6/17 - DCI Tour Premiere

The Cadets - 69.850

Bluecoats - 68.250

Carolina Crown - 68.100

The Cavaliers - 63.100

Madison Scouts - 61.500

Blue Stars - 60.950

Click Here for Recap

Will Careri

Last night, corps pushed the drum corps activity in ways I didn't think it could be pushed. Whether it was marching at 226 bpm, adding huge tarps to cover the corps, using new types of electronics, or adding characters such as jugglers and contortionists to the program. The best way I can think to break it down is to just start from the bottom and work my way up:

Blue Stars - I enjoyed the music selections very much. The music gave the show a cirque-esque feel to it and it's one of those shows where I could listen to it over and over again. Unfortunately, I was not a huge fan of all of the "side shows". I enjoyed the juggler and I thought it was cool how well the music worked with the high striker. But I felt that with all of the side attractions, it took away from the actual performance instead of enhancing it. The show has a lot of room to grow and develop and I think once the season starts to pick up, they'll be able to climb higher and possibly pass Madison by San Antonio. Their color guard, like previous seasons has very difficult work and it's going to be exciting to see them once they clean it.

Madison Scouts - One word keep coming up in my head while watching their show - energetic. This corps on the field is jazz running like I've never seem Madison run before and it looks like each member is having an absolute blast out there. I watched their preview show last Monday and was not too impressed in all honesty but after seeing them in the movies, it was a whole new Madison. The theme was well represented and it was a treat to hear classic films brought onto the field. Between the drill, music, and uniforms, it was a throwback to 90s Madison.

The Cavaliers - Game.On. Cavaliers are going hard this year and trying to prove to the audience that they are still The Green Machine. In 2012, they dropped in ranks and have been on a steady rise up again and with "Game On", I think that climb will continue. The theme lost it's self half way through the show but the second half of the show also seemed to be a lot stronger visually and musically. I'm interested to see where they go with the show thoughout the season.

Carolina Crown - Crown is not holding back when it comes to visuals this year. It's not wonder why they came in 1st in that caption then. The brass book isn't a typical Crown brass book but in a good way. They hold back on the ridiculous runs and put a lot more power into their playing. Last year, Crown went a little over on the visuals but I feel this year, they figured it out. I feel the first tarp that reads Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here is a great way to say "This is our show. Welcome to Hell". I enjoy this show more than last year and I think it's going to be a great season for them. They have a lot of room to grow and build and adjust and it's going to be exciting to see what they do with "Inferno".

Bluecoats - To me, "Kinetic Noise" should be viewed as how music can move the world around us. This show was very brilliantely designed. The source music was spot on and I was actually dissapointed to see the show end. This show is going to be one that is remembered from years to come like Santa Clara '89, Velvet Knights '92, Cavaliers '02, and Phantom Regiment '08. I can not wait until I get to see this show live and see what they do with the program. This is a definite medal competitor. Also, one of my favorite lines from last night was "...but we didn't want to throw the baby out with the bath water".

The Cadets - The POWER of 10 is right. The Cadets are showing that they are not giving up after last season and are coming back hard. The program is very well written music wise, it's brilliant. I never got bored through the program which sometime occurs with other Cadet programs. This show is already very clean and percussion is amazing. "The Power of 10" is a show to watch this year.

Overall, DCI 2015 is going to be a season with many memorable shows and it's showing signs that it'll be very competitive. It's going to be a blast to follow.

Joesph Petruzzi

So, I am going to break down each corps, then I will give my final 2 cents.

Blue Stars - I really like how they have a dark overtone, especially in the beginning to contrast with the happy and fun side show theme. Very fresh concept, and I can definitely see more layers added, considering how deep that concept is. Juggler was great, and the stage was used quite a bit, and will probably be used even more throughout the season. Percussion overall was on fire. Their music as a whole is very well written, so once the visual catches up, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Madison Scouts - A ton of energy coming out of the gate. I enjoyed the drill a lot, and I would say they had quite a bit visually already. Percussion was good, especially the bass feature. I thought music was there overall strongest caption, they had a really nice sound and seemed to be confident with it. There general affect so far seems to be coming almost exclusively from the music. I hope they add a little more visual GE, because if they don’t they might have problems mid to late season. In general, very crowd pleaser, entertaining show, and I am excited to see them back to that style.

Cavaliers - I really thought they had one of the hardest brass books of the night. Combined with a lot of fast energetic drill, you could say I was surprised at the score. Their strengths were percussion, color guard, and visual. Music and GE is going to be hard to clean this summer for them, but I know they can do it. The concept seemed to lose itself by the half-way point of the show. I am pulling for them to use the props a little more. Overall, they will be a late bloomer.

Carolina Crown - I must say, there visual program seems very intense. There amazing color guard combined with a very jam packed visual book, I can see them being one of the top leaders in visual throughout the season. Percussion, although sixth last night, is another level above previous years, thanks to some additions in staff. Unfortunately, Crown did have some musical issues (very fixable however), last night. They sounded great, the mistakes were just small things. Finally, the GE base is there, they just need to layer it more. I understand the hell part, and the chanting, but I need more from the “getting out of hell” part. So to be specific, the closer needs more connection to the concept. I don’t mean the drill, I just mean the atmosphere. A lot of people agree with me that it seems that the closer’s mood is too happy coming right after their very tragic ballad. I believe Crown will make a lot of changes throughout the season to lock down the GE.

Bluecoats - This show was just brilliantly designed. Kinetic Noise is one of the most put together shows I have ever seen right out of the gate. Every time I thought they were done with sound manipulation, they kept it going, and they always had contact with the theme. Music was new and fresh, and their brass book was very challenging, and they performed it very well. Additionally, percussion seems just as tight as last year. For visual, the props help the staging a lot, and they use them very creatively. The drill was nice and had some moments that were unique to their show. Color guard, I can tell is a step up from last year. I would watch out for the bluecoats this year.

Cadets - I thought the cadets were the cleanest visually. Drill was absolutely on point for this early, and definitely a step up from the rest. That being said, there program is very focused on the drill itself, and there were not a lot of out of the box moments visually. Moments that Crown and Bluecoats definitely have. That is a worry of mine for them going into mid-season, so hopefully they add more. I thought there music, brass and percussion, was off the wall. Very challenging, and they performed it extremely well. Color guard needs a little work in order to compete with Crown and Coats, but they will get there. GE was great, but like visual, I am worried about having room to add more GE as the season continues. Overall, it is apparent that for most of the season they will be one of the leaders.

Here are my final thoughts. This season is going to be very competitive. To focus on the corps tonight, I think Stars and Madison will be battling it out until about late season. I believe Stars have a deeper, more layered concept than Madison, but Madison is a little ahead of them in other categories at the moments, so we will see what happens. For Cavaliers, I really think once they get cleaner musically and have a more direct GE, they will be a serious contender by late season. Crown, Cadets, and Bluecoats I consider equal right now. Through the scores, there was a lot of back and forth between them in the sub captions, and as coats and crown add more, there will definitely be some seriously close scores. DCI 2015 is about to get really intense.

Josh Chastain

It may be the early season of the 2015 drum corps season, but that doesn't mean it disappointed in any way. From how the corps performed yesterday at the tour premiere, we can highly anticipate that the season will surely be very close. To recap, the scores ranged from 60.950 of the Blue Stars in 6th, up to The Cadets with a 69.850. Between the six corps that performed last night, there was a noticeable gap between Carolina Crown and The Cavaliers, making a break between 3rd and 4th place. However, the major neck-and-neck point of the performances were found especially between Bluecoats and Carolina Crown, with scores of 68.250 (BC) and 68.100 (CC).

To start with a full recap, Blue Stars "Side Show" (60.950) has showed a new side of the corps, as it has fused a carnivalistic theme into a dark setting, showing a massive complex of the show design. Their scores had hardly did them justice, however could be worked visually in some areas. The music behind it though was phenomenal, making the theme understandable, yet if visually explored more, could more easily explain the idea/story of it more. I have high hopes for them though this year, as they have made a massive stride in the past two years.

Madison Scouts' "78th and Madison" (61.500) revalues the Scouts style, throwing in a mix of Broadway and Jazz from various musicals, exploring a person's rise to stardom. Once again, from the Troopers and Scouts preview show, they expelled more energy than that last time, with a nice sound of brass, and a good mix of drill that completely sums up the drum corps experience. However, I would have liked to see them explore their buildups both musically and visually up to their impact points.

The Cavaliers "Game On" (63.100) has once again showed the outstanding and miraculous efforts of the corps, proving once more that the corps will be high on the leaderboards this season. As well, they have continued to push the boundaries of the definition of drum corps, as they have added far more to their program this season. Although they must still fix a considerable amount of things for their show, no one can doubt that will be a massive wow factor, and progressively get even more so, as the season pushes forward.

Carolina Crown "Inferno" (68.100) I would personally say, is a massive leap from last year, as they have taken a much simpler but not fully abstract theme, compared to 2012 "E=Mc2" and 2013 "Out of This World". Yet, it makes a sudden upstart and contrast between the light and abstract shows they've done in the past, to a dark and twisted hellbent show this year. With their mix of outstanding visuals and music, it will surely be a show to watch out for, and possibly a show that will be remembered in drum corps history. However, there are still spots in the show that must be worked out for the audience to fully comprehend the story line that it is trying to convey.

Bluecoats "Kinetic Noise" (68.2500) has made a noted difference from last year however, as they have once again showed massive improvement from the years prior, and will hopefully once again be a medalist by the end of the season. Another abstract show with a massive theory behind it fully makes this show complex and thought provoking, and will progressively get better as there is much (but small) to fix to completely perfect the show. The scores though ran rampant in the full recap, making them fairly proficient in one area there, while not as much in another.

The Cadets "Power of Ten" (69.850) would have had a much more shock value if periscope didn't have so many previews of them before their first few performances, but that didn't stop the legitimate power that the corps held. Yet another abstract show, this one shows the characteristics of "ten", and yet explores it so thoroughly, that a simple number can have so much value and depth in a massive complex. Leading off last night's performance, the show surely has much potential, and will be progressively improve throughout the season.

Jason Kazmierski

Wow! That’s all I can say about the show tonight. I was viewing from the AMC Forum 30 Theater in Sterling Heights, MI. I’ll be discussing each corps’ performance, what I liked, and overall placements. I’ll finish with my overall thoughts.

Beginning with the Madison Scouts and “78th and Madison.” Definitely a show that the crowd will like; classic Scouts written all over it. That was emphasized by the multiple Madison “M’s” seen throughout the drill. Lots of energy and excitement was brought to tonight’s performance. I personally enjoyed the fun that the performers were having. When the performers have fun, it translates to a good show. With tonight being their first performance, there were a few issues as to be expected. Nothing that a little cleaning and polishing can’t fix though. A favorite moment of mine was when they formed half of the fleur de lie. Their strong points of the night were their percussion section, which took 3rd place tonight. Their other strong points were in the Visual category, where they took 4th place, beating out the Cavaliers and the Blue Stars. The Madison Scouts took 5th place tonight with a score of 61.50.

Stepping off second tonight were the Blue Stars with their production “Side Show.” Corps director Russ Gavin was interviewed before their performance and what he said was 100% accurate. This is a very fun and entertaining show that the crowd will love. A strong performance right from the beginning with lots of energy. The theme was identifiable right from the beginning. There were stages set throughout the whole field that were utilized very well. Strong points for them tonight: Very solid visual program across the board finishing in 5th place overall. Again, with some polishing, the Blue Stars will have another great season. They finished in 6th place tonight with a respectable score of 60.95.

Carolina Crown performed third tonight and they brought us to Hell and back. “Inferno” couldn’t be a better fit for them. Great first impact and the fabric that reads, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!” brought on chills not only for myself but for others in the theater as well. The brass sounds great as we would expect, with them winning brass for the night. The percussion is still a weaker point for them as they finished in 6th tonight. Color guard was another strong point for them as they took 1st in that caption. There was a big performance mistake in the ballad, a red cloth is used to cover the brass and it was grabbed wrong so it looked like a bow tie with a lot of the brass exposed. I can guarantee that it will be fixed for the next show. This corps will definitely be a contender come Finals. They finished in 3rd place tonight with a score of 68.10.

It’s Game On for the Cavaliers as they performed fourth tonight. This show has a lot of great moments, but with it being a first show, it had its issues. The brass was on fire tonight as they played notes after notes, especially in the opener. The “Game On” theme was prevalent again from the beginning; the performers were moving at a high velocity and at a high level of energy all while playing some pretty difficult music. Overall a very strong show that the audience will enjoy. I did notice a few performance issues though which are understandable for a first show at such a venue. I couldn’t help but notice a tuba that appeared a little lost in the final few sets. This will get fixed. Will this show propel them back into the top 5? We shall see come August. The Cavaliers finished in 4th place with a score of 63.10.

I have had the opportunity to see some of the Cadet’s show prior to tonight thanks to

Periscope, a social media app that allows one to broadcast live video. George Hopkins has been very kind to the fans by providing these looks into “The Power of 10.” This show is very simple in concept as explores the number 10, but a simple concept doesn’t mean an easy show. This show is THE definition of a Cadets show: high paced, difficult, high velocity drill, and overall strong musicianship across the board. The percussion was on fire tonight as they finished in 1st. I saw very few weaknesses in this program. Will it contend for the championship? Yes, but will it win? We don’t know. Cadets finished in 1st place tonight with a score of 69.85.

The Bluecoats have kept “Kinetic Noise” under a lot of wraps during the spring training season. Much was debated on what the final product would be but none of us really knew. This show did not disappoint. There is a lot going on in this show and one needs to see it multiple times in order to see everything. With viewing this in a theater, I was unable to hear the full effects with the speakers placed around the field. As Mr. Dennis DeLucia stated at the end, “No weaknesses.” That is a perfect way to sum up this program. Strong brass, great percussion, and a strong color guard. I can say for sure that this program will content for a medal, but as for which one we don’t know. It’s safe to say that a lot of us are hoping they take the gold. I can tell that there is something special about “Kinetic Noise.” I said the same thing for TILT and I’m saying it again for this “Kinetic Noise:” This show is going to be talked about for a long time. The Bluecoats finished in 2nd place with a score of 68.25.

I can tell that we’re in for a great season. A lot of shows will be entertaining and fun. The competition will be fierce but in the end, only one can come out on top. I have a strong feeling that we saw the 2015 DCI World Champion perform tonight.

Landry Kendrick

The Venue - As promised, here we are. Will try to give as many thoughts as possible! Been going to these things since 2008. The first time I went in 2008 there were probably 5 people there for the Big Loud and Live, including my mom who probably didn't want to go (but she went with me last night, I've given her the DCI bug, she loves it!). Wasn't any better from 2009 - 2010, probably around 5 - 10 at each. But the last few years, there's been some traction going, when I was in high school I pushed it quite a bit and I think kids at other schools have as well, because the attendance last night was 50 +, the most I've seen at this first one. They added the event to another theater in town, probably because the Big Loud and Live event has been a complete sell out the last three times, bus loads of high school kids being brought in, audible gasps, laughs, cheering, clapping, ect. It's pretty cool to see it getting some traction. Volume was LOUD! I like it like that, quality I thought was solid, video as well.

The Night - Easily my favorite of the Tour Premier's that started in I think 2011? Last year there were 4 shows that didn't really captivate me and stayed that way through finals week, this year there were 0. None. I found something incredibly enjoyable in all the shows. Certain shows have downfalls, weaknesses, and performance issues, but nothing that left a bad taste in my mouth, not even remotely. I saw some shows that have an incredibly high ceiling, and some that have a slightly lower ceiling. None of these shows will peak, NONE of them. They all have obvious growth through cleaning, performance maturity, and design changes to come with the season.

The Recap - I love some numbers analysis. First read of the season, there's always liable to be some weird numbers thrown out, so this part is probably meaningless. What a curious recap. Only one of them kinda took me by surprise, GE 1, not disagreeing with the placement, just the spread. That's pretty big, before that score the 1.6 spread between Cadets and Bluecoats was only 2 tenths of a point! I'm not disagreeing with that score per say, but it's pretty striking. Notable things I that were dully noted after I noticed them being notable:

The Cavaliers Brass were given the largest spread between content and achievement out of any

judged caption of the night, with a .8 spread in favor of their content. I definitely agree, which I will get to.

Blue Stars percussion were given the second largest, a .6 spread in favor of their content. I also agree here.

The lower 3 corps were given overall much high scores in their content/repertoire. Indicative of three shows that could have a lot of growth in them. Cavaliers with a 3.2 spread between the two sub-captions.

..................

Madison Scouts - 78th and Madison

Show - First of all, don't they look fantastic in those new uniforms? What a fun show, the theme works very well with what they're trying to portray and do with this music. Overall I think that this show is much stronger than the score indicates it to be (I can say that FOR ALL CORPS last night), and I think this could do great things for them. As stated, the corps proper looks extremely sharp, and the guard costuming works well with the theme. The suitcases, big and small work very well. The opening fanfare is fantastic, the MGM lion roar a very nice touch, starts off right in your face with Madison Screamers, huge musical moments, and some absolutely whiplash drill towards the end of that segment! Was a treat to watch. That Madison M in the drill makes a few appearances in the show, fun to see. The arrival of our Gene Kelly sudo is highlighted very well by the change in music and the visual design highlighting him extremely well, going to doors to try and trying to dance his way into NYC. A very nice ballad is to follow, falling over themselves over a beautiful dancer, the mannequin-esque things they dance with are interesting. Drum feature to follow, drumline is laying down some notes! The medley closer works well, that Fleur de Lis set looks fantastic!

Performance and Thoughts - As stated, a much stronger offering than last year. Visual design was a blast to watch, they're absolutely hauling it through segments of that, notably at the end of the closer and before the drum break where there is a block form and it ripples in and out of itself into a line, that was a highlight moment for me. Lots of visual performance issues and what I sensed were early season jitters, but overall it's not unclean-able, just a lot of hard work. Hornline sounded nice, music was overall good. In the middle I found myself trying to figure out what they were playing and got lost a little, but overall in the big moments it is solid. Get those in between moments there and they'll be great. Guard looked a lot better tonight than Monday, some nice stuff going on from what I can tell. Percussion, great. Sparling is doing a fantastic job with them. This show felt very retro in an

overall good way! From the uniforms, to the percussion, to the music, to the drill, it had that Madison spark. I think this show has some work to be done on it, more so cleaning then changing, but overall, very impressed.

Blue Stars - Side Show

Show - Overall, a very fun show with massive potential. As we arrive at the carnival we hear that familiar tune as the brass enters backfield leading into that theme being stated in a big company front, morphing into what looks like a big circus tent, guard interspersed. Things get busy next, jugglers, contortionists, trombones, sword swallowers! That juggler had my nerves on end, but he nailed it. Great job! Pit ripping away in spots in here, drill is booking it as well, really cool FTL up front around the high striker. Ballad to follow, a mash up of "Send in the Clowns" and "I Will Never Leave You", which is portrayed by some siamese twins on side one, and clowns on side two in a strikingly different blue and white costume. Some beautiful writing here, I love the final moments of this movement. Next is the closer, which starts out finally featuring their fantastic percussion section, which builds as our strongman tries to get that striker to hit 100! That drumline is ramming away, as is the pit, they're a real show stopper! Brass is booking it with some fast drill. Finally our trip comes to the end with a huge rotating Ferris wheel, and finally that star we saw last year.

Performance and Thoughts - Enjoyed the show, surprised at the roughness, was a lot rougher then anticipated. Not unfixably so however. Particularly the front half. I sense a lot of first show jitters, but some pretty glaring visual issues. LOTS of difficulty though, I think there's some great stuff happening design wise. When we hit the ballad it really started to pick up, and when we got to the closer I was a lot more at ease. Brass was ragged first half, overall nice 2nd half. Can say the same for the drill. What wasn't rough was the guard and percussion, as usual both are the highlights of the corps. Guard needs to be more convincing in parts, the high striker moment is the only time in this show that could have been extremely cheesy, was extremely cheesy. Not very convincing at all, that thing is gonna hit 100 you need to smack the #### out of it. But how about that percussion package! In a time where we only focus on drumilne a lot of the time, their front ensemble stood about above almost everyone elses, they're killer! The drumline is getting there too, their feature was absolutely fantastic. Overall I think they have some editing/layering to do and a LOT of cleaning. However once it does, this show has an EXTREMELY high ceiling, this show will either peak finals week or not at all, they won't ever hit a wall, it's just a question of how much they can do with it. A little worried at first, but I think it has huge potential.

Carolina Crown - Inferno

Show - As we enter hell to the sounds of Beethoven, we're met with a pretty striking entrance. Those lime green silks come out of nowhere, they're absolutely sinister. As the last chord plays, the words "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here" fly over the corps, rifles flying out from underneath as it moves backfield. As we enter, the drumline gives us a fast, sinister, intense feature as the brass

books it backfield, morphing, rotating 3D Pyramids, and 9 circles encompassing the guard. Brass sounds absolutely evil as the familiar stabs of Verdi's "Dies Irae" ring out. Some very technical passages in the brass that they nailed. Guard looks fantastic here. Things get purely evil in "Organ Symphony", I'm assuming that's where we meet Satan. Rifles are in the air almost consistently, that guard is killer. Brass is LOUD at the end of this as the organ plays. The tarp incident is really unfortunate, you could see them trying to fix it to no avail, regardless that is going to be an absolutely goose bump inducing moment. Finally we exit hell to the sounds of "Ode to Joy" as the brass plasters us back and that guard is twirling their butts off.

Performance and Thoughts - Quick thoughts on performance, cleanest of the night to me. Brass and Guard obviously, drumline is great but someone else brought up Front Ensemble, and I can't remember anything about them. Great marching as well. I like this show, however............I can't put my finger on it. I thought seeing this on the big screen would help but I feel the same way I did last weekend. It didn't feel sterile, but for a show theme that should be absolutely heart wrenching and intense, I didn't feel a lot of emotional response. I think they have a lot of layering to do thematically, there are times where it's just spot on, like the end of the Beethoven intro, and the beginning of "Organ Symphony". If they're wanting to portray Dante going through hell being guided by Vigil, they're going to have to do more than two members running out at the end of the show. Others, like the Verdi and ESPECIALLY the closer, it felt sterile. The closer I think will change, that's a given. And I think there are plenty of opportunities to layer the show. So we'll see. None of my comments are anything that I think can't be fixed I don't think. They're a monster corps.

The Cavaliers - Game On

The Show - The opening minutes of this show are some of my favorite moments this year, the Bruckner/Debussy is just glorious. "Fetes" is exciting, fully of notes and glorious impact moments. Brass sounds great in these opening minutes, some really cool visual things going on too. "Run Boy Run" is an interesting section, the drum feature I suppose? We see the athletic part of this show for sure. Trombone Quartet was not mic'd well last night that sounded a lot more fitting this previous weekend. Not sold on the singing, that needs some looking at. After this though, I love the end of this section, it's pretty fun. Ballad is beautiful, some interesting visual things going on. There's about a minute and a half of show that wasn't shown this previous weekend, it was obviously new, was A LOT rougher than the rest of the show. That said I think the closer is awesome! When that cleans it is going to be awesome. Love the brass writing here.

Performance and Thoughts - So I was surprised, a lot dirtier than I was lead to believe this weekend watching it online. However I still stand behind my statements, I think this show is dangerous. I say that because I think the first half is a sign of where the second half will get. It's right up there with Blue Stars in room to grow, I don't see this show ever peaking this season. They have A LOT to do. Thematically, I myself found it pretty easy to get. Athleticism and the Spirit of competition. Closer and ballad need some work in this respect, but the front half is where it's fine to me. Brass sounded fantastic at times and really winded at times. Colorguard had some great moments and some not so great moments.

Percussion was overall solid. I think this show is still in its early stages, it rang off as unfinished. I think right now, they need to get that closer under hand and then start cleaning like there is no tomorrow, there is a show that can be something amazing in there. Looking at the recap, that brass content score is very promising, they have a lot room with this show. Whereas Blue Stars show ended strong, this one started strong. We'll see, cleaned up I see this being fantastic. The opener is a sign of what's to come IMO.

The Cadets - The Power of Ten

The Show - You know that first hit is coming, as that last rifle snaps and year hear 10 it doesn't make it any less awesome. That's a face melter. Jeez. Next we move into Shostakovich 10, which is FULL of technicality from the brass, they sound fantastic. Love the guard scheme here, the reds and yellows along with the corps proper look striking. All sorts of 10s and such going on in the drill in countless ways. Love the ballad from "Mulholland Drive" absolutely gorgeous. Some very cool stuff done in the within 10 yards ballad with body movement and choreography. The guard members running side to side through the brass was neat. Here we go, the Waltz section I think will be the most difficult thing on the field this summer. Absolutely insane, that drumline being at the headline of it. Just wow, they're incredible. The horn feature is really neat, a bit short, but neat. Drill makes my legs hurt just watching. The closer is intense, just pure drum corps. The tag ending is OBVIOUS placeholder.

Performance and Thoughts - Yup, they're going to be contending. Brass is fantastic, guard will probably clean well, and I'm not even going to try and talk about the drums. Just mind blowing. A little less polished than previous years, but I'd rather it be that way because of an insanely hard show and them finish strong than them come out super polished and not grow. Up through the ballad this show feels complete, I think that's probably what got them the high GE numbers. Waltz felt very complete too. The closer is interesting, not as much symbolism and presentation of it here. I think there is some layering to be done in that respect in the closer, I'm excited to see the real ending which I'm sure will be fantastic. They're going to be amazing.

Bluecoats - Kinetic Noise

The Show - If you've seen me ranting and raving, sorry you get to hear it again. If you knew me and asked my friends and family who have gone to shows with me you would probably hear that I always have something to say about shows after they're done. Didn't after this one, first time I've been speechless after a show. At first I wasn't sure if I absolutely hated what I just saw or if I completely loved it. It's the latter. After sleeping on it I feel no less intrigued by it. That opening impact

moment just made me smile huge, emerging from white noise and other noisy things going on at the beginning, it was glorious. Loudest moment of the night in my theater. The way this corps explores moods and energies of music is amazing, the transition to the next section is almost ethereal, dream like. And here comes the brass again, mello's and high brass with some very technical passages licks as the guard comes out with some psychedelic flags that really pop. Drill is very organic almost, no stark direction changes, it just flows together in complete thoughts between impacts. That entire time the drumline is throwing it down, they're aggressive and fantastic. Those Bluecoat's contra features that I always remember them for are back. After that we see the brass playing into some mic's backfield for what I sense is something really cool with the sound and location of it. Guard comes out with some really striking silks here to finish out this section with a really cool brass hit, electronic echo, and back in. "Woods" is a fantastic break from all the chaos, beautiful baritone soloist. I think it makes great use of some silent moments and builds to a fantastic ending chord that was just spine tingling. Here come the drums, still my favorite writing, and they play the crap outta it too. Here comes "Dense" the brass flowing around the props for for some very quirky, intense passages. This closer is dark, groovy, and fun. Some really cool layering things going on musically. The tension building in it is unrelenting, it's definitely going some where. Next we hear some echoing from the trumpets as the brass does some of the cooler drill I saw last night, sprinting in some follow the leaders that morph and build into a little tag of "Woods", building to the end where the brass fades out to static and finally silence.

Performance and Thoughts - I'm going to start with the things a lot people are not talking about. Brass sounded fantastic, easily up there with Crown and Cadets. I think the writing showcases them in many ways and they deliver. Percussion is killer as always, writing and performance. I love their aggressiveness, that feature was awesome. Color Guard looked HUGELY better than this time last year, I thought they were striking, looking forward to seeing some show silks in the closer. But I thought they were stronger than in years before. I found myself enjoying the drill quite a bit. Some dirt, but it's incredibly organic in the way it changes and moves, especially when it's involved with the props. The way it morphs around them in the first hit and the closer is just awesome. Musically this is their niche. This minimalist, 21st century, untouched crazy music works so well for them. The way it is arranged is just seamless to me, it shouldn't work but it does. The moods, textures, and sounds they create are just refreshing. Rarick and Thrower, my hat is off to you. Well done! Performance wise, I think musically it's going to be very strong, and visual has the potential to be. I think cleaning the visual package will be a determining factor in how they ultimately do. Some really cool stuff going on. GE 1 judge, that's interesting. 1st read of many, I won't fret too much over it. I thought Cadets were stronger in that respect, but not by 1.4 points. I'd say .5 or so. If you take out that number............it was close. Really close. .2 We’ll see. Finally, the elephant in the room. I think that their usage of electronics will be incredibly divisive, you're either going to love it or hate it. They went for it, I give them major props for that. So many of those things I bet need to be experienced live, but it was #### cool in the theater too. I found a lot of it looked to be them playing and it being manipulated rather than being prerecorded, which I think is great. The way they are manipulating sound is just incredible, they have a completely different sound than anyone else. There isn't going to be another show like this, they're unique. I think this show is a game changer because of the use of the music they picked, its arranging, and the integration of the electronics into it. In that respect it's unparalleled in my eyes. Champions push the activity. They change it. I see this as one of those shows. I think they have a shot. I'm beyond excited to see what they do with this show. It's incredible.

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Other Thoughts - Scores were really low, but at this point I think spreads are more important. I think Madison and Blue Stars both easily have finalist shows, and will place as high as they can clean. I think Cavaliers are in the same boat. Crown's show needs life, they are going to perform the hell out of it for sure though. Cadets and Bluecoats were so different but equally enjoyable. Both were amazing in their own respects, and both shows I really enjoyed. I saw two contenders last night and one that could get there. This season is going to be amazing, some incredible stuff last night.