OH! Corps X, 2000" or "Corps Y, 1998." Not sure I have a particular issue with that, but if you're going to use an idea that someone else did, you need to improve on it somehow or else you're just rehashing what someone else did.

Okay.. finally, the corps you've all been waiting for.. Regiment. Someone recently said they didn't like the black things on the field. They thought the black things blocked the drill or the view of the drill or something. We were sitting near the top of the stands and quite honestly, the black things pretty much "disappeared" to me except when the corps was using them for something (like the feather stacks).. the corps does drill through and around them and they never even crossed my mind except when i thought, "what was that guy talking about?" The music they've chosen is wonderful.. there was some overblowing tonight but I know that's not typical and hello.. it's June.. I like the theme and holy schneikes that drum finish is freaking awesome!! I do know they will have a couple more costume changes for the guard but we got that the fringe was like feathers and I guess they are birds. Kind of cool. I like what they do with it. I also think they have a really cool drill move at the end of their show where the guard is standing still doing all this crazy work and the corps runs through them. I would like that visual extended, actually because it was so cool. All that being said, knowing that do sincerely like this show and that it is JUNE.. I found myself thinking.. "wow.. what a cool show.. but is it a champion?" When we got home this morning, we read a couple of posts saying exactly what I was thinking.. the show is great but it seems like it was designed with the thought of "we hope this is good enough" -- there's no killer instinct written into it right now.. and they're going to need to have that to win a championship -- regardless of how much everybody in the stands loves them. They need to grow some teeth. Sharp, shiney ones that tear into the flesh of every corps in front of them.

We bailed out of the stadium before scores knowing they would be here before we would.. but as a parting gift for those of you who marched in Regiment and those of you who have been to this show many years in a row..

And Rockford, you have a lovely ghetto but that's a story for a different day.

We're out!

Z and Stef

Hey:

The roasted pig looked great. But where was the apple in the mouth? Good review. About Rockford and the ghetto. I marched there back in the day, but two other cities I have been to beats Rockford: East St. Louis IL and Teaneck NJ.

My dogs would have loved the pigs ears.

Mike

[Annabelle79]

Glad I made it into your review Stef!! Hahaha. I won't ever live that down I'm sure. But you're right, it is funny. I think we got it fixed now to where I won't trip again.

[Phan Doris]

See below

Edited June 25, 2007 by Phan Doris