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Thursday June 24

Normal, IL (DCM) Well, my first show of the season! AHHHH! I now feel human! I'll try to review the show and give some general perceptions...but I forewarn--tonight was a haze, I was just soaking it all in and enjoying it! General show perceptions...great stadium, fabulous weather--a better night for drum corps this time of year could not be imagined, parking was not a problem and traffic was easy! So far, so good! Only show gripe--it's a DCI show, the stadium was pretty full, have more than one measley concession stand open, please! I, along with 150 others, crammed and sardined just to get a drink...missed opening national anthem, etc. Pioneer - 7th place - 53.5 Due to the concession crud, I had to watch Pioneer from the tunnel and couldn't really tell a lot. The crowd did seem to receive them well. What I could notice was that they seemed smaller this year and not as far along as this time last year. Last year, they surprised me with a new, higher level of brass oomph! and visual performance, but it has not quite gelled for this year. All in all, classic Pioneer music and entertaining--lots of room to grow over the season. Colts - 6th place - 62.7 The crowd was disappointed in the placement and with good reason--they were a great crowd pleaser. They performed right after Blue Devils and everyone was quite surprised that they held their own. Sure, you could tell it wasn't the same quality sound as BD, but it was strong and powerful. The first half was a little sloppy in the guard and in the marching, but the performance was cleaner in the last half. I was worried about the switch back to a more classical program, but boy! they really pull it off! I am not decided about the tan guard unis at the beginning with deep red flame accents, but the guard pulled two uniform changes seamlessly, and the silks were all very nice designs that augmented the show. The guard work was much stronger near the end. I see them top 12 this year! Go, colts! Phantom Regiment - 5th place - 64.9 Again, the crowd was displeased with the PR's placement and expressed their displeasure vocally. But I understand the placement--the first half was extremely sloppy visually--scads and scads of uncharacteristic out of placements, visual phasing, spacing problems galore, etc. That said, wow! I like the potential of this show so much more than last year's. PR and Tchaikovsky--a natural pairing! Beautiful horns...a little strident in the upper brass, but it's early in the season. Low brass--whoa! Beautiful, round, warm! Drill is so much more interesting and challenging this year than last and when cleaned, I feel PR will make a move upward in placement. Guard work was nice, flags are nicely designed and placed, and the guardwork is good, but all in all--it didn't grab me as much as I thought it would. Eventually, I know their guard will polish and modify so that it is a perfect complement to the show and the music, but it is still a work in progress. Blue Knight - 4th place - 68.2 The crowd at large didn't think that BK would be this high in placement, but I guessed that they would based on their previous show's placement. However, I must say that I was somewhat underwhelmed and I didn't anticipate such a spread in score. They have a nice sound, and their marching is fairly clean for this early. Some nice moves, but nothing that grabbed my attention. The symphonic band literature is familiar territory for BK, and they do it well, but the show didn't strike me as much as last year's show. Color guard performed in dresses that were all individual designs--different shades of blue and each one a different pattern. I have seen individual guard outfits that have worked in other shows, but am not sure that it works here. Some of their really cool flags, which were busy in design and color, lost effect with each guard member wearing something different. Their guard work and dance work is nicely done, and they will be a strong guard again. Glassmen - 3rd place - 70.2 Glassmen performed second, right after Pioneer, and wowed the audience. It seemed like last year's show, Part II. I was so wowed last year with the jump in performance level they achieved, and was glad to see that it is being sustained. However, I have seen several posts saying that they are smoking and should be ahead of Cavies. It is a more exciting show throughout than Cavies, but it is still muddy. The reasons for the drill and guard work are not yet clear, and don't gel with the music entirely yet. When it is cleaned, it will be a hot show! I was just getting settled into my seat after Pioneer and the concession nightmare, so I realize that I didn't pay close attention to the show as I should. I just yelled when they peeled my ears and saw the potential. Cavaliers - 2nd place - 73.9 I have seen several posts that Cavies were underwhelming and blah after Glassmen. They performed right after G-men and I was worried for them. But, ya know--classic Cavies! They do have some excitement in the beginning and throughout the show. Again, they have the best drill design on the field at this early stage of the season. I did see a number of places in both drill and in guardwork that I immediately thought, "Hmmm...that will be changed before the end of the season!" Nevertheless, it certainly wasn't an underwhelming performance tonight. In the middle where the crowd sat quietly, it was because it was just not a "higher, faster, louder" extended place. As usual with Cavies shows, they explore 20th century symphonic band music, and it takes a while in the season to put it in a sellable condition. The horn balance and performance was much better in the Fantasia half and there was a spot that the middle horns shined beautifully. Kudos to the horn that crashed and burned near the front 50 right as the tempo and drill kicked it; he fell, lost it, but recovered quickly without destroying the drill for anyone else. Guard work--again, a fantastic guard, but I must admit that I felt that they were a bit immature for a Cavie guard. It was the first time I have actually seen Cavie guard a step or two behind the rest in drill. Even when these same one or two were caught up in drill, they seem to be walking/running and not marching/dancing. As for uniform guard work, they were still the standard on the field tonight. Overall, I think the show will go places and they deserved the score and the placement. I seem to have written more on Cavies; they were the first corps for which I was entirely into it--being a long time fan. Blue Devils - 1st place - 75.7 The score and placement are indeed accurate and deserved. In the company of a first time DCI show person (a TV fan, but first time in person), I turned and prophecied, "Watch--they are always the cleanest corp and best sounding this early in the season!" Bam! She actually thought I knew what I was talking about! Hee! Their show has a lot of musical and visual excitement. I like the theme of rhythms, and see a lot of room for modification/growth with the show. Their sound is so, so BD powerful--when they were in a wedge backing to the back left corner of the field and still blaring their guts through their horns (but not badly), it was amazing! By the end of the season, it will be phenomenal! Straight vintage drum corps through and through. The guard was probably the best on the field tonight--maybe not as clean in uniformity as Cavies in flag work, but in variety, in dance, and in precision with sabres/rifles--they were in good shape for June. The red sequins on the front of the black/charcoal unis is effective. Moreover, the dance work was great...it complemented the music and the show so well. My only BD gripe was that the horn/perc drill was not overly adventuresome for me; but the backing wedge was way cool. Overall, every corps had some fracks and cracks in the horns, but each show had some nice soloists as well. Lots of stuff to work on and lots of excitement. I like Colts and Phantom more than when I first saw them last year; I like Blue Knights and Pioneer a little less; Cavies less, but some potential...Blue Devils excite me and will continue to do so. You notice I was oblivous (SP?) to percussion tonight--saw some cool things by all, but wasn't focused enough to take it in tonight, so no use in me rambling on about what I don't remember. One note to BD--you're going to win most of your early shows, so spend a few minutes in rehearsal practicing the beginning of the "America, the Beautiful/O Canada!" finale--it was a pathetically weak attempt at the beginning of that piece! A great beginning to a great drum corps season for me and all who were treated to a great show tonight! Thanks! Tim Hendrix Quite a hike out to Normal for me, probably about a good 6 hours on the road, but it was well worth it, because I was itching to see another drum corps show, and the corps didn't disappoint. 7 Division I corps is quite a lineup, I'm guessing DCI/DCM wanted to show the BOA kids the best of the best, and boy were there a lot of bandos there. Concert side was full, I don't have any attendance approximations but the show was at Illinois State University which was a fairly big stadium. First up was Pioneer, guard and visual have cleaned up quite a bit from Toledo, the drumline however has not, they are still very dirty and still very overpowering to the smaller hornline. It seems like a neverending durge from their battery throughout the show, they really need to back off, and I know they are small but the hornline really needs to put out more. I really like the show and hate to say it but Pioneer should seriously consider Division II/III as an option to remain competitive this summer. Scores from the judges were as follows: (Standard DCM recap) 10.6, 10.3 (20.9); 8.6, 7.7 (16.3); 5.3, 5.5, 5.5 (16.3) - 53.5 7th place Second up was Glassmen, and who was that mysterious fellow sneaking...um I mean helping out with the pit cart for the show. I saw this show from in front of the wall on the front sideline so my take on it may be understandably different from others. The visual program never ceases to amaze me, each time I see this show, they are really moving out there. Hornline and guard had a nice show tonight, drumline was a bit flat and a bit dirty and probably can't complain about being third in drums, however I don't know if BD and Cavs were much better, not a real good night for the drumlines overall. Scores from the judges: 14.1, 14.5 (28.6); 10.7,10.1 (20.8);6.5, 6.9, 7.4 (20.8) - 70.2 3rd Place On third were the Cavaliers, big home town crowd response. The best thing I have to say about the Cavaliers is their guard is very good. The hornline seems a bit on the weak side, which is also what I have to say about the visual program and the musical selections, the show really lacks punch and doesn't do it for me, they seem to be executing relatively well except for the drumline who was pretty messy out there tonight, especially quadline. Scores from the judges: 14.7, 14,9 (29.6);11.4,11.2 (22.6); 6.7, 7.1, 7.9 (21.7) - 73.9 2nd Place Intermission, good chats had with various friends in attendance. Up next were the mighty Blue Devils from Concord, California. The Blue Devils are very, very good. I'll start with the guard which was absolutely spectacular and even stood head and shoulders above two other very good colorguards from Gmen and Cavs. Hornline is solid, very nice, had a deserved half-point spread over the next closest Cavaliers. The drumline is pretty good, the bassline is very excellent and are giving my boys from Toledo a little run for their money, the Snareline and Quadline were just sorta ok, probably a little bogged down from a rather dirty performance tonight, but I'm sure that will get better as the summer goes along. Things I didn't like about Blue Devils...first their drum feature towards the end of the show, was pretty lame, they really need to spice up the notes here, second their visual program is nonexistant for much of the show, a lot of stand and play stuff, I'm guessing this is probably due to the concert stuff and will probably change as the summer rolls on, lastly and this is just a personal thing, I thought they would have done something a lot different for Wheat Dance (Phantom Regiment '93) it seems like almost a note for note copy with very little to no Blue Devil twist or spin at all. Final scores: 15.5,15.3 (30.8); 11.6, 10.7 (22.3); 7.2, 7.2, 8.2 (22.6) - 75.7 1st Place Up next were the Colts. Another solid show out of the Colts, executing very well in brass, drums, and guard. I really like this music, but what the Colts need to make a jump in scores and excitement is to add a good drill to this show. Scores for the Colts were: 13.1, 12.2 (25.3); 9.6, 9.1 (18.7); 6.3, 5.9, 6.5 (18.7); 62.7 6th Place After Colts were the Blue Knights, after hearing all they hype I was really excited to see them take the field. Blue Knights are doing virtually a carbon copy of their '94 Trittico show this year. That show is one of my favorites and the corps is doing a good job with it this summer. A very strong drumline with a great Ralph Hardimon book, however even after their win the previous night over Cavs in drums they were an extremely distant 5th in drums tonight, .4 behind 4th place Regiment. Hornline was a very strong 3rd tonight tho, only a tenth behind second place Cavs. I have the feeling that this will be a very successful year for BK, they are executing well with a good show, however I don't know how far they will be able to take this show and as corps like Madison and Phantom progress they will be hard-pressed to make the leap to Top6. Scores from the judges were: 13.6, 14.0 (27.6), 11.0, 9.5 (20.5);6.6, 6.4, 7.1 (20.1); 68.2 4th Place Phantom Regiment were the last corps on and they seeemed to give the crowd a very fitting closing statement. PR has cleaned up quite a bit since Toledo, horns were dumped into a tie for 5th tonight with Colts, but I don't buy it, that hornline is good. The drumline however is a different story, and were quite messy tonight, they got a gift at being 4th in drums, a tenth under gmen, 3tenths from cavs, and 4tenths from Blue Devils. Visual program is shaping up nicely and I can't wait to see the final product for this summers show. Good job Phantom. Scores were: 13.8, 12.0 (25.8); 10.1, 9.1 (19.2);6.3, 6.8, 6.8 (19.9); 64.9 5th Place All right now for some random babbling. Blue Knights drums do not go well with their uniforms at all, something really needs to be done about that. Something is up with the Regiment snareline, I wasn't able to get the inside scoop, but they only had 6 snares for this show, down from 7 at Toledo, also they were having a very intense snare sectional after the show in uniform, I wasn't able to contact my inside info source too bad, but what was that I heard as I was leaving the parking lot, Amazing Grace I think, very cool. I guess I didn't notice this earlier but apparently Colts only have 6 snares also, so that is 3 snarelines tonight with 6 (Cavs, Regiment, Colts), Pioneer and BD were tied for the most with 8. Surprisingly I think Glassmen may have had the best tenorline out there at this show, they are playing the most notes and executing the best at this point, BD and Cavs tenorlines were very dirty. Well I was pondering on going to catch a Cubs game this afternoon, and going to the Portage, MI show tonight, but I had to come home and tend to some other business matters anyhow I can't wait to catch some more shows. Luis M. Sanchez

Lynchburg, VA (DCI-Atlantic) Well let me start by saying that this is my first review in three years, I managed to get away from Alaska in the summer so I could actually see a DCI show. I was not let down, it was even better now than three years ago, and it is only June, Wow!!!! I took my Mother to the show, her first one ever, I will tell you her comments as well, will say though she will be going back, a new fan has been won!!!!! Crown came in 4th, the scores are on the dci page so I will skip them. This show has a lot of potential, it is not a show that you will go home humming, however I thought it was very fun to watch the theme in contrasts that they explore. The horns were not as bad as they are rumored on RAMD, I thought they were as good, even as good as they have ever had, once again they have room to improve and grow, they will challenge for the top 12 again. There strong point seemed to be the colorguard and percussion. The colorguard was awesome compared to years past, they were fun to watch. They were huge, maybe they just wanted more guard than horns. I think the drill performance is the weak part of the show, but it will get better as the year goes on. This show gets better from the beginning to the end, and by the end I was really into the concept, my Mother had the same feelings, she was very impressed with the guard, but said they were notr as loud as Magic. Magic came in 3rd place, this show seems to me like a show I played in highschool, everybody played Land of Make Believe. The rest of there show was unique and very easy to listen to, they really worked hard in the clinic and it payed of in the scores from the night, they did perform better than crown, but i do not know how much growth they can be in this show compared to crowns, it will be hard for them to stay ahead for long in my opinion. I loved the drill sequence in the closer, it was breath-taking!!! WOW. My Mother could only ask why? about the guard uniforms for the guys, they were out there!?!? I told her they were for effect and they followed the shows theme, but she could only say "those poor guys" For those who have not seen the uniforms they are open in the fron and the back and only the arms are covered for the guys and the pants are kinda like spandex, I thought they were ok. The strong point of the Magic are they are clean and the horns are really clean, the percussion seemed to be playing something more difficult this year too. The guard seemed to be weak compared to years past and small, this may prove to hurt in the end with 14-15 corps trying to get in the top 12. Crossmen were 2nd place. This showed was very dark!!! I thought for a minute that Crossmen were not on the field. The black and grey uniforms were dark too, sometimes I got lost with all of the darkness. I loved the opener, it was challenging and well played and loud, it has it all, music and movement and dynamics, Loved it!! The rest of the show seemed to lose me, however it was well done, it just did not move me like the other shows, not to say it was not good. I thought they were the cleanest show of the night. The closer was much better than played in years past, it was new and refreshing, I did like it a lot, it will be worn out on the cd's when I get them. My mother loved them, that was odd to me cause it was a dark show, but everybody sees things through different eyes. Cadets were 1st, and boy were they first!!!! They took my breath from the opening statement ands I did not breathe again, at least normally until the show was over.I never thought in a million years I would see Cadets this good this early in my life, this can not be good for the other powerhouses. In years past they were ugly in june, but not this year, this is not to say there were not problems with the show, the drill is even more difficult than last years and I do not know if they can ever make it as clean as they will need to by august to be able to win, they were moving sooooooo fast, it may deem to large of a task to clean that drill, I do not know who can think up that drill and actually make it work without major mouth surgery to be needed by some of the members. The second selection was in the 96 show, but it was on a new level this year and all speed limits were violated, that was as fast as I have ever seen a corps march, ever!! But once again, they will need to clean this up, all of the marching in this section is very exposed, straight line movements. I loved the innovation during the ballad, the corps is at fff and they cut off, then they come back in at fff and march backwards, wowowowowow!! That was major goosebumps. The ending brought the most amazing drill movements in succession that my eyes have ever seen, it just kept building and building until i thought my Mother would just die, me too I guess!! There are no weak sections, only a mammoth drill to conquer, I will say if thay clean that drill they will be one tough cookie to beat come August!! I really liked the YEA format, it was neat. If you go, stay for the finale it was deafening!!! My Mother loved the evening and is now a drum corps fan!! please keep reviews posted for me, I go back to Alaska next tuesday, Thank goodness for the net and DCI!!!!!!! rstric

Wednesday June 23

Cincinnati, OH (DCM) Not a bad crowd here tonight. The stadium is pretty well suited to Drum Corps and the threat of t-storms didn't materialize. Cincinnati Tradition (Sr.) gave an exhibition with five horns and an honor guard. Any truth to the rumour that you and BGB will be joining forces next year? Marion Cadets Although small in size this corps makes up for it with their control. Nice sound for 8 horns and I like the combined battery and pit. Cincinnati Glory This corps is much smaller than last year but what they put out on the field is very nice. A sweet book but one that really needs a little bit more corps behind it. Southwind 2 years ago I made the comment that I saw the future of Drum Corps in your eyes.....And you are not letting me down!! Musically there were some phasing and ensemble balance problems but those will be cleaned up in time. The guard, while appearing to be quite young, (okay...all Jr. guards look young to me!) performed with a grace and maturity that I did not expect from this corps. Way to go guard! As the old saying goes..."How do you get to finals?...CLEAN!....CLEAN!...CLEAN!" A run for a finals spot is not out of the question for this corps. Colts This is the second time I've seen/heard you. Caught you up in Madison a couple of weeks ago. I like the show and it is one that will grow on me the more I see it. Some phasing/balance problems...mainly between the upper and lower brass...again, stuff that can be fixed. The holes were noticible to quit a few people but looking at the sidelines I saw some fresh meat ready to join the fray. A solid book all around! Blue Knights Okay...Last year it took my seeing you 3 times before I got into and enjoyed your show... A really nice and rich sound from this corps. The drill is still a bit dirty but it is early. The battery is incredibly tight for this early in the season. And, once again, that guard with those silks are mighty impressive! This year you had me at "Hello"! Cavaliers Hmmm....Okay...another incredible Cavie drill that will look awesome when it is clean. The show is enjoyable but kind of distant for most people. Execution is what is needed to sell this baby. BUT TONIGHT!!???!!! Is there a flu bug going through the corps? Food poisining? An all day waste your chops leave your show on the practice field rehearsal? One word....Sloppy....Everywhere. Every corps has that nightmare show in a season...I'm hoping the Cavaliers got theirs out of their system tonight. Michael Kolle DCM Cincinnati, OH June 23, 1999 I only remember a few of the scores, please forgive me. In oreer of finish last to first. Marion Cadets-- definitely a good show for a small corps. Some problems music wise. Cincinnati Glory-- I was really impressed with this show, and how much they've really grown over the last few years. This was the largest sounding 10 person hornline I have ever seen. Southwind (56.2)-- This performance was beyond excellent, and the improvement in scores definitely shows. The first song was awesome all around, tons of energy. The ballad did get a little shaky but very acceptable for the beginning of the season. Closer was really nice, and the energy at the end was tremendous. Colts-- Really a nice show here, and they should have no problem returning to DCI finals again this year. I loved the music, very interesting. Blue Knights-- Honestly, other than Southwind, this was the best show of the night, the music was great and the drill was fairly impressive. Cavaliers(74.0)-- I too feel that this show is very boring, and honestly I found it hard to even applaud. However, I will give credit where credit is due, they did a good job for what they have. I still and probably will never be convinced that they are better than Madison. Over all it was a good show, really nice to see 4 division 1 corps at the same show, instead of 1 division 1 corps and 7 smaller corps. Danny An OK sized crowd was on hand tonight at Campbell County stadium in Alexandria, KY for this DCM show. The upper stands here are nice and high - excellent venue for a show. I don't know if it was my change of vantage point or if everyone had productive day, but all of the corps seemed noticeably improved over the previous evening in Lexington. Marion Cadets - 6th/32.4 Marion has a very entertaining show this season. They effectively use panels to partition the back half of the field. This really helps this small corps out from a visual design standpoint. Their 8 horns do a good job with some fun music. Endurance was a problem by the time they got to the closer, but that should fix itself with time on the practice field. Glory - 5th/36.3 Glory appeared last tonight as the host corps, and may have overhyped just a bit. The horns were a little on the excited side in some spots which caused some noticeable overblowing. Drum line seemed tighter than last night and the guard sported new uniforms tops in the opener. Hopefully they can pick up a few more bodies on tour. This show is both written and performed well but needs a few more members to really shine. Southwind - 4th/56.2 Southwind's visual program is so much clearer from a higher vantage point. Although still extremely dirty in all sections, they seemed a little more controlled this evening, especially in brass. Visually, there are times when the guard seems like an afterthought in the drill as they are placed in a large block off to the side or in the back of the field. There are some very good individual performers in the guard. Hopefully the balance of the guard can achieve that level of performance. As was the case with Marion, Southwind suffered from some endurance problems during the closer. With some serious cleaning and maturing, this show will have a good shot at making semis in Madison. Colts - 3rd/64.2 Another corps that makes much more visual sense from a higher vantage point. Some noticeable errors in the marching program tonight, but it looked like they had filled a couple of holes from the previous evening. There were also a few bodies on the sidelines that should be added to the show shortly. I really like their arrangements this year (nice job Chuck!). The soloists in the ballad are very good, and the visual statement when the guard brings out the large blue flags is excellent. Thought their score tonight might have been a point or two too low. Blue Knights - 2nd/68.8 This is probably the best I have ever seen the Blue Knights in June. A very mature sounding hornline that plays with great control and finesse. Just when you find yourself wanting a little more volume, they deliver. Another very talented drum line with a couple of snare/tenor features a la Cadets. I'm not sure if the various colored guard uniforms help from a visual standpoint, but it's still early and this may make more sense later in the season. The guard is again using some beautiful Brenda Vang flags. This may turn out to be their best corps ever, and a top 6 finish is by no means out of reach. I really thought they would finish much closer to the Cavies tonight than they did. Cavaliers - 1st/74.0 Cavies brass line was much better this evening. They have one of the better contra sections that I've heard in awhile. Visually, they still have some work ahead, but you can tell that their high velocity drill moves will be effective once cleaned up. Guardwise, I really like the writing of both the rifle and sabre books. The flag book, however, seems very overwritten. There are times that work is so busy when the music doesn't seem to be calling for it. Musically, they are still leaving quite a few people flat. This may be a program which is going to require an extremely high level of performance in order to connect with the audience. The closer looked very sloppy tonight with a very obvious error where the corps didn't end together to complete the program. I loved the Cavies last season, but it may be August until I can really get into this show. Mark Culp

Tuesday June 22

Columbus, OH (DCM) What a show. Bandettes. Hey! Good staging!!! A mello player w/ HUEVAS (fem.), too!!!! Cap Regiment is new and is gonna go places. GREAT uniforms. Very unique look. I liked the show. They'll improve well. GBVagabonds did Les Miz...very active (but poorly staged) guard. FUN to watch. Lots of nice NEW touches on a time-worn repertoire. Pioneer: geez...find new music! I am over this Irish schtick. Good variety though...and a visual drumline. Warmth was projected via the horns, and some NICE flag work showed. Top 17? Unknown at this point... Phantom: LOSE THE CRABSTEP silent thing at the beginning. It does NOTHING for GE...or the crowd. The opener is very technical and brought down the house (but dirty dirty dirty). Guard uniforms suck...just don't look good. Depth of sound...NOT of design. Same old Tony Hall drill...Nice contrabass work. Will this show make top 6? I will be amazed if it does. It is "easier" to listen to than 1998, but it's really no better. The corps was dirtier than I remember them being in June...it's kinda a mess. Skipping to Glassmen, I predicted AT LEAST a top 4... hmm. Doubtful. It's a good drum corps show, but it's not "great"...WAYYYY too much color from the FANTASTIC guard. It's like eating a huge chocolate cake...and getting no milk:) Too rich. GREAT closer, though. BLUE KNIGHTS! BLUE KNIGHTS! BLUE KNIGHTS! Top 5??? Don't bet your house against it. What a phenomenal show! Design is textured, rich, wonderful. Great hornline (3rd tonight...huh?). FUN drill, rich w/ composition. Their feet were clearly the best tonight. I was knocked back by this show...I usually don't expect much from BK. Their BEST show ever!!! This was quick...sorry for the sentence fragments:) Recap notes: BK won GE Music; GMen Visual-the 1.5 spread between them came entirely from GE and Ens Visual. Cheers, thanks a lot. DCI Chump Bandettes (26.1) -- Not much to say here; they're still trying to put it together. Capital Regiment (37.0) -- Drum line is really good, especially the pit. Horns need to get it together a little more for the corps to seem all there. General Butler Vagabonds (48.5) -- I expected more from them, but apparently the judges didn't. Not the same Les Miserables you've heard from all the other corps and bands who have covered it already. I thought the Vagabonds were in the same league as Capital Regiment and nowhere near the level of Pioneer. Pioneer (52.0) -- Still wondering what the hell happened to their horn line. Not that there is anything wrong with what they have, but there are only 28 of them. Drum line is big and good. 8 cymbals--share the wealth. Clean as a whistle; green clovers and purple horse shoes. Phantom Regiment (65.2) -- Phantom was a mess tonight. A soprano (I think) mangled the first attack by making noise before everyone else made their noises. Lots of bad attacks and cut-offs. Lots of individual mistakes like the sop who took another step or two after everyone else kinda already stopped marching. Drum line sounded not good. Looks like the quad book is too hard for the quad line; I saw two of them simultaneously unable to play the parts and just as unable to figure out where they were so they could start playing again. Drill looks kind of lame. But as much as I love to see Phantom lose, I like the music and I think they will probably end up doing a lot better than they have done so far. However, tonight they sucked. Blue Knights (69.3) -- I will have to see them again before I can really say much about them. Blue Knights are generally one of my favorites and I don't think this year is any different. I noticed some smokin' drill. Drums sounded sweet in warm-ups, but I could not hear them very clearly during the performance. Short tenor feature near the end was hot. Glassmen (70.8) -- Glassmen are the shit!!! The whole drum line is smokin', as we should all know by now. But I think the snares and basses kinda stick out as extremely bad-ass. The whole corps is just awesome; they are a legitimate contender for the DCI title. They seemed much better than in Toledo. The snare feature in front of the pit is cool. There is something about the end of the show that really gets me excited. Ryan M. Powell Well, I made it out to my first drum corps show of the year, and I was not disappointed. In order of placement - Bandettes: I did not watch the Bandettes because I had to find a place to park. The parking lot was full. They got 26 for their final score. My wife asked me if I thought that they ever got discouraged about that. I said no. Capital Regiment: Well, Columbus has yet another drum corps attempting to take the stage. Nice new uniforms and decent marching. The show featured music from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I had a very difficult time following the music, but it was arranged by Chuck Naffier. No doubt, it will improve... it is only June. It is my understanding that the corps founder was not willing to field a corps until they had the financial stability, so it took them 7 years to put a group on the field! Good planning! General Butler Vagabonds: This corps was quite listenable for their size. They had a good score, too. They played selections from Les Mis. Pioneer: Full drum line, good-sized guard, and a smaller than last year's sized hornline. Well-balanced horns and Irish music showcased this corps. They also marched well for June. I was disappointed that they did not have a full corps like they did last season. I'd like to note that Pioneer did NOT have their horn line members do prancing, body-sculpting, or strangely artistic horn moves. Thank you. Strong score. Should make semi-finals this year. Phantom Regiment: Full corps. 14 contras that can play. VERY CLASSICAL music. This will be a great horn show. The guard was decked out in black "dance" suits with red tops [Editorial comment: buy the guard some sports bras]. The guard equipment was limited to a nice selection of flags. Lots of dance work for the guard. Either the corps is doing a very grass-roots show, or they have not gotten their guard uniforms and equipment yet. They should keep things as they are. As it is, I loved this show. It took me back over all the years that I have been a fan. They corps had a lot of trouble marching, but they definately have a top-6 caliber hornline. The marching, though, had people stepping on each others feet, sloppy pass-throughs, etc. I have never seen PR march so bad in June. I am hoping that the marching will not only improve, but catch up with the other corps. This could be a top-5 show. I'd line to note that PR's hornline did NOT have their horn line members do prancing, body-sculpting, or strangely artistic horn moves. Thank you. Blue Knights: Less than 60 horns. Great sound. Very clean for June. Tight drum line. Decent marching. HOWEVER, the BK horn line did lots of prancing, body-sculpting, or strangely artistic horn moves. If the horn book and horn line had not been so good, I would not have enjoyed this show. I did love the music. Great choices. Very "drum corps" in the arrangements. Could challenge for 6th place, but I am predicting a 6-8 finish. Glassmen: Several holes in the horn line and guard. 2 Volume levels: loud and not loud. Nice show. The corps marches well, and the drum line is solid. The horn line is muddled at times, but definately has what it takes to play this top-6 caliber show. However, I'd say that the horn line is not a top-6 horn line, but as things have worked for corps in the past, it will probably happen this year... a corps that marches well tends to get a better horn line placement (ala Scouts 1988). Some of the music is drum corps circa 1975. Very nice. Glassmen are probably looking at the 5-6 spot this year. I'd line to note that G-men's hornline did NOT have their horn line members do prancing, body-sculpting, or strangely artistic horn moves. Thank you. Barry

Lexington, KY (DCM) Last night's Lexington show was all exhibition. Tates Creek H.S. had a large crowd on hand for this DCM event. Marion Cadets were on first and due to my late departure time from home, I missed their performance. I'll catch their act tonight in Alexandria. Glory was up next. Their 10 horns project well and sound like 20 at times during the show. The guard displays some good demand throughout the performance. The show has good potential, and if they can add a few more bodies to the horn line and guard, they could make things interesting in Division III. Madison got a huge ovation for entering the field. The Scouts are again very entertaining. The drill for the first half of the show is one of the better visual programs that Madison has put together in recent years. All of the elements really work together and compliment each other well. Not as much speed as you'd expect from the Scouts, but it's still early and the second half of the program is still being developed. The drill transition from the cross to the star in the beginning of "Superstar" really got a good response. Cavaliers were on after a short intermission. Cavies again have a very fast paced visual program with lots of drill transitions. Musically, virtually the entire show is unrecognizable other than a melodic "Ode to Joy" woven in periodically throughout the performance. Midway through the show at the end of one selection, there was virtually no crowd response at all. Although Cavies are obviously very talented in all sections, this show may leave quite a few people wanting more. Colts have a great musical book this year. The first half of the show is very dark and intense. Guard performance level is quite good for this early in the season. The hornline really lets loose with some volume in the opener, and the mid-voices have some great features that cut through the rest of the ensemble. Second half of the show is a little more light-hearted and is a nice change of pace. Sopranos had some endurance problems tonight towards the end of the show. Visually, Colts still leave me wanting more. The drill seems to move side to side more than anything, and I find myself looking at the same visual idea more than once. With a little more variety and depth, this program could be their best since the "Sunday in the Park" show. Southwind performed last as the host corps. By the end of the "My Old Kentucky Home" warmup, most of the crowd had risen from their seats to sing along. Southwind is marching what looks to be just about a full size corps (they announced a couple of horn openings). When this group starts to clean up, they should do quite well competitively. The opener is very powerful, and the "Kentucky Suite" section is musically very interesting. Southwind's biggest immediate challenge is to get everyone performing at the same level. Mark Culp

Monday June 21

Warner Robbins, GA (DCI-Atlantic) The second stop of the YEA! brought the four affiliated corps to Warner Robins, Georgia. I can't even remember that Warner robins was on the original DCI schedule, but I'm sure glad they had it because otherwise, there would be no shows in the state at all since Spirit has their home show in Jacksonville, Alabama. Anyway, I arrived at around 7:00 at caught Magic of Orlando's drum line warming up outside the stadium. From what I've heard of them in the past, it sounds like they're heading in the right direction. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out their 1997 show. They hardly played, and when they did it was all high school pansy stuff. I don't know how they ever got that 9.? at Finals, but I digress. As we soon found out, they were working on a part in their closer that was kind of a drum solo. At any rate, most of it sounded pretty good and the snares had some cool backsticking hertas that wasn't quite clean, but I've heard much worse. The show started at 7:30 with a group of about 15-20 Cadets playing the national anthem. Then, Magic was the first corps on. Magic of Orlando (4th place, 58.6) - First of all, let me say that this score was very low. The opener started off slow but built up into the typical Chuck Mangione jazz piece with a good soprano soloist. There were a lot of holes in the drill as there was for the other corps, too. In addition, it is my perception that they haven't learned the drill to the closer well enough to perform it since they stood still for like the last two minutes or so, when, certainly there's got to be something more. The brass sounded good for this early in the season as did the drum line. I would have put them closer to 62 and certainly above Carolina Crown. Carolina Crown (3rd place, 60.0) - While I agree with the score, I'm not so sure they should have beat Magic. Their drill was very sloppy and the music has a lot of work still. The guard seemed to be their strong point right now. I think they've got their work cut out for them if they want to stay in the top 12 especially with what I saw and heard from Spirit of Atlanta at their preview show. Crossmen (2nd place, 68.1) - Damn good show. The drum line was pretty tight for most of the show and as typical of Thom Hannum, there was a lot of tasty stuff. The drum solo was especially good and much more evident than the past couple years. The ballad was very powerful and gave me the first goosbumps of the night. The closer this year was the same as their opener in 1992 with a lot of rearranging to suit a closing piece. Let's just say that the top 6 better watch their backs again for these guys. Cadets of Bergen County (1st place, 73.0) - Damn great show. These guys don't waste any time in pulling off big moves with their spinning, expanding, add more people block and then more rotating blocks with typical Cadet goings on within the block. The guard, as usual, stole the show with lots of great tosses and flag work that was very together for June. The tenor solo was sweet as usual. It's kind of hard to compare to last year's right now, but I'm sure it will kick every other corps' tenor breaks. All in all, this was your typical, fast-paced, tough drill, paradiddlediddling Cadets show that we've all come to expect. Looks like another Top 3 finish if not a win. Clinics - In between each show, each corps held a brief clinic including the Crossmen brass, Cadets guard, Crown's percussion, and all their pits at the end while the corps got ready for retreat. Just a note on Crown's clinic. After they're done, watch the side of the field as a Cadet tenor player goes to meet the rest of the corps. You'll know what I mean when you see it. If you won't get to see it, go to the end of the message to see what I'm talking about. After the scores were announced, all the corps got together to play "Big Noise from Winnetka" and "In the Stone." And boy was that loud. I was sitting next to a girl who had never been to a corps show before but had seen them on video. And, as we all know, videos don't do them justice. She was blown back when they hit the loud notes as was much of the crowd. That's all for now. Look for my review of Murfreesboro in early August and keep up to date with the top corps in my ratings page at http://members.aol.com/soatlanta/1999/ratings.html Here's what I meant by watching the Cadets tenor player after Crown's clinic. Near the end, Paul Rennick asks for a volunteer from the audience to play along with the line for some warm-ups. They play eight on a hand and double beats while the volunteer plays along on tenors watching the other players to see what they're doing. During double beats, he messes up the patterns quite often. After that, Paul goes over to fix his hands so that he could get better movement and then asks him to play a little like that. Well, he proceeds to go into a minute-long solo unlike anything I've ever seen on tenors. After he's done wowing the line and the crowd, he walks off and then you see "Pete" walking towards the Cadets in his uniform and tenors that he just played. Good thing the Cadets don't do I&E, otherwise, this guy would kick all their butts. Sean Taylor Magic--I watched the drumline warm up and heard some interesting things..some good, some bad. They seem very inconsistent. Now for the show itself: Magic has their work cut out for them this year. I know it's early in the season, but they had lots of problems(drill and music). Lots of marching problems in the drumline. It's also a problem when the center snare breaks in the drum solo. The music has potential though. Crown--The drumline sounded fine warming up for this time in the season. Only 6 snares though...kind of disappointing. The show was ok, typical problems, and a bit boring(I'm not a Crowm fan.) Crossmen--Big drumline(9 snares, 5 tenors) and they were pretty clean. I wasn't that impressed with the line until the drum solo. They just didn't play. And what was up with having to kneel down on the sideline twice in like 3 minutes? That was pretty lame. The drum solo was very impressive. It was sounding really good until they came to the singles, but they recovered and it sounded tight. Blue Shades was interesting. A few dirty attacks(from the whole corps) at the beginning. Once they clean up the music, that tune will really come together. It was too dirty tonight to tell what all was going on. When this show is clean, it will be impressive. I can't wait to see it at Finals. XMen were also pretty loud for having such a small hornline(only 5 contras I think). I like this show. Cadets--typical Cadets show...Alto licks, hard drill, impressive guard, and the same percussion. The drumline was good, but it's the same book every year. Cool tenor solo(I like the down the line vis. and the drum-to-drum stuff.) I like this year's music more than the last couple of years...pretty cool stuff. The marching seems a little bit behind from where it's been in the past at this point in the year. I'm sure that will change though. They're headed for the Top 3. Danny

Sunday June 20

Butler, PA (DCM) Ok... this is the first time I've had a summer to myself... and I hate it... listen here kids... do whatever you can to march.. ASAP... cuz summer without corps really sucks... but here's my review of the Butler, PA show on June 21, 1999. First up were the West Penn Alumni (exh)... normal alumni corps... No movement whatsoever... but not bad screeching sops for the old guys 1. Capital Regiment- I acutally was kinda impressed with these guys... for being this their first competition year... they had some really good moments... at times... their inexperience showed, ie. marcing technique, sound control, tone control, but overall if they keep progressing from what I saw they may someday be really good. Their show was really tight at times... the snares especially... they had a good low brass section tonight... drill in the beginning gave them some really bad phasing but they pulled that together. Overall given the windy conditions and this being their first year... they seemed really nervous but did a good job. 2.Next was the Madison Scouts... now I think they should have went last but what do I know... they were on fire tonight. the show had a few things with spacing and one time someone came in a bit early (beginning of Jesus Christ, Superstar) but they still had an awesome performance. no props or gimmicks on the field this year... (not yet at least) but still... an overwhelming performance. Never heard Jesus Christ Superstar done like Madison did it... but keep it up... Turns out to be an awesome show! 3. Cavaliers (winners of the show) I was not that inpressed with the cavies... they had a really good show.... lacked a lot of guard work... and excitement (but they had to follow madison) they just didn't do it for me... i oculdn't get into their show... I thought Madison should've won the show... I jsut did'nt have enough electricity for me. It was too tame... It had some really great drill moments... and it had some really great music moments... but never at the same time! sorry cavie fans... I though the Scouts got jipped this time! 4. Southwind... southwind is back ladies and gents... they had their good shots... drill was okay.. not as good as I've seen it but they did a fairly well job. Just did not inpress me though.their show was another that I just couldn't get into... too much of a mix of songs... they had some great charts... and a good book... but it didn't work together. at least not for me. nice uni's though. maybe they'll change a few things and it'll get better. but for me they didn't haveit tonight. really nice version of My Old Kentucky Home though. 5. General Butler Vagabonds... they are reminding me of Spectrum form last year... only with a slightly larger corps. some nice arangements of music for Les Mis... but they needed something better.... the drill seemed either jsut really sloppy... or just a bag... sop line was doing nice tonight though. mellis needed to lighten up in the tonguing department... too heavy ... which made them gack... nice sop soloist... need to do more with their props... scenery... just looks like they are inside a box... not a good general effect. but hey... its early in the year. either way... everyone did a great job for as early as it is... so I expect a lot of changes to happen and everyone to get much better in july... look for big things from these corps... especialy Butler as they fix different things. overall madison and cavies will be fighting hard for top four placings... cuz one of these two WILL be in those four... but I doubt both. Dutch AHHH! My first show of the season. I'm upset I didn't get to go to the Toledo show last night, as I'm a Glass alum, but alas, I had a wedding to attend. I warn you, these reviews will probably be pretty colorguard-heavy, but I did take some time to watch the other parts and even listened a little bit. heh. And let me say it was windy tonight! all of the kids handled the wind well, although every corps had some nail-biting moments when the wind would pick up in the middle of a feature... which happened to everyone. 5th: Cap. Reg. 36.4 A strong first show for this corps! They chose an interesting, familiar, entertaining program that's great material for the kids and the staff to get their feet wet in drum corps with. The brass had some very weak moments while they were marching, but it came together nicely when the drill slowed down or they stood still. The drumline was definately the strong point of their performance, though, in my opinion, although I'm not a drum person. The guard (5 of them) seemed to have a good technique base, but need some cleaning and some staging changes. I would've liked to have seen them do more body under their equiptment. It seemed like they had an awful lot of park 'n blow spots which where very stagnant body-wise. 4th: General Butler Vagabonds 40.4 What a treat. How can you miss with Les Mis? I love the music and they did a very nice treatment of it. The small hornline managed to put out a bit of sound in spots and was over-all very strong. The show was staged very nicely, with costumes and props and some neat drill moments. But the guard stole the show in my opinion. A lot of drops, but BOY were they twirling!!! A full guard rifle 5 with an 8 immidiately following! I loved the chorography... it was expressive, innovative and clean for mid-june!! Like I said, a lot of drops, but I thought that the kids were VERY well-trained and there didn't seem to be a weak link anywhere... even with the full-guard weapon features. Look for a lot from this corps this season and a shoe-in for finals, I think. 3rd: Southwind 49.5 Ok. This score was REALLY low. I had them at around a 55, and so did a lot of other people I talked to. I didn't realize this was their first show out until I was talking to a couple of my friends who are on their guard staff and they did it very well. They had the loudest hornline of the night with some really exciting music! Lots of nice, familiar tunes... I think my mom liked their music the best of the night. I wish they would've shown more dynamic contrast, though.. the whole closer just seemed... loud. not SUPER-LOUD... just loud. with no change. The guard has a start... the work is easy, but smart. They'll be clean and successful with it, as the girls looked kind of young. They also have a lot to finish. This corps will probably be in semi's, but will have to beef up their drill if they want a shot at finals, I think. 2nd: Madison Scouts 65.2 Fun, and good, but still pretty dirty all the way around. The horns had some really nice moments, but never blew me away with volume. The drill seemed pretty nice, but didn't have any really exciting moments that caught my eye (maybe because I was watching the guard? ). The guard has maybe half of the show finished and it's pretty dirty. They had a lot of trouble in the wind and had A LOT of drops in the opener, I thought. The rifles had a few nice moments, but need the show to be finished. The sabres had some trouble, though. It looked like they had just learned some of the work earlier in the day... this is a speculation, though. It'll definately be a fun show when all is said and done, but still in the 4-8 range in finals. 1st: Cavies 71.3 ok. All I watched in this show was the guard. and not really by choice. Sometimes I tried to force myself to watch the drill and listen really closely, but it was so boring that my attention drifted back to the guard within 30 seconds. and the guard was FANTASTIC. Best one I've seen from them, I think. Swift recoveries in the wind, and they SPUN. hard work, fast work, everything involved the body or was behind the back or had a turn underneathe. wow. It was beautiful. The opener had some nice musical moments that I caught, but the rest of the show was so flat. Very well-designed, but flat. I'm sure it'll take a few viewings and then I'll love it. They deserved the score and the spread between them and madison was about right, I think, but at first viewing, it just didn't excite me. I know I've been pretty verbose, but I hate 3 word reviews other people do... so if you made it all the way down here, congratulations. :) Darren Bluecoats Mellophone 93,96 Glassmen rifle 98 Every-Body World rifle 98-99

Louisville, KY (DCM) I left the scores in the car, but I'm sure someone will post them. Bluegrass Brass was in exhibition, Marion Cadets still not out yet, so this small show was even smaller. Still this was a fun show. Crowd - at least in my area - was very friendly. Phantom seemed the crowd favorite. I thought they were much improved from last night in Toledo. I spent an hour or so watching them practice today. The areas they concentrated on worked much better tonight, especially the drill in the closer. Much cleaner. One thing I noticed at practice is that in the opener, members of the pit are marching with horns. The horns march through the pit area. The pit members with the horns stop at their instruments, ground the horns and start playing. As far as I could tell, they were not playing the horns - it was just for the visual impact. I mentioned this to the people sitting near me and no one had noticed it during the show. Colts continue to impress me. The really seem to be reaching the crowd. The only part of the show that I don't like as much is "I Believe". Wish they dropped that piece and did more of the Fire Requiem. That is one great piece of music. Glassmen didn't impress me as much tonight. The crowd support was great in Toledo and lacking in Louisville. Didn't seem as much emotion. But they definitely deserved the win IMO, but I thought PR would be a little closer than they were. Now that I've hear GMen a couple times, I need to go back and listen to the original. I've listened a few times over the winter but none of the music seemed familiar. The victory concert, though, was very impressive - especially the snares. The corps looked confident and very intense. Hard to pick that up when they are marching. Glory seemed improved from last night. I stopped by their practice today and met a few of their pit members. That made the show more fun to watch. I hope they can add a few more horns. This is a nice show but needs a larger corps to make it work. Bluegrass was very small. I think they are having a lot of fun. They are doing music from Tommy, which brings back memories from when I marched. The drums switch between pit instruments and marching (4 bass and 1 quad). They really need a few more horns and a couple drummers. Anybody in the Louisville area looking to march??? Well, thought I had an off day tomorrow, but saw a post that Madison was doing a concert in Lexington. Might head over for that. Then Tuesday in Lexington before heading west to Normal and the Blue Devils indoor show. Enjoy, Christopher P. Maher PS - keep an eye out for the drum corps minis guy in the souvie areas. He'll be in Lexington and Normal, the major shows and several others in the mid-west. I saw his stuff on the internet, but it is really cool live. Bought the whole 1973 SCV bottle dance! Ok this was absolutely the most terrible stadium I've ever watched a show in. Out of all the places in Louisville I have no idea why they chose this stadium. OK got that off my chest now for some reviews. Cinn Glory They need more people! They are stuggling and need a lot of help. I was impressed with a couple members of the guard though. Colts I think Colts were the loudest corps on the field last night, until G-Men's stand still that is. I also think they should have beat Phantom at this point in the season and I think they should have won GE last night also. But they are the Colts and you know how the politics go. I enjoyed there show very much and I can't wait to see it again tomorrow night. There brass are a little over there limit right now, but hey I like that every once in awhile. Also their percussion led everyone on the field for retreat. They need to work on that a little more they didn't sound to together at times. Glassmen I was really hyped up to see Glassmen after reading the Toledo reviews. I was let down a little I have to admit. But the show is good and I'm just hoping they had an off night. Their percussion is amazing. Espically the cute miramba player that I couldn't take my eyes off during the stand still after the show, which by the way was much more exciting than the show. Anyways I enjoyed them and it was a well deserved win. Phantom Regiment I don't know why everyone rags on them. They have a pretty good show that they have to clean up but I think they will be doing just fine by the end of the year. Their percussion is holding them back a little though, nothing new. I love the low brass sound. Can someone please tell me if this is there ending? If so they need to totally rework it. It didn't feel like an ending at all. Pat

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