June 24, 1997, Warner Robins, GA

Crossmen.................67.0
Magic of Orlando.........67.0
Carolina Crown...........65.6
Spirit of Atlanta........58.0
Southwind................51.7

Thanks to Sean Taylor for emailing us these scores!

Review - June 24, 1997, Warner Robins, GA

Thanks to Dan Reeves for emailing us this review!

Well, this is my first submission to this site and the first time I've viewed East Coast corps in the early season, so bear that in mind when you start the flamin'. That said, let's talk turkey.

The venue and the crowd--Well, heheh...the audience was pretty cheap tonight, as the ticket sellers couldn't get more but a spotty crowd into the reserved ticket area. But hey, who could blame the crowd? Both the Gold Coast and Bandettes drum and bugle corps were unexplained no-shows, but the Spirit of Atlanta made an unexpected showing. And what was up with them not publishing a phone number on the DCI or Cybercorps website for this competition. Probably hurt them when it came to patronage outside of Warner Robins. The weather was slightly overcast and somewhat hot...perfect for drum corps. I had the pleasure of sitting directly in front of some Magic supporters who were a real gas.

Southwind--A cutesy little children's show. Unfortunately, the children's music is rather inaccessible and I couldn't tell if the kids were nervous with their first show or were just unenthusiastic about performing it. Understandable, as all of the applause for this group was polite applause. Their marching program was adequately presented, however the brass and percussion performance slowly began to lag behind the program design as these kids either nervously or unenthusiastically went through the motions as the show drolled on. It's a shame; these are talented, hardworking kids trying to present a very broken-down vehicle. Hopefully, the program will see some redesigning. I look forward to the next show in Spartanburg, SC, though. I'm hoping that their flat performance was just a case of nerves. No standing ovation.

Spirit of Atlanta--Whoa! What a vast improvement over last year. This year the Southern music, attitude, and showmanship is flowing from this well designed, well performed show. The maturity of the performance made me think that they'd been touring this summer for some time now. The sop line is extremely hot, with excellent control--as long as they aren't marching. If there was anything to criticize, it'd have to be the marked volume drop and lack of control by all members when they started moving. The visual program looked like form after form of alphabet soup, but this is June and both of these problems will be worked out by the end of the summer. Spirit is back! Look for these guys to step off at the beginning of Semifinals in Orlando.

Carolina Crown--As I watched the show, I couldn't help but draw similarities between this corps and the 1996 Blue Knights, but maybe that was because of the size of the hornline this evening (a dissapointing 45 horns--see their website to inquire about membership) and you could hear the volume difference when they started playing compared to the previous year. They played their British music pretty well. Though spotty, they have an interesting visual program. Overall a good performance, but it fell flat in comparison to the two corps that followed. Considering the scoring of their section of the pack, they need to mature quickly, as it looks like it's going to be quite an interesting lineup of corps in the 7th to 12th positions in Orlando.

Crossmen--I loved last year's show. I don't like this year's show. It has nothing new to offer, seems uninspired, and the tempo that Birdland was played at reminded me of a laxative commercial. C'mon. Great drumline as usual, but visual program was not well performed. I scored them a full two points behind Magic.

Magic of Orlando--Wow! What a show! For those of you that have referred to these guys as the "Tragic of Orlando," check out this show, this hornline, and the unbelievable showmanship of this great corps. Entertainment-wise, this show is incredibly advanced from last year. The opener, "Little Liza Jane," was a tremendous hit with the audience as the kids emoted the spirit of the Mardi Gras and the drum majors were able to encourage a considerable amount of audience participation. To those of you hardline drum corps fans who would claim "This isn't drum corps," I've got a wake-up call for you. Showmanship and audience participation on that scale sells tickets to John and Mary Jane Dontknowcorps. Even though they tied with the Crossmen, they were the obvious crowd favorite and, through the luck of a coin toss, presented a great encore of their program in their victory concert.
Daniel D. Reeves

Review - June 24, 1997, Warner Robins, GA

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

I drove two hours to get to this show, so I feel as if I should post a review, especially since this was the first show for all corps in competition:

Southwind 51.7
"Scenes From Childhood" represented well by guard with childish overalls and pigtails. The pit tried to take Velvet Knights place by tossing a ball around during warm-up. The brass sound is very top heavy due to a lack of contras (4 of them) with a 35-40 member horn line. Drum line is still dirty, but I know Dave "Smiley" Giddons, who is working with them, and he should get them into better shape. There was an entire segment of the show where the guard just marched with their flags held at arms. I'm hoping the work has not yet been learned. Although, this would seem strange since I believe it was in their second piece.

Spirit of Atlanta 58.0 They're the reason I went to this show at all. I marched tenors there in '95 and plan to march in '98. First of all, the new uniforms are fantastic. They're wearing off-white pants, and a blue top with red trim and gold buttons and a gold triangle where the famous delta used to be. They've also got new, red Ludwig drums to match the uniform. They'll be switching to Premier drums next year since Carl Ruocco, the new program coordinator of Crossmen fame, is a Premier guy. Musically, they're already beyond where they were in August of last year. The drum line sounds really good for this time. Much better than we sounded in '95, and we weren't too bad then (just needed more notes). The only reason I believe they scored under 60 is that the drill could use some learning by many members. There were missed direction changes and the like. But, those things are corrected easily. What can't be mistaken is that the music alone could put them in semis. they started off with a nice rendition of "Georgia on My Mind" and went into "old Man River." "Amazing Grace" was a nice guard feature. It seemed to me that if they could come up with something to do for the rest of the drum line who's not dancing with the guard, the piece would be more effective, visually. At least put them further behind he rest of the corps if they're just going to stand there. "Walk 'em Up the Stairs" was really good with a great drum feature. They played more notes in it than we did in out entire show in '95 (I'm not complaining, really!). There were a few minor ticks, but they've got over month-and-a-half to clean that. "Let it Be Me" was the weakest part of the show. I'm sure this is because it was the last thing learned. In fact, I just learned that they put on the closer two days ago. As soon as they get that in top shape, and clean up the drill for the whole show, it should be a great show to watch. Very entertaining.

Carolina Crown 65.6
First of all, I didn't like the guard uniforms. The skin-tight tops are not too appealing on some of the members. But, all in all, it was a good show. I believe it's better than last year's. The horn line is very powerful as is demonstrated wonderfully in the ballad. I got goose bumps, and I was in the 25th row on the 35 yard line. The drum line was good as has been the case the past two years, at least. Many opportunities for them to show off, and they do it rather well.

Crossmen 67.0
The opening of the show with "Birdland," especially in the pit is really cool. It seemed to me that the horn line just wasn't trying as hard as they could. It's for this reason that I believe they'll get by Magic as time goes on. I believe that their drum line needs to be brought out more. It was as if they were at the back of the field for the entire show, even the drum feature, which was great as usual. It could use some more snare licks, but I'm sure Thom Hannum knows more about drum writing than I do. Their version of "Niner-Two" by Don Ellis is much different than what BD briefly played in '93. The color guard and auxillary were fabulous. they didn't announce who won which captions, but I'd have to guess that the Crossmen took best guard and drum line.

Magic of Orlando 67.0
I have to admit, I was very impressed with their show this year. I'll be the first to admit that I found their shows rather boring the past few years. But this year has changed my mind about them. They open in a parade block on the left side of the field with a small group leading them. It's supposed to imply Mardi Gras as far as I can tell.They played "When the Saints Come Marching In" for it and it was great. The horn line is, by far, the strongest aspect of this corps. Not to take anything away from the rest of the corps, though. Their drum line has gotten better over the years, and this year is no different. The guard is wearing outrageous outfits to represent the party atmosphere of the show. Oh, the part in the opener with the corps singing and the drum majors acting up is great as well. This added the GE that has been missing from some of their previous years. You may have figured out that they probably took the brass and GE captions.
These are my opinions. If you don't like them, tough.


June 24, 1997, Port Clinton, OH

Phantom Regiment.........77.0
Cadets of Bergen County..75.2
Glassmen.................69.4
Colts....................67.0
Marion Cadets............48.5
Golden Lancers...........44.7

Thanks to Tim Haan for emailing us these scores!

Review - June 24, 1997, Port Clinton, OH

Thanks to Jonathan Willis for emailing us this review!

Port Clinton, Ohio is one of the more beautiful sites for drum corps. Sitting on the shores of Lake Erie, the weather was perfect all day and my round of golf before the show was not bad either.

As for the show, I am really starting to understand and enjoy each and every corps. There are some times during many of the shows that I am still baffled at what they are doing, but it's June 24. No need to worry too much, the best is yet to come.

Golden Lancers - Pittsburgh, PA
Much improved tonight over my two previous viewings. The horns are still a little weak, but intonation is getting much better. I am finally starting to hear the melody more often, so the musical portion of the show makes more sense to me. The show is titled "Seascapes." It sounds much like a David Holsinger concert band work. Lots of difficult parts and some complex meter shifts. The music might be a bit above their capabilities, although, there is nothing wrong with a good challenge. They are marching 18 brass, 11 battery, 6 pit, 5 guard, and 2 DMs. When you see this show, pay close attention to the visual pictures. Lots of waves and wing formations. The moving wave formation in the middle of the show is much like SCV's in their 96 production. In fact, the entire visual part of the show is very good, and very demanding. I am still somewhat worried that the show lacks musical highs and lows. The corps comes across as having one dynamic level. If they can improve this area, possibly with some rewriting, this show may turn out to be a very exciting production by Div. III finals.

Marion Cadets - Marion, Ohio
This corps is really unique. They march 5 brass, 4 guard, 6 percussion, and 1 DM who is also a member of the guard. They are playing a nice jazz show featuring Caravan in the opener. Each of the brass gets a small feature, including a wonderful mellophone soloist, and the balance of the group is very nice. Some intonation problems do occur, but this is a group where the individual can't hide. The lead soprano had a rough night tonight. Lots of cracked notes and missed intervals, but that is the difficulty of live performance. The only negative with this corps is that their size eventually hinders their chances of really competing with corps in the 40 to 60 person range. They are just too small to make a big visual impact. The drill writer certainly had a tall challenge when writing for this corps, but the kids are doing a great job.

This show was kind of different tonight because after two corps had performed we had an intermission. Why? Well, the Bandetts, who were supposed to perform next were having problems on the road, and the Coachmen, who were also having bus troubles, could not be at the show until later that evening. Then the announcer said that the Cadets would be going on next, even though the program said Phantom was to go next. As the announcer said this, the Cadets were just pulling in the parking lot. Were they going to perform with out a warm-up? Well, thankfully the announcer was wrong and Phantom did go on next.

Phantom Regiment - Rockford/Loves Park, IL
Phantom was once again AWESOME! Their horn line continues to amaze and play with such control, power, and blend. The demand is very good, and the quality of the music is at a high level. The total make up of the corps was this tonight: 68 brass, 15 battery, 8 pit, 28 guard, and 1 DM. The music is from Wagner's opera "Der Ring des Nibelungen" ( The Ring of the Nibelung). This is a combination of four music dramas (operas) that Wagner started to write in the 1850s and was completed around 1874. The music dramas represent the monumental tale of rise, decline, fall, and redemption, ranging in locale between the German mythology equivalents of Heaven (Walhall) and Hell (Nibelhiem). The four dramas are titled "Rheingold," "Die Walkure," "Seigfried," and "Gotterdammerung." I definitely heard music from all four operas, as well as a short snippet from "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral," which is from the Wagner opera "Lohengrin." Phantom's show is very clean for this point in June, but I don't see them peaking with this production. There is enough material in this show to keep them working all the way to DCI Finals in Orlando. The only real problem I heard tonight was some major phasing in the "Gotterdammerung" segment of the show. The usual interval problems are obvious, but to be expected at this point. The show is growing on me and I catch something new each time I see it. At this point it's hard to see Phantom placing below top 3 come finals.

Colts - Dubuque, IA
I've been very critical of this corps the past two times I've seen them. My philosophy, however, is to call them as I see them. I don't want to lie or try to pretend to be someone else. You can't like everything you see and hear in drum corps. It's only human to be critical, and that is how I choose to be. One of the staff members of the Colts wrote a very nice post in defense of what they are doing and why, but that's not going to change my review. That person basically said that we need to lighten up, sit back and enjoy more. Well, not all of us can do that. Part of what is enjoyment for me is hearing quality music played with control, balance, and artistic expression. That's just how I am, and let me tell you that the Colts don't do it. Again, I felt they were way too crass tonight. I don't see the point in the blasting. I do think the guard is getting better. They still wear the leather jackets, but are also wearing a nice, bright yellow, sleeveless top in the middle of the show that makes for a nice change of pace. I do think the musical arrangements are nice and could be nicer with more control. I'm sure by the end of the season the horn line will exhibit more control...I can't wait! One thing I noticed tonight more than others was that there is a lot of park and play in the show, and the contras tend to be on their knees more than they march, or so it seems.

Cadets of Bergen County - Bergenfield, NJ
Tonight was just another display of incredible musicality and unbelievable visuals from this corps. The show is incredible from start to finish. It's not clean, not even close, but it doesn't matter. The crowd seems to be going nuts for them even when they are falling down, as did a few contras tonight, or when the intervals look like I can drive my car through them. The show is vintage Cadets: fast, furious, no props, lots of visual impact, and the best guard this side of the Blue Devils. The music is based on two compositions by Philippe Sparke: "Celebrations," and "The Year of the Dragon." In fact, if you want to hear what it sounds like, go to the Cadets web page and go to the page telling about their show. You will need the Netscape or Internet Explorer MIDI pluggin (which can be downloaded for free), but if you have it, there is a MIDI file that loads and will play over your computer. I think you will love this music. Everyone by now has heard about all the notes in the show, but the complex rhythms, meter shifts, and artistic value of the repertoire cannot be over-emphasized. The show is a work of art from start to finish. Just wait until it gets clean. That is the problem, however, I'm not sure it can be cleaned. I hope so. I would love to see this clean at finals. Nobody could beat it...not in my opinion. Although, I'd have to say that right now it sounds like BD and Phantom are the corps to beat. I can't wait to see BD!!! Love them too.

Ah, the Coachmen have finally arrived.

Coachmen - Grand Rapids, MI
No score for them tonight since they missed their starting time, but the show was very enjoyable. It's not easy for a corps this small to go on after the Cadets. They did, however, and did it with confidence. Nice show. The music is based on western American music, much like the Cadets show last year. In fact, they play "The Promise of Living" by Copland from his opera "The Tender Land." They use wooden picket fences to help depict a western look and feel to the show. The remainder fo their music is "Silverado" which is their opener, and Elmer Berstein's "The Magnificent Seven" which is their closer. They marched 14 horns, 6 guard, and 12 percussion which was always centered on the middle of the field with the pit. The corps looks very young and they need to work on better body control which will help them to produce better quality sounds out of their instruments. At times they are not balanced very well. The show should be in very good shape by August.

Glassmen - Toledo, OH
Although this show was in Port Clinton, it is a Glassmen home show. The majority of the crowd hear tonight was rooting for their Glassmen...and they didn't disappoint. The only problem I have with the show is the ladders. I know that many have said the ladders are supposed to depict some song in their that refers to mountains, but I'm sorry, ladders...mountains...ladders...mountains. Yeah, I see the connection, NOT! Why didn't they just make little mountains as a backdrop for the show? However, the rest is very well done. The Bizet music is sounding very good. So good, in fact, that I'd have to say it's the finest Glassmen brass and percussion sections I've heard yet, and they can certainly put out some big sounds. Their are some nice moments in the drill as well, and the guard, when they're not on the ladders, is looking much improved. This corps is definitely back in the top 12. At least I think so. The music from "Carmen" towards the end of the show is very well arranged and performed. The audience went wild for them tonight, and deservedly so. Bravo, Glassmen!!

So there you have it. This was my last review until July 11 when I will go to Morgantown, WV to see the east corps do battle. As of now I would have to say that the top 12 looks something like this:

  1. BD
  2. Phantom
  3. Cadets
  4. Madison
  5. Cavies
  6. SCV
  7. Bluecoats
  8. Crossmen
  9. Carolina Crown
  10. Orlando Magic
  11. Glassmen
  12. Blue Knights

Review - June 24, 1997, Port Clinton, OH

Thanks to Richard Vincent Lamb for emailing us this review!

Phantom Regiment Repeats Victory over Cadets at Port Clinton

June 24, 1997 -- Port Clinton, Ohio...In their first rematch since the DCM All-Star Review on June 14th, the Phantom Regiment again defeated the Cadets of Bergen County, this time by a margin of 1.8. The Regiment swept all captions except percussion performance, which was won by the Cadets.

Phantom Regiment scored 77.0 to lead the Cadets, who tallied 75.2, and four DCM junior corps. Six points behind the elite units were the show's hosts, the Glassmen, 69.4, followed by Colts, 67.0, Marion Cadets 48.5, and Golden Lancers, 45.8. The Coachmen performed in exhibition. The Bandettes, who were scheduled for this show, did not attend.

Phantom Regiment opened their performance with a zing from the pit and an immediate flourish of spinning flags, catching the audience's attention as the first open class corps of the night. Despite some initial intonation difficulties caused by the muggy weather, the brass performed very well, having good control of tone quality, volume, and tempo, and producing all the moods required by music, selections from Wagner's The Ring. Humidity seemed to cause no problems with the percussion, who played with precision and with thundering effect at one point during the show. The weather had no effect on the visual show. The marching was very clean for the second week of the season. At one point, the corps paused in diagonals exposed to the judges and audience and the alignment was nearly perfect. The guard also had a good night. They showed that they can handle their equipment as well as they can dance, and they danced very well indeed! At one point during the show, the corps was silent, and the guard responded with a breath-taking pause, toss, snap catch sequence which caused the audience to erupt into applause. The show ended with the guard forming two diagonal files, then picking up a member and passing her overhead to the back of the files. The member then ran to the front with the rest of the guard bowing to her as she passed by. The guard then danced gracefully into a reclining position, leaving one member standing as the corps concluded its show. The fans responded with the first standing ovation of the night.

The Cadets of Bergen County have speeded up the tempo of their show throughout, marking a return to the breakneck pace for which the corps has been known during the past 15 years. After the opening run in Philip Sparke's Celebration, the tone changed to a British military march and the drill reflected the mood with spectacular sliding and rotating block moves and entertaining squad work, all executed in high gear. The guard stole the show during Year of the Dragon, first with a clean entire guard rifle toss during silence, then with a sensational rifle exchange across a 15-yard wide circle.

The guard then donned shakos, moved front and center, and danced energetically yet gracefully. The corps concluded its performance with the trademark kaleidoscopic drill, beginning with a company front that rotated, then a Z-pull into a spinning block, and finally a Z-pull out, all to a continuous ovation.

The host Glassmen entered the field to an enthusiastic ovation from their friends and family members. The corps responded with an outstanding performance for their admirers. The brass played with power, but with much better intonation and control than most other units at the show, the percussion played with precision, and the entire corps marched with confidence. The guard in particular put on a spectacular show. During the opening, the sabers executed a ripple toss, followed by a moment of silence during which they tossed in unison and caught in synchrony with a triple forte entrance by the brass. They then engaged in a saber exchange--all to wild clapping from the fans. During a slow selection from Carmen, the guard brought out the ladders. They staged ladders in both back corners and front and center and did everything imaginable with them. They danced with, on, and around the stepladders. They balanced on the tall ladders. They even had a guard member posing as Carmen herself using two ladders as a balcony and dropping a silk scarf to her matador lover at the end of the selection. The corps closed its performance with Farandole, which concluded with an exhilarating triple forte finale. The corps earned a raucous standing ovation.

Colts were aggressive from the first move, when they marched directly at the stands for 16 counts before snapping their horns up. This boldness fit their show well, as both the music and the drill encouraged assertiveness and attitude. During Symphony for the Devil, this audacity helped the corps march a set of rotating diagonals cleanly and sell a drum solo during which the horns kneel and only the guard is moving. During God Bless the Child, the guard dropped their black leather jackets to reveal bright yellow vests which allowed them to dance more freely and expressively. The soloists nearly stole the show from the guard during this number, as the baritone soloist played a scorching lick, while the mellophonist put so much bend in one note that it nearly broke!

The brass players finished this selection by marching a simple but effective squad drill with rotations and step-twos. The show continued with a medley of Lucretia McEvil/Spinning Wheel, during which the brass did some effective horn flashes and the guard showed that it danced well and projected emotion well.

Although the arm and legs angles were fairly clean and the facial expressions readable from the stands, the equipment work was still sloppy. At the end of this number, some of the more observant audience members were amused by watching the guard member front and center on the 50-yard line blow a bubble. The corps left no doubt about the ending of the show, as they formed a company front and compressed it into a series of arcs during the finale of Hi Di Ho. The spectators erupted into applause.

The Marion Cadets proved the old adage that good things come in small packages. The corps opened the show with Caravan, during which they displayed both an impressive variety of marching moves for only 5B/5P/3G/1DM and also their ability to execute both the marching and equipment work well. They continued with God Bless the Child, at the start of which DM Rose Ann Sims joined the guard and the corps held tempo by itself. This selection featured two soloists, a competent soprano player and a spectacular mellophonist, and ended with three of the horns on yellow stands blowing away. The percussion grounded their equipment during This Masquerade and become the pit. The horns also showed off their power, as they faced backfield, got an echo off the back stands and still had a controlled sound--nothing to sneeze at for five horns! The DM returned to the podium and the guard picked up cymbals for the finale, a latin-flavored reprise of Caravan. The fans rewarded the Marion Cadets with an enthusiastic ovation.

Golden Lancers have added members, confidence, moves, and effects to their show since its debut in Toledo. Three brass players, two sopranos and one baritone, have joined the 17 that started the tour, bringing the total to 20 with one soprano spot still to be filled. As a result, the brass section played with better balance than a week ago. The corps performed their show with much more authority, both by marching with poise and by selling the highlights to the audience. In particular, the opening impact gathered spontaneous applause from the spectators. The corps was also more confident of the music, playing it at a much higher tempo and gaining the fans' attention throughout the entire show.

The guard has added many moves, including a graceful dance sequence at the opening and impressive use of big flags just before the drum solo. At the end of the third segment of the show, the brass players produced a wave sound by hissing through their bugles while pointing the bells to the right end zone and then back to the stands. The corps still has work to do, as the horns had attack problems as well as the poor intonation some other corps suffered from because of the heat and humidity, and only managed to beat the Marion Cadets in one caption, percussion performance. Despite their difficulties, the Golden Lancers finished strongly and gained energetic applause.

Coachmen performed in exhibition just before the host Glassmen entered the field. Their program, Music of the Stagecoach, consisted of Silverado, I Will Build You a Home in the Meadow from How the West Was Won, and selections from The Magnificent Seven. The western theme was reflected in the wagon wheel design on the flags and in the seven sawhorses used as props and stage dressing.

The guard performed an interesting routine with a rope which garnered applause from the audience. The guard also used planks as props during the last two selections, dancing with them during I Will Build You a Home in the Meadow and using them as set points during The Magnificent Seven. The brass players had difficulty with support at the start of the show, but warmed up and played much more effectively by the end of the opener. They had some difficulty with tempo near the end, but recovered in time to put on a exciting ending in a company front and earn the appreciative acclaim of the crowd.

June Scores

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