u/Level-Quantity2330

That is all.

At around 7:20 although I highly recommend the whole thing.

This is an unbelievable performance!

Atlanta CV – Nice show. Now matter how many times I experience it, the first time a corps raises their horns and plays, I always get chills. Couldn’t tell you what their show was about. “Oh no,” I said, “Are we getting Bad Apple!! but it’s Drum Corps before GTA6?” I later met the synth 2 player for this corps, and he couldn’t tell me what the show was about either.

 

Merch – Bought a Bluecoats shirt for Gravity and Grace, of course. This means I missed the Heatwave performance.

 

Music City – This corps has an undeniable aura. I recognized them even before they were announced. They really have command of the field, especially guard. Venomorphosis is a killer show and every single student was bought in to the serpent theme. Lots of fun to watch and listen. All in all they sounded pretty good.

 

Spartans – A very normal show. I dislike “The Greatest Showman” so once that “Oh-oh-ohoho” hit played about ¾ of the way in I immediately lost enthusiasm. Ah well. Welcome to the world stage, Spartans!

 

The Academy – So you can imagine how I felt about this show, given my previous statement. Normally I like The Academy but I dunno…I wasn’t feeling it and it felt like they weren’t either. The show was bad at managing your attention and directing your eyes towards interesting stuff, and the corps wasn’t all that in tune.

 

Spirit of Atlanta – BAM! After four corps who teased us for a minute or two before playing a hit, Spirit smacked us in the face with the loudest, most beautifully in-tune chord we’d heard all night. The hornline knocked it out of the park. The overall show was unified and a ton of fun to watch, pushing and pulling at my feelings in just the way I expect a drum corps to do. The “$$$ for Gas” bit was so endearing that I donated $5 to the corps for gas.

 

Troopers – “A deeply troubling show” was all I could say about this performance once it was over. High quality, giving off the tough vibe I expect from a corps based in Wyoming. I want to hear the thoughts of a ‘Nam vet who watched this show.  The mellos are the absolute heroes of the corps this year and there are seemingly a hundred of them.

 

Blue Knights – This was subtly a very bold show built entirely around a flute soloist. A very delightful change of pace with many beautiful, squishy but quite in-tune chords. The horns spent more time dancing than playing, but their uniforms were such eye candy that I didn’t mind at all anyway. Lovely show.

 

Colts – I already saw this show online but in person I loved it even more. The arranging staff did a fabulous job of building all the music off the national anthem. Up to this point in the night, the overall show was a crowd-favorite. We were out of our seats before the final chord was finished. This was the first corps whose drumline sounded louder because they were cleaner, a peculiar phenomenon I had forgotten about until I heard it again. Well done, Colts.

 

Blue Stars – “Wait, who is this again?” Behold, the universal Blue Stars reaction. And yet, after this night, we shall know their name. They are so loud! They are so in tune! This show is so much fun and so varied and extravagant. Everything hit the spot and I hope they can clinch 6^(th) place in the finals this year.

 

Bluecoats – The show we all had been waiting for. Everyone in the audience was aware of the caliber of this show, and our attention was fixed on the performers from the first moment they stepped on the field. They did not disappoint. This show is supposed to “dwell in the place between gravity and grace” according to the show designers; every broad stroke, every miniscule detail, each flawlessly executed movement and sound seemed to truly live in some undiscovered dimension between a physical law and a metaphysical concept. How can that be? And yet so it was. The hornline was so loud it defied my senses. Their cutoffs were so clean it was like being stuck in the chest. The ballad is to die for (especially being a Punch Brothers fan). The closer blew us all away. Absolute pandemonium in the crowd, cheering, screaming, jumping, bloooo-ing, turning to our companions with faces electrified by the shock of what we had just seen, and finding that we had no words.

 

Blue Devils – I felt physically exhausted after the Bluecoats show. My voice was hoarse, my ears were ringing, somehow even my eyes were ringing. The audience’s gaze lingered on the ‘coats as they left the field, looking at those twirly-whirly hammonds and the bright orange beings who had borne them thither. Oh yes, there’s another corps on the field, yelling something. Polite applause. They played a show. It was good. It was pretty good, yep. You won’t hear me saying it wasn’t. I seemed to always be looking in the wrong place when something cool happened. Oh well. We all stood and clapped when they were done.

 

Carolina Crown – It was time for the main event, and the crowd knew it. They were determined to have a good time and Crown delivered. I dunno man, the doors are just really clunky. Somebody got bowled over by one and it was painful to watch. We all gasped. The corps sounds pretty good, and “Ave Maria” of course received a standing ovation. I think it’s interesting how much the show relies on the battery, given Crown’s truly desperate historical lack of percussion accomplishment.

 

And that’s the wrap! If you notice a certain bias in these notes, let me assure you that I am truly a huge Bluecoats fan. Seeing Change is Everything live in 2024 really changed my life, and for that reason the corps holds my heart. I can’t help it. The Colts, too; I love that corps. The Blue Stars have a very good documentary on YouTube about the 2024 season. I love them too.

 

These performers offer us such a gift when they play. God bless them.