Thanks to Tim Hendrix on RAMD for this review! As I mentioned briefly in the scores post, weather was great, clinics were great, show ran smoothly, a great place for Preview of Champions (my plug!) Now, to the shows: 12. Allegiance Elite 61.5 Hadn't seen this corps before this year. Nice group...good beginning...but not much development throughout the show. 11. Nite Express 65.8 Having seen this show numerous times this season, it has really come a long way...horns are starting to gain some stamina...nevertheless, the design is limited and has maxed itself out. 10. Kiwanis Kavaliers 71.3 Nice Metheny show...have really polished and matured a lot since June...color guard is integrated nicely...truly thought that they should have placed a point or two ahead of Spirit--for all reasons; GE, Visual, Guard, Brass, performance, etc. 9. Spirit of Atlanta 71.5 What can I say? I'm just damn glad to see them back out (being a displaced Southerner myself!) Yet, the program is very limited this year...the show design is not clear...the guard is still developing...the corps' execution of a muddily-written show is just that...muddy! But, hey! I am seriously supportive of their efforts to reemerge. 8. Southwind 72.1 The show concept is growing on me...they pulled it off better here than at POC prelims. The initial singing was better in tune than Ypsilanti and the entire show was cleaner and thus clearer visually. 7. Troopers 79.1 Real rifles for a real corps...Hey, they played and moved so much more cleanly here than at Ypsilanti POC prelims. Horns were infinitely more in tune...articulation was cleaner...etc. Hard to hear soft passages in a lot of these early corps BECAUSE OF THE OBNOXIOUS HORN LINE WARMING UP TO THE NORTH AND --GET THIS!--EVEN BECAUSE OF THE OBNOXIOUS GUARD WARMING UP TO THE SOUTH!!!!! Nice show...but the sunburst didn't work nearly as well here as at POC...someone unfortunately fell in the set-up and with RUDE corps warming up, the silent ending flubbed...no colors this time and not as emotive! By the way: I think that violence of any sort is unwarranted, but we have yet to hear real facts about POC prelims. Any word on Troopers' side of it? I'm glad r.a.m.d. is the highcourt in the land or a fair trial would be even more of an illusion than it is currently. Were any punches thrown? How many times did they ask the gentlemen to move aside? Did anyone objective see this incident from start to finish? Who initiated contact? I'm not defending the incident, I JUST WANT FACTS...AND I HAVE HEARD NONE! 6. Colts 83.6 This show has really grown on me...guard is much more mature than last year, therfore the guardwork is more difficult but not as clean...horns' approach to sound grows on you...overall, though, I haven't seen a lot of growth in this show since I first saw it in June and I don't see it growing any more...Although I certainly like it more, Idon't see it above 10th in finals. 5. Glassmen 85.2 If they had been really, really clean & on, they could have caught Bluecoats' coattails..but they didn't...It is still a great show...the horn sound is a little harsh overall...the tag makes more sense, but is still disjointed enough that it doesn't quite work...couple of horn gafs...oh, the possibilities... 4. Bluecoats 86.9 I also am growing to like the show concept more and more...they truly tell a good story and carry the storyline from start to finish. As for execution, it was an off-night...the marching and brass were not clean...and, what can you say? V-day is awesome!!!!!!!! 3. Phantom Regiment 90.9 Horns have really matured in sound and quality over the season...Heck! they were much warmer than Ypsilanti one week ago...spacing problems were too numerous for this time of year, but field show has improved overall...wish that the Paganini would just drip with lush romanticism; rather, it lumbers in drunkenly with slow passion...Much improvement over season, but do not see them leaving chair #5. 2. Cavaliers 93.8 Crowd favorite...thought they should have jumped ole' BD, but, alas, horn gafs at entrances (mostly) and a couple of hangovers cost them this show...percussion took caption! What I don't understand is how they lost visual or even GE (even with the gafs)!!!! Even with minor spacing as forms evolved, it was clearly head and shoulders above BD visually in both design and execution. The dynamic range and lushness of the mellower sections was full and warm--still a couple of rough edges, subtleties are still evolving musically. Drill--hell! phenomenal! 1. Blue Devils 94.9 Are they catchable? Well, I think so...sitting 10 rows from the top of the upper deck of a decently sized stadium (ha! 75,000) right smack-dab on the fifty-yard line...yet the decibels were not there...not much energy reached us...now, in the standstill...they were peeling our ears back down in front...but up top, it didn't sell...I think that there is not enough contrast in style musically in the show...even in their "ballad"-like sections, it wasn't warm in sound at all...it carried the harshness of the other sections. Guard truly portrays the theme well in make-up, demeanor, and routine. Their guardwork is clean, but their equipment use is less. A couple of other BD thoughts...the drill is clean, but not razorsharp like last years...same with the horns...they are definitely catchable if 2 weeks were left, but, in one week, who know? And the satanic thing...come on! in the HO of a Southern Baptist Music minister, I find nothing satanic about it...they are merely playing out the theme of the carpe noctem with the traditional symbols of the dark...I don't even really like it myself...but it certainly is different and is a great exploration of a theme. Overall, much better organized and planned show than last year...Thanks for doing the exhibitions in the afternoon and not before retreat...Retreat was quickly set up and scores were announced expeditiously...publicity was much better for this year's show than last...With good management, and such great facilities, this site could host a larger show effectively. Go ahead and flame me, but...here's what I see final 12 and beyond being: 1.BD 2.Cavs 3.CBC 4.MS 5.PR 6.SCV 7.Blue 8.Glass 9.Xmen 10.Colts 11.CArolina Crown (Go Don!) 12.BK or Magic 14.Troopers 15.VK 16.SW,BAc (ever-popular DCI tie) 18. Spirit 19. KK 20. Pioneer 21. Nite Express Tim Hendrix Secondary Mathematics Education Advisor Dept. of Curriculum & Instruction, University of Illinois Music Minister, Garden Hills Baptist Church, Champaign, IL
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