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My unofficial review of Drum Corps: An American Tradition, Allentown PA
cjbuckley1997
 721
 735
This was my first live show in almost 2 years after marching last summer.

Encorps had their first ever performance tonight. Loved their show concept, and they performed really well for such a small group. They're gonna do well in Open Class next year.

C2 is hot for this time of year. Got a lot of dirt to clean but a hell of a show, with a lot of intensity and a really high level of demand. Maybe give Bucs a run for their money when they make the push they always do?

Raiders sounded good for early going. Good young corps with a good concept, still a lot of dirt to clean up though. Not nearly my favorite show of the night, but I respect all of the performers.

Music City is 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Really great sound, looking great for June. Have some questions about the show design in the middle but they blew me away for the first time I've ever seen them.

SoA hype is real, they sound better than they have in years. Love the show top to bottom, can't wait to see them succeed.

Bluecoats were different, but in a really good way IMO. Hadn't seen any footage before tonight, but what I saw tonight, especially the first part of the show, reminded me of the Blue Devils from around like 2010, and I enjoyed the dissonant, ambitious chord voicings. The ending section reminded me a lot of classic jazz drum corps, which again I really enjoyed, nice to see that in today's atmosphere.

Cadets also blew me away. Really enjoyable show to watch, and that Cadets sound is back for sure. I don't think they've fallen off at all like people were thinking. Probably not a championship contender, but for sure a top 6 type show.

Can't wait to see a lot of these shows cleaner in August!
Connor Buckley - Executive Director - White Star Org.

White Star - CLASS
White Star Cadets - ENCORE
Illumination - FLAG
Lithium Indoor - DRUMS founder

OAS AAS LLS
Imriy
 55
 8
I loved this year's season. Bluecoats are my favorite corps and they consistently have great shows but I have to admit, I wasn't the hugest fan of this year's show. I got to see brief snippets of when Crusaders performed here in Colorado, and I loved their tuba feature. (Being a tuba player, I'm always partial to the shows that have those) The pedal at the end was also heavenly. I hope next year's season cranks out some even better shows and I'm always excited to see new open class corps perform.
Imriy
Founder of The Steelmen Drum and Bugle Corps
Founder of The Steelmen Indoor Percussion Ensemble
Tuba player
For Holy Name Shall Always Be