Thanks to John Weldy on RAMD for this review!
Seeing as how 12 out of 20 corps are the same, it's kind of silly to
write different reviews for prelims and finals, so here's the whole shebang.
When two scores\placements are listed, the first is prelims and the second is
finals. If you've never read one of my reviews before, let this line serve
as a disclaimer: I am extremely opinionated and blatently honest...you won't
find any of that Drum Corps World candy-coating here. You have been warned.
Let me preface this by quoting what my fiancee wrote across the top
of the score page of our program, "Welcome to Frack Night!" That basically
sums up the entire show on Friday. I know this is the first really important
show of the season, but geez...relax!!! There was at least one ugly frack
(cracked note or other flub) in almost every single corps, from Nite Express
to Blue Devils. Thank God it wasn't the same on Saturday night.
Nite Express (20th, 58.5) had the luck to go on last in their tier
(18 and below). They were the first corps to come out and say, "who cares if
it's preview, let's just play". And that they did. I still think their
musical book is easy and ineffective, their drill is sophomoric, and the
staff doesn't have a clue, but I'll be damned if those kids didn't play the
hell out of their show. Apparently several people sitting around us thought
so too, because there was much grumbling when their under 60 score was
announced.
Because we arrived a bit late and missed their first tune and stood
in the gate for the rest of their show, I really can't say much about Spirit
of Atlanta (19th, 63.9). Their book is enjoyable, especially Georgia, but
they play it like they don't enjoy it. Spirit's back, but it might take them
a while to reclaim their soul.
At first viewing 5 or 6 weeks ago, I was blown away by Pioneer (18th,
65.6) and predicted great things for them in future weeks. I now regretfully
withdraw my former comments. Their show now plays like the kids are tired of
the music and just want to go home (an understandable desire). The ballad
and closer were much more readable, but the zest just wasn't there. The
opener, however, has literally gotten worse! Unless they institute some
major woodshedding, they will break no new territory in Buffalo.
Think of Spirit of Atlanta. Now back off a bit on the soul and put
them in church and you've got Southwind (17th, 67.4). This was the first
show that I really didn't understand what they were trying to do. I was
looking forward to deep South jazz then they begin with this "kneel and pray
in front of a stained-glass window" type thing. And this littered the show,
jazz, pray, jazz, pray, ad nauseum. How are you supposed to get "down and
dirty" in church?? I was about to just give up on the show when my fiancee
goes, "Oh, I get it...this is music from Sister Act". Then I definately gave
up on it.
Boosting themselves into the thick of the semifinals hunt due to a
wonderful starting time pick (last in the 9-17 tier) and a much improved show
from last week were the Boston Crusaders (16th, 68.9). Now, mind you, I'm
not saying that Boston is good now, nor even bearable, but in the past week
they have considerably cleaned up their unintelligable show so that now you
can usually tell what they're trying to play! There still are several
inexcusable moments. Take First Circle for instance. Last week they broke
up the long tone in the melody into a syncopated rhythm, effectively
telegraphing that they can't march and hold a long tone at the same time.
This week they try to camoflauge it by having the sops stand still. What do
they think we are, morons??
Because of a "Code of Conduct" penalty of 3.5 points (3.5?!?!?! I
always thought you had to rape a judge to get a penalty like that!!!), the
Troopers (15th, 70.1) found themselves below VK. Since I last saw them 5 or
6 weeks ago, they have cleaned up the visual program considerably. They
march well, have decent body control and posture, and have a good concept of
drill transitions. They have even traded in their uniform jackets for vests
over long-sleeved white stirts to give them more of a personal, quaint look
so essential to Copeland. Unfortunately, these improvements have not carried
over into the hornline. The baritones continue to butcher lyrical phrases,
the small ensembles and soloists were WAY off, and the hornline in general
lacks the maturity and intensity needed to pull off a show of this calibre.
It sure is nice to see the sunburst, though.
"Somebody just threw a beach ball at me!!" Gee, it must be VK (14th,
73.3). Suprisingly enough, though, the beachballs were the ONLY funny part
in their show!! Have they given up their identity!?!?!? You may ask, "So if
they're not funny, then what are they doing?" I'll tell you...not much. In
fact, "Harlequin Carnival" was one of the most unremarkble and forgettable
shows of the day. Aside from a low-impact segment in the drum solo where the
whole hornline picks up percussion toys (don't worry...you didn't miss
anything. It's really not as cool as it sounds...Americanos do it better), I
really can't think of a single memorable moment in their show. Don't get me
wrong, they're not bad...they're not even boring, just very unremarkable. We
somehow had the honor of overhearing a conversation between a VK fan and a VK
staff member later. The fan asked, "Why aren't you doing anything funny?"
The staff member replied, "Because the judges won't let us." BULL!! The
judges just won't let you do it BADLY!!
The biggest suprise of the day was the failure of Magic (13th, 75.5)
to make it into finals. Actually, their show of "Danse Animale" is finally
beginning to grow on me as it comes together. To truly enjoy this show you
need a libretto (which was present in the DCI North program and not the POC
program) and a few viewings. And it may be this depth that is right now
drawing them down. The depth is not just conceptually, but also in the
scoring, which did present a few clarity problems. Overall, they did have a
lesser show than they did last week, but still earned the right to perform
Saturday night.
For each corps that has problems, another comes up to take it's
place. This is the case with Carolina Crown (12th, 77.2/12th, 77.6). I can
not say enough good things about Carolina Crown. They have truly come into
their own and are to be commended for their first appearance into the elite
of DCI. Still the most amazing thing about them and the central point of
their success is their drill. As an overall package of demand, effect,
appropriateness, and performance, their drill is only surpassed by the top 3.
They do have a few weak spots, though. The first of these are the big
lightning bolts. They are now filled in so you can actually tell what they
are supposed to be, but they still fail to utilize them effectively. They
seem to just pick them up and walk around them. It's a wonderful prop, but
they really need to find some way to maximize it's effectiveness. A second
sore spot is the drum solo. The corps forms 2 lines on the forties and just
stands still for the whole thing. While it is neat to watch the drums fold
out of one line, cross, and fold back into the other, it seems that some body
work from the hornline is sorely needed here. The third and biggest problem
is the hornline...CLEAN!!! They're not bad by any stretch of the
imagination, but neither are the top 12 calibre. Buckling down and adding
some visual GE will easily keep them in finals.
They first made it into finals in 1991 with a Copeland show that some
think copied the Cadets and many more were bored to tears with. In 1992,
they continued along the same vein. In 1993, they opted for Star Trek, a
concept still often ridiculed. In 1994, they seemed to hit on their idiom
with band music that, while esoteric, was still accessible and a very fresh
and accepted color guard and visual program. Unfortunately, the 1995 Blue
Knights (9th, 80.5/11th, 78.4) seem to be once again exploring their roots
(for the humor impaired, that means they're boring). I think the best
description of their scantily-clad-color-guard-laden show was given by two
rather unruly gentlemen sitting behind us on Saturday night: "What the hell
are they doing with those dots?" "You're looking at the DOTS?!?!" In fact,
other than the dots (boy, it must have been a lot of work to scratch the word
Pearl off each and every one of them) and the very tacky guard that seems to
have traded in last year's class for some cheap sex appeal, there's not much
to tell about the show. Quite tacky, very boring. It was kind of eerie to
see them tie with the Crossmen again, though.
The Colts (11th, 79.2/10th, 79.0) were the first corps to come on and
demand to be placed in finals. They've got the poise and presence demanded
of a consistent finalist, but in refining their image they seem to have lost
the one thing that originally endeared them to so many of us...spunk.
"Sunday in the Park with George" is a decent choice for them and often
showcases the power and confidance of the hornline, but it seems easier (both
musically and visually) than anybody else's show in the top 15. There are
many redeeming points in the show, but overall I think I prefer the jazzier,
"spunkier" Colts. If they had to do Sondheim, why didn't they try "Puttin'
it Together" or some music from Dick Tracy?
Winning the award for most improvement over the course of a week was
the Crossmen (9th, 80.5/9th 81.9). While still fighting (and often losing)
over whether their odd instrumentation works for them, the latter 2 sections
of the show are improving nicely. The ballad has warmed up considerably and
the hornline now functions as a cohesive unit. The only problems occur when
the soprano players they stuck on mellophone forget what instrument they're
playing and when ever they ask the mini-soprano-line to play a line without
any lower support (talk about thin tone!). The Alfred Reed closer is
functioning marvelously. If their whole show had it's intensity, they
wouldn't have to look over their shoulders for Carolina Crown anymore. Alas,
the whole show does NOT have it's intensity. "School for Scandal" is a piece
of crap!!! This drum corps mystifies me. They totally bastardize one of
Samual Barber's greatest tunes in arrangement, interpretation, visual
interpretation, and performance and then go out and play the hell out of the
Reed. It's like two different corps! If they can fix School for Scandal,
and we're talking rewrite here, they could easily catch Glassmen. If they
don't, they might be watching Carolina Crown slide past them yet again.
The first corps on Saturday night to show a marked improvement from
the day before (only partially reflected in the score) was the Glassmen (8th,
81.9/8th, 82.8). This was by far the best performance I have ever heard
given by the Glassmen hornline. The warmup still suffers from a few flaws,
but the fanfare regained the power they lacked the previous night, Jesu was
gorgeous and lacked all the small group errors evident in Friday's
performance, the chorale to Mighty Fortress was impeccable, and the Jesu
recapitulation was fabulous. BUT...the show still sucks!!! While you're
listening to the ethereal strains of Jesu, you can't help but notice the
drumline plodding around aimlessly with cymbals. You just have to shake your
head and sigh when they begin "Ode to Hooked on Classics". After watching
the silly PVC box drill during the drum solo, you don't know whether to laugh
or mourn. In fact, it seems that for every good thing there is an equal and
opposite bad thing. It's not often that a corps decides to waste a 6th place
hornline on a 17th place show.
On Friday, the Bluecoats (7th, 83.4/7th, 85.0) were the epitome of
"Frack Night". With possibly their worst show to date as far as individual
and small group errors go, the corps somehow managed to hold onto their
placing. However, they managed to more than make up for it on Saturday. At
finals, they were as flawless as any Bluecoats show have ever been. Every
solo was perfect and the mellophones, until now the weakest section,
performed immaculately. They have added some visuals in the war section and
continue to just plain clean the piss out of their show. With the runaway
momentum this corps has, Phantom and SCV better watch out.
I haven't seen it explained or talked to anybody associated with the
corps, but Santa Clara Vanguard's (6th, 86.1/6th, 87.4) theme this year seems
to be "Themes Suck". They come out and play a hodgepodge of tunes from the
Nutcracker, some recognizeable, some barely recognizeable, and some that I
don't even think are in the Nutcracker...they just wanted to play loud for no
reason at all. When taken as this theme, the torn-up poppies and hypnotic
wheels ("You like our show...you like our show...you like our show.") that
litter the field are really quite hilarious and fitting. As you've come to
expect from SCV, there are some truly amazing moments (high brass weaving in
and out of a low brass block), innovative pit equipment (huge "pipe
xylophones" like you see at children's museums), and a regal ending (Winter
Scene in the Pine Forest). And, interestingly enough, in forsaking themes
they seem to have hit on a theme better than their nearest competition can
boast.
Phantom Regiment (5th, 88.3/5th, 88.1) must be getting some of those
mystery political bonus points because their "K-Tel Records presents Excerpts
from Rachmaninoff" show sure doesn't look like an 88 to me. In the past 3
weeks they have cranked the volume of their hornline so that they are now the
loudest in DCI and in the past week they have cleaned a lot of music, but the
marching is still severely ailing. It got to the point where I would hear
something I liked, begin to clap, and then notice the baritone line bouncing
up to the front. I have honestly never seen such poor body control from any
top 6 corps, much less Phantom Regiment. It seems like since they have the
black uniforms to hide it, they now think they can get away with just about
anything. And so far, it seems that they are. And id that's not bad enough,
their drill seems to be written by somebody who makes really nice pictures,
but has absolutely no clue as to how to make it look good going from point A
to point B. If they don't concentrate on body control and drill transitions,
they may find themselves in an ala 1992 predicament on finals night.
While not really living up to all the hype, Madison Scouts (4th,
90.3/4th, 90.1) have established that they aren't gonna get 6th AGAIN. "El
Toro Calienete" is shaping up to be the best show of recent years and is the
first time in years that the infamous wheel is actually straight!!!!! I only
have 2 major problems with the show. First, as with nearly all Madison
shows, the rest of their show is so keyed-up and hot that you really don't
want to hear their ballad. Second, while they are MUCH better than they were
5 or 6 weeks ago, the "toreador" color guard still has several members
projecting a mood that is...how should I put this...very un-toreadorlike. In
the big dance, it seems that most of the guys NOT on boxes have captured the
correct blend of rigidity and fluidity, but most of the guys on the boxes
look like they're feeling themselves!!! And THAT'S no bull!
The Cavaliers (3rd, 91.2/3rd, 91.6) have really taken off with "The
Planets" and have found a warmth in the hornline that has not existed for
years. The big spheres are now golden and look very nice under the lights
and even better in the sun. The color guard has also found another idiom,
playacting. Never really their forte or concern, they perform it very well,
though it is questionable whether it fits with the style of the rest of their
show. After tearing into "Mars" with an unextinguishible fire, the hornline
plays the rest of the show with a very subdued class that is nothing less
than breathtaking. Barring an act of God, they have virtually no chance to
move higher, but if BD or Cadets ever even think of backing off, they're
gonna get passed up quick.
Once again, the crowd favorite Cadets of Bergen County (2nd,
92.3/2nd, 92.0) managed to rouse scattered boos in response to their
placement. And it's easy to see why. While still not performing quite to
the level of the Blue Devils, the Cadets show has much more in the way of
emotion, variety of moods, and general crown appeal. Since last week, two
major changes have been implemented. First, there is now a flag-raising at
the beginning of the show that makes the "John Williams Reville" make more
sense. More noticeably is the tag at the end of the show. Most of the corps
and all the guys in the color guard now form a parade block and march off to
war, leaving behind the female guard members and horn players. While the
guys play something (I didn't recognize it...can someone help me out) the
girls' ensemble plays America while a soprano soloist overlaps an abstract
Taps. The first time I saw it I didn't get it at all, but it made a lot more
sense at finals.
Blue Devils (1st, 93.0/1st, 93.5) are EVIL! Their show not only
embraces a love of technicality and fan alienation that surpasses even that
of Star, but it is just pure, unbridled evil! Their tuning chords done in a
minor mode evoke this change, but do not alert you to it's extent. They go
through the opener and all the while you sense something amiss, but just
can't put your finger on it. Then they get to the ballad, "Coronation for a
Dead Queen", in which the color guard picks up skulls and tells the tale
LITERALLY!!! The most disturbing part is the flailing "wall of the damned"
that invites the Queen in. I literally sat through this tune in shock. I
did not enjoy it nor did I appreciate what they were trying to convey. The
worst thing about the show, though, it that they peter out and don't finish
along the same vein. Instead, they opt to try to regain the fans' affection
by rehashing years past. I don't think I have ever disliked a Blue Devils
show so much, the boos they received were not unwarranted.
Well, except for the pathetic attempt at a Sousa/Lee Greenwood laser
light show and the increasingly-infuriating crap they turned retreat into,
there's not really anything more to tell. Is there some way we could start a
petition or something to get retreat back?
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