Thanks to John Weldy for directly emailing this review!
22 June 1996. This evening was a completely lovely one for a drum corps
show. Not too hot, a nice gentle breeze, and I found out that the Cavaliers
had FINALLY come out with their own set of CDs! (1985-1995...Planets to
Planets. I'm listening to it as I write this.) There was only one
snag...a half hour before showtime it was announced that one of the show's
big guns, the Troopers, would not only not be in competition tonight, but
would be dropping out of tour until July 2!! There was no reason given for
this unfortunate incident, even when I asked at the announcer's table, but I
can think of a couple possibilities, none very positive.
Well, back to the show. Northern Aurora (6th, 40.8) had the pleasure of
leading the field in competition. The first thing I noticed was their new
uniforms. The red tops are a definate improvement over the old faded blue
and lend a bigger, crisper look. Too bad you can't say the same thing about
the hornline's performance. Not that they were exceptionally bad or
anything, it was just that they could have put a lot more into a very
entertaing Indiana Jones show. The drumline performed well, especially the
pit. The visual program at this point is good and several things will tidy
up with cleaning. Their biggest problem, though, seems to be an arranger
who's writing for the 1992 Northern Aurora instead of the 1996 Northern
Aurora.
Next up were the Coachmen (7th, 33.0). The guard unis, a kind of down
south, tomboyish look, intrigued me. (Little did I know that this look had
absolutely nothing to do with the show!) The Coachman began their jazz
show with a burst of confidence (not cleanliness, mind you...confidence)
that made me forget about Northern Aurora. They pummeled their way through
the opener as good as I've ever seen them perform. I wondered for a moment
if this was a new and improved Coachmen. NOPE! Tune 2 quickly told me
that today must have been opener day. They muddled through a few more
tunes, including Spirit's Amazing Grace and BD's La Suerte de los Tontos,
before finishing up. This is standard fare for the Coachmen. Don't expect
much, but it's some good tunes.
The Trooper's replacement, Bluegrass Brass Sr. (8th, 29.8) was up
next. They began the opening strains of their opener and they sounded
oddly familiar to me. I reached into my memories and pulled out our
into-closer when I marched Bluecoats in 94, Sandu! You can imagine the big
grin that washed over my face. Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form
of flattery. I could go on & on about their performance, but this is a
Weekend Warrior corps and they're just out there to have fun. And that
they did...and they took us with them.
The first major player of the evening was up next, the Golden Lancers
(5th, 49.8). Last year, when I saw the Lancers for my first and only time,
I quickly became a fan. I had heard good things about them this year and
was expecting a treat. Let me tell you...all the stories I had heard had
been greatly UNDER-exaggerated! These kids are fantastic! This tiny
16-member hornline smoothes through their Robert Smith flight-themed show
with the confidence and style of a corps 4 times their size. Constantly
moving and beautifully ethereal, this show is definately a must see. Fabulous
hornline, great visual (albeit dirty), excellent drums, and an extremely
talented color guard. You could take thirty members at random from any top
12 corps and not have a corps this good. Pound for pound, the Golden Lancers
are the best thing going.
Kiwanis Kavaliers (4th, 54.8) were the first corps after the break.
Another corps that I became a fan of last year (I still think they played Pat
Metheny better than BAC), I expected good things from Kiwanis. Again, I was
not disappointed. Their Buddy Rich/Stan Kenton West Side Story show was
their best yet. The opener was a kaleidascope of movement and music.
Heavily worked, it showed Kiwanis' talent, especially in horns and visual.
The rest of the show, though, never quite lived up to it's potential. After
the opener, Kiwanis battled two factors that led to their defeat at the hands
of the (IMHO) inferior Nite Express. 1) The designers could never figure out
if they wanted to copy 94 Cadets (the guard wore the same style hip hop
clothing and many arrangements were very similar) or branch out on their
own. Some sections reeked of "Mee Too...but I don't want it to look EXACTLY
the same." 2) The kids are plain and simple still learning the show and were
too worried about pushing the right buttons to put in much energy.
Fortunately, neither of these problems are TOO serious, and only a few
rewrites are necessary. If these problems are properly addressed, Kiwanis
could very likely find themselves playing on Friday night in Orlando.
Nite Express (3rd, 55.9) was the corps that we always made fun of last
year because of their terrible show design, but we never even thought that
they wouldn't make the top 21 because of their talent. Oops! Fortunately
for them, they have found the right formula this year. Betraying their
rock-n-roll roots, they have opted for medieval movie music...and it works
very well for them. They have also traded in their multicolered capes and
the unis they were attached to for grey tops with a shiny sash thing that
almost looks a bit like chain mail (how fitting). If only they had used that
a bit more, they could have one hell of a show on their hands here. They
need to take a look at 93 Cadets with the swords and the banners and all and
incorporate some flavor into this plain toast show. Cleanliness is besting
Kiwanis right now, but to stay on top, they need to spice it up. Also,
there's a wicked pyrotechnic lick in the closer that, if cleaned, could be a
serious asset.
It always scares me when I hear that a corps it changing musical
directions. Many corps have tried it, many corps have been seriously injured
by it, and only TWO (Star and Glassmen) have pulled it off. So naturally
when I heard that the Colts (2nd, 63.9) were going from jazz/broadway to
Rutter's Magnificat, I was skeptical. For the third time this evening, my
instincts were correct. While the talent level of this corps will not allow
it to slip out of the coveted top 12, the show to me is just the same old
same old. If you told me you'd give me $100 if I could hum just four bars of
their music, I couldn't do it...and I'm writing this just 3 hours after I saw
them perform...that's how bland the show is. And if bland music isn't bad
enough, they've got to throw in the Bumblebee Color Guard and a color scheme
worthy of the Glassmen. So is this show a lost cause? No, not by a long
shot. With the talent level of these kids, they could write a whole new book
if need be! But that isn't necessary, either. All they really need to do is
spice up the package a bit with a little marriage of music and visual...just
the same as Night Express. It's a Magnificat...so why not do crosses and
angels and glorify God type stuff? At least then the show would make some
sense.
Last up were the World Champion Cavaliers (1st, 74.0). From what it
looks like at this point, they're doing the same thing they did after winning
the 92 crown...going weird and non-crowd-pleasing on us. From what I'd
heard, they were playing a show more true to their name...a latin/symphonic
Copland with some others thrown in for good measure. To tell you the truth,
I got more Congo than Copland. Several times the show alluded to tribal
rhythms and harmonies reminiscient of Sensemaya. Now, I'm not saying that
the show is all bad. It's very clever how "Fanfare for the Common Man" is
woven throughout in a manner where you really have to pay attention to catch
it (now if the first sop soloist would just play the damn notes...he flubbed
it at both performances). Also interesting are the trellis props which are
used at one point to mask the corps before a big visual push. But for the
most part, their show suffers from either wacked-out weirdness or the same
"same old same old" problem the Colts have.
Let me just finish this by saying the same thing it seems everybody is
saying at the end of their reviews...the America/O Canada ending is REALLY
bad. I never thought anything could be as sickening as America, and now they
rip apart O Canada, too. This really needs to stop. If it wasn't for
Cavaliers' victory concert they ended with Rainbow (YES!!!), I would've left
drum corps for two weeks with that bad taste still in my mouth.
Please send any updates to phoenyx@cris.com
Thanks,
John Weldy
Bluecoats 93-94
RAMD Repertoire Hound
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