July 29, Port Huron, MI

Thanks to Richard Vincent Lamb for directly emailing this review to us!

Santa Clara Vanguard Blows Past the Scouts in Port Huron

   July 29, 1996 -- Port Huron, Michigan...The Santa Clara Vanguard 
recovered from their narrow loss to the Madison Scouts in Madison the 
previous Friday, defeating the Scouts by two points.  The two top 6 corps 
headlined a field of four finalists, two semifinalists, and one Division 
III finalist.  Despite the threat of thunderstorms, spectators packed the 
front stands and half-filled the back stands of Port Huron High School's 
Memorial Field to watch seven entertaining and energetic performances.

   The Vanguard improved on their mark from the Friday night show in
Madison, scoring 88.1.  Scouts came in second with 86.2, followed by 
Colts, 81.2, Carolina Crown, 80.7, Troopers, 66.3, Southwind, 65.5, and 
Northern Aurora, 57.8.

   Waves broke throughout Santa Clara VanguardUs presentation of 
Debussey's La Mer, beginning with the corps swaying back and forth as 
the pit imitated the surf crashing and continuing as large wave forms in 
the drill, rippling horn flashes, and cascading flag tosses.  The corps 
was so successful at portraying the motion of the sea that, even if the 
corps were completely silent, the audience could have heard the ocean in 
their heads.  However, they would have missed out on the strongest 
section of the corps, the resurgent horn line, which played gorgeously 
from the warm up to the last note of the show.  Even when the horns faced 
backfield and played mezzoforte, the sound reverberating off the back 
stands projected controlled power and impressive tone quality, blend, and 
balance.  The corps closed their performance with a company front that 
high-stepped forward and then became a Vanguard "V" formed by squads of 
four.  The spectators gave the corps a well-deserved standing ovation.

   The Madison Scouts may not have won the show, but they certainly won 
the fanUs hearts, earning the most applause of any corps at the show.  In 
particular, the audience responded to the opening company front rotation, 
the frenetic drumming during the drum solo, and nearly all of 
Malaguena.  The fans began cheering at the final wedge and continued 
until the very end, when they leapt to their feet, clapping, screaming, 
and swooning.  While the high energy of the Scouts' performance may have 
won over the spectators, it was a little more than the corps could 
handle, as several spots of their show had ensemble phasing problems.  
The judges recognized this and gave the nod to the Vanguard instead.
 
   The strength of the Colts was their hornline, which played with a 
dark, rich, and balanced sound during warmup and continued to play 
outstandingly throughout the show.  The corps also marched very well, 
exhibiting good technique and outstanding execution of their drill.  In 
particular, the rotating files into and out of blocks that appeared twice 
during the show were very clean, with straight lines and good 
intervals.   While the drill may not be as difficult as those of the top 
6, it certainly was effective.  The drums, which were a problem for the 
corps early in the season, have improved tremendously and added to the 
performance.  Most noticeable were additions of the loose head effect and 
the better presentation of the chime effect, with the snares and tenors 
ringing small chimes in addition to the handbell choir.  The baritones 
added to the visual effect, mimicking the ringing of the bells with their 
horns.  The performance earned an enthusiastic but seated ovation from 
the audience.

   Carolina Crown jumped three points from the night before and deserved 
every tenth of it.  They pumped controlled energy into their performance 
and were rewarded with a rousing ovation when the entire corps emerged 
briefly from behind their chess pieces, playing at full volume with a 
controlled sound and filling the field from 15 to 15.  The spectators 
cheered three more times during the opener, once for a saber toss after 
the fight, again for the silent drill with flagwork, and at the 
conclusion of the selection.  The corps continued their outstanding 
performance, marching their show well in addition to selling it to the 
stands.  They earned much more applause, including the first standing 
ovation of the night, despite the White Queen losing her crown halfway 
through the show.

   The fans gave Troopers an outstanding ovation just for their name 
being announced.  Despite the small hornline (38B), the corps achieved a 
fat sound, especially during the chorale just before the drum break in 
the opener and during the opening of Shenandoah.  The drill was also 
impressive, if not always well executed, especially the short bursts of 
movement during the very opening, the expanding rotating block, the 
field-covering battery drill during the drum solo, and the trademark 
sunburst.  Unlike previous years' sunbursts, this year's version garnered 
little applause, unusual for the Troopers.  At the conclusion of the 
performance, the fans matched but did not exceed their opening ovation 
for the corps.

   Southwind impressed the audience with their generally clean marching, 
crisp individual technique, and solid, well-blended horn sound.  Despite 
the wind which blew during the first few corps' performances, the guard 
had no problems catching their tosses, especially one during the second 
number.  The most engaging part of the show was the African-flavored drum 
solo, which featured work with big rain sticks, eye-catching horn pops, 
and an impressive yell from the corps which earned great crowd response.  
They maintained the attention of the fans with a rousing finale to their 
gospel-theme show, complete with church window flags, stereo effects 
between sopranos and the rest of the corps, a silent drill into a block 
and then fronts, and the concluding cross at the end.  The corps received 
a warm ovation for their efforts.

   Michigan's Northern Aurora earned appreciative applause from the home 
state audience as they opened the contest.  They marched impressively, 
selling the silent drill into the reverse company front in particular, 
and played much better than they did the night before in Ypsilanti.  
Although it didnUt rain on them as it had the night before, wind from the 
nearby thunderstorms made their tosses difficult and blew away some of 
their sound.  Even without the wind, the guard still needs to clean their 
work, particularly the saber tosses during the second number.  Also, the 
horns need to recapture the confidence they showed at their home show in 
Saginaw, projecting their sound from the very first note, instead of 
waiting halfway through the show for the Indiana Jones theme to demonstrate 
their capabilities.  The corps ended well and earned sincere applause 
from the fans.

   The thunderstorms which had held off during  the show appeared 
immediately after the scores were announced.  The victory concert was 
canceled and the stands cleared quickly.

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