Last year I was a bit of a helicopter parent at the event. This year I had to make myself hang back a bit. However, as before, he seemed to enjoy the experience, although there wasn't as much field time, there were at least more kids ("Twenty mellophones this time, not four").
The show itself featured five corps and a bonus.
The Troopers are America's Corps, and persist at the World Class level. Organizationally, I question if that is the right place for them. I think they need a chance to bring back some of the winning tradition, and creatively what they put on the field was a nice Open Class show. The Troopers displayed some humor, which was unexpected but pleasant to see. This corps faces design challenges just by being, well, the Troopers. There is the iconic image and musical style, and the familiar sunburst and "Ghost Riders", that at least this year they worked into a program about the old west railroads, or "The Iron Horse Express." I guess I lost my senses, though, in scoring. I said 76, MP said 89.65 ("Too generous", he said after the show), and the judges went with a more accurate 81.10.
Although I didn't realize it at the time, I think the Crossmen were the corps that was most "on" tonight. The gentlemen seated next to me - whose story made me appreciate the time with MP even more - remarked on the visual offering of the corps. Even from a few nights ago, the visuals were better, the guard was stronger, and the silks were well used at the end. I thought they improved to an 86, MP said 89.30, and the judges said 85.05 - still better than Thursday but not as good as Saturday. Go figure.
The Blue Stars were our fourth Blue corps this year, having seen the Devils and Knights twice and the 'Coats once already. It looks like 1/3 of the top 12 will be Blue this year, with this one bringing a splash of yellow. I was asked by a friend for an instant impression, and it ws that this was the best band show of the year. Maybe that's a compliment? Although the opening sound and visuals were strong, I don't think the concept was executed as well as envisioned. I could not tell whether it wanted to be literal (which is was too confusing to be) or conceptual (which it was to specific to be). I was actually disappointed in a way, given that the "race" run by the Tarpon Springs HS Band at the Bands of America Grand Nationals several years ago was better executed. Maybe Kevin Ford, who was the designer behind Tarpon Springs (as well as Carolina Crown's "Stormworks" and "Chess ... and the Art of Strategy" that propeled the corps into the top 12), "re-cycled" a bit. My seating neighbor liked it, commenting on the more subtle body movements corps are employing these days. (But he was not a big fan of the Cadets' narration, so sometimes change only goes so far!) I said 89, MP said 91.23 (where he gets the precise fractions is not from me!), and the judges were less impressed: 87.90.
How do you find fault with a 95? How do you find fault when you finally get to see "your kids" win a show outright against top corps? Carolina Crown had a strong Allentown finish, but seemed to try to give this show away tonight. They seemed "off" (was it the lights? was it the sound?) enough that a fan a few seats away commented, "They seemed flat tonight." Maybe they were just tired, and were just getting past releasing some of the pent of tension of the weekend. The sound was clear, but it seemed to me the corps was afraid of the field, as if the corps before them said as they walked on, "Psst - watch out for the divots ... pass it on!"). I marked them down a bit, to 95, MP said 95.2, and the judges went with 95.15. A winner, but not as winning as last week.
The Cadets, as I noted to open this post, made a rehearsal sacrifice for the Music is Cool program. Maybe that had an impact, or maybe, like Carolina Crown, they were just off their game a bit after Allentown and realizing the organization seemed to shift gears to 2009 this past week. Quite frankly, they had a better rehearsal than performance. The impact points the design staff is writing in made better sense - I see even more clearly where they are going - but the timing was off (with another sabre drop that had been hit at every run through I saw that afternoon), and the ending is not quite yet ... "snapping" ... with some lost emotion from before. I suspect they'll get there by Saturday, but "there" is probably not where they really wanted to be. I said 94, MP said 94.50, and the judges said 93.9.
The bonus corps was The Commandant's Own, the U.S. Marines Drum & Bugle Corps. I remember every year they would do a nightly performance at the Texas State Fair, and every year when I went to the fair I would plan to be "on the 50 yard line" of the small performance venue. There were much as I remembered, and with music from Shostakovitch to Souza, from Jersey (Boys) to Malaguena, this corps (also founded in 1934 and celebrating a diamond anniversary next year) reminded us of all of some of the traditions of drum corps.A quick note about the venue. I must say the Westminster HS Band Boosters were well organized hosts, and this is probably the best high school stadium for watching marching music that I have been to in Maryland!
This is the end of my 2008 live reviews. The corps now go west to Bloomington, but I'll stay home in Maryland. However, I'll get to watch on the big cinema screen on Thursday night, and on Friday at our neighbor's house where they are hosting a big screen webcast. Music is cool - and how cool is that!
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