Cadets of Bergen County..81.5 Crossmen.................74.1 Carolina Crown...........69.1 Magic of Orlando.........67.2 Kiwanis Kavaliers........58.9 Les Etoiles..............52.1 Div II/III Tarheel Sun..............65.2 Patriots.................59.0 Thanks to Craig Wrights for emailing us these scores! Recaps here (opens a new page with recaps thanks to DCI).
Hi everyone,
Just made it back to State College, PA from Altoona. The show was nicely put
on and the stadium (Mansion Park) was a great facility. Now onto the good
stuff:
Here's some quick thoughts from Magic up 'cause it's late:
Magic: Cool blues show, NICE hornline, skimpy guard outfits, snares & tenors had some really DIRTY passages and features. I have no idea how the snares can even hear themselves play (on those muddy-sounding heads). The horns just cover up everything they're trying to do. I bet a lot of notes would clean up if they could just hear themselves. I just saw lots of sticks drumming, but no sound. Entertaining overall.
Crown: Wow, I was surprised they beat Magic, just for the sake of entertainment. The music is all Alfred Reed, a little difficult to get the crowd into, but they had some GREAT moments. The guard looks good for this time of the season, and the drumline is playing some notes. Look for this show to mature a lot as the season progresses.
Crossmen: Awesome opener. Third Wind COOKS. Drumline is so technically correct it is scary. The notes are there and they deliver. They were down to 5 snares tonight because one had a bad knee. Look for 6 in the future. They also marched 4 basses. I wish Brandon (2nd bass) the best of luck on a quick recovery. He had to fly home for surgery and might miss a lot of the season. No word yet on filling the hole or keeping it open for him to come back... The ending came unexpectedly, I hope they make it more in-your-face like last year.
Cadets: Wow, all I have to say is tenor feature, tenor feature, tenor feature!!! Blew me away. Incredible guard as usual. Horns playing the normal Cadet-style stuff and do it extremely well. Look for some fast running in the drill. Snares play some tight passages down low. Um, tenor feature.
There you have it! Can't wait until Hershey...
Good night,
Craig
Crossmen '95
(The now defunct) Golden Lancers '93
Hi Everyone!
Just got some time to comment on Craig Wrights review of the Altoona show!
Mansion Park is a great site for a show...and it is nice to see it back in Altoona after over 10 years! I was also fortunate to host the Magic of Orlando while they were in Altoona!
Magic: As Craig said, it was a really great blues show...and for anyone that saw magic before July 1 should have notice that the closer was different...some really great changes to the closer. Overall, the drum line was a little a little muddy sounding, but, the drum solo was also changed from the last show in Mass. So there were a lot of new things added to this show and executed extremely well considering it was the first show with the changes!
As their host, I had a great three days with them...wonderful staff, volunteers and corps! If any of them get to see this, THANKS and I'll see ya'll in Hershey!
Crown: I thought Carolina did a really nice job, and the show was nice. I didn't think the crowd really understood the music that well or got into like they did the other shows, but that is the way it goes. I think the guard did okay....a little toss happy....at some points i thought the equipment was in the air more than in their hands. Time will tell....
Crossmen: Crossmen have a really nice show....The opener is really great, but from there it seemed to go downhill...soundwise...It is a little too quiet....the closer just never seems to really take off.....I was a little disappointed, but the guns and sabres a really looking good.....(Yeah Michelle Owens!)...I hope this show really comes together....it will be a favorite of many....
Cadets: GREAT drill....especially the rotating circle into a diamond! The guard was very clean as usual, a few ticks here and there.....but the show seemed kind of flat....the crowd really like it, quite uncharacteristic for the area....(Penn State Blue Band fans around here mostly).....but we'll wait and see what they do next....
Great to have DCI back in Altoona, look forward to ya'll here next year!
July 1, 1998, ALTOONA, Pa. -- The Cadets of Bergen County scored another impressive victory in Wednesday's Music in the Mansion Show here as they continue their domination of the primary Eastern corps. The Cadets won all captions as they scored an 81.5 -- 7.4 points better then the second-place fellow Youth Education in the Arts Crossmen.
While the Cadets thrilled the large Altoona crowd throughout with their lightening-fast and beautiful "Stonehenge" program, the biggest news of the evening may have been the performance of the sixth-place Les 'Etoiles de Dorion. From French-speaking Quebec, Canada, this back-to-back Drum Corps International member corps had been rumored to have folded. While smaller in number then past years and showing some "opening night jitters" while performing an incomplete program, Les 'Etoiles still had some entertaining moments and should contend to keep its DCI status with some cleaning through the months ahead.
Cadets of Bergen County (65B, 27P, 34CG, 2DM) were simply in a class of their own on this night. Their show seemed crisper and projected better then it had just four nights before in Elkton, MD. -- possibly because they were performing on the AstroTurf of the Mansion Park Stadium. While the percussion section equaled its 8.6 performance score from Elkton, it seemed more impressive with the addition of two snare drummers who were missing from the earlier show -- giving it a full compliment of eight (8S-4T-5B-10P).
Like Elkton, the impressive guard tosses, colorful silk changes, the spiral drill to an accelerando in the opener, and a similar move in the closer thrilled the crowd. The tom feature in the second drum break featuring some wide open cross sticking also drew some big crowd response. The Cadets seem to be cleaning up nicely, but are probably looking forward to some serious competition with the Midwestern and Western powers later this month.
While the Crossmen (53B, 31P, 36CG, 2DM) understandably performed after the Cadets in Elkton because they were the host corps, it wasn't clear why they performed last at Altoona. That positioning has a negative impact on the response the corps receives from the crowd, which is still buzzing about the performance by the Cadets. Nonetheless, the Crossmen performed admirably for the solid second-place finish which included taking second in every caption.
The percussion section fell three-tenths from their Elkton score, possibly because they were missing bass two for health reasons. It made a smallish battery -- particularly by Crossmen standards -- smaller with just five snares, four toms, four basses and six cymbals. Fortunately, the 12-person pit picks up the slack with a brilliant performance of the "Musical Selections of the Pat Metheny Group" program. Having just seen "Third Wind" and "First Circle" performed live by the Pat Metheny Group the night before, I concur that the arranging -- particularly in the pit -- is true to the artist. The battery supports, much like the drummer in the Metheny Group, but still goes through too much of the show without playing at all -- particularly in "First Circle." At least the staff has decided to abandon the various shades of florescent green covers it wore for the opener in Elkton. Other then matching the opening guard silks, those covers were distracting and served no real purpose to the Metheny theme. The metallic teal shells of the drums compliment the guard tops well and are less distracting to the visual program.
Speaking of the visual program, "First Circle" is truly a visual treat. Aside from the spectacular guard tosses -- which are no doubt some of the highest in DCI this year -- the number features numerous circles, meshing into bigger circles. It's a masterful piece of drill writing and something which is thrilling to view up top.
Overall, this show has the same kind of potential as last year's, but it also sounds like the competition for top six might be even more extreme with the success of the Glassmen in the Midwest.
Carolina Crown (48B, 30P, 36CG, 1DM) appeared to be much cleaner with its "The Music of Alfred Reed" program then it had in Elkton, and was rewarded with the first big standing ovation of the night following its closer. The drill really does move throughout and unlike Elkton, it appeared much more readable in this show -- possibly because of the extra traction for the footing from the AstroTurf. While the brass is improving -- and appears to be on its way to improving more with the three additional players it had at practice earlier in the day -- the color guard and percussion still lead this group. The color guard is as big and talented as its fellow YEA members Cadets and Crossmen. The marching percussion section (8S, 4T, 5B, 4C) comes off very Cadet-like in appearance and was -- in my percussion opinion -- the second-best of the night. The pit, on the other hand, clearly does trail the Crossmen, although the one-point gap between the two in percussion performance seemed to be a little wide.
The guard has added some additional costuming to its sky blue English outfits since Elkton -- donning torn brown pants over its knickers for the opener -- no doubt to come off as Russian peasants for "Russian Christmas Music." It removes them for "Armenian Dances," with the front performers changing into flourescent blue, green and yellow tops and skirts over its sky blue outfits.
The brass once again seemed to run out of gas by the end of the show, possibly because it has a number of very young players in its ranks. While that probably won't be a problem by the end of the season, the arranging of its "Russian Christmas Music" opener could be. This has been a successful and popular drum corps chart over the years, but Crown's arrangement is very choppy by comparison to some of the past versions. The corps actually kneels and plays in place the big push part, featuring the contra section. Still, Crown appears to be getting bigger and stronger as it goes and shouldn't have a problem making finals again.
Magic of Orlando (63B, 30P, 26CG, 2DM), on the other hand, might struggle to make it back into the top 12 if its show titled "Muddy Water Blues" doesn't start to clean up. Unlike the top three corps which did seem to get better in the four days since Elkton, Magic actually seemed to go backward from a performance standpoint -- possibly because it scrapped its big drum break in favor of a new feature. It appeared as if the battery (8S, 3T, 5B, 4C) was performing it for the first time, with the snare line stumbling through some backsticking sequences and the percussion as a whole sounding as muddy as their program's name. While it was having some understandable performance problems with a new break, the muddy tuning of the snares continues to be a mystery. Maybe they are being tuned out right now to hide some of the clarity problems the line is having. Hopefully, they will sound more like snares as the season goes on and the line cleans up.
As for the rest of the program, the brass section projects well and the guard supports the program -- although it does far more dancing and role-playing and fewer tosses then the first three groups. "The House of the Rising Sun" closer also continues to need attention. The drill is non-descript, the guard work still isn't done, and the performance level doesn't project what could be a nice closer. This show still has potential, like last season, but it does need a lot of work.
Work is precisely what Kiwanis Kavaliers (39B, 23P, 26CG, 1DM) are putting into their "An American in Paris" program. After spending the afternoon at the corps' practice site, it was learned that it had just finished its program the day before and that day was the first day it began to clean. A remarkable improvement was seen in the first half of the opener, but the same kind of effort needs to continue on the rest of the program. Of special note is the fact that corps members report their brass section is full now with 48 members (although 39 marched in the actual show) and the battery filled out its ranks (6S, 4T, 5B) with the addition of a Glassmen casualty in the tom line.
A beautiful soprano solo and dance duet sets a nice theme for this program into the first full corps impact. The guard wears three different uniforms -- with one set of women in purple tops and gold dresses, another in black spandex outfits, and the men in white slacks and black jackets. The opener moves nicely and musically, although the battery trails a bit in spots -- particularly when it seems to be moving backfield. The ballad sequence in the opener also features a beautiful and powerful soprano solo, although the player seemed a little tired on this night.
The second number features a nice move when the brass forms a rank on the 50 and plays after making a lunge. The guard also changes to teal and royal blue skirts. Eventually, the program leads into a drum break which was somewhat uninviting and featured a lot of staccato accents. Apparently, the staff felt that way too since the Altoona show was supposedly the last night for that break.
The show ends with the corps coming together in a solid form down front with a big impact surrounded by the guard spinning long, tapered flags -- with each in white with various bright colored strokes. It was a nice effect and well-received by the crowd. Prior to that move, however, the guard work was yet to be completed. While it still must finish its routines, the guard unveils some nice silks throughout the program with the opening flags being the traditional French national flags, the second set showing a French landscape and a third set being painter's palette.
Noticeably smaller then past years, Les 'Etoiles (25B, 20P, 13CG, 1DM) may have surprised some by even performing Wednesday. Rumored to be dead like its former Quebec-rival Academie Musicale, Les Etoiles performed a similar show to past seasons with some largely unrecognizable music, a lot of starts and stops and unique percussion writing. Aside from the smallish size of the corps, fans will first notice the unique distribution of the battery, which starts with seven toms and seven basses on the field. The toms are divided into two sets -- with four on what looked like Premiers, and three more on Remo's. Remo is one of the corps sponsors. The battery performs that way through much of the first half of the show before the seven toms switch to seven snares for the percussion break and the remainder of the show. The writing with the toms is very well done and was performed well for what appeared to be their first show. The performance levels went down after picking up the snares, with the player on the far left having difficulty with his snare hook-up. The percussion break sounds like an old Blue Devils' classic and is fast-paced and inviting, although not as exciting or innovative as past years -- at least not yet.
As for the rest of the show, which features music from motion pictures "The Rock" and "Dante's Peak," its pretty much like Les Etoiles shows of the past. It's creative and inviting, even if it is unrecognizable. The guard and the pit try and set the military theme for "The Rock" with the guard wearing white tank tops and black and grey combat fatigues, and the pit in black tank tops with the same pants. Like last year, the color guard is talented and features some high tosses during the course of the production.
Les 'Etoiles is off to a good start and it will be interesting to see the creative accents added to enhance this program. Of special note, the corps is traveling in old school busses -- much like Academie used to.
Tarheel Sun (58B, 28P, 20CG, 1DM) performed first at Altoona and may have been a little flat. The corps really didn't get the crowd involved with its program titled "A Stan Kenton Suite" -- possibly because people were still finding their seats as the corps performed. Fans of former DCI-finalist Dutch Boy will like this corps, which features that old Dutch Boy flavor. Former director Al Dicroce is largely responsible for that showmanship as he is program coordinator for Sun. While the look and sound is Dutch Boy, the corps propers' uniforms are Avant Garde-like with the lemon yellow uniform tops and black pants, shoes and shakos.
While DiCroce and Program Advisor Consultant Michael Cesario are big names with this corps' staff, so too are former Phantom percussion head Matt Savage, who also has gotten some assistance from consultant Dennis DeLucia. The battery (8S, 3T, 5B) looked and sounded tight in its warm-up outside the stadium, featuring crisply-tuned white Premier drums. Unfortunately, it still looses a lot of performance clarity when it plays on the move -- something that will probably clean-up well by season's end. The drum break -- titled "Artistry Percussion" -- was performed much better on this night then it was in Elkton.
The brass handles the Kenton arrangements nicely while marching the flowing drill. The guard does a great job of adding the proper splashes of color when needed. Once again, Sun looks like a strong contender for the Division II crown.
While the Mandarins will probably be tough to dethrone, the Patriots from Rochester (29B, 20P, 26CG, 1DM) look like a strong contender in Division III -- if they're not going Division II this season. The color guard is once again stellar through the program titled "Music of the Theatre," while the brass section projects well in the selections by Phillip Glass and Cirque du Soleil. Of special interest was the fact that the corps is now featuring an attractive marching percussion section (5S, 2T, 4B, 9P). Carrying brushed silver Yamahas like the Blue Devils and Cavaliers have, the new marching battery is probably trailing the corps from an execution standpoint, but should score some additional points come Orlando once it cleans up.
The program features some nice moments early, with the corps proper hitting its first impact to what looked like an old Magic "M" formation while the guard unveils beautiful blood red flags. The guard eventually switches to 12 on rifles, with the other 14 on beautiful blue flags. Members of the guard wear bandanas, which was a problem on this night as they lost four during the opener.
The corps lost some of its ensemble tightness following the opener, although the program seems to have some very interesting moments. The percussion break found the brass and guard meshing straight ranks, with the guard not doing any work at this time. That will no doubt change by later this season. The final number also finds a spiral drill flattening out to a company front, and then later a pair of meshing wedges. This is a formidable show in the smaller corps ranks, and I believe all corps tonight were scored as open units -- meaning the Patriots and Tarheel Sun both beat Kiwanis Kavaliers and Les 'Etoiles.
The show concluded with a full, Olympic-style retreat followed by the now obligatory unison "America the Beautiful/Oh Canada." It didn't sound as if the corps had spent much time practicing the song, conducted in the crowd by the Cadet drum major. The crowd responded favorably to the number, although not as wildly as past years.
If DCI insists on having the corps play a unison number, as opposed to playing each other off the field, can't it come up with something new? For those of us who have now heard this time and time again for the past three years (and possibly more) it's now starting to grow old. I guess it would be like each corps performing the same show every year. Even though you loved it the first time, it probably wouldn't have the same effect by the third year.
Dayton, OH
937-376-9816
Phantom Regiment.........75.8
Glassmen.................76.5
Pioneer..................64.0
Phantom Legion...........53.0
Cincinnati Glory.........50.3
Marion Cadets............41.7
Bandettes................22.6
Thanks to Keith C. Mefferd on r.a.m.d for these scores!
G'men -- Rumbling bass drums, sharp side-stepping battery, brass ever-improving, and rifles and sabres nailing it precisely! Need to improve drill forms and spacing. Watch and listen to the mello soloist!
PR -- Superb baris, 67 horns (14 contras), now have BD#5. Improvement not as noticeable as G'men. CG was phenomenal. Sway drill better, but needs roughness worked out. Percussion did best job I've seen done by PR this season.
Pioneer -- Love the mid-voices! Mallets were a highlight. Crowd loved the drum feature. Brass has seasoned early.
P. Legion -- Full sound. Accidents on field due to changed drill.
Glory -- Brass needed to improve and did!
Marion -- Now know their drill; playing reflects it.
Bandettes -- Traveling in old school bus and gutting it out for fans. Respect these ladies!
Cozy Baker, DCW staff,
cozy.corner@juno.com
It was a beautiful night in Dayton for a drum corps show. Temperatures about 75 at start time and only got cooler as the night went on. Not a cloud in the sky.
For those who complain about empty seats at a drum corps show should come to Dayton for a few shows. This 5,400 seat venue was nearly full. I'd estimate well over 4,000 people at the show.
I'm sorry, but I missed the first two corps.
Phantom Legion - What an amazing corps! I think that they are playing extremely difficult music, and doing it well. Their drill needs a little work, but the music is outstanding. The horns especially, had the maturity of the bigger boys.
Cincinnati Glory - The closest thing to a hometown corps had a big crowd response, and they were on for the beginning and the end. The middle suffered a little, but they were much improved over the last time I saw them two weeks ago.
Glassmen - WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!! The Gmen blew me away. With a little work on visual, the glassmen could actually contend for the DCI Title. I loved their show, but my favorite musical moment from them was in their victory concert. They played a dissonant chord from very quiet to extremely loud. Then, once I though they couldn't play any louder, they resolved the dissonant chord to a straight chord, and I practically wet my pants! It was unbelievable! Never have I heard anyone play that loud, and good. Guess those Cadets staff are working hard on them.
Pioneer - They have improved leaps and bounds from the last time I saw them. Their music seems much better, and their drill has improved as well. They seemed to have less fun, though, and didn't have the crowd as into it as before.
Phantom Regiment - They showed the intensity, passion, and power that we've come to expect from Phantom. For about the first four minutes. They seemed to run out of emotional steam, though, and the show went flat from their. I don't know why. It was obvious that their staff wasn't too thrilled, though. As I was leaving, they were having a late night practice.
Overall, the show was great. A fun time, and I had awesome seats. I can't wait until August 2nd, for the show at Centerville. Blue Devils, Cadets, Glassmen, Blue Knights, Spirit of Atlanta, and a bunch of other talented corps. This is probably one of the best shows all year, and I'll have a review for ya'.
Colts....................71.2 Troopers.................58.9 Blue Stars...............51.2 Coachmen.................40.8 Edmonton Strutters.......40.0 Decorah Kilties..........30.2 Colt Cadets..............Exhibition Thanks to Jon Engelhardt for emailing us these scores!
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