Well my Drum Corps Review will be different this year in two important ways.  First off, it’s a good year for drum corps, and Michael Cesario and Dan Acheson, along with a host of other hard working folk, were able to convince the creative staffs to actually consider the audience and try to be (God forbid!) ENTERTAINING.  So I returned from the Atlanta DCI Regional inspired and energized, which was a nice change from last year’s depression.

(Case in point….for the first time since 1979 I did not purchase the DCI Recordings or DVD’s last year.  I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  There were only a couple of shows that I felt I would ever want to hear or see again.  Of course, I may relent if they go on sale, just in case a client asks to reference something…)

Anyway, I am also deeply involved in the Marching Roundtable podcast this year so I feel I have to temper my sometimes caustic wit a little.  It’s quite possible that our audience may see these words and I truly am wanting to be “for everyone.”  Of course, I always have been, but it’s hard to totally slam the Blue Devils Snoozarama when Wayne Downey was nice enough to put up with our “100 Questions” on the podcast.  And, he genuinely was a nice guy and I do wish him and his students well, even if I did dislike the show this summer.

So anyway, let’s talk about the good stuff.  Entertainment was at the front, while at the same time accomplishing one of Mr. Cesario’s goals….let every corps be ITSELF, perform a show that is true to it’s style and identity, while also keeping the audience in mind.  Most every corps was successful in doing this…something I must admit I was skeptical of!

The artistic highlight of the year, in my opinion, was the Phantom Regiment show.  Even with my bias, no other corps ever sounds like this one.  I swear there must have been 45 contras on the field to achieve all that darkness!  The guard was gorgeous in their burgundy Juliet dresses, and the opening dance  sequence by the guard was the artistic highlight of the day.  Couple this with a gorgeous show of music and an “Elsa’s Procession” Finale that had me covered in chill bumps, an emotional wreck.  Loved it!!

My other favorite production was Madison with their “New York Morning.”  Inventive and effective arrangements by Robert W. Smith created a template for the most effective Madison show in ages.  You literally could feel the joy flying off the field, as these young men were having the time of their lives and feeding off the love from the audience.  The “New York” finale surprised me with its slow build and happy conclusion with the guard banging away on cymbals and drums.

In fact, both of these corps took the time to allow their concluding production to build slowly, musically, emotionally, and visually, in a way that seemed off limits last year.

The wizards of the creative staff at Carolina Crown must have purchased working wands from “The Wizarding World” because their “Rach Star” concept simply should not have worked.  Combining classic rock tunes with the music of Rachmaninoff was a real risk that paid off handsomely.  The opener of “Symphonic Dances” was one of the most beautifully played selections I’ve ever heard on the field, and it’s clear why this corps is winning brass.  Yowza!  The stars of the show are their pianist in the pit (amazing) and someone I’m proud to know…Herbert who used to march at Northwestern HS.  Herbert was front and center and was able to carry the rock star attitude throughout the show.  His responsibility is so great that I found myself incredibly nervous for him.  Yet every trick, every climb up the prop, every cloud-scraping toss was performed perfectly.  A winning performance in a winning show.

Cavies are cool, as always, and get a lot of mileage from some well designed guard uniforms and lots of stilt-walking.  There seemed to be a little bit lacking for me in drill freshness, but surely only because they have knocked us all out of our seats for so many years now, the bar is set at a ridiculous level.  This would be the corps in the top 3 that I would love to see jump into first, but somehow I don’t think it will happen.  Still, the upside-down tenor players are THE clever innovative moment of the year for any corps.

Cadets “Angels and Demons” works better than any “divided corps” concept I’ve ever seen.  The drill is smart and the music sounds good.  The members seem to be having fun in their roles and the audience ate it up.  Me, I’m a fan but wouldn’t run home to watch it again on DVD.  But I would be very happy to see this group jump past the Devils and be a very deserving winner.  Fingers are crossed….hope some Angels are on their side on Saturday night.

Many corps seemed to figure out how to incorporate pre-show warm-ups in a way that was less jarring.  I’m still not a fan of this phenomenon and find it annoying more than enjoyable.  But I did really like the Blue Knights and their recorded intro of a sung folk song.  It was seamlessly produced with the arrangements and drill, and the first 1/3 of their “English Folk Song” show was one of my favorites in years.  The show seemed to lose some momentum as it went on, but perhaps I just was so excited with the enjoyable music in the beginning that I was disappointed when they left that territory for the conclusion.  Still, this is a classy and beautiful show that I wish every band director would see.  What is Possible with this great music….in the modern style, no less!

I’ve avoided talking about Devils, but let’s get it over with.  When we talked with John Phillips about Judging on the podcast, he reminded me that the present judging sheet is 60% performance scoring.  This explains how a corps with THE most talented members and a SMARTLY written show (that checks off all the boxes, expectations, and adds levels of demand like crazy) can win with a show that unfortunately does not generate the kind of applause these performers deserve.
Here’s the thing….This corps could do and play ANYTHING, and I had such high expectations for the Burt Bacharach music source.   Before the show started, I leaned over to my 81 year old father (who has been watching drum corps since 1980) and said “I think you’ll like this…it’s music by Burt Bacharach.” and he said…”I wonder if I’ll recognize any of it.”  From the mouth of a fan.  And, of course, there was little to recognize.  They would give us 3 or 4 bars of something to tease us and then away they went.   But what would have been TRULY innovative for this corps, after last year’s 8 minutes of dissonance, would have been to come out and let us have a tune.  Imagine if they had just jived out on “Walk on By” or “I Say A Little Prayer.” NO other corps would have been able to play it better and they would have had the audience dancing in the aisles.  My, what it MIGHT have been!!!

Spirit was back with a new look, style, feel, staff, and the audience was ecstatic.  Their “Film Noir” show worked well, and even that strong feeling of “band show” didn’t bother me because I was so happy to see them being Spirit OF ATLANTA and the audience loving them.  Congrats to everyone involved.  Let’s hope they hang on and make it in the 12.

I liked the Bluecoats better than last year but as I write this I don’t remember much.  Excellent performances, well done, but didn’t stick with me.

Blue Stars were interesting and innovative in their normal way, but I really couldn’t follow the reasoning behind the guard change to hoodies throughout the show.  I’m sure it was symbolic but I could have used some notes.  Still, I liked the show and it had a “now” feel that was a breath of fresh air.  The giant prop was a bit intrusive but they used it enough to justify it.  I wish Madison had been included in the “Tour of Champions”…as a true champion, instead of Blue Stars, but I guess they didn’t have the clout from last year’s top 8.

As an aside, Lee noticed a huge amount of “Apocalypse Hair” in the guard in many corps.  This seemed to be a big trend.  Or maybe they just woke up late on the bus ride.

I liked Crossmen.  There was a lot less going on, especially in the arrangements, and it served them well.  Their “Hallelujah” ballad was a highlight of the afternoon.  This group is definitely on the right track, and I hope their placing doesn’t make them think of going back to those frustrating cuisinart shows.

The Boston brass line just sounded amazing!  I never feel the visual lives up to the music with this group, and I was not a huge fan of the show concept, but the music sounded amazing and their 1812 Finale was one of the best played moments of the day.

Santa Clara had a show that I liked better than any show they’ve had in a while.  The music was well done and the guard was terrific as always.  The constant running got more and more disconcerting, but I figure they were doing it to make me uncomfortable, so mission accomplished!

I must mention that the Glassmen show may well be one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen at DCI.   Somehow the concept and music just didn’t work in any way, and it’s just tragic what a “miss” this production was.  Obviously they have great performers and the staff can do better.   I hope they get back on track in the future.

Overall a terrific year for drum corps.  I think I enjoyed it mostly because I was so RELIEVED to be enjoying corps again.  After 2010 I was frankly depressed and fearful that this trend of over-writing and “busy-ness just to be busy” would continue.  Only the Devils seemed to have not relented.  If they win, I’m not sure what that will mean for the activity, but overall the trend was very positive and I appreciated the entertainment being considered.   Let’s all make sure every corps knows we appreciated this, so that even the lower scoring groups will know that they are on the right track and keep this trend going.

Thanks to all the members for their amazing talent and hard work, and to everyone involved from the arrangers to the bus drivers to the cooks….great job!  And especially a tip of the hat to Michael Cesario, my hero, for leading this charge for more crowd-friendly and accessible shows.  Bravo!