DCIHasBeen Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) A beautiful night in a very nice location for a show. The weather was cool, if not a bit breezy with clear skies. Pretty much ideal weather for a Drum Corps show. I always enoy the prospect of heading into the San Jose area because there's always so much to do ... Visit Winchester House, the Egyptian museum, restaurants ... I'm really enjoying the fact that there is a real "season" in California this year. Often times it can be just a couple of weekends (particularly in SoCal) in June and then nothing. This year we're getting the chance to see the corps/shows evolve and improve (which includes getting to see completed shows), which is great. The corps: Division I 1 Mandarins 69.250 Mandarins have made great strides with this show in a few short weeks, both cleaning their program and making quite a few changes. The show really picks up momentum in the second half and just keeps building in speed and intensity until the end. Can't wait to see this in August. Division II 1 Blue Devils B 71.300 BDB has consistently been one of my favorite local corps for a few years now ... They always have great programming and perform well. This year is no exception, except they seem to have one of the biggest and most talent corps of the last few. The horn line boasts seven (7) contras/tubas and the drum line really kicks butt. I'm hoping to see them at Div. II/III finals in Pasadena. 2 Vanguard Cadets 68.750 Good corps, solidly moving the show forward. Lots of cleaning still to do but they are progressing. I want to like this show, but there's something about it I just can't wrap my arms around. Division III 1 Fever 67.400 This corps has come miles since Stockton ... By far the most improved corps to date, in all sections, and they were on fire. They turned a lot of heads by beating Impulse and, if tonight was any indication, will continue to do so. 2 Impulse 60.150 I like the new direction Impulse is taking and really appreciate the show design. The have a very large, capable battery and pit, but the hornline is undermaned and under-powered. They could go places with this show, but only if there is some drastic improvement in brass. 3 Velvet Knights 57.550 It was just good to see these guys on the field again in their shorts, vans and red hoodies. They've got the bodies and a nice show. I'm hoping they can use this season to get some exposure, attract some more members and keep the momentum going. Not to mention the fact that California is now at a point where we have enough corps to put together a complete summer schedule without anyone having to tour ... This is a great thing for the smaller corps and those who are financially constrained. It doesn't suck for the fans either! 4 Blue Devils C 52.200 Also seems to be a strong year for BDC, who were born to hand-jive. All age corps 1 San Francisco Renegades 72.663 Renegades seemed bigger and their show more complete this weekend, although I sense they were having an off night. Lots of phasing problems that seemed to indicate the corps just wasn't focusing. Continued problems with the large props and wind weren't helping, and the coffin thing still doesn't work. It's a pretty cool show, the corps is strong, and should be red hot by DCA. 2 SoCal Dream 65.375 I'm going to get on the band wagon with everyone hyping Dreams mighty-mini horn line. Some occasional overblowing problems in the sops aside, this is one of the nicest sounding 20-man brass sections I've ever heard. When they hit their groove, and the whole thing is balanced, the sound is sweet. I loved the whole Star Trek deal. Overall, very smart and balanced show design. Well done, Dream! 3 River City Regiment 64.663 There is just so much that doesn't work about this corps and this show that has already been said. One soprano soloist does not a corps make. I appreciate the effort, but unless the corps and the program can be filled out, I can't see a lot of good things in store for RCR. General Comments: The whole new show announcement thing just doesn't work. The audience gets confused about where to applaud at the beginning of the show and there is a point where things get weirdly uncomfortable as the corps starts. I don't know why DCI went with this move. The same was tried back around '89 with the Cadets starting their show in the warmup ... It confused the audience, confused the judges and pretty nearly ruined the record. Those who don't learn from history ... The show was apparently hosted by the local HS Band Parent Association ... Knowing this my level of expectations for show decorum dropped a few notches with an overabundance of yelling, screaming and "go get 'em (fill in kid's name) ________!!!!!" You get used to this stuff, and even the two people behind me, who's guard experience goes back to the '60s, who had a newbie friend with them, causing them to give a show-long, non-stop, color commentary of drum corps "expertise" that was easily 20 years out of date didn't rattle my cage too much. All that aside, my biggest pet peeve of the night came when Dream and Renegades trooped the stands. A few years ago I was at a show with a friend of mine who follows the activity quite closely and writes about it for a number of publications. He gave me a reprimand when I didn't stand as some corps trooped the stands. I reminded him that, aside from expressing your appreciation for a corps that had really blown your doors off, the only reason one was obliged to stand was when the corps had an honor guard in front of it and had nothing to do with appreciation for the corps. It was all about a sign of respect for the American Flag passing in review. Last night both Dream and the Renegades had A-squads in front of the corps. As the colors passed in review, I could count count the number of people standing on my hands, with a few fingers left over. Some idiot in back of me actually yelled "down in front." Now, THAT, made me want to smack someone upside the head. <**> Edited July 2, 2007 by DCIHasBeen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahamay Oton Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) A beautiful night in a very nice location for a show. The weather was cool, if not a bit breezy with clear skies. Pretty much ideal weather for a Drum Corps show. I always enoy the prospect of heading into the San Jose area because there's always so much to do ... Visit Winchester House, the Egyptian museum, restaurants ... I'm really enjoying the fact that there is a real "season" in California this year. Often times it can be just a couple of weekends (particularly in SoCal) in June and then nothing. This year we're getting the chance to see the corps/shows evolve and improve (which includes getting to see completed shows), which is great.The corps: Division I 1 Mandarins 69.250 Mandarins have made great strides with this show in a few short weeks, both cleaning their program and making quite a few changes. The show really picks up momentum in the second have and just keeps building in speed and intensity until the end. Can't wait to see this in August. Division II 1 Blue Devils B 71.300 BDB has consistently been one of my favorite local corps for a few years now ... They always have great programming and perform well. This year is no exception, except they seem to have one of the biggest and most talent corps of the last few. The horn line boasts seven (7) contras/tubas and the drum line really kicks butt. I'm hoping to see them at Div. II/III finals in Pasadena. 2 Vanguard Cadets 68.750 Good corps, solidly moving the show forward. Lots of cleaning still to do but they are progressing. I want to like this show, but there's something about it I just can't wrap my arms around. Division III 1 Fever 67.400 This corps has come miles since Stockton ... By far the most improved corps to date, in all sections, and they were on fire. They turned a lot of heads by beating Impulse and, if tonight was any indication, will continue to do so. 2 Impulse 60.150 I like the new direction Impulse is taking and really appreciate the show design. The have a very large, capable battery and pit, but the hornline is undermaned and under-powered. They could go places with this show, but only if there is some drastic improvement in brass. 3 Velvet Knights 57.550 It was just good to see these guys on the field again in their shorts, vans and red hoodies. They've got the bodies and a nice show. I'm hoping they can use this season to get some exposure, attract some more members and keep the momentum going. Not to mention the fact that California is now at a point where we have enough corps to put together a complete summer schedule without anyone having to tour ... This is a great thing for the smaller corps and those who are financially constraint. It doesn't suck for the fans either! 4 Blue Devils C 52.200 Also seems to be a strong year for BDC, who were born to hand-jive. All age corps 1 San Francisco Renegades 72.663 Renegades seemed bigger and their show more complete this weekend, although I sense they were having an off night. Lots of phasing problems that seemed to indicate the corps just wasn't focusing. Continued problems with the large props and wind weren't helping, and the coffin thing still doesn't work. It's a pretty cool show, the corps is strong, and should be red hot by DCA. 2 SoCal Dream 65.375 I'm going to get on the band wagon with everyone hyping Dreams mighty-mini horn line. Some occasional overblowing problems in the sops aside, this is one of the nicest sounding 20-man brass sections I've ever heard. When they hit their groove, and the whole thing is balanced, the sound is sweet. I loved the whole Star Trek deal. On the whole, very smart and balanced show design. Well done, Dream! 3 River City Regiment 64.663 There is just so much that doesn't work about this corps and this show that has already been said. One soprano soloist does not a corps make. I appreciate the effort, but unless the corps and the program can be filled out, I can't see a lot of good things in store for RCR. General Comments: The whole new show announcement thing just doesn't work. The audience gets confused about where to applaud at the beginning of the show and there is just an things get weirdly uncomfortable. I don't know why DCI went with this move. The same was tried back around '88 with the Cadets starting there show in the warmup ... It confused the audience, confused the judges and #### near ruined the record. Those who don't learn from history ... The show was apparently hosted by the local HS Band Parent Association ... Knowing this my level of expectations for show decorum dropped a few notches with an overabundance of yelling, screaming and "go get 'em (fill in kid's name) ________!!!!!" You get used to this stuff, and even the two people behind me, who's guard experience goes back to the '60s, who had a newbie friend with them, causing them to give a show-long, non-stop, color commentary of drum corps "expertise" that was easily 20 years out of date didn't rattle my cage too much. All that aside, my biggest pet peeve of the night came when Dream and Renegades trooped the stands. A few years ago I was at a show with a friend of mine who follows the activity quite closely and writes about it for a number of publications. He gave me a reprimand when I didn't stand as some corps trooped the stands. I reminded him that, aside from expressing your appreciation for a corps that had really blown your doors off, the only reason one was obliged to stand was when the corps had an honor guard in front of it and had nothing to do with appreciation for the corps. It was all about a sign of respect for the American Flag passing in review. Last night both Dream and the Renegades had A-squads in front of the corps. As the colors passed in review, I could count count the number of people standing on my hands, with a few fingers left over. Some idiot in back of me actually yelled "down in front." Now, THAT, made me want to smack someone upside the head. <**> Excellent review. The disrespect of the people there concerning the A-Squads angered me also. Aside from that, I had a great time. :) Edited July 1, 2007 by Ahamay Oton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davland Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I'm sure that for the most part, the disrespect was not intended. I suspect that what needs to happen is a little bit of educating the audience, something the announcer should do early on and over the course of the evening. Then again, with the new announcing regulations, I'm not sure how much liberty the announcers have anymore to do PSA's of that type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedodger Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Not yelling at you, Dave, but the audience shouldn't have to be educated. It is ,or was, part of tradition and culture--drum corps, drill squad, etc. Anyway, nice review Hasbeen! I agree with your props for Dream--that is an excellent hornline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acad Dad Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 Thank you for an excellent review. I agree with you and wish more folks have the "knowledge and experience" you do. Thank you for taking the time to write such a thorough recap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davland Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Not yelling at you, Dave, but the audience shouldn't have to be educated. It is ,or was, part of tradition and culture--drum corps, drill squad, etc. Why should they not have to be educated? I understand this is a niche activity, but in a day and age when we are trying to make it more mainstream and accessible, wouldn't it make sense to take a few seconds to give those who are relatively new to drum corps a sense of the history and tradition associated with the activity. You can't expect anybody to just "know" etiquette. It is a learned behavior. Chances are, the Joe Popcorns in the stands aren't spending a few hours a day on DCP to learn what to expect at a show. If they are made to feel welcome and invited, they are more likely to return. Conversely, if the stands are full of people looking down their band/corps geek (That's the perception, folks. Sorry to break it to you.) noses at them for every audience faux pas they unwittingly commit, who can blame them for staying away. Keep that up and you have more shows like Sunnyvale where the stands are less than a third full. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedodger Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Why should they not have to be educated? I understand this is a niche activity, but in a day and age when we are trying to make it more mainstream and accessible, wouldn't it make sense to take a few seconds to give those who are relatively new to drum corps a sense of the history and tradition associated with the activity. You can't expect anybody to just "know" etiquette. It is a learned behavior.Chances are, the Joe Popcorns in the stands aren't spending a few hours a day on DCP to learn what to expect at a show. If they are made to feel welcome and invited, they are more likely to return. Conversely, if the stands are full of people looking down their band/corps geek (That's the perception, folks. Sorry to break it to you.) noses at them for every audience faux pas they unwittingly commit, who can blame them for staying away. Keep that up and you have more shows like Sunnyvale where the stands are less than a third full. Just my 2 cents. Just getting away from drum corps for a minute: people should know to stand as the colors pass--that's an American tradition. Standing as the colors pass has been around longer than drum corps. When I played in an Army band, I noticed the same problem while marching in parades and some people not standing for Stars & Stripes (our national march). Ehh, maybe they do need educated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davland Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Dave, I agree with you. However, speaking as a person who teaches high school, I can tell you that unless you are in Boy or Girl Scouts or some sort of service organization with a socially responsible leader, there's a good chance that you may not ever be made aware of flag protocol. I don't think it's really addressed that much anymore. Sorry to say. I think also the current administration's overwhelming un-popularity has engendered some confusing feelings, i.e. "If I behave in a 'patriotic' manner, I feel like I'm supporting the George W. machine. Not taking part in displays of conventional patriotism is my protest" It's unfortunate, but true. Can you see how some people might think that way? Just a thought. Sorry to get this thread WAY off topic. Great review by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildabeast Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Good review DHB. I was there as well (2 rows in front of the pressbox, on the 50). Pics are in the works. Just my 2-cents: Fever came out to play! VK - they're so........young. Welcome back! Blue Devils B could possibly do what Vanguard Cadets did in 2000. Want a corps to march with this summer? Join Mandarins. You won't regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted July 2, 2007 Author Share Posted July 2, 2007 Want a corps to march with this summer? Join Mandarins. You won't regret it. Or, if you're a brass player, Impulse looks like they have a few open spots ... also a worthy corps to march with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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