Cadets of Bergen County..92.6 Cavaliers................91.4 Glassmen.................85.0 Colts....................78.9 Kiwanis Kavaliers........71.5 Troopers.................61.4 Americanos...............57.0 Thanks to Ken Martinson for emailing us these scores!
GE Ensemble Perfomance
CORPS Mus Vis Total Mus Vis Total Bras.Perc Vis Total Score
Cadets 18.5 18.4 36.9 13.9 14.3 28.2 9.3 9.0 9.2 27.5 92.6
Cavaliers 18.2 18.7 36.9 13.7 13.9 27.6 9.1 8.9 8.9 26.9 91.4
Glassmen 16.8 16.8 33.6 13.1 13.1 26.2 8.4 8.4 8.4 25.2 85.0
Colts 15.6 15.5 31.1 12.0 12.3 24.3 8.0 7.9 7.6 23.5 78.9
Kiw Kav 14.7 14.1 28.8 11.8 10.0 21.8 7.4 6.4 7.1 20.9 71.5
Troopers 12.3 13.4 25.7 8.1 9.8 17.9 6.2 6.3 5.3 17.8 61.4
Americano 11.0 13.1 24.1 6.5 9.6 16.1 5.9 6.0 49.0 16.8 57.0
Judges
GE
M. Stisher
J. Gilbert
Ensemble
J. Allison
K. Geise
Perfomance
P. Hinman
D. Collier
J. Krepel
Blue Devils..............92.0 High Brass / GE / Visual Santa Clara Vanguard.....90.9 High Percussion Blue Knights.............84.4 Carolina Crown...........80.5 Spirit of Atlanta........77.2 Boston Crusaders.........72.5 Thanks to Ed Harvey and Lyle Forney for emailing us these scores!
Tonight was very hot and humid. With a packed house and even some people looking for a free show jumped the fence on the other side, The fans were ready for an evening of drum corps.
Spirit of Atlanta was the first corps in competition this evening. Tonight spirit seemed to have a couple timing problems. Mostly out of the tenor section. They are playing well for the most part but seem to be rather inconsistent. There were other timing problems as well. They all seemed to fix themselves right away though. Spirit has a very entertaining show and I am glad that they are back doing as well as they are. It's a good thing they didn't fold completely like Bridgemen or 27th Lancers. The percussion feature was pulled off well tonight. Also the drill has cleaned up considerably since my last viewing. Nice job tonight Spirit 5th 77.2
Boston Crusaders took the field next. This corps seems to execute very well. I've only seen them one other time and had the same impression. The opening statement had some very nice impacts followed by a nice fanfare. The accelerando was handled good by everyone tonight. Good dynamics and good tempo changes led them through an excellent performance this evening. 6th 72.5
Carolina Crown entered the field next. Very demanding drill in the beginning led me to believe I was in for a good show. I was right! The guard seemed pretty solid tonight as well as the brass. Nice impacts during the push and there were plenty of noticeable dynamics as well. Tonight the sopranos crashed into the snare line during a pass through. Very quick recovery. Nice job Carolina. You handled the problem like professionals. 4th 80.5
Blue Knights from Denver came up next. Boy do these guys have some colorful flags. Very cool! These guys also handled all the tempo changes very well. Including retards and accelerando and all other changes. The music seems a bit abstract at first but more recognizable later on.I Even heard someone singing along tonight. Blue Knights reach the crowd well this year and have a very exciting show in my opinion. Nice job. 3rd 84.4
Blue Devils of Concord came up next. I didn't expect anything less than excellent tonight and thats exactly what I got. West side story was done differently than all other arrangements that I've ever heard and it did nothing less than blow me away. (especially during the encore) the hornline is phenominal again as well as the percussion and guard. This came as no surprise. The contra basses play crazy boy backfield and its cool! What more can I say? Outstanding! 1st 92.0
Santa Clara Vanguard up next. They have a very full sound all around, a killer drill, awesome visual with all the snap turns right on the money. As well as all the other visual statements. This corps as always, has an excellent presence on the field. You know when Santa Clara is in the house. The tenors rule this year. From dancing on the field to their huge smiles and then playing on mounted toms and cymbals! Totally smokin' guys! Santa Clara pulled the only real standing "O" tonight. Two of them to be exact. Totally entertaining! 2nd 90.9
Aside from the heat. Everyone enjoyed themselves tonight. Looking forward to DCI Midwest in a few days. See ya!
A warm, but not super hot day. Great stadium. Had seats 15 rows up on the left 40. Not bad at all. This was a real educated audience - lots of fans with DRUM CORPS marching experience going back to the early 70s.
Let me say up front - I was at Champaign on Sat. - if you merge the scores of both shows together, the rankings and spread are RIGHT ON!! BD and SCV are 5 pts ahead of Madison. The others fall into place as well.
Show started 30 minutes late because a judge's plane was delayed. The Colonial Fife and Drum Corps of Alton played the National Anthem - mucho better than a cassette over the PA system. They did a great job.
In order of appearance
Spirit of Atlanta: I must confess that if there was any one show of any one corps I could ever perform in, the 1980 Spirit was it. The raw power of their 1998 offering reminded me of that show. LOUD. Most of the drill is up front between the 30's (at least for the horns), and they sell it well. Only down side - there is a lot of stop time for the horns. The guard is always moving, so it looks like the corps so moving more than they are. This drill would have worked real well in the good ol' days of ticks - don't move, you don't get ticked. 5th, 77.2
Boston Crusaders: Been a long time since I saw them ( 1980s early??)You could tell immediately that it was BC. Unfortunately, when I hear Seahawk, Guardsmen and 27 Lancers come to mind. BC just does not have the same horn power they had. Conquest was neat - if they can clean it, it will sell much better. They've taken a classic they own and transformed it to the 90's. Marching-wise, they're show was much more demanding than SOAs. 6th, 72.5
Carolina Crown: It's about time that someone played more than 20 bars of Russian Christmas Music. Great horns, drums not so clean, esp the snares (or so my drummer friends said). I understand they had a major re-write in the last few days, so scores may jump once they clean. 4th, 80.5
Lightning (but no thunder) to the north during Crown. Sounds like a good time for a 30 minutes intermission after only 3 corps. Never mind that we started 30 minutes late, and the fans were there to see the big guns!
Rain stayed to the north.
Blue Knights: Great show. My only gripe is the closer. IMH (limited) O symphonies don't get any better than the glorious 9th of Ludwig Van. Don't segue into something else for the last 45 sec. 4th, 84.4
Blue Devils. I'm sure in the DCI rule book there is a footnote that says someone has to do West Side Story every third year or so. Madison '77, Bridgemen '81, Garfield '84, Sky Ryders '88 or 89(?) I'm also sure someone else did it since then, but I was stationed overseas for several years and was out of touch.
Nonetheless, these guys ROCKED!!!! Unbelievable. Loudest of the night. Some problems with the soloists, however. Marching was cleaner than you could imagine, which may be an Achilles' heal - not much left to clean. The drill was much easier than SCV's, but it is clean, clean, CLEAN. 1st, 92.0
Santa Clara Vanguard. What a drill. What a book - someone behind me said it was stuff Copland forgot he wrote, but they sold it. Man, did they sell it. Fast is good, loud is better, fast and loud is best. Many of us thought they would be on top tonight, and they just might in Orlando. They still have areas to clean. 2nd, 90.9
Div II Tarheel Sun..............89.7 (Perc) East Coast Jazz..........87.7 (Brass) Patriots.................87.5 Spartans.................86.8 (DM, CG, Visual) Cascades.................80.6 Div III Mandarins................87.7 (DM, CG, Brass, Perc) St. Johns................82.5 (Visual) General Butler...........77.4 3rd Regiment.............77.4 Senateurs................72.8 Thanks to Tom Peashey for emailing us these scores!
This is a short form review of the Canadian Open Div II/II Championships held in Kitchener, ON, Canada on Wednesday, 29 July 98. Though there was a prelim show, this review will only cover the finals held that evening. It was a beautiful, calm evening with about 1500 people in attendance. The only comment for the organizers would be that a program describing the presentations would have been nice. Otherwise, a well run show...congratulations!!
Before I start, I want to let you know that I am just a Drum Corps Dad and a die hard fan. I am not a judge, instructor, or part of a support staff (though I wish I could be!!). I marched with De La Salle Drum Corps out of Toronto, Canada in the early 70's and that is my only claim to knowing a little something about the game. This review will be my thoughts on what I saw and how I, and sometimes how the audience, reacted to the different Corps. All the Corps put on a great show that I really loved and I thank you all for it!! (Sure beats working!!)
In reverse order:
4th Place - 72.8 Les Senateurs du Joliette, Quebec, Canada. (Prelim Score: 73.8)
A fast-paced opener with great impacts that got the show off to a spectacular start. Les Senateurs marched 23 brass, 8 battery, 9 pit and 9 guard. They had a well balanced sound but the fast drill tended to lead to mistakes that were rather obvious - do they really need to move that fast?? The guard used small chrome boxes as a prop that were kind of neat but a little small to add much to the show. I didn't like the guard's cream-yellow tops - they didn't go very well with the Corps' red and black with silver trim traditional style uniforms I didn't think. I really like the way they have their bass drums tuned and the way they played them and the soprano soloist was awesome as well. Slowing down the drill a little and paying a little closer attention to basics will help Senateurs get where they need to be! Bonne chance (Good luck) Senateurs!!
3rd Place (A tie) - 77.4 3rd Regiment and the General Butler Vagabonds.
I think the tie here is really neat in that these two Corps are totally different - 3rd Regiment more traditional and the Vagabonds a little more theatrical. Though unintentional, the tie represents (to me anyway) all that Drum Corps has to offer today and I think that is neat!
3rd Place (A tie) - 77.4 3rd Regiment (Prelim Score 77.1)
Though I didn't catch what the score they were playing (a program would've helped) I think it was from Titanic. A pleasant show with good sound from both brass and battery. 3rd Regiment marched 26 Brass, 8 battery, 8 pit and 10 guard. I like their traditional style uniforms in green white with red and gold trim - looks sharp! I would suggest that it's time to close the holes - it looks like that the show was written for about 35/40 brass and the holes in the line aren't very visually pleasing. Otherwise, a nice performance.
3rd Place (A tie) - 77.4 General Butler Vagabonds (Prelim Score 74.8)
Presenting Fiddler On The Roof, the Vagabonds appeared in Charles Dickens' style newsboy/char woman costumes in various earth tones. They marched 13 brass, 6 battery, 4 pit and 8 guard. Their show started with the guard hidden under a large white banner, appearing one by one as the opener progressed - very nice! They also used another very large, opaque banner later in the show that two percussion members held upright and the horn line played behind. It was a nice effect for the audience at center stage. Another highlight was the lift of a guard member on planks that were initially used as guard props. The guard member on the platform was VERY good - dramatic!! This was a very pleasing show and well executed!
2nd place - 82.5 St John's (Prelim Score 81.0) Caption Award: Best Visual
Marching 11 brass (10 girls and 1 guy!!), 9 battery, 4 pit and 5 guard, they form what I feel is the BEST small package Corps in DCI. An excellent example of a well written show by a staff that have utilized what they have available with the finest results! And the execution is clean and powerful. The horn line blew me away with their sound. The four man snare line would look and sound good in any Corps! They use two black ramps to great effect. This was a simple but effective show that was VERY entertaining and a definite crowd pleaser! The only comment would be that the guard props might be a little more colorful or larger to add greater impact to the show. Well done St John's and the best of luck in the future.
1st place - 87.7 The Mandarins (Prelim Score 86.7) Caption Awards: Best Drum Major, Best Guard, Best Brass, Best Percussion.
Whew!! An excellent show with difficulty written all over it and executed with precision! Mandarins marched 15 horns, 13 battery, 12 pit and 8 guard. The thing that impressed me the most about the Mandarins was their execution. They have mastered the basics - Horn pops, stick heights, dressing....etc, etc, are all there. This attention to the basics allows the Corps to execute their difficult show with precision and style. They do a great maneuver around bamboo poles that form a maze for the drum line to weave in and out of - VERY cool. I think it was a good move for the Mandarins to de-emphasize the Japanese Drums. A real crowd pleaser with great brass sound and a terrific battery. Great show Mandarins!
5th Place - 80.6 Seattle Cascades (Prelim Score 80.6)
This Corps was the surprise of the night!! A great big sound played with a humorous attitude. Cascades marched 38 brass, 14 battery, 7 in the pit and 9 guard. They played a Chicago medley that really rocked - reminded me a lot of my own Corps in the 70s. I like their traditional style uniforms in bright white with a silver sash and red trim. Kind of neat in one part where the drummers lower themselves to their knees while playing! All I can say about these guys is COOL - way to rock Cascades. Hope I see them again very soon.
4th place - 86.8 Spartans (Prelim Score 87.6) Caption Awards: Best Drum Major, Best Guard, Best Visuals
The Spartans have that nice deep bass sound to their horns that I really like. They marched 36 horns, 15 battery, 15 guard, and 9 pit. Their drill show is very linear and clean (though a little ragged in the night show for some reason). They do a Latin singing routine - the dream sequence I think - where most of the Corps picks up megaphones and sings through them. Very effective!! A powerful show with, again, that big sound! These guys have as good a chance as any other Corps in Orlando. Good luck Spartans.
3rd place - 87.5 The Patriots (Prelim Score: 86.5)
The Patriots are to drum corps what Cirque du Soliel is to the circus! Different, amazing, powerful, entertaining. 29 brass, 11 battery, 11 pit, and 28 guard. And what a guard!!!!!! The rifle line and saber lines are AWESOME!!! Sorry folks..but the Patriots are my favorite Div II Corps. They play a technically difficult show consisting of selections from Phillip Glass and Cirque du Soleil theme music. Some of the ensemble parts must be executed perfectly or they could easily fall apart - the Patriots were right on the money tonight. A nice smooth sound that fits the score perfectly! Great to see a marching battery that are up to the task as well! An THAT Guard!! WOW!! Again - a technically difficult and very artistic presentation. Makes me wonder why the caption awards were from the prelim scores. Watch out Div II...the Patriots are on the move....are you ready??
2nd place - 87.7 East Coast Jazz (Prelim Score: 88.1) Caption Award: best Brass
East Coast did exactly what their name implies... Great Jazz. A mellow, smooth, opener that built up to a solid wall of sound!! And the good sounds continued for the rest of the show. Sorry...I didn't count their numbers for some reason, but they're pretty small for Div II. But, as I have tried to say elsewhere in this review, size has nothing to do with quality and East Coast is ALL quality. A fantastic Soprano soloist and ya gotta love those bass drummers and the way they rock in their feature spot. Time to close the holes here too though. Like the rest of this Div II show....it was too close to call. East Coast Jazz could reign the world in August!!
1st place - 89.7 Tarheel Sun (Prelim Score 89.5) Caption Award: Best percussion
Tarheel Sun shades of Div I. Big and beautiful both to the eyes and the ears!! I love the new bright yellow tunics! 62 brass, 16 battery, 11 pit, and 22 guard. Another smooth - not in your face - opener. Then that first impact!! WHEW!!! Very cool. This was a nice pleasant show that had no parts that seemed rushed. Great drill show considering all the people out there. Can't close any holes here...there are none!!! (grin). Nice drum line that was crisp and clean!! If any of Tarheel remember hearing "Y'all come back to Canada anytime!" yelled during your marchpast...that was me...and I meant it!! Great Look, Great Sound, and a Great Show...but take a peak at the Corps below you...it's tough to stay at the top guys!!
No controversies here folks! I think the judges were right on the mark and the Div II scores show that it's really anybody's game right now. Does anyone know what happened to Phantom Legion? There were some nasty rumours here on Wednesday night about problems with their staff. I just hope the adults remember that their adults and that we see Legion out east here soon. Anyway...I hope you liked the review...I'll be at the Norwich show tonight and Rome, NY, tomorrow and I'll post reviews for both shows as soon as I can. I encourage constructive criticism...if there was something I missed that you would like to see...just lemme know.
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