Nav button to homepage

July 23, 1999, Dallas, TX - DCI


Okay, here is my first review. Please be kind!

Tarheel Sun: Nice corps. Very dirty in the feet and some phasing problems. Brass seems to have a nice blend of sound at moments. Most of the crowd really enjoyed this group as they recognized all of their music! Guard seemed awfully weak at times.

Pioneer: Small brass line. Seems overpowered at times by the extremely large, but talented, percussion line. Like the tan pants on the horn line, but with guard, it just became overkill with khaki. Guard is very talented for the most part. Staged very well.

Spirit of Atlanta: After hearing everyone on here [on r.a.m.d] talk about them, I was really looking forward to seeing this show. It was good, but seems overrated by many. It is one of the better Spirit of Atlanta Corps in a long time, but just not what it needs to be. I feel their scores are where they should be. The horn line cuts lose a couple of times and it just becomes way overblown at times. The guard is extremely dirty at this point in the season. Had some phasing problems tonight. On a good note, Spirit is definitely headed in the right direction. Some really nice musical moments. It seems to lack in the visual book though.

Magic of Orlando: Good show. Lots of phasing problems in the feet and musically. I actually got nervous a couple of times musically! The guard is extremely talented, but not maxing out their capability. The ending flag statement was really scary! Must be new. Horns blend nicely and do a nice interpretation of Mangione music. Drill seems to move to slow for the music. I think as they move towards Madison, they may become a contender for spot #12.

Bluecoats: Gonna be a little biased here as they stayed at the school where I teach! Hehe. Very nice kids. Our guard fixed the corps lunch today, and they were just the most gracious group. It was to hear a group of kids say thank you to another group of kids. On to the show. This corps is very young and it shows many times through the show. They have a lot of talent, just not being totally developed to its maximum potential. Guard is struggling at times, but also has WOW moments too! Horn line is having lots of problems in the feet, but musically seem to handle everything they have been given pretty well. The music of Chick Corea seems to fit this group well. They will definitely be a finalist in Madison in my opinion.

Crossmen: The show starts out great! Then just continues on a musical down to the end of the show. The guard is outstanding. Handle themselves and their equipment well. The drill and the movement book for the brass and percussion is well written and will be awesome once it is totally clean. Blue Shades was obviously my favorite part of the show!

Madison Scouts: Another crowd favorite year for Madison. They handle the music of Jesus Christ Superstar with great ease. They are fun to watch and have a great sound. I think where they are losing it here is in the simplicity of the drill. Just doesn't have the velocity that the music calls for at times. But, a lot of fun to watch!

Cavaliers: Very well put together show. Just doesn't seem to really go anywhere. Of course, the horn book needs to be cleaned up a bit. Guard is very good. Percussion line - WOW! Just would like to see this show go somewhere visually and musically. It just kind of sits on this horizontal plane the entire time. But, very entertaining and lots of intricate moves and subtleties that a lot of people probably miss.

Blue Devils: COLOR GUARD! COLOR GUARD! COLOR GUARD! Whew! They let you have! Great performers. Great Music. Great staging. You name it, they got it. This is by far the best Blue Devils that I have seen in a long time. Boy, I would love to be in Madison for the showdown. The rhythms and the sounds of this show are incredible. I just can't say enough about these performers. And, I usually am not a BD fan, but tonight, they got me!

At the end of the contest, a moment of silence was held in memory of the two instructors from Delta Brigade that lost their lives earlier this week. It was a very intense moment, and caused many of us to reflect on the people who have made a difference in our lives. People who made us who we are today. Former instructors, directors, members. Always be grateful for you have today and what you can learn from each other. These are the tools by which drum corps runs.

Great show! Can't wait for San Antonio!


Thanks to JTDallas@swbell.net on r.a.m.d this review!

Editorial notes:



sCORPSboard | 1999 Scores & Reviews

CyberWebMistress Caryn Roberts
email: webmistress@scorpsboard.com
Seattle Web Factory sCORPSboard Web and Page design ©1995-1999