June 23, 1997, Columbus, OH

Phantom Regiment.........75.9
Bluecoats................67.1
Blue Knights.............66.8  (penalty - 0.30)
Colts....................65.2
Kiwanis Kavaliers........60.2
Marion Cadets............47.7
Golden Lancers...........42.7
Cincinnati Glory.........34.8
Coachmen.................28.6

Thanks to ChiBoyinLA on r.a.m.d for these scores!
Thanks to Jay Wise on r.a.m.d for these scores!

Review - June 23, 1997, Columbus, OH

Thanks to Bill DePaepe on r.a.m.d for this review!

Driving east along I-70, destination: Columbus, Ohio. Sunny skies, hot and muggy - it's Drum Corps Season!!!

Before I talk about the corps, I have to make a pitch to please move the Columbus shows out of Cooper Stadium. The seats are ungodly uncomfortable, acoustics are the pits - you can barely hear the announcer, and something about having the field at a slant to where you are sitting is just not right! And a pitcher's mound on the 20 yard line only adds to the frustration. Columbus is a big town - there has just gotta be a better place.....

Now, on with the countdown ...

Coachmen:
The idea for this show is not a bad one - the Old West. Seems there was another corps last year that tried the same thing with some not-too-shabby results. Why shucks, they've even thrown in "The Promise Of Living" for good measure.

There are some good things about this show. The props are nice, tho sometimes distracting. There is a fairly decent soprano solo in the opening number. The music isn't exactly bad: I, for one, am not gonna criticize the notes put forth by minor gods Copland and Bernstein.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of evils in this show. The first piece, for starters, lasted W-A-Y too long. Balance within the brass; guard uniforms which are, without getting offensive, simply wrong for the people wearing them; and a guard drill which is seemingly unknown to the kids - to the point of being distracting. There were other ills which were not necessarily the fault of the group: actual chalk lines which, when props (1x12 planks) were dropped on them, sent a plume of chalk dust up in the air.

This show can work, but it needs some rethinking and a lot of cleaning.

Cincinnati Glory:
I've seen these kids working, off and on, since about February. This fledgling group (first year in comps) is going places. The kids are "kids", average age is 17. Included in this demographic is a pit player that, well, I'm not gonna guess his age - but he's got to be older than he looks. The kid is a blur, though: he really jams in the pit.

Glory is playing selections from Candide, and the show is, of course, loosely based on the story. The show needs some cleaning, but my main complaint was that the percussion seemed to overpower the brass.

Golden Lancers:
Lancers are putting on a kind of a "sea" thing. The show, all in all, just isn't hitting me. The drill and music seem pretty tight, but the show is just kinda "there". Probably just me and water: I didn't much care for SCV's show last year, either.

Marion Cadets:
This is a group you just gotta love! Probably the smallest corps out there, yet a combination of guts and versatility make up for their size. What really works is the group's virtuosity. All five (that's right, FIVE) brass are tight as hell and wail. And their control and balance is incredible. With the exception of the contra, each play a solo - and play it well. But the ad-lib mello solo is just ... well, ya' just gotta hear it.

The guard and drums (each seeing double duty: cymbals and pit respectively) are equally good. Hell, even the drum major gets on the field for a few numbers.

I think an additional nod needs to go to the writers of the show. The brass book seems to be personally moulded to each player. It's gotta be hard to write for such a small group - and make it work. But they've done it here.

Keep in mind - this is not a 128 member corps. But try to catch these kids if you can - you'll be happy you did.

Kiwanis Kavaliers:
Evita comes to the football field. There was a lot to like about this show. The guard costumes are great. Most of the music plays well. Most of the cleaning needed seems do-able. There is some nice solo work , particularly in "You Must Love Me". The failing here was, IMO, in the closer. Why is the big, swelling, climatical push in "Don't Cry For Me" played as a stand still???? This is supposed to be emotional - get in our faces with it!!! Don't just stand there.

Colts:
I'm gonna remember to bring Tylenol with me from now on. This show is just a bit on the loud side. Even in Cooper Stadium it seemed out-of- control loud. There have been some changes in the show - some of the biker-chicks-from-hell do a strip-tease thing in "God Bless" and parade around in yellow vests (tho they keep the biker pants and hats).

On the good side, the show has been cleaned a lot since last Sunday - still some overall dressing in the lines needed, but overall not too bad. Some good solo work in "God Bless", and, after I was set straight last week, I'm okay with the whole Lt. Kije reference in 40,000 Headmen - in fact I was so distracted by the soprano solo the first time, I didn't even notice the pit echoing back. Nice effect.

I'm still worried about the show overall, and the chances of maintaining top-twelve status with it.

Blue Knights:
Thanks to my trusty pager going off, I didn't get to see this show, except for the very end.

Bluecoats:
I could be wrong, but I think this was their first show of the season.

The show ROCKS! A nice jazz thing that seems tailor-made for these guys.

If you're not into sets, this show may bug you - there is a ramp/stage on the right of the field, used by the drums first, the later the guard - and a two-tiered stage on the left the guard makes use of.

This show is very powerful - and seems very clean. If anything, I think the guard could be "juiced up" a bit - nothing there really seemed to grab me. Regardless, this show is gonna break into the top 6!!!

Phantom Regiment:
Was it just me, or when Christy turned around to salute, did everyone just sit there for a second with their mouths open. What a uniform! (or "almost" uniform).

The show is good, and deserves the scores its been getting. The balance in the horns on the second piece is about as good as it gets. The guard work is certainly getting there as well.

I have the same problem with the closer as I have with CBC. It just sort of goes no where for a while. Luckily, as with the Cadets, the ending really cranks.

My only complaint: where the hell was your souvie booth????

Well, that's it for now. If you're in the area, don't forget the Cincinnati show tomorrow...
Bill DePaepe

"Remember when the music
Brought the night across the valley
As the day went down."
Harry Chapin

June Scores

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