Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps
Subject: Scores and Review from Omaha (long winded)
From: ebath@vax1.umkc.edu
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 05:05:02 GMT
Organization: University of Missouri - Kansas City


My first show of the season!!

First, the scores from Omaha on the 25th of July:

8. Railmen          60.8
7. Allegiance Elite 62.9
6. Black Gold       65.7
5. Troopers         66.6
4. Marauders        70.4
3. Blue Knights     82.2
2. SCV              83.3
1. Blue Devils      87.0

Now for the reviews!!

Let me preface this by saying that I am a top 12 fan and in particular, the top
9.  So, my views are biased toward the bigger corps.  And my seats were on the
20 yard line about 2/3rds of the way up the stadium.

Railmen: They didn't deserve the score they got.  The only reason they got over
a 50 was because it was their hometown competition.  They only have 41 members
and are doing "On the Other Hand", "Suite Sandrine", "My Embrace", & "He Ain't
Heavy, He's My Brother."  Overall, their drill isn't real good, because of the
lack of numbers, I suspect.  The music isn't real easy to follow and the
drumline may be the only bright spot for them.

Allegiance Elite: Music was "Oliver!"  This was a good show for a 102 piece
corps.  I enjoyed it quite a bit and I would say that they will do fairly well 
in class A ( BTW, what is the new name for class A--Div. II or III).  They had
a good balanced sound from the drums and horns and I enjoyed their visual
performance.  The horns have a well written part, that should do very well in
Madison.

Black Gold: Awesome!!  I think these guys are excellent.  Their horns are
killers.  Their percussion is magnificent.  The only weak spot and what will
hold them back is their guard.  Their drill isn't too bad, but isn't awesome. 
The horns have a tough book and the drums have an even harder one.  I love
their show, but the guard has got to be improved.  They might do a move every
two-four beats, maybe.  A lot of slams; back, front,...   They should do well
too.  If they can get the visual program happening, they will do very, very
well.

Troopers: Music was "Flag of Stars", Cool Water", "Unsquare Dance", "The Ectasy
of Gold", "Riders in the Sky".  I think they had an off night.  A couple of collisions and a few
spots that seemed like mental mistakes, not permanent problems.  I think that
they could have beaten the Marauders had they had a good night.  I thought that
their pit stands weren't as good an idea as people have said.  They tend to
block the view of the drill.  It may be that from up high in a big stadium, the
drill isn't obscured, but from anywhere down low--forget it.  The stands for
the pit are huge.  Their percussion is good and the hornline fair.  The visual
program is pretty good.  They do the starburst and the crowd loves them.  I
like this show more than the ones I've seen in the last couple of years.  They
might make Semi's this year.

Marauders: Excellent guard!!  I watch the horns and drill, but the guard stole
the show.  I couldn't help but watch them.  They are definitely going to do
well at Madison.  The horns pull off a tough book of "Sea Fanfare", "Capitain
Blood", The Siren's Call", "Fantasia on a Dead Man's Chest", and "Revelation". 
They have a good drumline as well as the horns.  Their visual show is going to
be tough to beat for their competition this year.  Good percusive show.  This
is one that you won't want to miss.

Blue Knights: Watch out SCV and the rest of the top eight from last year.  The
Blue Knights are for real and they have a shot.  The Drumline is tremendous. 
I've read some things about how the snares have a different kind of head on
their drums.  I would like for someone to please explain to me the difference. 
The heads they use are spectacular.  It's a sound I've never heard before. 
Kind of a crack, not a pop or a redular snare sound.  A crack.  Wait til you
hear them.  And do listen for them.  When they crack them, it will blow your
mind.  And it is so perfect, so together.  And there were some horns on the
field too.  Their French horn section was, as per the norm, awesome.  Their
visual show was, as per the norm, tremendous, awesome, spectacular,
Garfieldish,...  I love the Blue Knights.  They have a legitimate shot at
6th-7th place this year.  At the very least, they will be within 6 points of
the champion.  Their music was "Billy the Kid", "Corral Nocturne", Red Pony",
"Choral and Shaker Dance".

SCV: Good, but not great.  The crowd likes it and everyone (including me, the
biggest Devils fan in the universe) wants them to do well.  They just don't
have a show to do it with, though.  Fiddler is great music, but it seemed to
me that the horns' arrangement was fairly simple.  My high school marching band
did Fiddler once and some of our music was arranged as well as this music.  It
just isn't as difficult as other corps.  The presentation of the colors is
gone.  The Bottledance is good and the crowd goes crazy, but there is a part
right before the Bottledance that they changed from their '73 show.  There was
a chord progression that was just so beautiful in '73 and when our band
played it.  This year the corps sings the chords, not nearly as good.  The show
lacks the power and the kick that past SCV shows have had.  No real attention
getter.  And the "SCV" at the end of the show that they spell out isn't that
bad.  They don't go out of their way to do it and they don't force the drill
into something horrible to make it happen.  It flows nicely and I think is a
nice way to end their 25th anniversary show.  And what better way for the SCV
to say goodbye to Gail than by ending with their name on the field?  I like it
and hope they keep it.

Blue Devils: YES!!!!!!  I love the Devils more now than ever before.  They just
destroyed the competition.  Their visual show is more demanding than any
previous Devils show, by a mile!  The drill is compact, with a lot of
close-quarters moves and even a collision or two.  I enjoyed their show
tremendously.  The Dice at the beginning are great visual ideas.  They start
off with screaming sopranos (of course) and a screaming French horn (a
first??).  If you get the Harry Connick, Jr. song-Red Light, Blue Light
(Someone's there) it is exactly the same.  Their high brass is Awesome!!  I
have read several reviews saying that the Devils are top heavy.  Three reasons
for this: 1. It's the Devils.  They're supposed to be top heavy with the
screaming sopranos.  2. It's the music.  This music calls for more trumpet
sound.  3. It's the size of their sections.  They carried ten contras which
seems small to me and maybe as many as 15 baritones.  Their brass is supposed
to be 62.  This means that they have, and it looks that way, a ton of high
brass.  And the Devils have some awesome French Horns (all four of them) and
Mellophones (oodles of them).  Their brass is to "die for".  I loved it.  The
Cuban Fire section was HOT!!  The Closer was SCORCHING!  They stop playing once
for just a few seconds.  I saw nothing that resembled sex on the field
(although my friends were looking hard for it :)) and the guard is again
awesome.  The closer, When a Man Loves a Woman, has four sopranos standing on
the sideline screaming their guts out.  I loved the show and it is definitely
championship material.  Number seven.

Well, I will be seeing the Springfield, MO show on the 6th.

IRC nick-BlueDevil

Newsgroups: alt.drumcorps