FirstBEAT Review - Ft. Mill, SC

[DCALeadTuba]

I really can't believe no one reviewed this show; there was a huge crowd on hand! I went back to view the Fan Network videos to refresh my memory for this review. I've been following DCI pretty closely since the 80's, and I marched with DCA corps from 1998 to 2005. I apologize if this is a little DCA heavy, it's just because I really keep up with the circuit. I usually only get to a show if it's within reasonable distance to Nashville, but I was in Charlotte that week for business, so I arrived a day early so I could attend the show. This is also the first review I've done, so go easy on me!

Weather: Well, it's late June in South Carolina, so it's HOT and HUMID! I think it was well into the mid-90's, but actually got pretty tolerable by the time Spirit hit the field.

Venue: Ft. Mill High School was easy to find and was pretty close to capacity on the home side. Seemed very well run from a fans perspective.

CorpVets - CV has always been one of my favorites, so I was anxious to see what their "new look" and "new direction" was all about. The new uniforms look great! As always, the white bibbers show everything. They definitely have a lot of dirt to clean up in the feet, but it's early in the season. The visual demand is definitely up, but they've got to get the upper body and feet issues under control. Show concept is '360', not quite sure what it means, but they didn't have a the whole show on, so seeing the end will probably explain a lot. Most of the musical show was similar to the 2000 Cadets Disney show, which is one of the best all time. I've judged at least 8 or 9 bands since 2000 that attempted that show, and we all know how that usually turns out. Fortunately for CV, they will end up with a respectable product of this very difficult musical book. The horns started off great; lot's of big CV sound, but it quickly tapered off, resulting in some pretty uncharacteristic sounds. I don't know if it was the heat, but I know this corps is usually very strong in brass from beginning to end. I'm sure by the time they get to August they'll get that power back. The guard was strong again, like they are every year. It looks like the guard demand may be a little lower than usual, but they are still a very seasoned caption. The visual recap definitely showed the difference here. CV's guard definitely gets the nod over Alliance at this point. I'm a drum guy, so I may have a little more to say here. CV's drums have never really been their strong point. I'm glad to see that they seem to have a fresh look regarding their drum staff; I know they've had recent struggles here. There were multiple obvious holes (tenors and basses I think) that made a lot of the drill very hard to follow. I was a little disappointed that the pit was pretty small and really didn't have a whole lot to offer. I could tell they've upped the battery demand, so hopefully they will do the necessary work to execute better come time for Rochester. The battery is definitely much better trained than they were last year; they just come off as a more solid section. They should make a much more respectable showing at championships. Overall, this is a very much improved CorpsVets group. I don't think they were satisfied with last year's results, and they have definitely made the proper adjustments.

Alliance - This group is a relatively fresh face to DCA; I think they've only been around 5 years. Last year, they made the jump into DCA's Open Class and didn't look back. I like what they did last year, and there is definitely a buzz around this corps for this season. Alliance has very recognizable purple/pink uniforms. They look ok from afar, but they look pretty cheap and ill-fitting up close. They should really look into new uniforms. One thing I do remember from last season is that this corps moves a lot, and they definitely follow that trend again. Their members look well-trained and carry themselves much better than CV. The visual gap on the recap was a little big in my opinion, but the guards definitely played into that. Drill was relatively clean; I counted about 5 or so brass holes, so that would account for some readability issues. The show concept 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' kinda got lost on me (except that big stinkin' bell, pretty cool), but again, they didn't have the whole show on either. This brass line is bigger than what I remember from last year, they looked bigger than CV to me. Brass didn't quite reach top volumes they'll need to compete with the top groups, but quality of sound was great during the whole show; sans a soft moment or two in the ballad. Alliance's brass definitely takes the win here. Alliance's guard is smaller than CV, and looks to have missing people. They look pretty young over all and had some performance issues, but guard is usually the last thing to come around in this activity. They were just outmatched by CV's mature guard. The Alliance drumline picked up right where they left off last year. 2009 was a big year for them (I think they were top 5 in drums). 9 snares, 4 tenors, 5 basses. Pit was huge and added a lot to the musical book. The snares look more confident than last year's group and the basses were putting some nice beats out there throughout the show. There was a neat battery break around the bell that looks like it will have more visual elements to it. There was a long exposed roll at one point, that could have put a couple DCI groups to shame. My only problem with Alliance percussion was the score. Did anyone see the recaps? Alliance should have won this caption hand-down; the two groups weren't even in the same ballpark. I'm not dogging CV because they have stepped up their game A TON and will be a great DCA line, but Alliance was competing for a drum title last year and I think they are even better this year. Other than that, I think this was a great showing for DCA south in front of a DCI audience. The crowd was very receptive to both groups and hopefully they will benefit from the exposure.

Teal Sound - A solid corps with great potential. As I've seen in other reviews, they are very electronics heavy right now. I'm not totally 'old school' and I actually like some electronics, but it really takes away from the show. Teal has a lot of work to do in in the visual department. A lot of uniformity issues both in the lower and upper bodies. They may be pretty young and it looks like the staff may be having a hard time breaking bad habits with those kids. Brass puts out some nice consistent sounds throughout the show. They run out of gas toward the end, but it's only June. Guard and percussion were average for me, nothing that really stood out. They've got a lot of work to do to catch a group like Spirit.

Spirit - A lot of people like the new uniforms, but I'm not one of them. It's a little busy for my taste and I really think the baby blue and delta work well. I don't think it required a full re-design. On the other hand, this is the best Spirit I've seen in years. After last years showing, I was really concerned about this corps viability. They seem to have put the ship back on course because I dug most everything in this show. They look good on the move and you can tell these kids have been working hard. I really hope it's enough to put them back in finals.

The Cavaliers - The pre-show stuff was pretty cool. 'Full Metal Jacket' is a favorite of mine, and hearing R. Lee Ermey's voice gives me a few goosebumps. Because they are so close to perfect in August, it's tough to watch Cavies in June because of all the visual dirt. Lots of upper body slop especially on larger step sizes. The battery is playing some cool stuff; it's such an interesting book. A lot of room for upward movement in the percussion. Brass line was pretty raw and had a few side to side timing issues, when spread out. They just didn't get that same quality that Cadets and Crown had. The guard makes this show happen. I don't usually watch guard all that much, but they had so much to offer. I dig this whole concept and look forward to see how they expand on it. There is tons of potential in this product. Definitely a step up from The Great Divide.

The Cadets - Did not like the 'dinner music' for the pre-show. It didn't fit the big picture for me. The 'little boy' guard guy roaming the stands was a little much as well. He also 'over did it' the entire show. It became distracting and contrived as the show moved on. OTHER THAN THAT, this was my favorite Cadets show in a while. Loved the opening toy soldier segment with the guard in full Cadet garb, ending with the 'wind-down' of the whole corps. Herald trumpets were a great touch as well. I got a little lost in the show about minute 7 or 8, when the show seems to have lost some direction. Very visually demanding with plenty to clean. Battery was the cleanest of the night; not my favorite book, but they are really good pretty early here in the season.

Crown - The obvious hometown corps, and they did not disappoint. Crown's pre-show was actually preformed by the corps. I don't know that I've ever heard a brass sound like this come from a football field. Yeah, I saw Star, but this was amazing. The low-volume control these kids displayed (while doing aerobics) was a thing of beauty. The brass line pretty much put the other corps to shame. I loved Crown's battery book; very complex and more musical than Cadets. Like Cavies, it will be even better once they get it cleaned up. The overall athleticism of this corps is stunning and my only hope is that they don't peak too early. They didn't have the ending on, so I'm sure they'll do plenty of exploring with that throughout the season.

Edited June 24, 2010 by DCALeadTuba

[Jeff Ream]

great review

[Defender77]

Very good review for first time out! Thanks for the DCA corps reviews as well.

[chris ncsu]

Love it, thanks!

[Reilley]

Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you!

[HollywoodNeoCon]

Great job, and thanks for the effort!!!!!!!!

[deepfriedmailbox]

Enjoyed the review! Keep up the great DCA reviews, as well. Those of us on the "other side" really appreciate them.

[Galen]

I saw some of these shows on FN and I gotta agree with your comments on Crown's hornline. I loved the soft-dynamic playing during the pre-show. Would have liked to have more of that dynamic contrast throughout their actual show.

[dcfan1982]

Talked to a Band Director friend of mine who has had some extensive drum corps experience who saw this show...

His take was pretty similar to earlier review. This was his email description to me with some minor editing to make it appropriate viewing for everyone.

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Hey man,

I know you asked for comparisons... so here you go.

CV and Alliance

Shocked at how good BOTH MAY be.

CV Demand is WAY up, but performance doesn't match demand yet. Alot of people #####ing about drum scores that had CV up but the judge got it right. Alliance was more musical, but CV's drumline was much "tighter" and seemed to have better overall "hands" in the snare line. If they don't fix the holes in the tenors and basses, they lose to Alliance in the end no matter how good the snares are though Alliance pit is INCREDIBLE. HUGE and musical. . Guard, no comparison between the two, CV's product and performance was far and above Alliance. Hornwise, opposite was true from a performance standpoint. Alliance was much better prepared. Fuller sound throughout the show though at times a bit crass. Was surprised after what you had told me about new CV staff. They DID have flashes of brillance, but WAY to inconsistent. Too many heros right now. Now, IF CV ever performs this show with the quality that they had momentary flashes of, Alliance won't be able to touch them because the demand is SO much higher. This is either Jay Bocooks horn book or a direct lift of it from Cadets 2000 show. But you know, you only get credit for demand when you perform it ! And sometimes not even then. Visually, it was about even from performance, but CV had a better package and a much higher level of overall demand. 360 show made sense and theme came through. Circular props, curved flagpoles making circles on the field featuring soloists and dancers. Lots of circular rotating forms throughout at crazy fast tempos for an all age corps. Alliance show didn't make sense yet, I hope that will change as the season moves on. It's kind of reverse of what I told you last year. CV dirtier, not as well prepared but a whole lot more room to grow. Have to wait and see if they can. Alliance overall cleaner and better prepared but their challenge will be to hang on to a VERY thin lead.

Teal and Spirit

Man you know i like electronics but Teal relied on "rock band" too much. Hornline was good but lacked the ability to finish the show and even productions at times. Visually very sloppy, seem young. Not a finalist quality contender, but maybe Thursday night. For first year in world class, I hope they will just be proud to be out and building on what they've done in the past. NO chance they are catching Spirit

Spirit What a pleasant surprise. From the new uniforms, to the new show concept, to the props to a solid horn sound. This show has finals possibilities for sure. MUCH better prepared than they have been since maybe mid 2000's. Subtle use of electronics was cool, lots of cool and interesting props. Horns sound good for this time of the year. Lots of holes, but if they will those will be solid hornline. Drums seemed solid, couple very cool moments, but I am not sure they are full yet either. Guard is DEFINITELY better. They spend a good bit of time in opener spinning these "sledghammer" things to play out the story. Feet are still a mess but what's new... maybe they are still getting kids in and will clean up. if they do, they could get back in for sure.

Cavies, Cadets and Crown

Cavies LOVE the show, hate the performance. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy in every caption. Honestly I was shocked at how dirty it was visually. They do a "Full Metal Jacket" moment with the corps on rifles... pretty cool effect, though pretty much pure cheese. When I loved Cavies, it was all about "clean", this is the antithesis of clean. Maybe if they clean it up, I'll like it again, but such a negative impression for me initially this year, I"m not sure. Hope I haven't ruined their show for me by seeing them so early. My guess? weakest in years -- middle of the pack, maybe 4th if they clean it.

Cadets Some very cool ideas, some explored in really cool ways, some left me wondering "WTH", wandering aimlessly through segments of the show Typical Cadets early season, George will have torn the show apart and rebuilt it from the bottom up by the time I see them again later this year. Herald Trumpets at the beginning are a 10. Drumline is ####### incredible but what's new there. Will most likely compete for top percussion. Hard to guess about final placement because this show won't be what's there in August. Based off what I saw tonight, don't think the show is good enough to compete for championship, but kids are. If they fix the show, could get really interesting.

Crown Everyone loves the show...me... not so much. Now don't get me wrong, performers are INCREDIBLE... brass sound maybe the finest I've ever heard in drum corps and you know how I feel about 93 Star. Drums are great, guard amazing, drill is good just not clean... feet... still their biggest weakness but seem better than when I saw them early last year. I just don't buy the show... at least not yet. Between them and Cadets it will be who can make their show work, because both have incredible perfomers. Can't wait to see these two head to head with Blue Devils later this summer.

Sorry reviews kept getting shorter... VERY tired here. Will tell you more when we talk. Take care and let me know if you are coming out for finals.

[splat-a-drag-a-phonium]

I saw some of these shows on FN and I gotta agree with your comments on Crown's hornline. I loved the soft-dynamic playing during the pre-show. Would have liked to have more of that dynamic contrast throughout their actual show.

After hearing them live and in person...........all the recording I have heard to date lack that "Fire" that Fort Mill had. If you like the sound on FN....just wait.