There is a second review below. Thanks to Matt Flickner on RAMD for this review! I just got back from Denver, and here are my thoughts on DATR: 1) 88.7 MADISON SCOUTS--El Toro Caliente. El Toro Caliente es fantastico. From their entrance onto the field to the drum cadence after their performance, there was not one thing I didn't like. The horns were great--LOUD, too. The drum line ROCKED! The guard was incredible! this show is now on my list of all time faves. I usually root for CBC, but this year I am pulling for MADISON! 2) 87.3 CAVALIERS--The Planets. This is the first time I have ever liked a show by the Cavies. The opening statement was VERY powerful and the guard work was amazing! The ending was also good, but the middle section didn't seem to be as good. It sounded like the baris had a little trouble staying together at one point. Overall, an exciting show. 3) 81.9 SCV--Not the Nutcracker. They played and marched very well, but I found the production to be a little boring. Maybe I just wasn't catching on to the ideas they were trying to convey. 4) 73.8 BLUE KNIGHTS--Legacy. Probably the most entertaining BK show in recent memory. Some of the music was similar to recent BK shows, but it also included some jazz. The horns had a nice sound and the drums were awesome, but the marching was a little shakey. The redesigned most of their drill and did their first run-through of the changed just four days before DATR. I wish I could see them again in August when they are clean. 5) 70.0 TROOPERS--A Copland Canvas. They had a very big sound for only 50 horns. I really liked their opener (Fanfare for the Common Man), but I didn't care for their interpretation of the Shaker medley. 6) 66.6 VELVET KNIGHTS--Harlequin Carnival. Not as zany as past years, and slightly less entertaining. Horn line had problems with upper body control and spacing. 7) 52.7 SCV CADETS--Red Pony Suite, Fall River Legend, Wyatt Earp. Missed them too, but I did hear them from the parking lot--didn't sound too bad. TROOPER CADETS--A Salute to Jim Jones. Exhibition...didn't see it. I was watching warm ups in the parking lot. They were on the field for retreat, but no score was announced. MISC. THOUGHTS: * I sure hope DATR is back in Mile High Stadium next year. Mile High is a great place to march and watch. * Although SCV was a bit boring, the 7 point spread between them and the Scouts was a bit large. SCV executed their show very well. * I was sitting four rows from the field, so all I could see visually was spacing and body control/carraige. I wish I would have been higher up to see the formations. * Did I mention DATR should be back in Mile High next year? Damn Olympic Festival....They weren't using the stadium that night..... Matt Flickner Blue Knights sop 90-92
Thanks to Drew McPheeters on RAMD for this review! Trooper Cadets - Exhibition Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets - 52.7 Velvet Knights - 66.6 Troopers - 70.8 Blue Knights - 73.8 Santa Clara Vanguard - 81.9 Cavaliers - 87.3 Madison Scouts - 88.7 Trooper Cadets - A Salute to Jim Jones. Nice performance for a real young group. The show was kind of a highlight show of some of the better trooper shows in the past. My favorite part was the second half of the show. Some of the favorite tunes from the early 70's like "Ghost Riders", etc. Some of the show seemed to stretch the limits of the horn line abilities. I think the drum line was very clean for a young group. Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets - Red Pony Suite, Music from the movie "Wyatt Earp" A real clean performance. The small horn line did a good job, but I think asking them to try and carry off an emotion filled show was asking a bit much. Without the impact of 60 horns the music just leaves me a little flat. A real fine performance from the Drum battery. Velvet Knights - Harlequin Carnival What can I say. I was disappointed with the horn line. At times I couldn't even tell what they were playing. They really lacked definition and any ensemble at all from where I was sitting. It's a shame, because I had a real feeling that I would enjoy the music if I could tell what it was. They had several good moments, mostly when they parked it and wailed, or when they hit a big power chord. The Drumline, on the other hand, was fantastic. The steel drum ensemble was very nicely done, and had a beautiful sound. The snares and tenors really played a good clean book. The hornline actually seemed to play the drums better than they played the horns. They left out much of the skit and pratfalls they used in the path, and I think that this suits them well. If they clean up the horns and the marching, they should have a real entertaining show. I hope that they stick with this style, and give it a chance to work. I was suprised at how low the score was, and thought they should have been closer to the Troopers. One note. The color guard must not have done anything that was too interesting because after the show I was thinking "what did the color guard do". Troopers - Copland Canvas. The show was pretty clean, and pretty well done, but it was emotionally flat. The opener was good, and the drum feature was clever using the fence as a platform for some of the battery. Overall though I found the fence props a bit distracting. The were always moving them around, and this annoyed me for some reason. It also distracted from what usually is a guard performance that I enjoy. The Troopers always have a traditional approach to rifle line which I love. The "Sunburst" movement at the end of the show was magical, but I was disappointed that it was a silent movement. If any body was playing I couldn't hear due to the large contingient of fans from Wyoming. Musically the show needed a little more excitement. Blue Knights - Legacy by Ramsey Lewis. Musically the Blue Knights had a very clean drum line which played some real great licks. The horn line had a powerful, clean sound, and I didn't notice any holes that some people had written about in the past. The progressive jazz music had a real nice sound, and the BK executed it well. The arrangement was very good. The marching was a little shaky, but I have heard they did a major drill rewrite recently. The "dot" props didn't add to the show one bit. I know they are part of the uniform, style, etc. but they were just annoying. The guard was pretty entertaining, but not being a guard person, I can't do a real thorough job of commentary. If they clean up the show they should have no trouble making top 12 with this show. Santa Clara Vanguard - Not the Nutcraker. This show could easliy have been named "Tchaikovsky on LSD". The horns were real clean and did a good job with some excellent technical passages. The marching was pretty well done from my vantage point. The drums were a big disappointment for me. I am a real Vanguard fan from way back, and I hated to see the drum battery in such a state (except for the bass line). The six snares really seemed to be lost in the corps. That's not to say they didn't have their moments. The pit was very musical as usual, and the sound out of those PVC tube things was quite unique. It really captured the mood well. Overall, the show was quite obscure, and I just couldn't get into it at all. Just when you think you recognize something, they change it into something you couldn't recognize. The props (some spinning black and white spiral things, and some clustered things) were a total waste. Almost as if they were added as an afterthought. Overall, I was disappointed. I can't remember every not enjoying a Vanguard show in the past, and I didn't expect to not enjoy it this year. Cavaliers - The Planet. Overall this is the best adaptaion of the planets I have ever heard, including the previous cavalier show. The first big impact was phenomenal. All the open attacks they have in the show really came out clean. The horn line was very balanced, and did a good job on the real technical passages of Jupiter. I only heard a few timing problems during the difficult main theme and that impressed the hell out of me. The guard had some great equipment tosses which really clicked. The wire frame globe props were excellent, and really added to the show. At one point in the show one of the guard members stood inside the frame globe, and rotated it by means of a thin wire. This was quite effective. The drums were clean and had some real amazing visuals. Madison Scouts - El Toro Caliente. Without a doubt, the most exciting drum corp show I have ever seen, period. I spent 2-3 hours watching them rehearse in Parker, and didn't tire from the constant run throughs one bit. The music is exceptionally well written, and has a maximum entertainment value. What is it about that Spanish style that lends itself so well to drum corps? The drum line was very fun to watch. I really like that they are using 9 snares, and 5 (or was it 6) quints. The pit was magical as usual for a madison pit. They had a real neat idea, they mounted wood block on the base of some of the pit instruments, and attached the strikers to a drum set bass pedal, this allowed them to add a lot of musical color. The 4 marching timbales were great. Overall the drumline was superb. The hornline was classical Madison. Great power, lots of color, and great soprano work. The whole show was clean, exciting, and fun to watch. The ensemble portion which pairs the low brass with the bass drums, the middle brass with the quints, and the upper brass with the snares was incredible. I've seen it done before, but it was never done this well. Malaga was just pure unfiltered drum corps. The guard was real fun to wathc (when I could take my eyes of the drumline). The flamenco dancing on the pedestal was a real crowd pleaser. Pity poor Santa Clara appearing after Madison, maybe that is why they left me so flat. Viva Madison. All caption awards went to Madison. I was unable to get access to the recap sheets. I would suspect that Cavies were very close to Madison in Drums. Random Musings: The show was in Cherry Creek high school due to the Olympic festival activities at the usual large venues (Mile High, CU, AFA stadiums). I'm glad I ordered my tickets early enough to get a seat on the 40 yeard line, about 15 rows up. The traffic management did a real good job of getting us out of the parking lot quickly. The small size of the venue made it a real "in your face" show, especially from Madison and the Cavies. The seats faced west, and the early starting time (6:30 pm) put the sun in out eyes until the Blue Knights stepped off. The threat of rain was in my mind because all week, somewhere in the area had an afternoon or evening thunderstorm, but fortunately the storms appeared to go north and south of the site. The use of props has become somewhat of a real bother to me. Of the corps that used them tonight, only Madison and Cavaliers used them in a way that made a lot of sense, and in a way that they didn't dominate the scene. I have also noticed that the two most enjoyable corps of the evening, Madison and Cavies didn't feel the need to stretch the limits of what drum corps should be. I would like to give an award for the "Spirit of Drum Corps" and the winner is... THE MADISON SCOUTS. This is what drum corps used to be, and IMHO what it should be. If more corps put on shows with this much excitement and fun, we wouldn't be having discussions about what can be done to revitalize the activity.
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