Last night I went to the first local show of the season in Fort Mill, SC at Fort Mill High School. Here's the review I posted about the show late last night (read early this morning) after getting home and having a bit to organize my thoughts. My listing is in reverse order of placement, not necessarily the order of performance.
- Spirit: I'd like to say more here but I don't really have alot of input. I'm either older with a failing memory, too tired, or it just wasn't overly memorable on this evening, but I do remember enjoying the show. They still have a lot of work to do but so does everyone at this point.
- Boston Crusaders: It started nice and strong and quickly got very dirty... exactly as you might expect with a show this early in the season. The sound was nice and the show concept was enjoyable enough but I'm not certain how much overall potential the show has at this moment. Bah, shouldn't have said anything I suppose.
- Glassmen: Well... color me surprised. The Glassmen aren't likely to return to the top 6~8 with this show... not to step on feelings or anythingor to degrade the kids marching the show/staff/etc. It's not so much about precision with this show, it's about difficulty... or lack of it. On theother hand, this is the first Glassmen show I have truly enjoyed in a long time.I've never been a big fan of the Glassmen, but this show, while not overly difficult, was very enjoyable... and I simply love that crazy dude with the flag. I've seen him at so many shows over the years.
- Carolina Crown: I'm from Charlotte, NC, and have had MANY friends march Crown over the years... and know quite a few of the people involved in the organization. Crown's show concept this year is very nice. It builds heavily on year's "mush" (which I still loved) concept but it's still original enough... and minus the microphone for which I am very grateful. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for exploring the limits of expression show creators are allowed... but I'm just not a fan of the amps. Anyway, I attended 3 evening practices for an hour or 2 last week and saw the final run-through this past Friday night. To be perfectly honest I think that the final run through was better in most repects than tonight's performance. Crown still scored pretty well tonight, but I'm at a bit of a loss how they managed to keep the score so close with the Bluecoats. I DO think Crown's show is a level above what the Bluecoat's showed tonight but the Bluecoats show was one of the cleanest and most energetic of the evening. More on them in a moment. There were plenty of things to like... I love the music, all the way through. I think it's a step up in difficulty from last year. I love the Opener and Closer Drill. Now, things that didn't happen tonight... The percussion REALLY struggled tonight. I counted at least 3 MAJOR tears that could be directly attributed to them (the battery). The brass seemed... tired, tentative, scared... entrances and cutoffs were horrible all the way through. I think they reached a point in the show where they were really just trying to finish it. Many of the things I heard them working on in practice seemed to be forgotten in the flurry of stage fright that often marks the first performance out of the gate for a new season. The brass caption head needs to be kicking some heads around this evening. These kids can play MUCH better than they did tonight... I've heard them. Even the retreat was better... and they didn't play any of the show music in retreat. There were glaring interval marching issues. I'm not certain whether they are trying to compensate for holes... but you baritones need to clean it up guys. The mello's didn't carry, particularly in the ballad... never heard that problem in rehearsal. Also, really, the entire center part of the show needs major changing in the visuals department. I think the Opener and Closer fit very nicely with the music but the center of the show... it just doesn't have much energy in the drill. I love the music but something innovating needs to happen in the center... get rid of all the posing and "hugging" stuff.
- Bluecoats: WOW!!!!!!!!!!! This is the best Bluecoats show I can remember... I really mean that. The show doesn't really innovate... not like the top 2 of the evening... not even as much as Crown. However, if you want to see a good ol straight drum corps show this is it. It was CLEAN... REALLY clean for this point in the season. They marched with better spacing/intervals/technique IMO than even the Cavaliers... though of course the Cavies show was on another freakin plane. Still, they looked great and sounded fantastic. Bravo! I was secretly pulling against you Bluecoats... sorry, but being a big Crown fan I wasn't overly satisfied with the results of Finals last year. Still, there was NO QUESTION you took it tonight and I reiterate that I think you should have won by quite a bit more than 0.8. I saw something I've never seen at a DCI show before... and I've been to a LOT of DCI shows... an audible gasp, spontaneous applause, not for a marching move (well, not exactly) and not for intricate or LOUD usic... but for a toss... yep, a single toss made by the entire colorguard at the same instant with some big, red flags. What was so amazing about it was a combination of timing, precision, and execution. The music was racing and powerful... then it went silent as those flags were going up... then POP... you guard people will probably understand this better. It was like all of a sudden the wind catching the sails of a ship... it was in perfect unison, very audible as the corps was otherwise silent, and was immediately followed by a big intro by the brass. It was amazing and really brought the crowd to their feet immediately. Very, very nice. Lots of stuff will change in the show as always before the season is over. DON'T change that.
- Cadets: This is one weird show. The Cadets and Cavaliers both have apparently decided that "mouth drumming" is the new fun thing with those microphones. Bah, I don't like it. Still, the Cadets show, except for that, is really fantastic. They start off with the music from Kill Bill Volume 1... you know, the whistling thing and then proceed through a show that seems more like the Twilight Zone than anything else. The music is raw and fast and the drill is very exciting. I really love this show. Way to bring it Cadets! I admit they lost me a little bit on the whole 4 corner girls in the skirts... I'll have to see that show a couple more times. Oh yeah, and check out the uniform change this year. From the front it looks like the good ol Cadets, until you see them from the back or the side. Very cool effect.
- Cavaliers: AWESOME show. It really is. It ALMOST goes too far with the props. Some people will probably think it HAS. All those metal ladders... it really harkens back to 1995's show (at least as far as prop usage goes... remember the park benches, trees, etc?). Still, the music is fantastic and energetic and the drill is amazing. The creative team behind the Cavaliers is simply unstoppable. This is a show you will want to see. If you're thinking about which shows you will attend this season and weighing your options (for those not afraid to drive a few hours) I'd really recommend targetting a show that features the Cavaliers.
All in all, I had an incredible time. What a LINEUP to start my DCI (watching) season! That's got to be one of the best show lineups that's not a DCI "sponsored event" or whatever it's called. It's early, but it was still really, really great. I wish ALL the corps this year the best of luck. I'll be seeing you all at one point or another this season.
On a side note, I don't like the changes that DCI is making in regards to getting the corps out earlier. I understand the need to have the buses on the road earlier... but most DCI fans (except those of us nuts) probably see 1 show a season... maybe 2. Cutting "retreat" to a combination of 2 corps and then essentially destroying the majesty of the "parking lot" later really hurts the overall experience. For those that don't get what I'm on about, retreat featured Carolina Crown and the Cavaliers creating a arc on the field. The drum majors of the other corps were lined up across the front but all the other corps were already showering/changing/loading up the buses
long before the scores were even read. The scores were announced, Crown/Cavaliers played "America O Canada" at about a Mezzo Forte (BLAH) and then Crown played a few selections and that was it. I DO understand wanting to get on the road quicker... but I think this just punishes the fans.
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