Div I Santa Clara Vanguard.....76.1 Div II/II Mandarins................68.9 SC Vanguard Cadets.......66.7 Seattle Cascades.........56.4 Youth Band Northern Lights..........no score announced We were at this show!
General Effect Ensemble Performance
Corps Mus. Vis. Tot. Mus. Vis. Tot. Brs. Per. Vis. Tot. Sub. Pen. Tot.
SC Vanguard 16.1 14.8 30.9 11.3 11.4 22.7 7.8 7.4 7.3 22.5 76.1 0 76.1
Division II/III
Mandarins 15.6 12.7 28.3 10.1 11.9 22.06.2 5.6 6.8 18.6 68.9 0 68.9
SCV Cadets 14.1 11.9 26.0 10.5 9.6 20.18.2 6.2 6.2 20.6 66.7 0 66.7
Cascades 12.5 10.7 23.2 9.9 7.5 17.45.2 5.1 5.5 15.8 56.4 0 56.4
Judges:
GE Music - Dennis Aquilina
GE Visual - Dave Smith
ENS Music - Keith Higgins
ENS Visual - Larry Plumb
PERF Brass - Ken Giese
PERF Percussion - Gary Gilroy
PERF Visual - Wayne Harris
DIV I Cadets of Bergen County..78.7 Crossmen.................73.7 Bluecoats................70.0 Magic of Orlando.........66.9 Carolina Crown...........66.2 Spirit of Atlanta........62.5 Tarheel Sun..............55.7 DIV II/III Volunteers...............51.8 Thanks to Richard Jenkins for emailing us these scores!
General Effect Ensemble Performance
Corps Mus. Vis. Tot. Mus. Vis. Tot. Brs. Per. Vis. Tot. Sub. Pen. Tot.
CBC 15.2 16.0 31.2 11.9 11.6 23.5 7.9 8.2 7.9 24.0 78.7 0 78.7
Crossmen 14.2 14.9 29.1 11.4 10.2 21.6 7.6 8.0 7.4 23.0 73.7 0 73.7
Bluecoats 13.8 14.2 28.0 11.2 9.7 20.9 7.1 7.2 6.8 21.1 70.0 0 70.0
Magic 13.5 13.7 27.2 11.1 9.1 20.2 7.3 6.2 6.0 19.5 66.9 0 66.9
Carolina 13.0 12.8 25.8 10.3 9.3 19.6 7.0 7.5 6.3 20.8 66.2 0 66.2
Spirit 13.2 12.2 25.4 9.9 8.8 18.7 6.3 6.7 5.4 18.4 62.5 0 62.5
Tarheel Sun 11.8 11.0 22.8 8.5 7.6 16.1 5.4 5.7 5.7 16.8 55.7 0 55.7
Division II/III
Volunteers 10.6 9.1 19.7 6.1 8.3 14.4 5.3 5.5 6.9 17.7 51.8 0 51.8
Judges:
GE Music - Steve Calhoun
GE Visual - Mark Metz
ENS Music - Ted Nicholeris
ENS Visual - Phil Madden
PERF Brass - Ralph Venezia
PERF Percussion - Joe Allison
PERF Visual - Brett Mascaro
Hey, this is my first time sending in a review, but given the lack of them so far this year, I thought those of you who haven't been able to catch a show yet would appreciate it.
The following is, of coarse, my humble opinion.
The venue in Lynchburg was excellent: Astroturf field, great stadium, and the weather was perfect with no wind.
Here are my opinions of the corps which competed on Friday night:
Div. II/III
Volunteers - This very!! small new corps from Knoxville was a good way to start off the show. They have a long, long way to go, but it is always good to see any new corps in competition. I would not have chosen their music, Bernstein's Chicester Psalms and Mass for such an inexperienced corps, but it gives the members something to shoot for.
Tarheel Sun - Very Impressive!!!! This corps has its act together for being so young. They are very large and did a great job for this time of year with their Stan Kenton show. If they compete in Div II, they will surely be contenders.
Spirit of Atlanta - For those of you who haven't heard, Spirit is definitely back, with their best corps since around '90. The show is basically a "greatest hits of" production. The horn line sounds good, the guard is much improved, and drumline is great. With the level of competition this year they probably won't make finals, but this corps is a good step up from the last few years.
Carolina Crown - I like this show!! At the risk of revealing my bias, I would say it is very Cadetesque at least from a visual standpoint. The strength is the colorguard, which is very large for the size of the corps. The show is very dirty, but difficult. The ballad portion of Russian Christmas Music is very appealing, and Praise Jerusalem is also crowd pleasing. They have picked a great color scheme this year with light blues, yellows and greens. The drumline is very good especially compared to previous years for this corps, and If the hornline can improve(it is definitely the weakness right now) they should move up the ranks quickly.
Magic of Orlando - Don't get me wrong, the hornline is very loud and crowd pleasing, but I just don't think this show has very much room to grow. I hope no one takes offense to this, but their show is like a very good high school band show. Muddy Water blues, which is their show title in nice, they play the blues style well, but nothing really stands out, especially from a visual standpoint. My guess is that they will struggle to stay in the top twelve.
Bluecoats - The old style is back, not that it ever left, but this corps really has the feel of the late 80's editions of the corps. The hornline is very good, and I think the arrangements are done well, especially summertime and autumn leaves. The colorguard doesn't seem to be as polished as the past couple of years, but that could change. I love the beginning of the show with the corps spread out across the entire field and the slow build into a tight block formation. They should maintain top twelve status.
Crossmen - I am not a Pat Metheny fan, but Crossmen pull it off this year. Once again, the colorguard and drumline are the strengths. Jeff Saktig has done a great job with the drill, especially during the closer First Circle. There are several references and variations on a visual circle theme. First Circle is very dirty, and still lacking some colorguard work, but when cleaned will be very impressive. The ending is very good, with a constant building musical line, and the entire colorguard in a tight block marching across the field doing unison work. It will be tough, with the likes of Glassmen, and the Renewed Cavaliers, for Crossmen to stay in the top six this year, but no one should count them out.
Cadets of Bergen County - I should preface this with the fact that I am an alumni of this corps, and therefore am probably slightly biased.
This show is a total package. I won't compare, because I haven't seen the other top corps, but it is a great show. I know it is a given that Cadets have a great colorguard, but this may be the best yet. Their movement skills are up a notch, and the work is very clean for this time of year. The drumline, even though I am not the best judge, seems fantastic, and there is a magnificent quad feature in the third part of the show, which is essentially a percussion feature, but is integrated with brass and visual spectacularly.
If the corps has a weakness, it is the hornline. They played beautifully while standing, but tone quality and technique suffer when they are on the move, which is a constant in this demanding show.
Yes, of coarse, the show is still very dirty, and it may not contain as many tosses, or notes as last years show, but I feel it is more of a total package. From the opening loud brass statement, to small brass groups, to frantic dissonance, the longest note in Cadets history, a beautiful ballad with huge flags, and a trademark Cadets ending with seamless transitions the show works very well.
I had seen the corps at its preview show two weeks before this show, and the corps has come a long way. There are so many new ideas in this show. The way scales in the brass are interpreted visually with flags along the back, and the corps use of silent sections, it all works very well. I'm sure there will be many changes as the season progresses, and if the hornline can keep improving, the corps will compete for the title.
Blue Devils..............78.2 Madison Scouts...........75.3 Division II/III Blue Devils B............73.9 Pacific Crest............71.9 Westcoast Sound..........57.5 Thanks to DCI for these scores!
General Effect Ensemble Performance
Corps Mus. Vis. Tot. Mus. Vis. Tot. Brs. Per. Vis. Tot. Sub. Pen. Tot.
Blue Devils 16.1 15.2 31.3 12.4 11.8 24.2 7.5 7.2 8.0 22.7 78.2 0 78.2
Madison Scouts 15.3 14.5 29.8 11.7 11.3 23.0 7.6 7.5 7.4 22.5 75.3 0 75.3
Division II/III
BDB 14.1 13.7 27.8 12.0 11.3 23.3 7.3 7.2 8.3 22.8 73.9 0 73.9
Pacific Crest 14.7 13.4 28.1 11.5 10.8 22.3 7.1 6.5 7.9 21.5 71.9 0 71.9
Westcoast Sound 11.2 10.0 21.2 8.5 9.8 18.3 5.3 5.2 7.5 18.0 57.5 0 57.5
Judges:
GE Music - Not Available
GE Visual - Not Available
ENS Music - Not Available
ENS Visual - Not Available
PERF Brass - Not Available
PERF Percussion - Not Available
PERF Visual - Not Available
Blue Knights.............71.6 Phantom Regiment.........70.9 Pioneer..................56.5 Kiwanis Kavaliers........54.9 Capital Sound............47.6 Phantom Legion...........46.9 Cincinnati Glory.........45.8 Bandettes................19.0 Thanks to DCI for these scores!
General Effect Ensemble Performance
Corps Mus. Vis. Tot. Mus. Vis. Tot. Brs. Per. Vis. Tot. Sub. Pen. Tot.
Blue Knights 14.4 14.3 28.7 10.5 10.7 21.2 6.7 7.5 7.5 21.7 71.6 0 71.6
Phantom Reg. 14.2 14.2 28.5 10.3 10.3 20.6 7.4 7.4 7.0 21.8 70.9 0 70.9
Pioneer 10.8 10.8 21.6 8.0 8.3 16.3 6.1 6.3 6.2 18.6 56.5 0 56.5
Kiwanis Kav. 10.5 11.0 21.5 7.3 8.1 15.4 6.0 6.0 6.0 18.0 54.9 0 54.9
Capital Sound 9.6 10.7 20.3 5.9 7.0 12.9 5.4 4.5 4.5 14.4 47.6 0 47.6
Phantom Legion 8.2 9.6 17.8 6.3 7.8 14.1 4.8 4.9 5.3 15.0 46.9 0 46.9
Cinc. Glory 8.6 10.0 18.6 6.0 6.4 12.4 5.1 4.7 5.0 14.8 45.8 0 45.8
Bandettes 2.6 5.8 8.4 2.3 2.7 5.0 2.6 1.9 2.0 6.5 19.9 .9 19.0
Judges:
GE Music - Paul Hinman
GE Visual - Joe Krepel
ENS Music - Rick Saucedo
ENS Visual - Bob Thomas
PERF Brass - Mickey Stisher
PERF Percussion - Murray Weaver
PERF Visual - Tom Colla
LaPorte, IN, has a very nice stadium for drum corps. Kiwanis Field has a very even grass playing field, and a tiny track puts the stands very close to the action.
I'm happy to report that the attendance at this show was MUCH better than at Grand Rapids -- easily 2,500 instead of 250. There were still some empty seats available from the 25 yard lines on, but overall it was a well attended event. I'm told that this is the first time in 6 years they haven't sold out the concert side.
Announcer Report: 7 out of 10 -- very enthusiastic, but got a bit on the corny side at times.
Mosquito Report: Surprisingly, not too bad, considering the area and temperatures for the evening. The bugs seemed to be more interested in the stadium lights than us.
The show was very heavily attended by Phantom Phans -- lots of former members, parents and relatives, and fans from the Rockford area were present. The Phantom Regiment souvie trailer was doing some serious business with the HS population in attendance, due to a clinic the Regiment put on for them.
I was very lucky to see a lot of the corps two nights in a row -- once in Grand Rapids and again in LaPorte. I had a good time being able to take these shows in back-to-back and I caught a lot of stuff I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.
Anyhow, onto the show, IN ORDER PERFORMED:
Bandettes (19.9, 9th Place) The gals from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, had a rough show tonight. The soloist seemed to carry much better in the stadium in GR.
I did take note of the percussion "line" (4 bass drums) tonight. The instructors have some very innovative and challenging things going on during their drum solo -- it's impressive what such a small number of people can do to make a drum solo interesting. Another valiant effort from the Bandettes.
Phantom Legion (46.9, 7th Place) Wow! this corps has improved greatly since I saw them two weeks ago. Their percussion line is really cooking for being so small, and the colorguard uses every color flag in the book -- and uses them well.
In some respects, the Legion's show is more exciting than their larger cousins. "A Symphonic Spectrum" is well arranged and uses imaginative drill, and is easily accessible to the audience. The Phantom Phans were busy cheering with every rifle toss, drum lick, and brass run and enjoying themselves. An impressive show from Phantom Legion tonight -- I think their score should have been a bit higher.
Cincinnati Glory (45.8, 7th Place) This was really a toss-up between CG and Legion tonight. Both give gutsy, exciting performances.
I like the opening number even better since I've heard it again -- that brass line is really doing some impressive music for their small numbers. The colorguard has some neat moments, playing with tambourines at one point, and there's a really sweet flag solo at the end of the ballad. Way to go, Glory! Good luck in the rest of your season.
Capitol Sound (47.6, 5th Place) Now here's a corps that knows how to ENTERTAIN. The show has a fun "night on the town" feeling to it, and the jazzy arrangements really play to the strength of the brassline.
DRUM SOLO!!! Wow! This immediately made me think of Madison's 95 solos. They're passing, spinning, rotating and all that good stuff. This got the first mid-show spontaneous ovation. I'd never seen Capitol Sound before tonight, but I'll be sure to look for them on future lineups. Go watch and enjoy this corps!
Kiwanis Kavaliers (54.9, 4th Place) They were MUCH improved over last night in Grand Rapids, and the crowd really enjoyed their performance. "An American in Paris" really fits well with this corps.
I was a little surprised that their score wasn't higher. Nearly every section saw some improvement over last night. The brassline was crisper, the drumline tighter, and the colorguard was almost perfect tonight with their rifle and saber tosses. They're still having some brass intonation problems, but the show is progressing nicely. We're looking at a solid semi-final effort from KK so far this year -- whether or not they make finals depends upon how well they progress down the stretch.
Blue Knights (71.6, 1st Place) Do you baseball and softball players know that feeling you get when you hit the sweet spot and the ball just explodes off the bat?? That's what the Blue Knights did in LaPorte.
I must say, the crowd was thoroughly unprepared for the emotional and exciting performance from BK tonight, and it caught them by storm. This show is developing into a humdinger. The visual elements of the show still aren't very clean yet, but they're doing some very difficult stuff marching and playing-wise.
The Shostakovich wasn't as strong as it was in Grand Rapids. The Contrabasses that start the show sounded kind of tentative tonight, but it could be chalked up to just nerves. Once the corps started their show, though, they cooked nicely. An awesome visual effect is given to the piece by the brilliant flags that just draw your attention when they're waving around.
"Oh my goodness sakes" (Cesario quote), the Tchaikovsky was on FIRE. BK melds an exciting melodic tune with drill that would do the Cadets proud and a visual package that has something in the air at practically every beat in the tune. The song ends with a Z-pull of sorts that resolves to a chevron and got the crowd roaring to its feet. Then comes the "butterfly ballad", far and away my favorite moment of the night. The colorguard dons big butterfly wings (like in SCV and Glassmen 93, but prettier somehow) and one of them is hoisted by the percussion line as the brassline plays the sweetest melody... it looks like the butterfly is flying and the entire crowd goes "aaaah". I'm serious. :)
Beethoven's 9th puts a wonderful cap to a show that already is impressive. It's pure drum corps throughout the last tune, with quickly evolving drill, exciting tosses, and a big finish that got this pro-Phantom crowd roaring to its feet to congratulate the Blue Knights on a job well done.
Pioneer (56.5, 3rd Place) Pioneer had the envious task of having to follow up BK tonight, but they were well up to the job. I don't know why their scores are so LOW. They should be scoring well into the 60's in my book. Oh well.
"Irish In Your Face" continues to improve with every showing. Pioneer really looks as if they're enjoying themselves this year, and it shows in their performance. The kevlar/mylar percussion mix is still a treat to listen too, and the visual package is steadily coming into its own. One thing though: the colorguard ladies don't spin any rifles or twirl any flags for the last couple of minutes or so. Is your show not done yet? Let's get to it Pioneer, it's almost July.
Phantom Regiment (70.9, 2nd Place) It's been a couple of weeks since I last saw Phantom, and already they've made exponential progress technically. Their brassline was clearly superior to BK tonight, and the visual package is very crisp and clean.
"Music from the Eternal City" fits Phantom well, it's a shame they're not scoring so hot yet. Technically, they blew the field away with their precision. Emotionally, they feel kind of flat.
This would be my single criticism of Phantom. They're like watching a well-oiled machine. Every spinning flag is perfectly in place, the brassline is loud and ringing, and the drumline is playing nicely together. But they feel, to me, kind of like robots. The emotion that oozed from them in 1996 is simply not present as of yet. For the corps that plays with trademark "passion and power" the power is there, but the passion hasn't made an appearance yet.
But worry not, Phantom Phans, its only June yet and the Regiment is the king of late season surges. You'll be just fine. :) In a related note, I'd like to state that I think the scoring was a bit stingy tonight... Phantom was around a 73 and the Blue Knights a 74 in my opinion. But, that was just me.
Overall, it was a very nice show here in LaPorte, and I plan on attending again next year. I'll see you all there next year, I hope. One final note: as I was leaving the stadium, I was happy to see a lot of the same HS kids that were buying Phantom merchandise before the show lining up to get BK stuff. Very cool.
Congratulations to all the corps tonight.
Jeremiah Peterson
Drum Corps Fan
Glassmen.................75.9 Colts....................67.3 Blue Stars...............49.3 Americanos...............47.0 Coachmen.................33.0 Decorah Kilties..........27.3 Thanks to DCI for these scores!
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