Cadets of Bergen County..92.4 Madison Scouts...........88.1 Cavaliers................87.2 Magic of Orlando.........82.5 Blue Knights.............80.9 Colts....................77.9 Carolina Crown...........76.9 Academie Musicale........71.6 Pioneer..................68.4 Spirit of Atlanta........68.4 Thanks to Steve Nickolson for emailing us these scores!special review
Spirit of Atlanta - 68.4
Even with the small size of this corps, I must say they put on a nice show and it was much appreciated. The new uniforms really look great with a nice off-white/navy blue/gold color scheme. A nice show overall.
Pioneer - 68.4
The size of this corps was really nice to see and they put out a strong sound. My only criticism is that the guard seemed a little shaky when attempting to mimic Irish dancers. I wondered to myself while a was watching this performance that if I was an Irish dancer, I would probably think they were either a disgrace to the art of Irish dancing, or just plain hilarious. Also, the drumline appeared strong. All in all, a nice performance as well.
Acadamie Musicale - 71.6
This corps was definitely a level above the previous corps. Their only drawback was their lack of size. Add this to hats that really don't show well, and it makes for a very unappealing visual look. They did have a nice show and marched it very well though, which was expected. I would just consider new uniforms to give them a stronger presence.
Blue Knights - 80.9
This corps is back in a strong way with a great show that really shows off their marching ability and strong brass. They have a strong corps all around this year and their score reflected this fact. They are assured of making finals this year and it is well-deserved.
colts - 77.9
This is where the fun started tonight. The Colts came out and gave the crowd what they wanted. Down and dirty, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, sound. The guard did an excellent job portraying biker "chicks" and gave the show an attitude. The Colts horns aren't afraid of the judges and really wail. It was nice to see. Also, one of the more memorable and comedic episodes occurred when a soloist horn player "dipped" a note when one of the guard members provocatively stroked his leg. Nice show Colts.
Carolina Crown - 76.9
First of all, I really like this corps' uniforms. They really look sharp. Also, I didn't think their Postcards from Britain show was all that bad. They provided us with a lot of sound and a very entertaining show. It was not as drastic as last year's "chess" show, but if you are a Crown fan, you can't be disappointed.
Magic of Orlando - 82.5
What a fun, fun drum corps this is. From the moment they come on to the field, they are layed-back, relaxed and ready to party. The drum major is maybe the most charismatic drum major I've ever seen and he does well with a tough job of making a stadium full of fans sing Lil Liza Jane. Also, I thought it was wonderful when the horns started blasting and the drum major turned around, looked at the crowd, and gave a face that said, "Pretty good, huh?" Wonderfully creative and fun show.
Cadets of Bergen County - 92.4
What can I say. Words can in no way do their show justice. They have taken their quest for perfection to another level. From the beginning standstill horn run that seems to last minutes until the final dazzling G-pull at the end, the Cadets made believers out of me that they are truly amazing and will not be caught by the Blue Devils or any other corps come Orlando. This show had everything. The horns, guard, drumline-all marched well to an unbelievably difficult drill. My favorite part has to be the ballad in the middle of their show when they cut off a beautifully strong chord, leaving nothing but silence. I cannot imagine DCI without the Cadets of Bergen County.
Madison Scouts - 88.1
The Scouts had a hard task of following the Cadets, but hey, this was their own back yard, a the crowd absolutely loves them. This show was great. It is not the all-out ear-piercing show we are used to from the Scouts, but it is equally as good. The guard does a wonderful job of portraying the pirate theme. I won't go into detail in order not to spoil it for those who have not seen the show. It was very nice to see the Scouts show some disciplined control and perform a wonderful show that is not Latin music. This was my second favorite show (Cadets=first) of the whole weekend.
Cavaliers - 87.2
I really liked the beginning of the show. I thought it was wonderfully creative and really showed talent. Having marched myself for years, I can't imagine marching with the only beat to follow coming from your mind. It was well done-almost visionary in a way. But I was disappointed in the rest of their show. After the Cadets and Scouts, I must have been expecting more. It was very good technically, but not very crowd pleasing.
Final Comments:
During the finale, I don't know why the guard of the Cadets must practice tosses and everything. We already know they are good. I just would have liked to see a more traditional approach to the finale-like just standing there. I can see how it can make up for lost practice time, but the Cadets already practice night and day. It just wasn't the right time or place.
Lastly, during the endless delay to "recheck" the scores, the Magic of Orlando corps members who started singing Lil Liza Jane were awesome. If only we all could have this much fun.
Spirt of Atlanta - 68.4 - I liked this show, its very entertaining. They have a good sound, but a few more horns would definitely help. The drumline is solid again this year. The guard and drill are definitely weak points.
Pioneer - 68.4 - They pull off Riverdance better then I expected. The drumline is clean as usual and I enjoyed the color guard, they have a lot of fun in this show. I think they have taken a step back from the progress in the last few years. I would like to see them in the finals somewhere down the road.
Academie Musicale - 71.6 - Good show, this corps is very musical. The drumline is very weak, but the horns play very well and the drill fits the music very well. Nothing really stands out from watching the show, that's not a good thing. The drumline definitely needs work.
Carolina Crown - 76.9 - Holy clean drumline! I was very impressed with the corps. I enjoyed the show from the very beginning. The guard really sells the show and the drill is very clean. The weakness in the corps seems to be the horns. The drum break was almost perfect. Definitely finals material.
Colts - 77.9 - Great sound, and a lot of it! They fill the stadium with sound almost the entire show. The brass is a little sharp, but very loud. The drumline is very tight as usual, one of the toughest snare breaks I've seen this year (lots of cheese) ! They performed very well. Let me add I'm a huge fan of their color guard, they are ssssmokin'! I put them in the top 10 for sure.
Blue Knights - 80.9 - After two really tight drumlines, this corps was a little shaky. I like the drill and the horns were very solid. This show has very little excitement, I really remember much about it.
Magic of Orlando - 82.5 - This corps has replaced Velvet Knights. They are a lot of fun to watch and when they're not messing around, the are very good. The drumline (can you tell I'm a drummer?) is very clean and play some tough licks. The horn line is very loud and play with very good sound. There drill had some gaps, hopefully they'll clean that up before finals. 3 cheers for the drum majors, they really help with G.E. They also kept the crowd from falling asleep during ungodly long scoring by the judges. I'm still singing in my head "Oh Elizah, Elizah Jane......"
Cavaliers - 87.2 - I love this show. The silent drill is very impressive and moving when the crowd stays quite (which has only happened once out of 5 times I've seen them). I like the opening drill, its very creative and they execute it perfectly. The baritone solo is perfect, sets the tone for the whole show. The horn line is very ominous, the typical Cavalier sound. The drumline is amazing, one of the best tenor/snare lines I've ever seen. The drum parts are intense from the beginning of the show throughout, regardless if there facing the away stands of during the feature. This show lacks the general effect that has won it's two championships. The only flaw I saw was a few snare goofs at the very end of the show. The drill seems very tight. This show is very clean, very articulate, and well executed, though it just lacks the crowd appeal that will push it into the top three. I put them 4th right now, even though this is my favorite show of the year.
Madison Scouts - 88.1 - The Madison Scouts are back, and they aren't playing Spanish! This chart was tailor made for them. Actually, it was. They have put together a great program, visually and musically. They have pulled the switch to a symphonic sound very well. I watched them practice all afternoon, this show will do very well in the finals. I place them number 3 in finals despite the fact that there drumline is very dirty. General Effect will keep this corps above Phantom and the Cavaliers. I love the ending, the dead guard member is a nice touch, he's got it pretty easy!
Cadets of Bergen County - 92.4 - Same Cadets as every year.This is my first time seeing the show, although I have heard the music. They have the whole package. The drumline was smokin' during the entire show, more solos then I've heard in the past few years. The horn line was relatively clean in their opening run and great throughout. The guard is amazing, even during the announcing of scores when they are doing tosses. The ending is the best of the year. The drill is still a little sloppy, but they will surely clean that up, hell there moving too fast to really notice anyways. I pick them to win it this year, amazing show.
The scores turned out almost just as I suspected, accept for Madison, I would have placed them near 90. Here are my finals predictions as of right now:
F.Y.I. - the first year of DCI's STAGE SHOW is amazing, I highly recommend seeing it if you get a chance. It is similar the Canadian Brass setup. The Blue Devils' show was unbelievable, goosebumps on goosebumps. Everything from comedic contras to en fuego snare solos and When a Man Loves a Women, just incredible.
Division II Allegiance Elite.........77.4 Division III Patriots.................86.1 St. John's...............78.6 General Butler Vagabonds.73.2 Emerald Knights..........71.5 Conqueror II.............63.7 Mirage...................57.5 Ridge Raiders............45.9 Marion Cadets............no show Division IV (short show) Dutch Boy................52.1 Squires..................45.8 Blue Saints..............45.0 Thanks to Ontario Drum Corps Association for emailing us these scores!
Division I Les Sinateurs de Joliette.............66,4 Division II Les Stentors de Fleurimont............49,3 Division III Les Milomanes de Trois-Rivihres Ouest.74,1 Les Arcs-en-ciel de Pointe-du-Lac.....67,1 Les Sentinelles de Varennes...........56,0 Concert Les Jeunes Dynamiques de Rimouski.....60,3 Les Pers-Clairs de St-Hyacinthe.......43,7 Thanks to Andre Theriault, of Friends of Drum Corps Quebec for emailing us these scores!
Brigadiers...............85.1 - Brass, GE Caballeros...............83.7 - Perc Bushwackers..............80.6 Sunrisers................79.6 - CG Westshoremen.............77.1 Buccaneers...............69.9 Grenadiers...............67.5 Thanks to Mark Hoover for emailing us these scores!
Brigadiers
Largest brass line at 56 that I have seen in DCA this year with a fine
sound. The Brigs seem to have a more complete package than most and at
this point are leading the pack. They opened the spread between them and
the Cabs this week from last weeks 0.6. The brass does a fine job and the
percussion does a good supporting role but their intensity could be bumped
up a notch on the field to match what they did off the field for the
victory concert. Too bad Empire was not at this show to give us the
complete look at the top six and how they stand at the halfway point in the
season. I know these two have been very close up to this point.
Caballeros
Followed the Grenadiers and stole the show at that point. The early
performance may have had a slight impact in their score. The brass is
solid and the drum line is very much improved over last season. What their
show seems to lack is a solid middle that doesn't give you some Z's. Other
than that, it was a solid performance as is usually expected from the
Cabs. We certainly can not count them out from being there at
championships.
Bushwackers
Followed the Cabs onto the field and I am not sure of their music
selections. The show starts off with a nice brass intro, but as it
progresses, it leads us into some less than exciting moments. Most in the
crowd are kind of left scratching their heads for some entertainment value
from this show which never seems to appear beyond the opening statement. I
can't remember anything from the show except that.
Maybe they are just not able to 'sell' it yet. I don't know. Percussion wise, the tenors and basses have some nice moments.
Sunrisers
Sun continues to improve vastly. Since I saw them at Bridgeport, they are
much improved and present a total package show for the crowd. The brass of
39 is solid. The drum line is good and holds it's own, especially the
tenor line which I believe to be the best in DCA this year. The color
guard won high honors and deservedly so as they exhibit very enjoyable
guard work. The silent work is impressive.
Overall, a solid performance which I thought would carry them over Bush. It just may do that very soon in the coming weeks.
Westshoremen
The brass continues to fill blanks and get better. The guard wore their
new strikingly red with white uniforms with short bell bottoms. The
easily standout among the corps and look very good. The drum line is
solid as usual and presents a sound that most others can not. I am a
little puzzled as to them not winning high drums tonight. They still have
some work to do with the middle of the show to try to sell the Seal tune
a bit better. One More Time... is a very solid and powerful closer for
them.
Buccaneers
This is the Bucs' first show since their bus accident and I am not sure how
many of their members are still missing as they fielded 29 horns. The
guard's opening statement with the gold flags is nice. The drumline
appears to be somewhat young but has a fairly good size. I need to see
their show again for a better assessment as this was my first viewing and
their first contest since their accident. Hopefully they can regroup and
finish the year on a positive not in their 40th anniversary season. Good
luck to them.
Grenadiers
This is my first ever viewing of the Grenadiers and they came onto the
field with a nice size horn line of about 45. They present and nice brass
balance and blend, but the drum line appears to be where the inexperience
lies as they just don't give you a good solid sound behind that brass line.
They are still only three years old and still growing. I expect them to
possibly challenge the Bucs for the 10th spot at championships.
Yankee Rebels did a pre-show exhibition. The Marine D&B Corps did a pre-retreat exhibition which was about 30 minutes long and much enjoyed by the Cumberland crowd.
After seeing the Syracuse Brigadiers barely edge the Cabs last weekend at Fair Lawn, I was expecting them to be prepared to have to work for the top spot tonight, and that they did opening the gap between them by two points. They performed very well this evening and much better than last week. I didn't think so a week ago, but if they stay on this kind of improvement schedule they are a force to be reckoned with come Labor Day weekend and beyond. The music of Cole Porter is very laid back, and the corps brings a slick sort of nonchalant feel to the show. They are also very aggressive when called upon. Though many may argue, the two point spread over Cabs is very much justified and should grow if smart judges continue to compare the two corps. Their encore performance was great-- they sound really good in an ensemble arc.
Hawthorne Caballeros continue to perform cleanly, and once again had the Cumberland crowd wrapped around their little fingers. Although they are loved, they are somewhat over-rated. I've seen them three weeks in a row, and they've been the same every time. There's something to be said for consistency, but things aren't getting any cleaner. It will be August soon and they're still going to be wearing July's dirty laundry.
It is very exciting to watch the Harrison Bushwackers improve so much from week to week. The drum line and guard are getting much tighter and the hornline is hot, especially during the opening statement of the show. Their's is probably the most challenging show put on the field this year by a senior corps, which is probably the reason their scores are a little behind. A noticeable change has been made to the end of the show and it will undoubtedly be a barn-burner when it begins to gel. I really hope they can clean it up because it is a heck of a show -- it will be great to watch at the end of the year and really should be doing better competitively.
Sunrisers are another corps that is fun to watch improve. Look out Bush, here they come. Their show looks like it's becoming more familiar to the members and it's starting to gel. All the sections performed well this evening, in particular the color guard who won their caption. The last time I saw them I thought they were a Cadets rip-off, but not any more. This show is theirs!
Westshoremen are having problems. The show is OK, good drumline and talent all around. They don't play in time, it's that simple.
Reading Buccaneers are a small but respectable package.
This was my first time seeing the Kingston Grenadiers this season and I thought they should have scored better, at least ahead of the Bucs. Their brass section at least should have put them over Reading.
Tarheel Sun..............88.7 3rd Regiment.............79.7 Knight Storm.............77.3 Delta Brigade............77.2 Lone Star................72.9 Spectrum.................65.0 Wabash Crusaders.........55.9 Thanks to Ronald R. Abate, Jr. on r.a.m.d for these scores!
Empire Statesmen.........87.0 (caption sweep) Hurricanes...............75.6 New York Skyliners.......72.2 Rochester Crusaders......70.2 Generations..............56.4 Thanks to Christina Cardinal for emailing us these scores!
Division I Jersey Surf..............85.3 Division II Kips Bay.................83.0 Raiders..................81.8 Division III Quest....................73.6 Phoenix..................68.1 Illusion.................62.1 (.4) Latin Knights............59.2 First Baptist............58.0 First Defenders..........57.4 William Lucas............53.8 Bracken..................46.9 Division IV Imperial Guardsmen.......68.1 Thanks to Bob Fields on r.a.m.d for these scores!
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