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1998 Drum Corps International
Show Reviews - As Posted on RAMD!
Listed are the dates and the show site, the reviews will be filled in, if and when they are available or submitted. The following reviews are solely the opinion of the reviewers. If you disagree with any comments, feel free to email the author, all reviews are signed with an email address. If you want to add your review to this page, send any reviews, comments or questions to: soundmachine@soundmachine.org
Saturday July 25
| Killeen, TX (DCI)
Ok, here's my annual review of the one show that I go see. I manage to get 50 yard line seats for this one, so I don't even bother with going to San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas. I couldn't see them any better there, anyways! Please note that these are reviews, not facts. If you don't agree, fine. Just respond with why! Name calling is not a reason. With that said, here's my review. The show was set to go at 6:30, and me, with my usual anxiety got there a little before 5:00. My fiancee (bless her) puts up with this for one day a year. So, we had lots of time to talk to people. The Blue Devils were putting on a clinic, and we got up in the stands in time to see them do a run through of their show. Wow! I'd never seen them before, and they did impress me in person. They carry themselves like champions. They have that arrogance of posture, precision, whatever that says, "you may beat us, but we'll make it the hardest show you've ever won." They finished up pretty early, so we went and hit the souvie stands to set the record for spending birthday money... The souvie stands were fun. The Blue Devils ladies seemed tired, and not-so friendly. Then again, who would be in 105 degree heat? SCV's volunteers were a blast! My fiancee gave them her award (held by PR's souvie truck the last two years) for friendliest people. The Cavaliers's guy was pretty cool, too. Then again, he gave me free stuff... :) BD had the best shirts. I also FINALLY found one of their mouse pads. Lone Star was selling those neckerchiefs with the water gel in them, and even put one in the freezer for my fiancee. Very kind! Ok, now to the show. We were on the 23rd (of 25 or so) rows, directly on the 50. It's not a tall stadium, so even there we were REALLY close! Bayou City Blues performed in exhibition. They were my girlfriend's favorite corps of the night. She now wants me to make the 300 mile commute every Friday to try to join! They played mostly Spanish tunes, and pretty well, considering their size. They could put out some volume when they wanted to. I was kind of dissapointed in the drumline until their solo, and then they showed for what they'd been practicing! Happy Trails got warm fuzzies from the predominately Texan crowd. A small ensemble stayed on to play the national anthems. Only problem- the sopranos were on the left edge of the ensemble, facing right. The ensemble was on the right 30, so most of the stadium couldn't hear the melody. Oh well, I guess that's why we're supposed to sing. :) (Where was the Fort Hood band? We missed them!) Lone Star (9th, 54.3) was up first. This seems to be a down year for them. The drum section was on fire, but they were way out of proportion to the brass. Personally, I think they're trying to do a show written for about twice the people. Unlike last year, the colorguard (both of them) came off pretty good tonight. The corps just seemed... flat. Allegiance Elite (8th, 58.7) was on next. My fiancee LOVED their show.
The witch doctor was very imaginative, but all too brief. My favorite
part was the drum solo, but alas, it went from true tribal dance to
regular DCI drum solo. Spirit of Atlanta (5th, 74.8) came on next. They were ok, but I did NOT see them passing Boston, much less Kiwanis, too. They were the first really loud corps of the night. The music was pretty good overall. I didn't like the opener, my fiancee loved the ballad, and we both adored Sweet Georgia Brown. A strong showing for them, I think. I was just uninspired at points. (I think, though, it was just me. The crowd loved them.) Boston Crusaders (7th, 72.6) then came on. Memo to Boston and Spirit- lose the off white on the uniforms. Boston's DM's looked like they were wearing 30 year old uniforms. That's about the only criticism I have of them. Terrific show! Conquest did exactly what you'd think- brought the house down. Didn't like the silver drums, but they sure played 'em good. I don't think they'll make finals, but I could see another 13th from them with some work. For some reason, they pushed back the intermission another 17 minutes, so that we had a 45 minute break to sit there and sweat.
Kiwanis Kavaliers (6th, 73.7) started the second half. An American in Paris was nice, as a bunch of RAMDers have said, but there didn't seem to be much flow to it. A lot of people didn't know when the show was over until the DM turned around. We kept waiting for another song! Not a finals type of show either, but a great showing from them. Blue Knights (4th, 84.1) started the big boys. Wow. I'm glad they went back to the blue/white drums. They impressed me all around. Some backfield phasing problems at times, but a terrific show. Ode to Joy should have been louder, IMO. They also managed to pull off a "Glassmen"; play a famous song from another corps and NOT make it seem like a rip-off. As always, the most beautiful flags of the night. Cavaliers (3rd, 90.4). This was a joke. I, my fiancee, the 4,998 other spectators, and the corps knew that they should have won. No questions asked. When the scores were announced, there was a huge boo from the crowd. Only a few applauded. This may be one of their best shows ever. They're not the loudest out there; in fact, I had them 4th, but their visual program is simply unequalled. They managed to create some simply beautiful musical moments. My fiancee finally, after 29 corps in three summers, had her first goosebump moment during their ballad. Everything you hear about Machine is not exaggerated. It is that good. Snare line had some problems tonight, but don't count them out yet. They could pull a 1995. If they're not top 3 come Orlando, there is something seriously wrong with this judging system. Blue Devils (1st, 92.2) went next to last. Why? The show is good, but
I felt sad. This was about as far from their old image (hot jazz,
wailing stuff) as you can get. Now don't get me wrong; they do play
well. But hearing BD do Tchaikovsky is like hearing Phantom do
Metallica. It just doesn't fit. This seemed like a vanilla "drum
corps" show. They were certainly LOUD, though. I also wish they'd go
back to the old days (1992) when they actually had a real drum solo.
Santa Clara Vanguard (2nd, 90.6) finished off the night. I was hoping for 1997. I got Star of Indiana in 1993. What was this mess of notes that they called music? Exciting? Hardly. They played it well, as far as I could tell, but come on. This was not fun. The crowd finally started to get interested in the dancing tenor players, and it ended strong, but for 8 minutes everybody in the audience was just staring at each other. I know I'm being harsh, and I apologize if I offend anyone. Then again, I didn't like 1997's show until I got my CD's, either. Last note for them; I didn't realize that they were green pants! What a shock! :) They announced the scores, and they pretty much confirmed that the judges were sleepwalking through the second half of the show. About half the people left before BD's victory concert. Me, desperately wanting to hear more from them at the only chance I may have to see them live, stuck around. They played their closer and left. That made me sooooooo mad. Last year, Madison stuck around for 20 minutes of music. In 1996, Phantom played their entire show. I felt cheated. Overall, it was fun, but not as much as last year. It's not like I'm going to swear off DCI or anything, but I was hoping for more. I'll certainly be back in my seat next year, hoping to get blown away again. If you have comments, send them to menew@bga.com. If you want to call names, don't. |
| Runnemede, NJ (DCI Atlantic)
In order of performance: Patriots - very enjoyable show. The guard was most impressive. The kids really looked like they were having fun and the crowd responded very positively. They added some new guard work since I saw them two weeks ago. Near the beginning of the show, a young lady is dressed in a red bag that covers her whole body, including her head. When she emerges, she is dressed all in white. To the right of the field, there is a tripod about 10 feet tall with a chain hanging down. This guard person hangs from the chain and spins around. Very cool. Going on first I wasn't sure how they'd place, but 3rd seemed right to me. Quest - following Patriots, they seemed very weak. They should have opened the show. A very small corps, they performed without a drum major. They played music from Cirque de Soleil and David Holsinger. I wonder if they played a different style if they could attract more kids in Brooklyn. Kips Bay - I must say, their staff/volunteers definitely gets the award for most obnoxious of the night. I was seated on the aisle at the 50 - 4 rows from the top, so every corps staff/volunteers sat next to me. These people screamed at the top of their lungs for the entire show. Ruined my enjoyment of the show as their response was way out of proportion to what was executed. Illusion - very small corps. They played music from Sandy Patty (announced in the program as Andy Patty - but I'm sure it was Sandy, unless she's had an operation I hadn't heard about) and Glad. Nice music. Enjoyable show. Raiders - My son's reaction was "they were great! I hope they get a good score.". They played Christmas music in a show entitled "A Solstice Celebration". Very nicely done. For a small corps, they project well and get a very nice response from the crowd. Spectrum - the corps my son was waiting for. He is a big Les Miserables fan and really enjoyed this presentation. Noticeable improvement since I saw them 2 weeks ago. They do a nice job of selling this emotional music. My son's reaction - I've gotta get home and listen to the sound track (this from a boy who listened to the Les Mis sound track every night from last Saturday through Wednesday). Tarheel Sun - What a BIG sound! Especially in this small venue following several little corps. The crowd went wild. The only full audience standing ovation of the night (besides the host corps, Jersey Surf). This corps is making great strides. I'll be very interested to see them at Div II finals in Orlando. Third place last year - we just might see them in quarters on Thursday. The corps is Div I sized at about 126 members. Spartans - had quite a time following Sun. I thought their execution was equal to Sun but they sounded a little weak. This is a very nice show - my second time seeing it in the past two weeks. They do music by Holsinger - some pieces from the Cadets 1993 show and other selections. At one point, the brass pick up cones and use them to sing in - I guess - Latin. Very nice melodies, great percussion work. Jersey Surf - this show should be entitled "Selections from Three of Chris Maher's Favorite shows of all time" - Muchachos 1975 (Pictures de Espana), Madison 1996 (A Mis Abuelos) and Blue Devils 1994 (Spanish Fantasy). Very well received by the hometown crowd. Soloists did a much better job than at the end of June in Elkton. Overall, this was a fun show. I know a number of you are watching the "big boys" duke it out in Texas, but the simple pleasure of a good old fashion drum corps show - the kind I marched in - was just what I needed tonight. Christopher P. Maher |
| Johnstown, NY (DCA)
6th Place: Les Dymaniques, Ontario Canada 5th Place: Lehigh Valley Chieftains, Allentown, PA My Vote for most improved since last week. The Horn Line Continues to grow (20+) and they can really turn it on for a small line. They Beat Generations (35 Horns) in Brass Scores. They also have 9-10 Pit Members. The weak point of the show is the placement of the guard personnel. Their Performance of "Americana" is well done. The Book is highly difficult and drill is extreemly challenging (nice to see contra's jazz run!!!). This group always does well in August, I would expect a repeat performance. I like the Soprano Line a lot. They would contend with any DCA Soprano Line and hold their own. Nice Work... 4th Place: Generations, Bristol, RI 35 Horns but didn't sound it! I had the opportunity to see this group at the eval show and must say they are much improved. It's obvious that this is a first year competive corps by the drill and marching. Never the less they are entertaining. The Latin Show is a lot of fun. Only up on the Chieftains by 1.5 points (I believe the edge was visual scores). Class "A" will be a barn burner this year for DCA. I think the Class A Championships will be more competitive this year than the open class. The Generations, Chieftains and Heat Wave should all be in contention for this title. The Corps who wants it more-- will win. The question is can they beat the Chieftains in their hometown??? 3rd Place: Crusaders, Rochester, NY 2nd Place: Grenadiers, Ontario 1st Place: Hurricans, Derby, CT |
Friday July 24
| Houston, TX (DCI)
Sorry for the big delay on this, but I got back super late Friday night. The trip to Houston is 5 hours. Now, I am teaching at a band camp, so I've been pretty busy. You all know the scores,so I won't post them. Please forgive me if I leave off someone. Lone Star - They have a good drumline, as always, but the hornline and small guard (only 2) is the corps' weak spot. Keep it up and I'm sure the drumline will be a contender in a few years. Allegiance Elite - What I remember most about this corps is the color. I loved the visual program, and the music wasn't that bad either. They did this cool drill love at the end of the show that got the crowd into the show. Spirit - This is the first corps that blew the crowd away. They loved this corps, and so did I. I am not a big fan of jazz on the field, but Spirit sold it to me. One of the crowd favorites tonite. BAC - Can't remember much about the show, except that the horn line was good but not as loud as Spirit. It was tough to go on after Spirit with this type of show. Personally, I liked Spirit better, but kudos to Crusaders for a great show. Crown - I loved it. Much much better than last year. Even though the crowd did not get into its more classical style, I did. But then again, I'm a Phantom fan. Armenian dances seems very difficult but they pulled it off. Glassmen - The hype about Glassmen is not fake. They are loud, good etcetc. Clean drumline, Awesome hornline You know...the works. Blue Knights - While I am biased, I loved them more than GMen. This show rocks. The ballad is sooo beautiful, and the butterfly on cymbals is an awesome effect. One thing I didn't like was Ode to Joy. The style seemed choppy to me. Cavaliers - Crowd favorite. My favorite. Hands down awesome show, and I'm pulling for them in Orlando. We'll see what happens. The ballad is beautiful, the pit is THE BEST in DCI that I have seen, and the closer (Machine) is just in your face drumcorps. One thing to watch for...right before Machine starts, there is about 6 or 7 rifles backfield. They do this superhigh toss and catch right on a dissonant horn smack. Awesome. Cadets - Thought they shouldv'e won, but that doesn't really matter. Awesome drill, mellos are spectacular as always. Show does have some resemblance to last year as others have said. Have the goods for a title. BD - Watched them rehearse all day. They amaze me always. Probably the loudest corps of the evening. I don't know if they can win with this show though. Time will tell. I love the Romeo and Juliet stuff, but they don't play enough of it. Its too much WSS. Can't wait till Orlando. Review of Baton Rouge to follow. Steven Musumeche |
Thursday July 23
| Dallas, TX (DCI)
Lone Star: Rather well performed! I was very impressed by a corps that I was not ready to be impressed by! I'm am absolutely no drum critique but their drums had a definite presence on the field. Nicely done and very good crowd response. Now if you guys can just keep a nucleus of those kids for 2-3 more years and build on what you're doing, we might actually have a Semi-Finals contender! Allegiance Elite: I apologize that I just didn't get into the theme, but the corps did! Well perfomed!...just needs more membership to fill out the ranks and flesh out the performance some. Spirit of Atlanta: WOW!!! Where did they get that hornline??!!! I never did see the 1980 Spirit in person(saw it on PBS though, and it is still a fave!), but after tonight, it only confirmed that it has been too, too long without some "Suthern' Fried Drum Corps!" One of my very favorite moments in "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." Praise God for Drum Corps!! Keep it up guys and you'll be back in the top ranks soon! Very nice show to be reminiscent of 1980, but not a rehash. A real crowd fave! Kiwanis Kavaliers: ...had the misfortune to go after Spirit. My friend, who hadn't been in a LONG time(TOO LONG he admitted!), said "good, but I'm spoiled after Spirit!" Still a good show to have some good musical moments without being a rehash of the "American in Paris" that everyone else has performed. Carolina Crown: Great show! I really got into their show as they got me back to the sound that Spirit spoiled me with! Although, in my mind, I said labeled it "this is what SCV played, and this is what the Regiment played," they put their own stamp on it. Hadn't ever heard "Praise Jerusalem" before, but it blended in well with "Russian Christmas" and "Armenian Dances" Good show and well done. Blue Knights: Excellent show! And well within their idiom if you can define an idiom for BK. Although it isn't music that you would think of BK performing, they designed it well. Nice job! Glassmen: Man! I have seen what everyone else is talking about and I, too, must say I'm impressed! There have been shows that I thought G-Men performed well in the past and shows that I didn't necessarily care for, but when G-Men are seriously performing serious music, they always do well in my book. Excellent job and watch out all you "elite" corps, you have company! Santa Clara Vanguard: What can you say about them that hasn't already been repeated a million times? "The Cadillac of Drum Corps." "The Class of Drum Corps." And again tonight they proved it! A whale of a show! But the kids have some serious fun performing it. Amazing as I caught a few minutes of their rehearsal--serious as a heart attack, but what fun and what a crowd response--but when has Texas, and Dallas in particular, never liked an awesome edition of SCV??!!! They are the real dark horses to watch over your shoulder for. Cadets: Typical Cadets show! Very good and very clean, but not quite the crowd response that SCV got. Seemed they were hit a bit hard by the Texas heat--but who wasn't? Good show, well performed and still plenty of room to improve, but right now I like SCV the best. Thanks to the organizers of the show for returning the traditional retreat to the event. I have been rather disapointed in recent years that they didn't have that, as I always look forward to that part! And as much as people seem to hate the "America, O Canada" arrangement, I still love the sound of multiple brass lines playing together--gives me chills, brings tears, and generally makes me a blubbering piece of jello for a few minutes, but what a way to go!!! And finally, nice victory concert, Cadets! Thanks! The crowd was very good this year. The stands were pretty much packed. It was not oppressively hot at show time, but it was a very hot afternoon. I missed Lone Star and Allegiance Elite thanks to the wonderful Dallas traffic. I spent close to 45 minutes parked on 635 due to an accident. Sorry I missed your show LS and AE. I'll see it in San Antonio. Spirit of Atlanta. Well personally I think there are either some serious dreamers on RAMD or a lot of people that smoke crack. SOA is back?! Sorry, but in my opinion, their show is no where near top 12 quality. The visual filth was unbelievable. The drill is poorly designed, and is not being executed that well at the present time. The guard - ugh - where to begin. All the dancing needs to go - PLEASE PICK UP SOME EQUIPMENT AND USE IT!!! The dancing is not choreographed well, and it's not done well - very bad mix. I'd much rather see some flag work than the bad dancing. Also, why try to have a sabre and rifle line if you don't have members that can handle the equipment? Why not just have a flag line? The horn line was loud, but lacked tone quality when they played loud. The drum line was solid, and the musical package was good. Overall, I was disappointed by SOA - both from a design and from a performance standpoint. I thought their score was about 5 points too high. Kiwanis Kavaliers. I was very surprised that SOA beat them. Visually, they are much cleaner, and the visual design blows SOA away. The horn line lacks impact, which I believe is their biggest problem. They have a very nice, balanced sound - they just need to crank up the volume. KK's guard is good, and they do a nice job of varying the look of their uniforms with various color additions throughout the show (i.e., adding skirts for part, adding tops at one point, etc.). I'm not a huge fan of An American In Paris, but they did a nice job with the show. I thought their score was right on the mark. Carolina Crown. In a word - WOW! This corps consistently improves. their guard is very strong this year, and their drum line is very good. Drill design is good, and they are doing a good job of cleaning it. The horn line is making some impacts, but could crank up the volume a bit. The only negative think I have to say about their show is the colors of the guard uniforms and flags used by the guard. The guard begins with brown almost burlap sack looking outfits with turquoise blue waist straps. Later, they shed their tops to reveal a turquoise blue spandex top. the flags used in the opener are the same color blue with a touch of orange thrown in. The colors were just unappealing to look at - reminded me of Cadets last year - very ugly looking guard. Overall, very nice program, and they should be a strong contender for a top 12 spot. I thought they should have scored about 3 points higher. I expect the 12th place score to top Sky Ryders 1988 high score for 12th place of an 85.1. Blue Knights. What an amazing show top to bottom. Great drill, nice charts, beautiful flags throughout the entire program, loud horn line, strong horn line, tasty drum line. Their show has it all. Excellent program from both a design and an execution standpoint. My wife liked BK's show the best this evening. She is deaf, so her evaluations are strictly based on the visual programs. She thought they had the best looking show on the field - best looking flags, best color coordination, best integration of guard and horn line, one of the best drills, very well executed drill, etc. I thought they should have score closer to Glassmen or should have beat the Glassmen. Excellent job guys! Glassmen. Well, I really liked this show. The music was unfamiliar for the most part, yet I was drawn into the show. The drum line is fantastic! No, their book did not appear to be the most difficult of the evening, but they place their book incredibly. I was in awe of the line. The drill is well written. There were no drill moments that made you cheer or wow you, but the drill flows nicely, and compliments the music. Very much like last year. I was disappointed by the color of the flags. So many florescent colors - almost gaudy. Last year, their show was so beautiful with their use of similar hues throughout the entire show, in uniforms, and color of equipment. This year, the colors were like - HEY! See, we have color on the field! I really liked their show - just wished the colors of the flags were different. My wife was extremely disappointed with GMen, since she loved last year. I thought their score was about right. Santa Clara Vanguard. I see Championship on the horizon for SCV this year. What an incredible show! They have improved so much since the last time I saw them (first 2 shows in June). They really got the crowd going too. Their music is not recognizable, yet they sold the @%#$ out of the show - multiple standing ovations. SCV has a total package. There are some really cool drill moves and visuals that really compliment the music, and the horn line and drum line are both smoking. I have absolutely no idea how the hell Cadets beat them tonight. I was sure they broke 90 tonight. Perhaps in San Antonio. My wife loved their show, and she thought they had won as well. Cadets. They are good, but they seemed tired. Their guard was having some problems tonight - many drops. The horn line and drum line are excellent, and their marching is much better than last year. Ensemble visual is much cleaner than last years filth, but individual marching is a problem. So many different styles, and so much bouncing around - shako dance oh' plenty. There are some really amazing drill moves, but several of them are rehashes of things they have already done - company front, gating line around to another company front ala 95 and 96, the clockwise/counterclockwise alternating rotating circles to mellophone 16th note runs ala 97, etc. they music is not very recognizable, and a bit obscure, but unlike SCV, they didn't sell it. the crowd was not drawn into the musical program at all. The received a partial standing ovation (only part of the stands) at the end of the program. I did not think they broke 90, and I do not think they should have beaten SCV. Other remarks. Blue Devils were not at the show, yet their souvenir truck was there hawking their wares. Sorry, but if the corps is not going to compete at the show, IMHO they should not be selling their souvenirs. I found this pretty tacky. Overall, a great show. The corps were all entertaining, and had lots to offer. I can't wait for Orlando. I think we will see perhaps the strongest top 12 yet. I am also looking forward to Sunday night in San Antonio when Cadets, Blue Devils, SCV, and Cavies all go head to head - first time the top 4 will be duking it out. Should be fun. Tim Kviz |
Saturday July 18
| Denver, CO (DCI)
Well, having read numerous reviews on this group for the past five years or so, I feel obligated to offer up a review of DATR - so here goes: Fortunately for the corps the weather cooled down into the low 90's for the show...temps in Denver today hit 103. But evidently it was hot enough to dramatically affect the performance of at least one corp (see below.) We had fantastic seats near the top of the stadium, on the fifty yard line - so as you can imagine, most of my comments will be visual and drill oriented. (in order of appearance:) Troopers: People keep saying that Troopers should move to Division II, at least for a while, and why not? 25 horns does not a Div I corps make. To be fair, holes in the drill indicate that the Troopers were (or are) planning on having more members. Still, it is evident even from the top of the stadium that each individual is working hard. Good melophone passages, and good soloists. Unfortunately, much of the audience's applause was done out of sympathy. Kiwanis Cavaliers: Many on RAMD have complained about the arrangement of their American in Paris show. But there's really nothing wrong with the arrangement - it contains plenty of cool jazz licks and impact moments. It just seems like it would be more suited for a power corp like Madison. Kiwanis doesn't yet have the chops yet to pull it off, but give them credit for trying. Glassmen: I think the G-men caught much of the audience off guard (one audience member after the show: "did you see the Glassmen? They TORE IT UP!") Yes, the Glassmen are very solid - in fact, some moments in the show seem reminiscent of a Santa Clara Vanguard production. The Borodon music is in some ways similar to SCV's "Red Poppy" arrangement from '94. And it will be interesting to see how close G-men's excellent drum line was to SCV's tonight. Blue Knights: MOVEMENT MOVEMENT MOVEMENT, DRILL DRILL DRILL! Those words best describe BK this year. I know that BK often tries to emulate the Cadets' visual style, but I can honestly and sincerely say that at many points in the show they approach CBC-level in their marching - lots of flowing drill, fast feet. They've added some (non cheesy) body movements as well. They play on one knee, on two knees, they high step, the whole nine yards. Without a doubt the best visual package that BK has ever put on the field. Oh, and the music - some great ensemble and impact moments - but the horn line seemed to lose steam at the end (paying the price for having an insane drill?) Madison Scouts: As usual, a classic meaty Madison drill. In the opener, they move into the "fleur de le" not once, but twice! Near the middle of the show, some horn players form into a tightly packed circle that "flows" along a moving "wave" of players. Later a pentagon-shaped formation breaks off into four rotating triangles that eventually resolve into a kaleidoscopic pattern (bear with me, I'm trying to find words to describe this!) And the music - well, it's laid back, no-nonsense Madison - with lots of great subtle jazz moments. However, the closer "Remembrance" doesn't yet pack as much punch as the 1990 version - they're playing it slower, and often the melodies in the low brass don't come through very well. Blue Devils: Here's the best way to describe BD's show: a loud, clean, balanced dissonant chord that occasionally breaks into all too brief strains of West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I know I'm not doing the show justice, but the audience was a bit puzzled by this one. Their ears perk of when they hear a recognizable piece of WSS, but then suddenly the Devils go back into blasting loud chords and high-sticking drum thwaps. However, I enjoyed the music a lot more at the victory concert. Wayne Downey has managed some more clever musical moments, especially during "Cool." And you have to at least give the Devils credit for being clean, clean, clean. This show is so clean that you'd think that they started practicing it last summer. SCV: The Vanguard have managed to pull off a rare double whammy: an entirely original show (featuring fairly obscure music) that is also crowd pleasing. A lot of finger pointing and oohing and aahing during this one. Lots of little great visual moments: the quad line circling around a section of horns, the cymbal line pulling off their usual visual tricks. A great drum break: the snares are isolated from the rest of the corps as the march front and center playing an insanely difficult passage. SCV also had, without a doubt, the best moment of the night: near the end of the jazzy middle section is an INTENSE park and blow where you can really feel the heart that SCV is putting into this show. My favorite show of the night, as well as much of the crowd's. Crossmen: A lot of people have been penciling in the Xmen for the top six, but I wouldn't be so sure. Going on after BD and SCV definitely exposed a lot of weaknesses in this corp - especially drill wise. Visually they are not even close to top six caliber. While there are plenty of impact moments that rival BD and SCV, there are too many sections where individual horn players are sticking out. First Circle, though, is holding together well and has some nice drill moments that feature, appropriately enough, circles. It should be noted that a tragic moment marred the end of Xmen's show: just about 30 seconds before the end, during a standstill moment, a horn player collapsed and lay motionless (many people in the crowd at first thought this was part of the show!) which eventually caused several contra players to collide and fall. A couple of Xmen staff members ran onto the field to carry the person off, and paramedics soon showed up. Needless to say, it drew attention away from the end of Xmen's show. The collapsed member remained motionless for about 15 minutes before finally sitting up, and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Once again the DATR staff did a great job, as there were at least 15 to 20,000 in the stands tonight. The show was announced by Casey Smith, ex-Trooper and BK staff member who is now a TV news anchor in California - and he did a great job fireing up the crowd and providing historical tidbits - not your normal clueless show announcer. Hope he's back next year (and let's get him on the PBS broadcast!)Well, this weekend takes me to my hometown for a visit with friends and family and Drums Along the Rockies (DATR), the biggest show of the season so far. And again the drum corps gods have blessed me with another show with great weather. This is my sixth show of the season and not a single uncomfortable moment. Now it was 100 degrees today in Denver and watching the Blue Devils practice in the blazing sun this afternoon at Aurora Central H.S. was indeed difficult (and I was only in the stands, not marching around practicing), but with so little humidity the evening at Mile High Stadium was actually quit bearable (except for one member of the Crossmen). Mile High Stadium was in excellent condition and is a great large venue for drum corps. Note to DCI: you should think about bringing Finals back here if possible on your way to finally having a Finals out on the West Coast. Only drawback were the big league prices for concessions: $4 for an Italian Sausage and no soda sizes available for under $3. It was great being back in the stadium where I saw quite a few Broncos games as well as other DATR shows back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. For this evening my seat was on the 25 yard line; however, being on the 300 level made it high enough that I could really see the drills and the sound was fine. It was great seeing so many high school student in attendance, unfortunately they and their parents like to talk a lot. Overall though, it wasn’t too bad. Troopers - Casper, WY - First, it was strange seeing the Troopers guard dancing around like all the other guards. I haven’t seen them in a while and I still remember the all-girl CG marching in those skirts with rifle and flags. At least the new guard unis are nice and very much fit with the unis of the rest of the corps. Their program this year is entitled “Forging a Frontier” and it still needs quite a bit of work. The highlights were an interesting battle scene` acted out in part by the CG and the traditional sunburst drill in the closer. Someone had it right earlier on RAMD: the Troopers probably should be competing in Div. II this year. Kiwanis Kavaliers, Kitchener, Ont., Canada- Presenting “An American in Paris” KK did a real nice job with their opener and presented a well-balanced show throughout. I thought the CG was quite good and they used some gorgeous silks during the show. While I liked last year’s Evita program better, this is still a nice production. Glassmen, Toledo, OH - What a horrible draw, going first among the six top ranked corps performing tonight. Well, the Gmen basically went out and set the field on fire with probably their best show of the season (at least it’s the best I’ve seen of them and this is the 5th time). You can definitely tell they’re cleaning up their marching as the drill seemed to flow much better this evening; however, they still have those two major holes in the drill that continue to annoy me. The emotion that was lacking at last week’s DCM Championships was there tonight and they were rewarded by a generous ovation by a crowd who was quite unfamiliar with them. CG was “on” tonight and percussion were strong as usual. Blue Knights, Denver, CO - Entering the field to the Mile High “rumble” (if you’ve ever been to a Bronco game you know what I am talking about), the hometown corps accepted the challenge presented by the Glassmen and put on a great performance with their “Masters of the Symphony” program. I was totally impressed with this show which featured music by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, and Beethoven. The drill is phenomenal and I thought their visual ensemble was fantastic. There is a great moment in their show when the cymbal players raise a member of the guard with beautiful butterfly silks using their cymbals as a platform. It’s quite impressive looking. The closer - to Beethoven - is fantastic. This is a high quality show which could possibly lead them to a top six finish. Madison - Once again the crowd favorite, the Scouts continue to make improvements with their show “Power, Pizazz, and All That Jazz!” They push all the right buttons with the audience from beginning to end. However, one must ask what buttons aren’t they pushing with the judges. Percussion performance is probably one of them. It may be neat GE to have 10 snares at one point and 10 tenors at another, but it probably isn’t very clean and they’re probably getting hammered for it. I also think they are being hurt with Visual GE. As I have stated before with Madison (and will again with other units later in this review) IMO they do not consistently utilize and integrate the color guard and I think it’s hurting their GE score. One thing that isn’t hurting them is the brass performance on the closer ”Remembrance.” What a great way to end and on this evening it sounded fantastic. Blue Devils, Concord, CA - Presenting “One Hand One Heart” with music from Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo & Juliet” and Bernstein’s “West Side Story,” BD may have another winner on their hands. With the guard portraying a fictional encounter between Juliet and WSS’s Tony, BD was just plain cleaner than every one else this evening. BD has no glaring weaknesses and plenty of strengths: the brass section and the color guard being the most obvious. Overall, I don’t think this program is as good as last year’s winning “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca, but as long as they keep spinning, contracting, and expanding their various formations to perfection, they will always be in the position to win. Santa Clara Vanguard, Santa Clara, CA - Presenting some of Aaron Copland’s lesser known works, this very entertaining show features SCV’s smokin’ drum line which is integrated into the overall drill much more than most batteries. And boy can they march. As a former snare it was quite impressive. The CG, in threesomes, does some very unique stuff with poles at one point (it’s kind of hard to describe; you basically need to see it). There is a section of the show which is straight out jazz, and SCV handles it well. At the end of the show while the brass and percussion are full speed ahead, I realized that the CG had been lost somewhere. I found them in the backfield and to the left, completely segregated from the rest of the corps. Why they were over there out of the way, I don’t know, but I can’t believe it helped their visual GE or Ensemble scores. IMO it kind of spoiled the ending to an otherwise very strong show and performance. Crossmen, Newark, DE - Lots of changes to this “A Metheny Portrait” show since I saw them in Elkton last month and most for the better. A new blue color for the battery percussion instruments and new DM outfits were immediately obvious. Upon taking the field Xmen looked much smaller than the other units for some reason. It’s probably due to only 56 brass for Crossmen (the other full sized Div. I corps had at least 60), but 36 in the guard. And these 36 are quite good. But what Xmen gain in visual from the guard they may be losing in music. While the percussion and CG are the strength of this unit, the overall performance seemed a little flat tonight. Not a good thing when you go on last with this powerhouse line-up. And just when It looked like we would escape any major problem due to the very hot weather and/or the altitude, one of the Xmen’s baritones passed out in the middle of the closer. Two or three other folks (a bari and a a couple of contras) tripped over her and the judge who was trying to help her, but overall it didn’t disrupt things too much. They were able to get her off the field without any further problems. While she was taken out of the stadium on a stretcher, she seemed to be okay. Some comments and observations: - Those who stayed afterward to hear BD’s victory concert understood fully why they won this evening. The brass are just CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. - Kind of a strange crowd in attendance. It was fairly knowledgeable with a lot of corps alumni and corps-style band people there, but they were very stingy overall with applause and ovations. - Including Div. II/III, 12 corps performed this evening and I was back to my car after a full retreat and the victory concert by BD at a reasonable time: 10:20 p.m. Why? They started Div II/III at 5:30 p.m., Div. I at 7 p.m., and kept things moving. Last week at DCM Championships, things finished up at 12:35 a.m. and there wasn’t even a victory performance. Producers of other shows should take note: there is no reason for a show, especially on a weekend, to start and finish late. Get folks out of the stadium at a reasonable hour. Kudos to those running DATR. With this show I have now seen all Top 12 units from last year as well as Pioneer, Sprit, KK, and Colts (I know I’m not the first to accomplish this season, but probably one of the few so far) and here are some of my thoughts. - Cavies are seriously in the hunt this year. I think their show will match up well with BD and SCV and it is obviously matching up well with CBC based on this past week’s scores. - I think BD’s show, while oh so complete in concept, is not as good as last year’s. However, they are still capable of winning with it. - As good a show as it is and despite many on RAMD who really like it and think they will win this year, I can't see any scenario where SCV wins in Orlando. - And what of Madison's fate? Right now they seem firmly fixed in 5th. Don't be surprised if they make a late season push to make it a 5-way race for the top. - Believe the hype: Gmen, Bluecoats and Blue Knights will be fighting it out for a Top 6 position in Orlando. - Don’t believe last year’s hype: PR and Crossmen fighting it out to keep from falling to 10th................. or worse. - Will Colts make it back to Top 12? Last week I thought so, this week I’m not sure. And this Pioneer score of 75 last night is really throwing a monkey wrench into things. If Magic can get any kind of help from their drum line to match the brass, it will spell trouble for the Colts. It will probably be a see-saw battle between Colts, Crown and Magic the rest of the season. Pioneer and Spirit should round out Top 15.
Michael Pleasants |
| Michigan City, IN (DCI)
The night was absolutely perfect for drum corps. Very little wind, although that made it warm before the sun went down. Everyone is right, the field is beautiful!! And the DQ across the street can't be beat. Tonight was another Cavaliers home show to honor the age-outs :( FYI, there was a nice and knowledgeable review/article in Michigan City's paper yesterday. FRONT PAGE!!!! The show started with a local marching band (The Wolfpack, I think) playing the national anthem and their fight song. It cracked me up because they spent about 1/2 an hour warming up for something that took 3 minutes. The color guards warmed up just to the right of the field, and we were sitting on about the 20 yard line, so we had a good view of them. Magic's color guard walked around the whole place, including the souvie booths, in a line holding hands. That got everyone wondering, "Who was that?!" We should have known!! Oh, back to the show... In order of appearance: Spirit of Atlanta, 73.2... 6th place Colts, 77.3... 5th place Boston Crusaders, 70.0... 7th place Magic of Orlando, 78.5... 4th place Cadets of Bergen County, 90.1... 1st place Phantom Regiment, 80.0... 3rd place Cavaliers, 89.8... 2nd place After the shows, they began the usual retreat and read scores. No one booed the scores. I think we all have too much respect for Cadets and were so pleased to be able to see them. The announcer (the same guy at Wheeling, still never got his name) made note to the small point spread. Mostly, there were ooh's and aah's. Then, all Cavalier age-outs came to the front of the field. In order of # of years marched, they told everyone their name, hometown, position, and number of years. There were a lot of rook-outs and 2 year marchers. For all of you who were there, you probably can't forget my brother's introduction: "My name is Tom Buell. I'm from St. Louis, Missouri, and I've marched baritone for siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiix yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaarrrrssss!!!!!" That got the whole crowd into it. I felt like a proud ... whatever. Then, all corps left the field, except the Cavaliers. They then played a couple of old tunes, like they did in Wheeling, and played the show. Everyone looked exhausted. They had done a parade in the morning, and they all looked like they would pass out at any minute! However, they all survived, and everyone had a good time. After the show, I think everyone raided the Steak-n-Shake and Denny's on 421. We got to SnS late (since we stayed to talk to Tom and others), and the place was a mess! No cleaned tables and the staff looked so haggard. It took 15 minutes to get our burgers to go (of course, you can't go to SnS expecting it to be super fast!). One thing I thought was amazing: ALL corps got police escorts through town to the highway!! I have NEVER seen that! Michigan City really treats these kids right! For anyone concerned about the trip to Texas, the kids have been warned. They know it is hot and are not allowed to drink any sodas. I hope that, since they are mentally prepared, they will know to drink water as much as possible, especially when they don't feel they need to. That's it for me today. We have no AC at work, it's about 90 degrees in here, and my computer does NOT like it one bit (it never cares how I feel! :) See you at Ypsi and Orlando!!! :) Dar |
| Clifton, NJ (DCA)
The show opened with the Yankee Rebels Alumni, which played lots of memorable music from the past. Next on, The Skyliners Alumni, complete with Tympani, and a Huge Horn Line and Drum Line which rocked the stands. Beginning the Competition, was the Heatwave from Florida. I believe they brought the heatwave here with them as it was scorching during the day. They fielded a small, but ambitious corps, approx 23 Brass, 9 Percussion, and 8 Guard. Some highlights were the Gloria Estafan music, Jaws, I dream of Jeannie, and Jimmy Buffet. They played some nice backfield stuff also. Nice field coverage, strong soound. They could close up the intervals a bit to generate more sound, and some marching a little inconsitant. But hey, they came all the way up from Florida. I really enjoyed the show. Next up, The Chieftans. They had an interesting silent start, with some nice impacts in the opener. They are on the smaller size also. I saw the addition of a quad tenor player up front since last week. Not to beat a dead horse, but the marching is still very inconsistant for July, as they are trying to perform a challenging book. I believe the Holsinger piece contained a poly rhythmic section, which contained good writing, but not sold well. I also noticed quite a bit of fanning up in the pit. During the ballad (John Williams piece?), there could have been a lot more support from the pit. Tymp player could play out a lot more. There are lots of places in the show where he could really shine. A huge flag is pulled out at the end of the show which added some good effect. In summary, there are many interesting ideas, but can they really be performed well in 8 weeks? I'm looking foward to see the improvement ahead. Good luck Chieftans. throughout the corps. Could use some more balance work. Great guard as always. The Sailors dance had some fuzzy brass spots, but a solid performance overall. Hurricanes played a great Jazzy show, with the drumset feature, which is cool. They have some hot brass solos also. Good general effect.. Bucs were overall very effective and solid. The drumline hummed. I did notice an instructor on the track coaching the corps. Maybe it was an illusion. They do a cool thing in Russian Christmas music where the drummers hold a cymbal in one hand and strike it with a stick, that along with the chimes, sets a nice mood in the quiet section of the piece. It was a memorable moment. I'm not sure if the trademark Westshore Cymbal Hi Hat stuff works in Classical Russian themes, but heck, it is a trademark, and they took high drums. Bush was very impressive for its size. I counted about 23 Horns. They had a good size drum line and guard. There are some little things here and there, but the show is well constructed, and I'll bet they clean it up a bunch. The drums were a bit strong at times, overpowering the brass. At the end of their show there is a baritone solo which is a sustained single note which lasted quite a while. What a great player. It was very effective and well performed. Another great moment of the evening. Cabs were last in competition. They were playing very well tonight at the home show. I think Mike Loungo was pushing the tempos tonight, which generated excitement from the corps. I felt good emotion from them. Malaga rocks... The Cabs alumni made an impressive statement of what it was like to be a Cab in days gone by. These guys must practice their butts off. I watched the battery warming up in the parking lot. Hot stuff. |
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