June 26 | Lima, OH |
DCM
|
|
Score | Placement | ||
Phantom Regiment |
74.25
|
1st
|
|
Glassmen |
73.70
|
2nd
|
|
Bluecoats |
72.60
|
3rd
|
|
Southwind |
59.15
|
4th
|
|
Capital Regiment |
51.10
|
5th
|
|
Troopers |
48.30
|
6th
|
|
Glory Cadets |
39.85
|
7th
|
|
Bandettes |
34.75
|
8th
|
|
Captions | |||
Phantom Regiment:
Guard, Total Visual, Brass, Percussion, Total
Music Glassmen: GE Visual, Total GE, Visual Performance, Ensemble Visual Bluecoats: GE Music, Ensemble Music |
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See your name here! Email scores to scores@scorpsboard.com |
June 26 | Review: | Lima, OH |
DCM
|
||
Thanks
to Dwight Closson on rec.arts.marching.drumcorps
for this review! E-mail your review directly to reviews@scorpsboard.com! |
This will be relatively short. It's late and I am tired.
First of all, this show was awesome! I've been going to shows for over 20 years
(don't worry I am only 32), and this show was one of the best as far as regional
shows are concerned. I was very pleased with ALL corps performances tonight!
Bandettes - Very small corps, but much improved since the last time I saw them.
These kids manage to pull off a pretty good show with small numbers and very
young participants. Good Job.
Glory Cadets - Again small (not as small as Bandettes), but still small.
Once again they surprised me with their show. A little sloppy, but good design,
sound, and GE. Not too bad!
Capital - HOLLY COW! The surprise of the evening. I have not been keeping
up with the post apparently on this corps. The last time I saw them, they were
Div. 3. Wow, what a change. This corps has a HUGE sound, very loud. The show
design is very respectable, and it's relatively clean. Again, this corps is
very young, but they manage to pull off one heck of a show. They are already
beginning to knock off some Div. 1 corps. My guess is this trend will continue.
Trust me, you won't believe the sound these kids generate.
Troopers - Good show. Much updated from previous years. Cleaner and more
refined then last year. Still not good enough to keep up the big guys, which
now includes Capital, but still an entertaining show.
Southwind - I remember reading some earlier posts that suggested these
guys were not as strong as last year. Also suggested that the brass was weak.
Not any more!!!! This corps surprised me based on the reviews I have read previously.
I spoke to their guard instructor. He said they have been working with the brass
aggressively over the last few weeks, IT SHOWS! The corps had a very powerful
brass line, hot colorguard, and good overall design. Very entertaining show.
Good corps to kick off the big guys.
Bluecoats - Watch out! This corps is on the move. Their score has rapidly
improved. Ended up tonight with a 72.????. Well deserved. This corps really
knows how to play. They too are EXTREMELY loud and more refined than Capital
or Southwind. Their drill was much better than the past few years. It is faster,
more energetic, cleaner, mature, etc.... And again, that classic Bluecoats brass,
better than ever! Watch out for these guys, they are going to knock off a few
surprises this year. Corps in jeopardy include: Madison, Crossmen, Boston????,
and even Glassmen.
Glassmen - Well, I have to say that this is a corps that I always hope
for the best. I remember them from the early days when they were a small corps
struggling to survive. It is always nice to see one of the small guys make it
to the big time, and these guys have. Unfortunately, my annual wish that these
guys would eventually make it into the upper elite (top 3 or 4) will most likely
not come true again this year. This show is much advanced over last year. The
musical score is more technical, the drill is more complex, the ensemble is
very well balanced, the drill is cleaner than others at this early stage in
the game, and they are also much faster than years past. However, it's still
just not quite enough. I think the show is cool, but there are some problems.
There are too many starts and stops in the drill and in the music. This keeps
them from competing with the top 4 and it tends to bore the crowd. I want these
guys to do great, but it will require some rewrites on the music and the drill
in order to continue competing with Phantom and even the Bluecoats if they are
not careful. A little creativity from the staff will do wonders for this corps.
By the way, the drum line kicks ass again this year. The brass is very balanced,
but doesn't have the volume of Bluecoats or Phantom. Overall, an improvement
over last year and a great show to watch. Good job.
Phantom - WOW! Earlier posts have underestimated these guys. This brass
line is out of this WORLD! It reminds me of last years Cavaliers with a twist,
a more technical score! I can't say enough about this brass line. They have
it all, volume, balance, and technical difficulty. The stand still was awesome.
The Drill, well, again earlier posts have underestimated these guys. They have
rewritten a significant portion of their drill and it is pretty darn good. It's
not a Cadets, Cavaliers, or Santa Clara drill, but it is definitely in the same
league as Blue Devils, Glassmen (almost) etc.. It will be hard for the Glassmen
to continue keeping pace with this corps. I expect them to begin pulling away,
but anythings possible and I am not writing off the Glassmen or any other
corps for that matter. Phantom could really go places with this show. The good
news is that, worst case they don't make the top 5. Well, that is saying a lot
for DCI this year. Because, I am telling you, this Phantom, this show, this
year would have definitely beat last years Boston. I think the top 12 could
be better than ever this year!
Well, thats it. By the way, they screwed up our seats at the show tonight,
but were very accommodating. They put us in the press box, which was perfect
view and perfect sound. Awesome seats!
Dwight Closson
dclosson@bright.net
Email your review to reviews@scorpsboard.com!
Editorial notes:
June 26 | Review: | Lima, OH |
DCM
|
||
Thanks
to kmckea@aol.com
on rec.arts.marching.drumcorps
for this review! E-mail your review directly to reviews@scorpsboard.com! |
OK...it's been awhile since I've
done one of these, but here goes. I have now seen 4 June shows with many of
the same corps in attendance. I will try to note progress and impressions after
my (many times) fourth viewings of these programs.
Bandettes--Early season Division III corps...there very small brass line does an admirable job with a fairly demanding book. They achieve a nice balance and blend in the opening minutes of their production. As the show progresses, we lose endurance and projection (and struggle with notes). I think the theme (A highway journey...tunes are "Onramp, Offramp", etc.) will work for them. Just not a lot of highs and lows written in yet. The guard is doing some nice body, equipment combo stuff and handles all three pieces of equipment during the show. Some very nice sabre stuff. A lot of room for growth.
Marion Glory Cadets--OK, these guys definitely get most improved in 1
1/2 weeks on tour. It's obvious they have a staff that will continue to advance
them. Horns are MUCH improved over last week (and I already thought that from
their first show to Springboro). Visually they are extremely strong individually,
but so many holes must be killing them in ensemble. I heard rumblings of the
visual problems being addressed with the addition of some serious staff members,
so watch out by DCM and DCI!! Keep up the fine musical improvements, drastic
reduction in musical ensemble tears tonight.
Capital Regiment--Another major, major improvement. Show silks are now
in and wow those Ballad flags are gorgeous. The reviews are true...A major step
forward in quality of programming and a GIANT LEAP in terms of pacing of effects.
The brass line is huge and produces a quality sound, which will only improve
as the young members figure out how to move and play with the same effectiveness
as when they park and bark. The percussion line is strong again, they obviously
have some strong players and instructors. The guard is a major improvement as
well. The book is EXTREMELY well-written and the small guard is very effectively
staged so that you don't notice their small numbers. Next to Phantom, I think
they had the most musical silk book of the evening. The next giant leap for
this corps will be to figure out how to work as one unit. There are still MAJOR
sections of the show where it feels like the percussion and brass are battling
instead of working cohesively. These guys will be a force to be reckoned with
in August.
Troopers--I really want to like the Troopers every year, but they never
seem to get it together until the last minute. IT IS GREAT to see them out in
the Midwest this early, and it will pay MAJOR dividends in August. The book
is more Copland variations, and is a step forward in terms of arrangements.
The drill is nice, inoffensive and unobtrusive. The guard moves pretty well,
but the work seems pretty dated. The reason Capital Regiment is ahead right
now and will probably stay ahead for the foreseeable future is the pacing and
variety of effects they offer. The CR staff understands how to make people react,
and to play off of their surprise at the quality of the corps. When Troopers
play up the on the sentimental crowd favorite card, they'll continue to improve.
People want to see THE TROOPERS, which is hard standard to live up to decades
later and still remain competitive.
Southwind--When I first saw Southwind in Jackson, MI, I was pretty disappointed.
Whereas the year before they seemed primed and confident and ready to move through
the DCI ranks (evidenced by a strong 13th place finish), this year's edition
seemed apprehensive and to not believe in their program. Last night was a big
improvement in confidence, especially from the brass line. They put out some
serious sound and seem to have a stronger understanding of their musical book.
It is a nice package, and is growing on me. The highs need to be higher and
the lows lower to sustain our interest, but they seem to be on the right track.
Another corps that has made great strides in a week or so. Will continue to
watch their progress.
Phantom Regiment--OMG they were on FIRE tonight. The tempos seemed stepped
up a bit, the drill had some major additions and re-writes (the last minute
or so of the show) to continue to develop what is going to be one of my favorite
programs of the year. The brass line is incredible, technically sound and powerful.
When they re-enter after the interlude of "Festive Overture" no matter
how hard I try to remember that the impact is coming, it is GOOSEBUMP city!!!
They catch you off guard with a strong guard/percussion feature that you're
drawn into and then BAM!!! Impact beyond belief. I have not seen mention of
their incredible guard, which is a shame. This guard easily out spun the Cadets
a week ago in Columbus, and distanced themselves from the competition tonight
with the addition of some GORGEOUS show silks. The lllloooooooonnnnnnngggggg
phrase they spin at the beginning of Festive Overture brought ooohs and aahhhs
from even those percussion guys sitting around me. Pay attention to what they're
doing, it is the best written book I've seen this year so far. The naysayers
that are counting Phantom out this early are gonna be surprised come August.
Bluecoats--A big improvement over last year. The Michael Daugherty based
musical book is a big departure for them, but they are already selling it well.
The brass line is BACK...they haven't sounded this strong in a few years. The
drill is much more challenging, however there are some really, really bad guard
transitions that will need to be addressed soon if they wanna hang with the
big guys. Speaking of the guard, they move so well this year. It's almost like
watching a ballroom dance competition for Latin styles. These kids are selling
these sections unbelievable well. When they pick up equipment...well they've
got some room to grow. They seem a little behind, with less filled in work than
a lot of the other corps in the leaders pack. The ending is now on the field,
and works well for them. Right now, one of my favorite moments comes when the
hornline does a simple staccato foot movement in a blocked triangle picking
up the underlying rhythm of the piece. Their future growth is going to be dependent
upon them continuing to translate the Latin feel with moves like this throughout
the corps and not just counting on the guard to bring that mood and feel across.
Nice job, can't wait to see how this grows.
Glassmen--Again, strong improvement over last year. The darker musical
book is reflected visually with a black mirrored triangle in the uniform as
opposed to the gold that was there. Also the guard plays a lot of deeper families
of colors against each other to give the darkness an extremely rich look (i.e.
related reds, purple, burnt oranges in opening silk, blacks, silvers, and coppers
in another, and the ending with muted yellows, oranges, and greens that still
has a strong impact against the beige and black of the corps proper). The drill
is a big step forward, probably the most demanding tonight, and they're pulling
it off amazingly well for early season. But the fast motion is taking a brutal
beating on the brass scores, I'd imagine. The sound is darker, but at this point
still coming across blatty and raspy in spots. This will undoubtedly improve
drastically in the next two weeks. Right now, they don't have the effects built
to the level of Phantom where people know when and where they are supposed to
respond. It won't take them long to refine this to be the case. I would be remiss
not to mention a strong and musical percussion book with some wonderful undulating
world rhythm undercurrents throughout, and the fine alto/mellophone soloist
in the ballad. He has a beautiful sound! It's gonna be tight at the top this
year! This is one of those shows with infinite growth potential, and will be
fun to watch develop this season.
The crowd was phenomenal tonight, giving all corps well deserved recognition
both after their shows and as they trooped the stands. Unlike the crowd at Crew
Stadium in Columbus, these people gave it up for the young performers.
kmckea4207@aol.com
Email your review to reviews@scorpsboard.com!
Editorial notes: