June 17, Columbus, OH

Thanks to Matt LaFontaine on r.a.m.d for this review!

1st-Cavaliers 72.5 This was a big suprise. Cavies have a great sound and
good guard, but the show seemed a little flat. It was exciting at the hit
points, and LOUD! but in my opinion, it wasn't a winner against Madison or PR.

2nd-Phantom Regiment 71.7 Much booing when announced in 2nd. PR had an
AWESOME performance, and visually the show was exciting. I must agree with
those who say Phantom is a real contender this year. They deserved better
than what they got. Phantom also has a mean mellow section, they are out
for blood this year.

3rd-Madison Scouts 70.4 Even more booing here. Most people (myself
included) thought they deserved the win here. The bari section is
intense, and so are the sops. Bolero DOES need more volume though.
Everything is just pure, exciting, loud MADISON! Malaguena was
incredble to a 1st time listener (myself) and even the warmup was exciting
(taken from last year's show). They were the real winners here.

4th-Colts 63.3 Incredible concept, great drill, awesome music. This show
has a little bit of everything and will be a winner when it peakes. The
Colts will be a force to be reckoned with this year, they have the total
package. If they can put it together, it will be awesome.

5th-Pioneer 58.1 WOW! The best 58.1 I've ever seen. Music, drill, battery,
performance, all of it was there. It needs a lot of cleaning, especially
on the attacks, but by the end of the year it will be as good if not
better than last.

6th-Golden Lancers 52.9 A very good show. Nice arrangements of music and
visually exciting drill. A strong Div. III contender with a promising
season ahead.

7th-Northern Aurora 39.7 Good show. Some cleaning up needs to be done,
especially in the lower sections (baris and contras). A solid start to the
season, and if they can build it will be interesting to see what they can do.

8th-Marion Cadets 32.5 Great show concept (Tribute to Ray Charles) Fever
cooked when it was on. The contra really knows how to wail, and there was
a great contra/bari duet in the middle of the show. A 5 man horn line
shouldn't be able to put out that much sound, but they did and it was
good. Drill was well written for such a small group. They deserved a
higher score IMHO, and they certainely will have one by August.

9th-Mirage Sr. 33.0 Good corps, great music, o.k. drill. I loved the
StarGate sequence.  The music is very exciting, and they have a terrific
low brass section. Much cleaning of drill is needed though it's still
early and that's to be expected. 

10th-Coachmen 30.2 Beautiful music, great concept here as well. Drill was
pretty good also. The bari solo in Amazing Grace should face the audience
though. It was too quiet. 

Exhibition-Limited Edition Good concept in returning to Beethoven. The
corps proved itself by playing what they did with only learning it in a
week or so. Once drill is learned, this should be a good show. LE has a
lot of heart which makes up for their small size, and they will improve as
they gain more members and more rehearsal time.

Overall, the show was exciting. I really enjoyed every performance I saw.
I didn't like the America/O Canada thing. Too anti-climactic in the
middle. If the songs are both to be played, play them _SEPARATELY_! They
are both ruined by the stupid round/melody thing. The booing was to be
expected. Most people thought the show went to Madison. They are
suprisingly clean rght out of the gate and so was Phantom. They look to be
the strongest contenders yet (I haven't heard news about BD or CBC yet).
Cavies' show was ok, but it really pales in comparison to The Planets.
They kind of painted themselves into a corner by needing to top last
year's show to win, and without incredible precision they probably won't
do that. 

All I can say is this; if the rest of the year goes like it did today,
then look for some exciting competition and some thrilling performances.

Matt LaFontaine
-- 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  Dublin Scioto HS Marching Band Trombone | Dublin Scioto HS Varsity Tennis
    All Star Brass Band Varsity Euphonium  | mattl@freenet.columbus.oh.us
      +--"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure" Dan Quale--+   


2 show reviews in 1 (Toledo and Columbus)

Thanks to Jeff Wise on r.a.m.d for this review!

    This early in the season, I thought it might be better to put these
two shows together and save people space and time and all that.

    The recurring theme here will be, without a shadow of any doubt,
"it's early." One other caveat before beginning, the remarks from the
Toledo show are influenced and presented in part with my friend,
Dentist Dave.

    Dentist Dave and I got to Toledo a little later than we wanted to
and ended up catching Pioneer from one of those tunnel things. 
Pioneer's loud though, real loud.  And they're taking ambitious steps
to whatever the next level is.  And that's a question for anyone -- it
appears that Pioneer has 90-plus members, isn't that over Division II
limits?

    Drill design, I'm told, is by Todd Ryan and it's apparent.  Pioneer
had one of the most interesting drills in both shows.  Especially in
the Columbus show where I got to see them straight on.  If one could
call a drill tasty, then Pioneer has it.  I'll put the first "it's
early" in here, because the drill isn't perfect by any means.  The
guard has much, much work to do (timing, timing, timing) and I'm not
sure I understand the significance of the little bouncy balls they use
(and when they drop the balls inadvertantly they tend to bounce a ways
away from the performer, a marked problem in Columbus).  And at least
their dutting wasn't noticeable in Columbus, but extremely annoying in
Toledo.  Dutting sucks.

    All in all, this show has much potential.  They scored like 6
points down to G'men in Toledo and should've been much closer.

    GLASSMEN - It has to be a bit of downer to have your very first
show be your big home show.  The crowd was supportive though.  Guard
uniforms appear to be almost the same as last year and the corps
entered the field with field drums on slings and some of those double
bass drum things that were red, white and blue.  Aside from those
drums, the colors of patriotism was nowhere to be seen for the next 17
minutes. The opening Sousa march proved that low brass is becoming a
stregth for G'men, but more so it showed that there is a glaring dearth
of high brass (duly noted by the plastering of signs everywhere asking
for horn players, plus a few pleas from the PA announcer).  

    Sousa is pretty much equated with patriotism, no?  Someone might
want to let the Toledo people know that, it tends to help in the GE
category when the colors of a show match the music.  Going into
Gershiwn showed that maybe G'men are still learning parts of the show. 
I cannot believe I'm about to say this, but in the American in Paris
parts, G'men's choreography stuff actually fit and made sense, and on
the first viewing I thought that.  Wow, an old dog can learn.  It still
wasn't uniform and all that great, but it wasn't horrible either.  The
drill however, left much, much to be desired.  There were people
running around the field taking 2-to-5 size steps during slow music
parts -- yeah, that'll pile up Visual points.

    However, "it's early."  As a first show, it wasn't a wreck, but
there's much that needs to be done to this show if Toledo wants to
stick around the same Finals placement.  My cynicism comes out when I
say that G'men got homefield advantage by edging out a much better
Colts squad by a tenth and being over 6 points above Pioneer.

    CAVALIERS - First corps after the break in Toledo and the first
corps to catch the bando crowd's attention in Columbus. The drumline
jumps out at you right off and they are definitely strong.  Also, the
hornline continues to become veyr good and was extremely solid in both
shows.  One note, if you have a choice try not to watch Rosemont from
the left side of the field.  We saw them on the left side in Toledo and
straight on in Columbus and the difference visually was amazing.

    At Toledo, much of the drill didn't seem that big of deal (of
course, "it's early").  The guard stuff with the trellises was
interesting and highly reminiscent of Madison and those palette thingys
from a few years back.  At one point, remarked Dentist Dave the guard
looked like the Flying Nun with the trellises.

    Symphony #3 (fanfare for the common dude) is nicely done and not
incredibly obvious either.  Still, the Cavaliers did not march as well
as they could be at this point as many of the forms were way out to
lunch.  I already said, "it's early," but there are parts of this show
that could be much better in June.  Musically though, they are solid
and that must be what's putting them over everyone, because in an
overall aspect they are not ahead of Madison and PR right now.

    COLTS - Yes, let it be noted for the record that I hereby rescind
my comments in my "Everybody's preview of the Season" post about Colts
and their drill problems.  Eating crow in short.  Not only did Colts
NOT have a silly running drill move in the opening minute of the show,
but for the most part the drill is highly improved over previous
efforts.  More kudos to Chuck Naffier as he's given the Colts a
tremendous base vehicle to work with for the summer.  Musically, this
is real good stuff, real good.  

    Colts seriously need to look into new uniforms.  The guard appears
to be more talented than years past, but timing is a good concept to
teach. With an already improved drill, the actual technique isn't
nearly as behind as it has been in years past, all of which will help
Colts to gain good momentum into August.  Another note, when spinning
and throwing the rifles and sbares, the guard does not spin out of a
catch, which is a cool thing and as I'm told, more difficult.  Plus the
work is exposed, so when the timing comes through ("it's early") this
should help in the performance captions.

    Musically, the Colts should be able to move up the ranks this
summer, despite a better written drill, it's still not anything to
scream and shout about.  There are ineffective parts, but in June that
is a given.  This show should make listening to the second CD
worthwhile, again especially with those Chuckbrass arrangements --
excellent stuff.  Dubuque was much better than G'men and should have
been at least 1.5 if not 2 points over them.

    PR - complete black uniforms with a little red chevron.  Nice look.
 Guard in short red dresses that look exciting, but then reveal those
trendy shorts underneath (which caused a noticeable sigh in the
audience).  Maybe too short, as the uniform doesn't exactly fit the
conservative Russian nature of the show or guard work (that remark
attributed to Dentist Dave).  Drums are the same lavender from 95, but
the bass drum heads were missing the Premier sign -- is PR waiting for
new drums or switching?  Because the purple doesn't match everything
else.

    The show takes a long build into the first big hit, but my goodness
Shostakovich translates well to a football field.  Real well.  Already
this show is a favorite.  The hornline is loud and good.  Watch for the
flagless poles that become really effective in the middle of the show. 
Consistently, PR has been able to come up with extremely effective
visual aspects over the past 4 to 5 years.

    "It's early." In the all black, PR is able to hide some of the
technique problems and visual gaffes.  Sometimes the show doesn't seem
to really take hold and take off, but the music is so thick and full of
textures and contrast that it's not a huge loss, although it could hurt
in some caption areas.  In Columbus with the roof over the stands, PR
was able to really showcase their sound.  I haven't heard loud like
that since PR in 89.  Wow.

    Some of the complex horn passages are real cool, but a bit of a
letdown considering they stand still for the runs. (side note, no corps
stood still for any real length of time as a whole unit.)  With some
tinkering and additions and changes this show could take PR places.  My
opinion had them winning both shows only to be overshadowed by
Cavaliers.

    MADISON - Performance is definitely the key here as Madison really
projects the attitude of "let me perform for you."  From the on-field
entrance to the warm-up (notice not many corps warm-up on the field
anymore?) to the opening moves, Madison is out to hook the crowd and
make you stand.  All in all, it works.  Crowd favorites in both venues,
they were the only corps to receive a standing ovation in retreat (the
Columbus show).

    8 tenors.  What luck to find 8 people of that talent.  Exploit it
and so they do.  As the show was about start, Dentist Dave says to me
(in an affected accent), "Lucy! You got some 'splaining to do!"  Hey it
fits the show, right?  Then in a fit of words, Dentist Dave says the
guard uniforms look like a cross between Antonio Banderas and Danny
Terrio from Dance Fever.  Dentist's can have real good insight
sometimes.

    The show moves and grooves and is generally pleasing to anyone
interested in watching drum corps.  There is some drill problems, but
guess what?  "It's early."  Even the patented Madison crouch to extend
the step size couldn't help in some areas.  The drum solo shows those 8
tenors have real talent, real talent.  In a possible obscure metaphor
the Neon drum heads used by the cymbal line behind the drum line ends
up looking like famous mouse ears at the end of the tune (in Columbus,
one of those drum heads fell off the mount and the cymbal player should
be chastised for not picking it up when he had the chance).

    Sadly, Malaguena is nothing new, nothing remotely original.  It
smells much like 88, of course throwing in the same drill moves
contributes to that.  It is still good and entertaining, don't get me
wrong, but how many corps have been able to capture the same magic when
repeating a tune (the park and blow section for example, in 88 Finals
that was just unreal, even when Scouts get it down it won't have that
same magic).  Bolero is way too short, way too short.  There's much
potential in that tune, both musically and visually, it'd be nice to
see another minute or so added to that tune.  The red guard boxes at
this point serve no real use.  

    Overall, Scouts were probably the cleanest of everyone, with PR
being close behind.  However in Columbus, PR did have the better show
and deserved to be over Madison, but in both shows, Madison was easily
over Cavaliers.


The retreat has turned into near joke status.  The corps now play a
mdeley of America and O Canada.  Why?  Shouldn't O Canada be played
with the National Anthem, and after an anthem is played it's not
supposed to be played again until the next show/game.  Therefore isn't
it disrespectful to play O Canada AFTER the show is finished?  And then
as part of a medley with an American tune?  Ouch, yikes and zoinks. 
Bad move, bad move.  Plus, aside from the Columbus crowd standing for
Madison after their announced score, the fans don't have a chance to
directly show their appreciation to an individual corps after they find
out where they placed.  I remember many times being roundly cheered
after the crowd disagreed with our finish as we played out of retreat
-- it's an added wonderful experience to the drum corps summer.

    That's all I have.  I apologize for misspellings, there's no spell
check here anymore.  Comments and criticisms roundly accepted, but not
always squarely accepted.

Jeff Wise


Thanks to Chris Maher on r.a.m.d for this review!

Exhibition Limited Edition      

This was my first time at Cooper Stadium. I didn't realize that it was a 
baseball stadium. The field was not parallel to the seats. If I sat 
straight in my seat I was looking straight at the 50 yard line marker, 
but not straight down the 50 yard line. If I twisted a bit, I could look 
straight down the 40. Don't know if that description makes sense, but I 
found the layout disorienting.

My favorite, again, was Phantom. This is a great show. Crowd responded 
very positively, even after just seeing Cavaliers. Crowd favorite, 
though, was Madison. Boos were heard when Madison was announced in 
third. A few boos and a hushed gasp when Phantom was annouced in second.

I'm not sure why the Cavaliers show is not appealing to the crowd. Its a 
well designed and well executed show. Full of great GE percussion. Drill 
is much more intricate than Madison or Phantom. Guard is more 
interesting than either Madison or Phantom. 

Phantom did beat Cavaliers in GE Music and Ensemble Music. Cavaliers won 
all other captions. Madison placed second in Percussion Performance - 
just .2 ahead of Phantom.

Tonight I did agree with the judges. Cavaliers did what it took to win. 
Unfortunately (I guess), that doesn't include connecting with the crowd. 
It seems that there should be a component of GE that reflects audience 
appeal. 

The show was well run. No breaks. Too many shows have long 
intermissions. Cavaliers played Over the Rainbow after the victory 
concert.

June Scores

Seattle Web Factory CyberCorps Web Page Designers.
CyberWebMistress Cathy Doser
email: cathy@doser.net

Last updated: June 19, 1996

Web and Page design ©1995 Seattle Web Factory