Thanks to John Weldy for directly emailing this review to us! In debatably the worst show site I have ever watched or performed a drum corps show in, a relatively small crowd watched a total of ten drum and bugle corps from all areas east of the mississippi. I heard from a sometimes-DCW writer that I sat by that this show site was more or less settled on after having a heck of a time finding a better place. "No, really?" I thought. The first corps of the night was Mirage II (Exhibition). Moving leaps and bounds over what they did two weeks ago, I could actually understand what they were playing. In fact, I and a few others around me wondered why they weren't competing, because chances are that they would not have been last. Next on was one of the big blunders of the night. "The Coachmen," said the announcer, "Will now perform the national anthems of Canada and the United States." Well, he was half right. Everybody stood and listened to them play "The Star Spangled Banner" and then watched in confusion as the drum major led them out of the stadium. "Ummmm...you forgot one!" If I was the Kiwanis Kavaliers', I'd be very irate. Marion Cadets (5th, 55.2) were the first corps in competition. Sporting only 5 horns, these kids were simply amazing. In a top 12 corps, when one guy takes a breath or even decides not to play for an entire tune, nobody can tell. In a five man hornline, if one guy drops, you lose a section. Marion's horns showed an impressive display of maturity. These kids could all play, and they very rarely even missed a note. Most impressive, though, was the 4 member (sometimes adding the drum major) color guard that could give personality lessons to guards 8 times their size. I was admittedly suprised to hear them above Mirage, PRC, and even the Coachmen (at their home show)due to their size, but with their personality, they definately deserved it. Next up were the Racine Scouts (9th, 42.5). Racine suffered from a lethal dose of "our staff doesn't know what direction they want to go with our show," which is fine for a corps that just goes out to have fun, but if they would want to take it up a level, they would need to change. They play a menagerie of musical selections with no real rhyme or reason, ranging from classical to jazz-like. The oddest thing about the show, though, was their stabs at humor. While sometimes hilarious (such as the imitation of the corps mocking their marching instructor during rehearsal), these vignettes seemed out of place. Funny shows are great, but the music then should not be as serious. The corps' strong point was playing loud. When they parked and blew, it reminded you that you were at a drum corps show and not a band show. Mirage Sr. (8th, 44.1) followed Racine with a more cohesive and academic show of music from Stargate. Mirage seemed to really understand this show and all it's eccentricities, even if the crowd didn't. Music was solid throught, with a more reserved style that works well for other small corps such as the Golden Lancers. Guard work was somewhat ragged and also disjointed designwise, but I still was suprised to see them just a point and a half above Racine. The pre-intermission lineup was fleshed out by Phantom Regiment Cadets (7th, 47.6). Their show was a classic example of a staff trying to grasp extra points for symbolism that isn't really there. This was immediately revealed by the presence of three large backdrops. The first was the circular groove with James Bond in the middle design. The second was the 007 with a pistol logo. The third was a set of three tarot cards. I am reminded of a song I learned from public TV when I was 5, "One of these things is not like the others." Overall, the Regiment Cadets did a feeder corps show with a feeder corps attitude...which is just fine because that's exactly what they are! The highlight of the show was two little guys in the pit who couldn't be more than 6 years old who both just played their hearts out. Being their home show, the Coachmen (6th, 51.5) placed themselved in the after-intermission block with the "big boys". The Coachmen were really on fire for this show and it showed. They improved quite a bit since I last saw them two weeks ago, but the biggest difference was their attitude. When they really go for it, this show actually makes a lot more sense than the disjointed song titles would reveal. Some things, such as the "church bells" in Amazing Grace, still don't fit too well, but I was among those dumbfounded to see them lower than 5th. Kiwanis Kavaliers (3rd, 74.3) embraced their task of waking up the crowd and reminding us that, yes indeed, we were at a drum corps show. I cannot possibly say enough good things about the Kavaliers this year. Every time I see them, they improve dramatically and push their envelope. What began as a mostly "me too" show has now evolved into a program worthy of the top 12! They push through their West Side Story program with a vengeance, not just requesting but demanding to be noticed and enjoyed. The crowd was more than happy to oblige, giving them more positive feedback than any other corps of the evening, even the winning Crossmen. All sections are meeting and exceeding their responsibilities. The drums are better then they have ever been. The horns are relentless, never letting the excitement and energy falter for a second. But the real stars of the show are the color guard. A very big guard for a non-top 12 corps (I counted 24), every one of them is top notch. After seeing 4 girls march half their show at right shoulder 5 times in a row, it was extremely refreshing and impressive to see 24 guys and girls in almost complete, exacting unison. By far, the highlight of the show and the evening was Kiwanis' drum solo. The trashcan drums have been maximized for ultimate visual and audial effect. The crowd simply erupted. The only problems I see with this show are some M&M work which still needs to be done in the hornline and some staging near the end of the show that needs to be adressed in the color guard. Even with these minor problems, I think I can safely say to the Kavaliers "Welcome to Semifinals". After the fire that the Kavaliers set on the field, the Boston Crusaders (4th, 72.0) were a letdown. It's not that there's anything really wrong with BAC's show, it's just that there's not a whole lot right with it either. While some may disagree with me, their Patriotic show is not too sappy and they only revert to blantant, stomach-churning patriotism once (the big 2-part American flags in the closer). The biggest problem with BAC is the same as with many other corps, they're changing their beloved style. I don't wanna see BAC play soft and pretty, I WANNA HEAR CONQUEST!!!!!!! I can tell you the surest way for them to get a standing ovation, play Conquest while trooping the stands!!! After writing my very scathing review of Glassmen (2nd, 81.2) two weeks ago, I considered retracting my previous comments. After a second viewing of their show, I want to do nothing of the kind. The 1996 Glassmen have again taken wonderful ideas and perverted them. They come off the line in a military band emulation that could be quite impressive give more cleaning and snap-two styling. The DM needs to relay the commands instead of the entire corps, but other than that, it could be quite impressive. The problem with this extended physical warm-up is that it will tire the corps out before they even play their first note. One of those things that looks great on paper, but just doesn't come off well. The Gmen continue seamlessly with the breakstrain of "Stars and Stripes Forever", cutting off just before the big fortissimo theme kicks in, again the best joke in drum corps. The opener of "Stars and Stripes" is actually done quite well (with the single exception of the mellophone translation of the piccolo countermelody) and the tiny bass drums even add a nice, playful element. Then the Ives starts. If ever there was a list of tunes that should never be played by a drum and bugle corps, this tune would be very near the top of the list. This piece is simply too convoluted and the only reason they are getting any musical points from it is because the judges can't tell if they're playing it right or not. The visual theme is equally convoluted, which is a nice attempt, but simply doesn't work. Instead of making you want to try to follow everything, such as the segmented drill Steve Brubaker writes for the Cavaliers, this drill and body movement just makes you want to close your eyes. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is the absolute worst production I have ever seen attempted by a drum corps. They continue with a ballad I did not recognize. This is performed well, but just as last year, the drums are still not playing. When the drumline finally emerged, I leaned over to my friend and said, "Oh, the Glassmen are marching drums this year? I didn't know that!" The drum break is alright, but nothing special. Then comes the highlight of the show, a minute of "Strike Up the Band." It's sorry to say that such a cheesy tune is the high point of the show, but it truly is. Horns and Drums are both in top form and excitement level is high. Then comes the "Gershwin Medly" closer. This tune begins with 3 sop soloists all fracking at least one note and continues by juxtaposing a disjointed clump of Gershwin moments, mostly from "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris." Had they chosen just "Rhapsody", "American", "Concerto in F", or another Gershwin piece, they could have at least ended on a high note. As it is, they play a barely-coherent series of 10-second segments. Topping the field by a much more decisive margin than the scores reveal, the Crossmen (1st, 81.3) suprised me more than any other corps on the field tonight. As they entered the field, I was imediately struck by their new uniform design of a dark red cross laid across the now-featureless front of their coats. "Geez, that's tacky," I said. And if you just look at one of them, they really are. I always hate corps uniforms that put the corps symbol on the members' chests just like superheroes. However, when you look at them as a group and the lights hit them just right (which would happen a lot more often in a better stadium), the effect is astonishing. Now if they only had enough money to but some new contras. The Crossmen come out blazing right off the line with a 100-member (horns & guard) flagline. The effect is nothing less than breathtaking and it was by far the best visual effect of the night. After 30 seconds, the horns pick up their instruments and begin "The Sultan Fainted". This is a very demanding piece and the hornline is still having problems with the rapid tounging. Other than that, the tune is performed very well. You don't even notice that the hornline is an abbreviated version of itself (16 sop, 8 mello, 14 bari, 9 contra). The second piece, however, is a different matter. The Xmen attempt "A Nightengale Sang in Berkeley Square" in almost a verbatim version of the Manhattan Transfer. The problem with this is that a 4 member vocal jazz ensemble that stands still while performing has a lot more flexability than a 50 member brass ensemble that moves around. In a nutshell, the rubato and exposure just plain does not work. This tune will surely be the one that holds them back. A better substitute may have been "Java Jive" or "Stardust". In "Birdland", the Crossmen again find their guns and speed through this piece with a furor. Showcasing a polyphonic/cacophonic section near the end that the crowd goes ape over, this tune is one of the highlights of drum corps this year. In their victory concert (in which they regrettably only played Birdland...come on, guys...it's only 10 minutes...you owe it to your fans!), they did not even stand at attention...they just arc-ed up and jammed. You can tell these kids really love playing this piece. John Weldy
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