Thanks to Jeff Wise for this review!
Sorry, I don't have exact scores, rather, I'll give you all my "expert" (it's
debatable) opinion on what I saw, in order of performance. I missed the
CyberPartyTailGate due to time constraints (sorry Vince). And so
Pioneer
Ambitious program (Irish of course). A little smaller than I thought they'd be,
but then again, I didn't know how big they were stiving for to begin with. I
didn't see any ramifications from the recent accident.
The members have an excellent command of marching technique (hear that
Hooter? A corps with good technique!) but as is usual this time of year, the
actual marching to forms was shaky. Guard uniforms are allright and the work
seemed pretty decent.
The closer, apparently a medley of Enya tunes, seems a little unfocused,
maybe due to not knowing it very well. However, it translated better than I
expected onto the field leading to me wonder if maybe an entire show based off
of Enya wouldn't be too bad a concept for Pioneer.
Sixth - 48 something?
Next came a rather ill-timed intermission.
Colts
They stood at the gate for a long time, but it didn't seem to adversely affect
them. The horn show is solidly, again, solidly top 12, if not top 10 material.
I continue to rave about Dubuque's horn line, these guys got talent.
Too bad I can't say anything near the same about the visual program.
Pioneer's technique blew away Colts. Much bouncing and posture problems. Once
more the opening move has the members running around the field for no apparent
reason and consequently it just does not work. And the drill comes across as
rather unimaginative.
The guard seems improved over last year, but it has a long way to go
still. The show concept thought seems strong, with the potential for much to
be added. My friend, Dave the Dentist, envisions a huge tarp going over the
corps in the end which "wipes away all the color, thus bringing them full
circle back to an empty palette." If you read their show blurb in a program,
this will make more sense.
All in all, Colts look much like last year -- a good program with lots of
room for growth, but a sadly lacking visual program which will ultimately keep
them from ascending where they'd like to go.
Fifth (and robbed... read G'men review) 58.6 maybe
Madison
Tough entrance, with horns and battery coming on in a straight line (a vertical
line to those in the stands). Bolero warm-up is hip, as Toledo makes for a
good back-field playing stadium.
These guys came out to play ball and entertain and that they did. Rocking
horn line and a percussion line that kicks some serious butt. The show looks
at times like it's July and maybe at some sort of peak (might be problematic).
They seem to have switched from tailored pants to more of the jumper loose
fitting pants and I don't like it because it takes away the clean lines of
their marching technique.
But they do march well anyhow. And they actually march during the drum
solo, none of this body crap, just pure marching around the field as the
percussion does its stuff (god, I miss drum solos like that). But, the guard,
oh me oh my, the guard is nowhere near a Madison quality guard.
Firstly, a number of guard people just don't come across like they should.
I mean, you know how the guard usually has an air or something about them,
some of these guys almost looked lost out there. And then much of the work
just looked thrown in or even improvised, not to mention a number of drops.
Ouch. But hey the Mad guys are out to perform and entertain and that they
do without a hitch. The impact points are good and the show has few weaknesses,
again the only concern being -- is there room for growth?
First (deservedly show tonight) 70.something
Phantom
Too bad PR had to come across the whole back sideline to the opposite end zone
to make their on-field entrance, otherwise they might have made a better
opening impression with the uniforms.
Hey, did PR use Premier drums last year? This year's set almost look like
they bought them off of Magic -- lavender. Sadly they don't match the guard
uniforms which are lavender and nothing spectactular. The title of the show is
something like Music for a Darkened Night and they don't seem to follow that
completely.
The black uniforms are nice and PR seems to finally have figured out that
the black will hide many of their technique problems (yes Hooter, their
technique still ain't great, but it's harder to see now). But the guard
present no real contrast to the corps -- I'd rather see white uniforms on the
guard maybe.
The show seems like it'll grow on someone real easy like. And my hunch is
that it's a rather difficult show. The marching is ambitious also and if
cleaned well could be a major lift in the overall placement in August. The
ballad section towards the end has the usual wonderful sonority that PR can do
so well. Some horn performance fracks during the show, though, something
Madison either didn't have or wasn't as noticable.
Hate to call PR a dark horse (a pun, get it? sorry) but it's a definite
possibility. The middle section staging with the big white frame things is
real cool and in some cases seems to give an illusion of increased depth. So,
much of the show has great stuff written all over it and contrary to seasons
past, PR has many spots of dirtiness and few spots of cleanliness.
Third 68.something
Cavaliers
Three big ol' spherical things appeared in the end zone, kinda like PVC pipe
bent to look like a globe with a few longitude and latitude lines (quick quiz:
Latitude lines are 1) vertical B) horizontal and Longitude lines are E)
horizontal 6) vertical).
Mars is done up real nice, real nice. This horn line has talent. Partial
credit again goes to Toledo stadium as the concrete back field reflects sound
well. Guard uniforms look similar to last year with a few changes/additions.
What's the "standard" height of snare drums? Cavaliers' looked a little more
squashed than usual, and were an odd gray swirl color.
After Mars, it seemed like the designers were torn between reinterpreting
the Planets or paying repsect to 85's show. The red balls are back, but
smaller and used real ineffectively. The cross bars from last year seem to be
back, only painted white and not used real well either.
The globe thingy's (unlike the Star of IN's rat wheels of 86) actually
made their way onto the field and had some effective use -- only they weren't
globular in shape, they were more ovalish, prompting the observation that by
season's end they might be flat, thus making us all rethink our belief that our
solar system's planets are round.
There's definite potential here (again the horn line seems real good) and
there seems to be much more to add and change and move around. I half wonder
if maybe much of the show was akin to political "trial balloons" awaiting
judge's opinions before being refined. This would explain a good portion of
guard work (and I realize that many corps' guards completely change work
throughout the summer).
second 68.something, about .3 above PR (Latitude lines are horizontal)
Glassmen
WARNING: I'm going to try to be nice about this show, but it'll be very hard.
Entering the field, the guard uniforms actually are kinda pleasing, and
then they bring on these huge open air cube things and smaller open air
rectangle things. And on the sideline are those big drum things that they've
used since I was knee high to a praying mantis. Uh oh.
They play and march the warm-up and I consider it a bad sign when they
can't march that worth a doodley. And then the battery sets down their
equipment and come up to the pit and grab those big drum things. And these
drums are painted the same as they were last year and the year before and the
year before and so on (does this mean the drums match any show concept known to
man?) Uh oh, part two.
Allright, opening fanfare -- it's loud, allright. And then it gets a
little louder, fine. And then suddenly their into the Jesu opener which is a
nice little quiet piece (Meaning -- how does the fanfare fit into the show?)
And then it happens, some members put down their horns and start this body
stuff, again. Uh oh, part three.
Hey, does anyone think that all this body stuff should be judged as guard
work and if so, should be accorded low scores due to incredible timing
problems? The judges apparently don't. And I suggest not watching the battery
return back to their equipment -- gazelles in motion they are not. Besides
they don't play in the entire 2-minute opener. And the horn lines seems to be
going back to the days of edgy sound and blattiness (I will give them due
credit that it's early in the season). Nevertheless, am I still watching a
drum corps show? Uh oh, part four.
The second tune sounds like a Muzak version of Ode to Joy (didn't the
Colts try this in like 89 and have many problems?) And then the drum solo
hits. Um, I may be wrong, but can a corps get away with absolutely, and I mean
absolutely no drill for the entire drum solo? They bring out these open air
yellow pipe frame cube and rectangle things and play around with them. I may
be high on some unknown drug, but I don't see any way in which this connects
with anything Back ever did or Beethoven (oh silly me, I forgot, Beethoven
introduced Picasso into his cubism phase). Uh oh, part five.
The horn line has no balance, they don't resonate very well, and they
don't seem to care about playing soft with quality. The guard seems to have
problems counting, since I can't tell if the work is supposed to be in unison
or in a ripple effect. At least, the horns appear to do less body stuff than
last year (although I've been told Back was big on aerobics). And just when we
thought they did the final push and were done, boom they go on for another 45
seconds to a minute. Uh oh, ad nausem.
I'm sorry, this is a hot dog corps. I was appalled by this show, and
seriously, I felt like finding one of their instructors and asking them just
the heck was going on out there because I don't get any of it. And if anyone
can completely explain that show to me and convince me of its merit, please
speak now and let me save my $3 for a boiled hot dog and cup of ice with two
tablespoons of flat soda.
Fourth 58.something -- somehow beating Colts by .2 which should have been
somehow beating Pioneer by .2
That's my analysis, take it for what you want. I apologize for the
harshness of the G'men review, but geez, that's my honest to goodness appraisal
of them. If Madison can add some touches, I could see them being a dark horse.
Phantom could easily contend. At this point in time Cavaliers seem to be
around the third to fifth chunk, but everyone knows how much their shows evolve
during the season. With some good work, Pioneer could hover around to 15th.
Lastly, '95 seems like another good year for DCI in terms of
entertainment and competition. Looking forward to my next show in Hershey in 2
weeks.
Comments, criticism and debate welcomed.
Jeff Wise
--affiliated with no corps, opinions are mine, as unbiased as I can make it
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