Madison Scouts...........85.3 Phantom Regiment.........83.8 Crossmen.................78.9 Glassmen.................78.7 Magic of Orlando.........78.3 Colts....................74.0 Carolina Crown...........73.0 Kiwanis Kavaliers........72.0 Southwind................63.3 Delta Brigade............50.4 Lone Star................48.8 Thanks to Darrell Pearman for emailing us these scores!
Let me first say that this was one of the most hot, humid nights I can think of in recent memory. It must have been at least 95 degrees at the beginning of the evening and, although it did cool a bit, remained pretty muggy the entire night. The stands were full (of course) and the Lake Highlands HS band staff did a wonderful job of making things run smoothly and (fairly) on time.
Lone Star - looked like their numbers were down from last year...only about 35 on field. Decent idea for show, but terribly rough in places (particularly the last selection). Nice sop soloist and surprisingly tight drumline; however, this was tempered by a weak visual effect due to only 3 guard members and uninteresting drill. Not a bad way to warm up the crowd, though.
Delta Brigade - Interesting "murder" theme, complete with painted backdrops of Clue-like scenes. The music itself lacked punch, but the corps was fairly energetic. Extra brownie points go to the poor guard member who had to forgo all his pole work and just march his routings due to a broken arm.
Kiwanis Kavaliers - Wow! I had never seen or heard much from this corps before, but was impressed. Pretty sharp black uniforms, and a tight battery. The horns had a nice firm sound, exhibited best in the closer Don't Cry for me Argentina. One puzzlement, though....what was with the Love Boat-style drum major uniform?
Colts - YEAH! Wonderful show! This was the best arrangement of Blood, Sweat, and Tears tunes I have ever heard, and boy, did it cook! I don't ever remember the Colts sounding this tight and appearing to have so much fun! Great brass, great percussion, REALLY nice guard work - the Colts guard wins the most spirited award for the evening.
Magic of Orlando - N'awlins......it was all there, from the swaggering brass band to the mardi gras gold lame flags to the tutti singing of Liza Jane by the corps, including the drum majors' pleas to get the crowd to sing along (which actually worked to a point). I liked it much better than previous Magic shows I have seen.
Carolina Crown - Their show this year was a bit of a letdown after the ambitious chess-theme show last summer. VERY english - Walton and Elgar accompanied by fencing, cricket, and..uh...croquet. Pity the poor sop who played alone in a rest. Overall nice GE though, just a bit too busy for my tastes. The show announcer amused me greatly by pronouncing their final selection, the Gigue, as "gig-you". Ha ha ha.
Crossmen - I like the jazz thing this corps has had going the last few years. I guess the semi-merger with CBC has caused Hoppy to keep on doing the classics with CBC and devote his jazz interests to Crossmen (of course, I could be wrong). Well-executed and performed, but nothing stands out in my mind other than the nice opener Birdland.
Glassmen - Again, don't remember much about it other than it was pleasant.
Madison - HOLY SHNIKES! What a show....probably the most entertaining I have seen in a while, especially from the Scouts! The big fat juicy smokin' sound was there as usual, but oh, the GE! Pirate flags, rotating percussion features (you have to see it to understand what I mean), great role-playing by the guard.....it's all there. Got a crowd reaction that was leaps and bounds over any other corps that performed, and deservedly so.
Phantom - Uh, can we say "high brow"? Seriously, it was a wonderfully-arranged, well-executed, beautiful show, but it didn't move me as PR has in past years. Wagner's "Ring" cycle boasts many memorable leitmotifs, most of which this show alluded to, but no melody sticks out in my mind. Big crowd reaction to the female drum major though- apparently this seems to be a reoccurring thing throughout the tour so far. One thing I will say in favor of PR is that their brass sound is the best it's been in years - no more of the blatty edginess that always seemed to lurk beneath the sheen of smoothness during the early 90s.
Overall, an evening of great performances, not terribly hindered by the insufferable humidity. Madison blew everyone away - I hope they go far this year. Good luck to all the corps as they march on towards Finals!
Now for a little review of what I can remember from a fun night.
3 notes:
Lone Star. What a nice tight little drum line! I thought they sounded better than both Delta Brigade and Southwind. Brass is very small, but they play reasonably well. The drill needs a lot of cleaning and they need to fill that guard hole. Had 3 out of 4 guard on the field and the hole was very distracting. This corps has a lot of potential if they can hold on for a couple of years financially.
My friends were still struggling with parking and missed these guys.
Delta Brigade: I really did not get the murder mystery theme. The sets are extremely distracting and add little to the show. Starts out way too slow and confusing. It took the crowd a couple of minutes to figure out the show had begun. The brass line sounded good in spots, but they have balance problems. This show has some potential to entertain, but the guard dances and prances too much for GE. Costumes cute for the theme, if the parallel to a game of Clue is drawn.
My friends walked in right as this show ended.
Southwind: The music in this show is just not exciting. Soloists sounded pretty good and the brass were nicely balanced for such a small line. Drums have a lot of cleaning to do, but the show will do nicely. The guard gets a little too cute with the kids thing, but also featured the first really nice flag work of the evening. Would be an entertaining little show if the music would reach out and grab you. I look forward to seeing it from a better vantage point at the show in Killeen tonight.
My friends liked this show, but I had to quietly explain a lot of what was going on. First comment (repeated often with other corps later in the evening) from my friend's date : "Their choreographer should be shot"
Kiwanis Kavaliers. Alright, now. Evita works! This was a very entertaining show. My friends loved all the flag work, including the neat effect with the big Argentinean flag at the beginning and the white protest flags in the middle. Don't Cry for Me Argentina is a nicely arranged piece and works superbly as a good old drum corps style closer. Drums sounded good. I enjoyed all the latin percussion parts. The show had less dance, few props, and a good drill. Needs cleaning, though; but, hey. its only mid-July!
My friends loved this show. "Wow!" "Hey, that's neat!" "Wish we were closer to the middle to hear a little better." "I like those drums, man." Hearty applause.
Thanks, Kiwanis, for an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Can't wait to see you tonight from somewhere between the 40 and 45!
Glassmen. Ladders do not work. Nobody gets it. They are detracting from the rest of the show. The work with the ladders is just silly. Sorry, kids. I liked your music and your effort. I'll try to figure it out better tonight. Drums were very impressive. Drill execution was pretty good for this time of season.
My friends - "Huh?" " What are those ladders for?" "Drums sound good" "Ooh, I like that low brass sound!" "Those ain't no stairways to heaven"
Colts. Oh, Yes. I do not see what all the fuss is about with loudness. I heard lots of dynamic variation and no shrapnel. BS&T music might as well have been written for drum corps, but this show doesn't give quite enough Lucretia. Guard unis and attitude fit the show. Loved it, and so did the crowd. Drum line was better than I expected out of the Colts, and I was glad to hear it. This corps is coming, bottom 6, and you'd better watch out. They'll bring the house down in Orlando. Way too much choreography, though. Just lose it and stick with the flags and rifles!
My friends - (sing/hum) "Hi-de-ho; hi-de-hiii; I'm gonna get me..." "Their choreographer should be shot." "Ooh, baby" "Those rifles are cool! Neat! Did you see that toss?"
Crown. Well designed show and good execution. I like the big guard, especially considering the problems the corps has had in filling out the horn line. Hey, take who you can get, right? The multi-colored flags mixed in with the corps in the drill works really well. I thought the corps should be able to get more out of the brass and I thought the individual marching should be a little crisper considering the style of music they play. Since I love drum corps for the music more than anything else, I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed by Crown's effort, but some of that could be attributable to where I was sitting. I'll re-evaluate tonight.
Problem - guard unis. Staff, grab a clue; come on. I was angry and felt sorry for some of your beautiful young women who have to change uniform pieces on the front sideline. This is extremely distracting and must be humiliating for some of your girls. Especially the corsets, which add ZERO effect to your show and fall off requiring these ladies to readjust themselves....ooohhh, it just steamed me up! Have these costuming changes done behind the gates or not at all!!! Guard does some neat unison stuff and I like the flags, especially the big silks. Drop the choreography completely.
My friends - "Look at all that color" "What a neat design" "Nice job!" "Wish we could hear better" "Those poor girls"
Note: We were sitting around a lot of teenaged band kids who found sick humor in watching the struggles with the guard costumes...
Magic. This is a fun show. Great soloists. Great beginning parade. Great sound out of the hornline. Decent execution of a mediocre drill (not as good a drill and execution as even Crown). More good guard work and the crowd really liked the Mardi Gras garb! Fun show!!
Friends - "Hey, that's different!" "How neat!" "That's a fun show!" "Wow, what a sound" "Why do they try to dance on a grass field? I would like to see them work those pretty flags some more."
Crossmen. This drumline cooks. From what I have read, the Crossmen must have improved dramatically over the past 2 weeks. Birdland drags just a tad in places; the tempo should be a little faster. Drill is good and executed well. If Crossmen could dress a little better and hold spacing, this show could compete for the top of the bottom 6 (heck, I guess it already is, considering their placement tonight). The end brought me to my feet screaming and pumping my fists in the air! And that was from the 20! This was my personal favorite show of the night (but that doesn't mean to say I thought they should win - just that I was very entertained).
Friends - "HE HIT THAT!!" (re:sop soloist) "That is really good." "Look at how they are all together" "Man, you've gotta be in some kind of shape to do this"
Scouts. Crowd frenzied when left the goal line to line-up for start of show and never let up. Sound, fun, awesome, there is not a negative thing I can say about this show. Guard is great, couple of drops that will be straightened out. I can't wait to see it again tonight.
Friends - "Let us know if these guys come back next year...we'll come again."
Phantom. This show is just flat. Gets the most GE from Ms. Spears' uniform (that's not sarcasm - if you think about it, its on target!). Beautiful low brass sound with 14 contras and lots of euphs, baris and french horns. The show just lacks appeal. Great execution and design. Just hard to follow Madison with a show of this type. Crowd gave polite appreciative and respectful applause, but not a universal standing ovation.
Friends - "Technically the best show, but its hard to come down from all the excitement of that last group to watch."
This was a good night for drum corps and I'll write more after the show tonight. Let me tell you, though, that the choreography, sets and gimmicks do not usually work. Its not what the crowd wants and expects to see. Give 'em good sound, exciting music that moves them in some way, (even if its unfamiliar this is possible - look at Magic and Madison and their effect on my friends) and quit trying to make the football field the designers canvass to say something. Nobody gets it anyway.
T. Lynn Walden
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