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Friday July 9

Stockton, CA (DCI-Pacific) Hello everyone out there in drum corps land! It's almost 2:00AM. I am exhausted so this may not be the longest or most PC review. Please don't flame me or blame me if you don't like my thoughts and opinions on tonight's contest, as they are only that - MY opinions. WEST COAST SOUND - although still extremely small, they are much improved from last year and seem to have the basics of marching down very well. With about 10-15 more horns and a couple more drummers and guard members, I think they will be a hot little Div III corps to watch in the coming years. Really loved the Sting/Police show, especially Russians. IMPULSE - Call me a stick in the mud, but I found them to be on the annoying side.....VK wannabes, if you will, but too small and new to pull it off successfully. VK tried to be funny, and they were. Impulse tries too hard to be funny, and it didn't go over well with me. The rest of the crowd loved 'em though, so I guess I'm a grump. The show itself was kinda fun - Beach Boys and Jackson Five tunes. Cute! SEATTLE CASCADES - I didn't really understand their show. They have what looks like a giant oil well in the middle of the field, and the pit dressed in coveralls, My best guess is that they're doing a show about the oil industry (seriously) but I just didn't get it. The corps has a lot of potential and seems quite talented. Perhaps a synopsis of their repertoire would have helped, but none was available. SCV CADETS - Looking much improved from Family Day a month ago. They really look like a little A corps - great marching and playing techniques being taught to future A corps members. I enjoy the Dello Joio opener a lot. Drums sound GREAT - really clean. Nice drill too. BD B - Sorry, it's too late.....I can't remember much right now. Sorry about that! MANDARINS - I really like this show. This corps never ceases to impress me. They are always SO small yet always SO good to listen to and to watch. On the Waterfront seemed to be a real crowd pleaser. I like their version, as it's quite a bit different from Cadets 86 and SCV 97. PACIFIC CREST - Why isn't this corps going to nats????? They would win Division II, no contest. No one would come close. They are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! Pacific Crest staff, ARE YOU LISTENING :o)???? You guys are fantastic!!!! PLEASE tour in the near future!!!!!! BD - They're show has grown on me. I really like the percussive opener, and it's a nice show overall. Unfortunately, tonight's performance was plagued by VERY BD-uncharacteristic problems including several REALLY sloppy soprano licks, and tons of musical phasing side to side. Oddly enough, the corps phased MORE while playing as a close-knit ensemble, but when spread all over the field they played together better. Hmmm....doesn't make sense to me. I LOVE their guard. Man, they are awesome! Kudos to BD guard. BD has a very nice show and they march well, but I don't see them placing higher than 3rd at Nats this year because I don't believe the show is as exposed musically or visually as SCV (and perhaps Cadets.....I'll judge that after seeing them at DATR next weekend). SCV - What can I say? I know I'm biased, but these guys are incredible this year. Tonight they won all captions except percussion, and SHOULD have won ALL captions. What was Chuck King (perc judge) thinking? He's a friend of mine, but I oughta kick his butt! The audience was constantly gasping from amazement during their show - it's SO beautiful - and gave several standing O's througout and at the end.. The hornline is gorgeous - very rich and tight - and the marching very clean (except the final move of the show seemed a bit flubbed..... probably nerves or overhype or something) for July. The percussion......WOW! Again, I think they got screwed tonight in the high drums caption. Oh well. My one major complaint - I do NOT like the guard uniforms OR the work in the ballad. I know I'm not a guard person, but no one around me or with me liked it either. I felt the odd-looking "earth tone" uniforms really detracted from the show instead of enhancing it. In any case, the corps deserved to win hands down tonight. I believe that everyone knew it too, even the die hard BD fans. So, I've been reading all these east coast reviews about how Cadets are going to repeat and no one will beat them this year and yada yada yada. Let's just see what happens on August 14th. I will go out on a limb and say that Cadets and SCV will surely end up in the top two spots. In what order? That remains to be seen. As an alum, I personally hope SCV ends up on top, but again..... I'm biased. Man, SCV's victory concert was sweet and LOUD and awesome. Whatta hornline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got very choked up watching Ray Velarde bow his head during the playing of Clowns. What a brave and inspiritation kid he is! Kick ass Ray! So Happy happy everyone, and perhaps I'll post again tomorrow after PP. Again, sorry for any weird or negative comments. I'm SO tired, but it was a great show. Everyone performed their hearts out and it was a lot of fun! Martha Garcia SCV pit 84-87 Here goes. I don't have scores with me, but here are a few impressions. I missed Impulse and West Coast Sound, but I'll see them tomorrow night in San Jose. Mandarins: Hard horn book. They do a good job with the Bernstein music and as always the guard was very good. BDB: Smallish hornline, but they do a good job of balancing to a large battery. Big guard adds a lot of visual spalsh. The msic didn't really grab me, but it was the first hearing. SCV Cadets: Not doing a 'theme' show this year. They just picked three cool pieces from modern wind band literature and played them. I thought it worked well. Lots of energy and excitement. Seattle Cascades: A little abstract, but some really cool moments. The pit banging on variuos pieces of metal was cool. Pacific Crest: WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This corps has come so far in the last three years it is scary. Great hornline, rocking drums, great guard, and an intense show. If they went to Madison, they would win Div II by three points. Also, cool new uniforms. BD: Cool show. The rhythm thing works pretty well. As always, the hornline sounds fantastic, the guard is great, and the drumline is much improved over last year. They will be in the hunt for sure at Madison. SCV: Everything you have heard is true: This show kicks much ass!!!! The won all captions except percussion with an amazing package. They got a standing ovation in the middle of the show! They are vastly ahead of where they were last July, and based on what I saw, they will be right in the thick of things in August. It was also nice to hear 'Send in the Clowns'!! I'm tired. Good night. Spencer Jepson California Shockwave Music Director SCV Alumni Lee Rudnicki: Random Stockton Notes 1. I had a chance to personally meet many of the members of the organization that sponsors the show, S.O.M.E., at the after-critique party. This organization is obviously not a group of people "indifferently collecting tickets." After having a few minutes to talk with them, it is very apparent that they all share an extreme passion about the drum corps activity. I would like to personally thank them for allowing the Renegades to perform, and the manner in which they made the corps feel welcome to their debut performance - and for taking the time to find me after the show to talk about the corps. I don't know how many of you saw the corps after they got off the field, but the reaction among the corps members was as if they had just won DCI!!!!! I don't remember the last time I saw a group of people so incredibly happy at just having a chance to perform. The crowd reaction was great as well. All in all - mission accomplished, and the corps "took the first step up the laddder." Thank you S.O.M.E., another job well done. 2. Whoever designed the Mandarins uniforms is a genius. 3. Without comparing them to any other corps (I will leave that to the judges), check out the Blue Devil drum line in the parking lot this year. Their percussion book is absolutely insane!!!!!! Definitely fun to watch, and some of the most difficult drum parts I have seen in a long, long time..... Also, the bass line is the most talented BD has ever had, and in one BD staff members opinion, the best he has ever seen. Yeah, that sounds like "hype," but I don't know that I can disagree with him... Take as listen - you will be amazed... 4. SCV's show is cool. At times, a bit Star 93ish for me, but hey - since Star is running around enjoying fish and chips or whatever it is they are doing right now, it is good that someone picked up the ball. Although their "impact points" need to improve, they have a good shot at winning DCI this year. Special hello to Murray Gusseck. 5. Speaking of Star, a number of people seem to have interpreted my recent and not-so recent comments re: Star of Indiana as personal slams on Bill Cook. I suggest those people read what I wrote again carefully. Is it great that he helped out the Cavies with their food truck problems et al? Yes. Do I have any personal hostility towards Bill Cook? Absolutely not. Is it a shame that Star is not on the field this year in DCI competition? YES!!!!!!!!!! If you believe that it is good thing that the Star of Indiana is running-amok in countries with bad food, instead of being another world class corps in DCI where they are needed - pat yourself on the back. Congratulations. You are a yes-man (or woman.) Yes-people make everyone feel good, but generally never get anything done. Count me out of this stupid club. 6. What was the corps with the "exclamation point" on their uniforms? Impulse? They are wacky. Good. DCI could use a few more wacky corps since VK and Bayonne "left town." Nice to see another corps solely focused on entertainment. 7. Seven. 8. Apparently the Evil Renegades tee-shirts are a big hit. Over $500.00 in sales at the corps first show. Thank you to everyone that now owns one of these extremely evil shirts, including Scott Johnson of the Blue Devils, who told me he will be wearing his "all over the country." Very amusing to see people walking around a drum corps show with shirts that say "Give me a Drum and Get the Hell Out of My Way." If you are interested in buying one of these evil shirts, contact Brandon at BJWilson@Renegades.org. Yes, at $20.00, our shirts are a bit more expensive than some other corps -- but we have more people that want to march than instruments right now, and we need to buy at least 25 new horns ASAP. Your tee-shirt purchase will help the Renegades to grow, and become much more "evil." :-) 60. Yes, this was supposed to be # 9, but I thought I would make it #60" in commemoration of my sixty posts on the internet a week or two ago. Now that the chaos has subsided, and most everyone is happy, I have something amusing to tell you --- At the time, I was so upset, I was actually going for "1000," but AOL cut me of from the newsgroups after #60. (true story) Apparently, that makes my attempt some sort of unbeatable world record, unless you have an ISP that is "more lenient" than AOL... 10. The Renegades are adding a color guard. The first step in that process is to assemble a staff. Anyone interested in teaching the Renegades color guard, please e-mail me at drumlaw80@aol.com. You must have experience, and a willingness to put together a very, very unique guard. Judging from the level of interest the corps has received so far, the corps expects to have at least 20 in the guard next year. 11. The Blue Devil C corps needs to perform at DCI Finals some year. Excuse my prolific word choice, but I believe the DCI crowd would go "ape-shit" for this corps. Those of you that have never seen them are really missing out. Traditionally, they receive one of the best crowd reactions of any corps at the West Coast shows they perform in... I salute the BDC!!! 12. Next up to bat for my "writing" - a story about Prague. Target venue = bigger than Modern Drummer. The next step up the ladder.... 13. AND FINALLY - Over the last few years, you have read quite a bit about my "Promotions Team" theory on how the drum and bugle corps can become marketed to the mainstream public, and better funded by community and corporate support. I am on a mission to prove this theory works with the Renegades. Next year, the corps will be at least twice as big as a result of this theory of operations. We have retained a grant writer, marketing people and attorneys. Get ready for the proof. the end. Lee Rudnicki

DeKalb, IL (DCM Championships) Hi, all! Just a few quick thoughts on all the corps in Div. I. I, unfortunately, had a dinner plan that ran late, and missed Div. II...wish that I could have seen them both...look forward to seeing Americanos in exhibition tomorrow night. In order of performance: Southwind...6th...64.8 First time I have seen them this summer...I like the sunny yellow outfits...they get you from the word "go" with a hot beginning horn lick...the music is nice all the way through, but still has a ways to go. I also like the overall field design and show concept. It is still mighty sloppy. They need to spend some time on M&M seriously! The guard has a nice highlight during the ballad with really nice deep blue & purple flags. However, if you are going to give a corps that is in all yellow and black a set of solid red flags for the opener, it has to be clean. Right now, the M&M and the flag work are holding them back. Good show...nice to see you back in the activity. Phantom Regiment...4th...73.8 Second viewing this year...have cleaned their field show greatly...they have a lot of nice moments, and the music is beautiful. Seems a little disjointed in places. Their strength is the middle and lower brass and they play to it. The upper brass is strong, but a little strident. there are still spacing problems, and the guard has never really become an integrated part of this show. they had a rough show as well. Whereas in the first viewing I was optimistic, I am now thinking an 8-12 finish at the end. Pioneer...7th...62.1 Second time I have seen them, and they have cleaned it a lot in 2 1/2 weeks. They are playing with more confidence and marching so much more cleanly. They are making up nicely for the lack of horns. Guard had some trouble in the closer, but overall, it was good. Glassmen...2nd...78.8 Very classy show...two things stood out predominantly thru the show...the percussion is phenomenal, and the guards' flags are all beautifully designed. The guard is well integrated into the show, and the marching has improved in the last 2.5 weeks. The horns were nice and balanced, but didn't seem as much of a force as the first time I heard them. A rather sedate performance tonight. Still some holes left. One consideration for rethinking is their drill design--some parts and sets are so beautiful, but sometimes they seem so dense that they are not very readable--and I was up high! Still, they have reached and are sustaining a higher level of performance. They are indeed one of the top 6 corps now. Colts...5th...72.0 This show is growing on me...some hot sop solos...good solid percussion...guard is becoming a nice piece of the show...I am still not hip on some of the guard work, and I am much happier when those tan/blood red overlays are shed...the huge blue flags near the end are very effective! The show's field design is really nice, and very engaging. The horn sound is not as mature as Phantom's, but I thought they marched cleaner and had a better show tonight. I would have put them 4th. Still has room to grow. Madison...3rd...75.7 As usual, the crowd favorite...Jesus Christ Superstar really works for them...noticeable change in guard level with Madison...much more sophisticated and cleaner! Horns were hot and entertaining....percussion pretty good....everyone really loved the cross to star transition at the end of the show. One of the neatest drill designs I have seen from Madison in a while...really on performance...most people felt that they should have been in 2nd...I didn't think that the point spread would have been that much. What is it that I am missing? Is it all in percussion, because in other areas they were cleaner. Cavies...1st...79.7 Second viewing of them as well...they didn't have an "on" show tonight...really lackluster...still again, you can tell a big jump between Cavies, Madison, and the other corps in execution...they are at a different level...guard also has that same level jump and it is not the best Cavie guard that I remember. Still two guard that seem a shade behind in step and in equipment work. Horns ok night, but didn't sell it. marching pretty darn clean. The humorous section didn't catch anyone's laughter tonight, however. thought that they'd probably be in 1st, but it didn't do much for me tonight. So tomorrow, be on and crack 80! Should be fun tomorrow! Tim Hendrix In DCM prelims, Madison was the favorite corps of almost everybody in the audience. The Scouts have a fabulous show that still has room to grow, with just some cleaning. The Cavaliers continue to score highest in the midwest, but they still aren't connecting with the audience as well as several other midwest corps are connecting. It's hard for me to understand why. Many people have blamed the musical book. Up close and personal, indoors in the stage show they did two weeks ago in Evanston, the Cavies' book had a lot of impact, and it seemed like a natural for a drum corps show. On the field, with the drill they have, it just doesn't quite fire. I can't decide if it's a problem with drill design (does the corps seem too faraway, sometimes?) or if they just don't have a musical book that can work well in a stadium. The Cavies are performing very well, but the emotional impact to the audience is low. (Of course, that doesn't stop a corps from scoring well, because DCI's judging rules reward other things. Personally, I think drum corps would do better ($$$) to pay more attention in judging to what the ticket-buying audience wants: shows like Madison's, because that would encourage more corps to be more entertaining, but hey, what do I know?) Glassmen, Colts, and Southwind are all fielding strong corps and moderately entertaining shows this year. Glassmen have a good shot at top five, and Colts, top ten. Phantom still has a lot of cleaning to do, and it's hard to envision them contending for even top five with all the execution problems they're still having, given what other corps are doing right now, but there are many very nice moments in their show. Loved Pioneer's drum solo. Haven't seen the caption scores, but I would guess Americanos passed up Capitol Sound on the drumline, and maybe visual execution, too; Capitol had the better horns and visual GE tonight, I thought; and both shows were enjoyable. There was definitely no "Coke corps" tonight, but on the other hand, nobody, not even Madison (who definitely came closest), really lit the place up, either, like they and others have at times in the recent past. *Lots* of equipment drops from most corps tonight, surprising for almost mid-July. Butterfinger contagion. One footnote to tonight's show. They finally found a way to stop the stadium lights from buzzing in Dekalb! For several years now, the buzzing transformers have trashed many a quiet moment in corps shows. This year, silence reigned. Dekalb is once again one of the best stadiums to see and hear drum corps. Dave

Thursday July 8

Buffalo, NY (DCI-Atlantic) I will start this review by saying, I am stating my thoughts and opinions as I saw the show this evening. This is also my first time posting a review , so be gentlle. If you care to respond, you can contact me at Stinsod@ix.netcom.com. I am using my friends computer, so lets hope this works. I'll try to give you my point of view of what I saw. I didn't take notes, so it's all on memory. All I can say is tonight was a guard persons nightmare, it was windy. Not just a little windy, but at times there were some big gusts. Lake Erie Regiment - 6 girls and they started with weapons, guns to be exact. They had them for maybe 30-40 seconds of the show, then they picked up a silk. Unfortunately I had a very hard time seeing the written work because the wind really beat up these kids. They struggled through and I give them credit. They had some very nice moments with a purple/blue print silk. Once they get some more shows under their belt and some more good old fashion cleaning, they do just fine. Patriots - First I must say when I saw them enter I expected alot from them. Their WGI World guard is very, very good and the kids have some hands on them. Once again the wind got the best of them, but this guard sure has some great weapons moments. Still have some of the show to learn. Boston Crusaders - 25 kids, with 4 of those sitting out for the begining of the show. I have seen some posts looking for more kids for the guard, and I assume they go four more. Very nice written work, this guard has great potential to go places. They come out with a large orange silk for the opening, then grab a small pole and then they start spinning. They too had some great weapons work. I am looking forward to seeing this guard on a nice, calm day. They, like the others, had wind problems. This group is a example of how the wind was. They put up a toss, they all went up together, then on the way down, the pole blew about 3-5 feet in front of them and some caught and most didn't. Good luck to these kids. Kavaliers - Didn't see Crown - WOW!!!! This is great show. In my opinion, this is a corps that knows they have a great guard and have built their show around it. I felt this way last year as well but, even more so this year. The are wearing black and white leotards (left side one color/right side the other), and through the first half of the show they slowly start revealing red. Eventually the entire guard is in red. In the middle of the show the have a great flag moment with half the guard with one color silk and the other half with another and they compliment each other very well. This show has been well written, and once again, I think the wind got to them. They especially had a hard time with thier weapons tonight. The wind was blowing their sabre's and guns all over the place. The had an odd peice of equipment, it was half rifle, half sabre. They didn't use it very long, but it was odd. This guard is going places and within a few very short years, it is going to be on top with the other big boys. Crossmen - On a side note, away from the guard, I liked the new corps uni's. They chose a great classy look. Whomever designed the guard's uniform did a great job at complimenting it. The stared out with a grey unitard with a purple wrap. All blue silks opened the show. After about a minute into there work I had realized that this guard was beating the wind. Toss after toss went into the air and came back in the hands. They push through phrases without missing a beat. The wind was still blowing like it did with all the other corps, the Crossmen just stepped up to the plate. This show is dirty, and if I recall (man I wish I would have taken notes) was not finished. But when clean, it will be the crossmen guard we have come to love. They do have a few uniform changes. At one point they take off the purple wrap and just were the grey leotard. Then later they put on a gold wrap. Bluecoats - I know the father of one of the girls in the guard. He told me there are only 5 or 6 vets and the remaining 30 girls are all rookies. Guess what? It shows. This is definately a rebuilding year for them. They have these long and thick PVC pipes all over the field that stood straight up and down in a holder of some sorts. The guard spent some time tonight breaking from their work to pick them back up because the wind had blown them down. This is definately a different look from the past 3-4 years of the coats, in both written style and design. It will have to grow on me. Once again, the wind showed in their performance tonight. Cadets - Along with the Crossmen, they beat the wind. It did not detour them. By far the best guard of the evening. And as I have seen on this newsgroup before, much improved over last years. They are wear blue uni's that look very "Business" like to go along with their theme. Ladies in dress/men in slacks. They open with a impressive flag statement backfield, then pick up weapons and.... you've got it, blow you away with their impressive weapon skills. At one point their is 1/3 of them on sabre, 1/3 on gun, and a 1/3 just doing drill. I question the 1/3 doing drill. As I watch, I assume they will have some type of body written in, given a silk, or given a weapon at a later date. The ballad is all body, with one female on a silk. After the ballad, they all pick up thier closer silk and spin some great unison work like the cadet do so well. Again, I did not take notes, so some of this may be off, and if it is, I apologize in advance. I see most of these corps next week, so I'll take a pencil and paper and write some stuff down and be a little more educated the next time I write on of these. (Please excuse the spelling, the spell check doesn't work and it's 2am) Dave

Wednesday July 7

Washington, D.C. (DCI-Atlantic) Sorry I don't have time to do a long review, but: Magic- opened tonight's contest in exhibition only... due to borrowed pit, no uni's, etc... vehicle troubles apparently. Horns and drums much improved over my viewing of them a week ago. Guard needs to be restaged to the rear of the field for the last 1/3 of the show and learn the rest of the book. Overall, the corps has a real shot at Saturday night, but it will take some work and still be close. Kavaliers- much smaller corps but very enjoyable. Well programed vehicle for them this year. Barely DIV II size (maybe 62 or so) Boston- you read about it already- this is the best I've ever seen these guys. Program is very good and they are making fast progress. Horn angles and dynamics much improved over a week ago. Crowd loved them. Saturday night welcomes you!v Spirit- good balanced corps which needs to rewrite the closer for improved impact. Crown- the guard is still dominating the show... which is not always a bad thing. Horns and drums still not comfortable with books. Saturday night worthy, for sure. Bluecoats- a little different for them, kind of like 'coats meet Star '93. Attempt is admirable... got a lot of cleaning and a little watering down to do. Great looking guard silks and unis. Pole props are distracting from the drill and IMHO unneeded. Xmen- filling ten holes in the hornline tonight (well, for the middle third of the show) including 5 new contra players. This could be the best corps in their history, provided they can pump up the closer... which they are trying to play in a sophisticated mannner. Problem is, it is NOT a subtle piece... so come on low brass: BLOW. Guard looking very good, and getting better fast. Cadets- Cadets have begun to speed up tempos and make changes, esp in the opener. Sets are starting to read better and the sections are starting to gel timing-wise. Cannot see a weakness in this corps.. so possible repeat. Need to still revise the peaks and valleys in the show and perhaps feature the drumline in another short break or two... but they are well ahead of last year at this point, so time is on their side. Contest-- well attended and smoothly run, lightening in the perimeter turned the finale into a drum-major only retreat. Enjoy and support all the corps! George Nice big crowd...too many "experts" in the stands narrating to people around them, chattering away during the shows, though...rain and lightening threatened during Cadets' show, but didn't materialize...Kiwanis Kavaliers small but respectable...Magic in exhibition and in shorts and tshirts, ferried to the site by automobiles because of bus problems, still crowd appreciated their effort to be there...Boston Crusaders very strong in individual sections, but difference this year is a mature show design that integrates all audio/visual elements for large field-wide effects, excellent and took the crowd by surprise!!...Spirit of Atlanta much better than I'd been led to believe by reading RAMD, huge horn sound in places, just need consistency throughout the show...Bluecoats: I enjoyed it, but probably my least favorite Bluecoat show since '92, sometimes the PVC piping effects work, sometimes they are extremely distracting, sometimes the Corea music is extremely interesting, sometimes it feels like it is rambling...Carolina Crown: woo hoo, some years I am lukewarm about this corps, but my favorite of the night!! Wide range of emotions and almost seamless coordination of audio and visual in this show, if you are a true drum corps fan don't miss seeing this show, especially the guard...Crossmen have NINE new hornplayers in uniform on the sideline who entered the field for the last half of the show, hornline has 56-58 now, last half of show seemed rougher because of the new additions, gaurd is just plain excellent, drums tight, and horns played much more in tune than the corps who followed ...Cadets: first half of show was great, ballad dull, last section of show embarassingly and painfully out of tune, IMHO of course...Crown's guard is better, Crossmen's horns are better, why are Cadets scoring so far ahead of everybody else? Jeff Hammond Rockville, MD This show was run extremely well, and a good crowd attended. On to the corps: Magic - (Exhibition) Due to loss of equipment trucks they were not in uniform. I am not wild about this show, to much like a high school band show!(IMO), but they are making progress, and should be applauded for even performing tonight. The Magione music is accesible and Land of Make Believe is improving steadily from the first few shows of the season. Kiwanis Kavaliers - Didn't see Boston Crusaders - Others have said it, but they are indeed the best I have ever seen them, of coarse thats only since '93, but I was definitely impressed. The horn sound is mature and strong when it needs to be, and their theme of Symphonic Dances flows well from start to finish. I would really like to see this show make Finals. One suggestion I would make would be to change the opening and closing Flag. The guard used huge florescent flags, that IMO are very hard on the eyes and don't coordinate with the rest of the themes they use. Spirit of Atlanta - I personally liked them more last year, but this show is entertaining if you like park and blow and a loud hornline. They play well while standing still, and the opening statement is very effective, but once marching starts, the quality drops drastically. IMO the trick ending has been done too much in the past, and does not add much to their show. It looks like a definte SemiFinals spot again. Carolina Crown - Wow! these guys the award for most changes and improvement during the first month of tour. When I first saw this Jekyll + Hyde show two weeks ago, I thought there was no way they would make Finals, but now I believe they stand a good chance. The guard now wears Black on one side, White on the Other body suits through most of the show, and later begins to transform into a Red body suit towards the end which does a good job of portraying the battle between good and evil that the story is about. They had new flags in the ballad that are different shades of pink with black and white accents which also compliment the visual theme well. As has been pointed out, the guard is unquestionably their strong point with percussion holding their own. They are being held back by a weak hornline and dirty marching, two problems that I believe they will find solutions to come August. Bluecoats - This is my least favorite Bluecoats show in recent memory, but the opener has improved leaps and bounds from two weeks ago. I agree that the poles don't add much or make any sense. There are parts of the show where the show reminds me of BD '94 on a smaller scale obviously, but it just isn't exciting enough, and there are very few high impact points. One a positive note, they do have the most demanding drill I have ever seen from them which has some very nice moments. I feel Boston Crusaders have a good chance of eventually passing them though, and knocking them out of Finals. Crossmen - I love the potential of this show, they just need to Clean, Clean, Clean!! I have read mixed review about their show, but I love the design. The guard is weaker this year compared to the last few, but still good. The drumline is strong, and the hornline holds its own. There were around 10 new members waiting to enter the show in the opener, which will pretty much fill up their hornline. Their final placement will vary drastically depending on the changes they make and how high they can raise their performance level. They could be anywhere from 10 to 6. It will be hot by Madison though! Cadets - Being a Cadets Alum, I admit I am biased, but this show is Classic Cadets. The performance tonight was off in some places, but much improved from last week in others. They have changed the Blue Note Jazz section Ending. They just learned the change the past two days, and replaced an extremely long note ending (ala last years show) to a down and dirty park and blow with an extremely cool rifle feature. The hells kitchen section (gunfight from '96) was on fire tonight. The guard sabre/briefcase exchage is amazing, but you have to pay close attention to even see it. They had a great impact tonight at the end of this section, and once again, yes the tenor solo is phenomenal, and I'm not a percussion fan. The second half of the show leaves me a little flat, as others have said. It think the first half is so good, that eventhough the ballad and closer are fine, they seem like a let down. The horn sound in the ballad is great this year, but its not as emotionally charged as the last two years, they have changed the guard staging in the ballad for the better, they were behind the corps proper with no equipment and very hard to see, but have now been moved to the left side of the field. The closer is very Coplandesque, and I think will be the subject of the next round of changes on the part of the staff. There is no final wow impact in the show yet. They play backfield and turnaround in a large arch with everyone expecting to be blown away, but the music just kindof sits there. The final 30 seconds of whiplash, morphing drill is neat, but I still think a better ending can be devised. If drum corps shows were 7 minutes long, I would have little doubt that Cadets would repeat as champions this year, but what they do with the final 4 minutes of this show for the rest of the summer I feel will determine their fate and make it interesting for all the fans. Overall, Its shaping up to be anthoner great drum corps season, although I think the Eastern Corps overall are weaker at this point than last year. Sorry if this is too long, I tried to go into some details that many others posts seem to neglect, but this was my first review. On to Hershey Yeah!!!!!!!!!! Anthony English

Dubuque, IA (DCM) Grant Wood All City Drum Corps (Exh.)-Good effort by this group. I have a lot of respect for this program and what they do for the community and the kids involved. And they have some pretty hot tenor players! Great job. Colt Cadets (Exh.)-Colt Cadets did an outstanding job, and would have been judged, except TWO of the judges were late. Yeah, way to be on the ball. Anyways...this corps has improved a lot; the music flows better and the guard is MUCH cleaner. Keep up the good work and maybe will see you in DCM Finals??? Decorah Kilties(25.5)-Are the Kilties a cadets corps or not, because it looks as if they have an awful lot of very young people. Anyways, um...hmm..Kilties have a pretty good contra player and a very good soprano soloist. I'll stop there. Capital Regiment (?)-This corps has also come a long way since I saw them last. The have added a lot of very effective visuals, and have done a lot with staging and use of their props (platforms with ladders leading to them). They had a good drum line with nice equipment, a good sound, and a clean guard. Good luck to this first year corps! Marion Cadets (?)-Small but mighty is right for this corps. They had a very clean guard with some killer rifle work/tosses. A couple of times they experienced some phasing problems, primarily due to the fact that at that point they didn't have an active drum major. For only having 18 people in the whole corps(6 pit, 7 brass, 5 guard), they did an excellent job; very tight and clean. Pioneer (63.8)-As the first Div. I corps of the night, they were definitely enjoyed by the audience. This corps has has a lot going for them. They have a lot of motion in their show and excellently staged their brass and their guard. I would say that they improved, but the last time i saw them it was raining rather hard, so i have a biased opinion. Some nice hits, but is all that Irish music? I swear I've heard some of it as some other nationality, I just can't think of what. Anywho, thy have a very relaxed brass sound, and were right on the tails of Southwind tonight (.1 behind). Southwind (63.9)-I just need to take a moment to comment on how impressive the first segment of their show is. That brass sound blew me away...jeesh..you'd think they were owned by Madison or something. Good brass throughout, although the drum line was very sloppy on a relatively easy book (especially in the opener). The guard was ok, but could used some more of something. There were a lot of unneccessary mistakes too. I dont know what that means, but, ohwell, it's late. Overall, they have a decent show, but it lacked energy tonight. Also, the flags at the end of the closer were effective to a point, but there was just to much yellow. Good start for this corps, I expect them to go places this year. Phantom Regiment (75.?)-First of all I must put down a disclaimer that I have never been a big Phantom fan, though I will do my best to give an unbiased review. I think firstly that this is my least favorite Phantom show ever, even last year. They have a nice brass sound, very dark, but often inconsistent. The sopranos were over-bearing, and the contras were very out of tune. The guard had a lot of nice moments, and on the whole seemed very relaxed, and comfortable with the work, although there was a time with a backfield line that was terribly sloppy and out of character with the rest of the show. The was a really cool part that was silent with a guard line and a really high saber toss that the crowd loved. The corps recovered well from an 8 or 10 person pile-up in a line of back-marching sopranos, luckily their black uniforms made the accident less obvious. On the whole, this show too lacked energy, and the music was very bland and not conducive to drum corps. This corps may stuggle to hold onto their place from last year. Madison Scouts (77.?)- WOW, I love this totally Madison version of JS Superstar! The begginging is very cool, with the pendulum like guard, and then the build-up to that first blast of that huge Madison brass sound that fills the stadium. I especially liked the jammin' version of Everything's All Right, what a mellophone line! The percussion was tight and of course the brass were awesome. Although the drill was very crowd pleasing, after a while, I found the shrinking or rotating boxes somewhat repetitive. The guard was amazing, some of those tosses were huge, and right on the money. They had very entertaining and detailed work with a lot of interesting details. And King Herod's song is cool were the soprano and the rifle switch. Vey fun! I cant wait to see this show through the year. Colts (71.5)-I must admit again that I am a big Colts fan, and will again try to appear as unbiased as possible. After hearing Madison, Colts, who usually have a big sound, almost seemed as if they were on mute. The exciting opener went well, with just a little phasing in the guard. The second song had a few marching problems, but I found out later that they had just re-written the drill and relearned it a few days before. I have to say again, Colts have the most awesome pit I have seen, and they're all really good and have really hard parts. The guard was decent and the brass wowed everyone in the standstill after the show. The drumline was on, and the drum break had a lot of very complex and cool marching in it. I think Colts stand a strong chance at 10th place this year. Can't wait until DeKalb! GOPPres

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