Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps

• 99.050 - Blue Devils
• 97.500 - Carolina Crown
• 97.200 - Holy Name Cadets
• 96.150 - The Cavalierse
• 95.650 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 93.150 - Bluecoats
• 90.700 - Boston Crusaders
• 90.050 - Blue Stars
• 89.900 - Phantom Regiment
• 87.750 - Glassmen
• 86.450 - Blue Knights
• 85.100 - Troopers

• 98.400 - Blue Devils
• 97.550 - Carolina Crown
• 97.200 - Holy Name Cadets
• 96.050 - The Cavaliers
• 95.900 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 93.550 - Bluecoats
• 91.200 - Boston Crusaders
• 90.650 - Phantom Regiment
• 90.400 - Blue Stars
• 87.950 - Glassmen
• 87.550 - Blue Knights
• 85.900 - Troopers
• 85.600 - Colts
• 83.750 - The Academy
• 82.400 - Madison Scouts
• 81.650 - Crossmen
• 80.450 - Spirit

• 97.950 - Blue Devils
• 96.100 - Carolina Crown
• 96.050 - Holy Name Cadets
• 95.850 - The Cavaliers
• 95.500 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 92.650 - Bluecoats
• 90.700 - Phantom Regiment
• 90.350- Boston Crusaders
• 89.950 - Blue Stars
• 87.750 - Glassmen
• 87.000 - Blue Knights
• 86.050 - Troopers
• 85.150 - Colts
• 83.900 - The Academy
• 83.500 - Madison Scouts
• 81.900 - Crossmen
• 80.700 - Spirit
• ------------ Top 17 to Semifinals
• 79.650 - Mandarins
• 79.050 - Pacific Crest
• 78.550 - Jersey Surf
• 75.750 - Pioneer
• 74.950 - Cascades
• "good effort today, especially guard......ambitious book.....I would like to see them choose music not
  done by others and really work it............." -- Bob984, via DCP

• 92.400 - Bluecoats
• 90.550 - Boston Crusaders
• 89.950 - Blue Stars
• 85.400 - Troopers
• 83.950 - Crossmen
• 82.650 - Spirit
• 79.400 - Jersey Surf
• 78.750 - Mandarins

"not an air mattress in sight. lol. Horns sounded good, but seemed to tire out at end. Guard had some nice things happening, and the huge flags at the end got lots of 'oooooh's' from people around!" -- bandbuck, via DCP

• 95.750 - Blue Devils
• 94.300 - Holy Name Cadets
• 94.100 - The Cavaliers
• 91.100 - Bluecoats
• 86.350 - Glassmen
• 83.800 - Troopers
• 82.800 - The Academy
• 78.850 - Mandarins
• 78.300 - Pacific Crest
• 74.000 - Pioneer
• 73.850 - Cascades

"In a testament to how solid the quality of the corps in the 18-20 placements are, I think Mandarins are having their best season in a really long time. I’m sure the familiar music helps a great deal – it’s always great to hear some drum corps classics on the field again IF they are performed well. And Mandarins do a nice job with each piece. The arrangements are appealing, and well written for their talent level – I especially enjoy the Festive Overture and Libertango sections of the show. The corps marches a pretty effective drill as well, and, personally, I thought they were better than Pacific Crest on Friday night." -- TexasPRfan, via DCP

"Most I have liked them in years!! some percussion performance issues, and some serious amp issues, at times covering up soloists. I really enjoyed Festive Overture, and the groove section came across really well. Honestly, I would have had them much closer to Academy than PC. I also enjoyed the ballad portion of Ode To Joy." -- jeffsnewjetta, via DCP

• 95.650 - Blue Devils
• 90.950 - Bluecoats
• 83.600 - Troopers
• 83.250 - The Academy
• 78.200 - Mandarins
• 76.950 - Pacific Crest
• 72.600 - Cascades

"This show seemed like a contrast in parts to me. I enjoyed the first half very much, but felt a little let down by the second half. It may have been due to my low vantage point, but there were several times throughout the show when the high brass sounded weak on some of their exposed passages in Festive Overture. Libertango remains my favorite part of this show and they performed it very well tonight." -- Galen, via DCP

• 95.200 - Blue Devils
• 89.950 - Bluecoats
• 88.100 - Blue Stars
• 88.250 - Glassmen
• 75.850 - Mandarins
• 74.800 - Pacific Crest

• 95.250 - Blue Devils
• 93.450 - The Cavaliers
• 92.600 - Carolina Crown
• 92.550 - Holy Name Cadets
• 92.000 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 89.800 - Bluecoats
• 88.450 - Phantom Regiment
• 88.400 - Boston Crusaders
• 87.500 - Blue Stars
• 85.650 - Blue Knights
• 85.300 - Glassmen
• 83.300 - Troopers
• 82.500 - Colts
• 82.150 - The Academy
• 79.950 - Madison Scouts
• 79.600 - Spirit
• 79.400 - Crossmen
• 76.600 - Mandarins
• 74.450 - Pacific Crest
• 73.900 - Jersey Surf
• 72.688 - Atlanta CorpsVets
• 71.700 - Pioneer
• 71.650 - Cascades
• 71.538 - Alliance

"Another group that's made good strides since San Antonio, despite suffering from Corps Flu (or whatever it is that's going around). Visually their drill is getting a whole lot cleaner, and their musical expression was fantastic, especially in Libertango. That's becoming my favorite piece of the show. They might be able to challenge Scouts tonight." -- Galen, via DCP

• 93.200 - Blue Devils
• 91.650 - Holy Name Cadets
• 87.000 - Bluecoats
• 86.050 - Phantom Regiment
• 85.450 - Boston Crusaders
• 84.100 - Glassmen
• 80.050 - The Academy
• 78.500 - Crossmen
• 76.200 - Mandarins
• 71.900 - Pioneer
• 71.350 - Cascades

• 91.400 - Blue Devils
• 89.750 - The Cavaliers
• 89.550 - Holy Name Cadets
• 89.150 - Carolina Crown
• 87.800 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 86.500 - Bluecoats
• 84.650 - Blue Stars
• 84.250 - Phantom Regiment
• 84.200 - Boston Crusaders
• 82.200 - Glassmen
• 81.800 - Blue Knights
• 79.600 - Troopers
• 79.100 - Colts
• 77.100 - Madison Scouts
• 76.300 - Crossmen
• 75.900 - The Academy
• 75.150 - Spirit
• 73.050 - Pacific Crest
• 72.750 - Mandarins
• 69.800 - Pioneer

"My favorite corps of the first segment. Only the second time I've seen them (first time was Stanford) and they've been cleaning up well. Sops were dead-on with the intro to Festive Overture and the rest of the hornline provided great support during this movement. Articulation by the high brass was very crisp, but a bit too short and clipped for my taste on some of the hits. There are some good visual moments in this piece, highlighted by the guard making a double pass-through with big gold flags while the brass are in rotating boxes. Ballad features a very tastefully-played sop/bari duet, but also saw one sop player with a pretty awful frack at the very end. About the only low point of the show musically. Visually their drill is a lot more readable since Stanford. The guard could be more in time though- they use a lot of oversized flags, and it's very easy to notice when these are even a hair out of time." -- Galen, via DCP

"That's about the score I would have given them. They were better in SA than in Hutchinson. Their Color Guard performs better with no wind. I put them dead even with Pioneer. Kids still yawning." -- Kansan, via DCP

"Please turn down the Bass!!!! U have a great hornline and it got ruined tonight because of the synth! Love the music to this show, visually it is just ok... I feel that the theme gets lost and doesn't get sold especially visually... With that sai, this is the besty Mandarins ever and is an outstanding corps to be sitting in 19th place this year!!" -- wesleyrp, via DCP

• 89.750 - Holy Name Cadets
• 89.150 - Carolina Crown
• 84.750 - Boston Crusaders
• 84.650 - Blue Stars
• 84.550 - Phantom Regiment
• 81.700 - Glassmen
• 74.900 - Spirit
• 74.550 - Crossmen
• 72.350 - Pacific Crest
• 71.750 - Mandarins

"Mandarins got the show off to a great start tonight. It's a strong year for DCI when corps like that that may finish 20th are so strong. Mandarins wisely programmed some very accessible music this year, which helps sell this program tremendously. I actually thought Mandarins were a bit more solid in Denver on Friday, at least musically. This is a very enjoyable show, though - be sure to get to a show early and catch Mandarins this year!" -- TexasPRfan, via DCP

• 88.600 - Holy Name Cadets
• 88.050 - Carolina Crown
• 83.250 - Blue Stars
• 83.050 - Phantom Regiment
• 82.750 - Boston Crusaders
• 81.200 - Glassmen
• 75.050 - Spirit
• 74.250 - Crossmen
• 71.750 - Pacific Crest
• 70.100 - Mandarins

" I like the show this year much more than last year's offering. The brass have some solid moments and the ensemble plays relatively well together. There were several endurance issues tonight with individuals sticking out as the section sound weakend at the ends of long notes, especially on the move. The line sounds great when moving slowly, but when the pace picks up you can hear quite a bit of feet in the sound. Foot phasing is an issue for this group, and at times it seems like some members aren't 100 percent clear on the marching style." -- geluf, via DCP

• 89.300 - Blue Devils
• 88.100 - The Cavaliers
• 84.950 - Bluecoats
• 81.500 - Blue Knights
• 77.600 - Colts
• 76.550 - Troopers
• 72.000 - Mandarins

"This was the first time I had ever seen Mandarins live, and I was actually quite impressed! Gave me my first chills of the season. Great full sound and big impacts. I really enjoyed their musical selections and was really surprised by the wall of sound they were able to produce with a less than full corps. I don't know if they are a lock for semi's but I'm sure they will be contender the whole way. Cool stuff!" -- FlamInvert122, via DCP

• 88.850 - Blue Devils
• 87.800- The Cavaliers
• 85.500 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 84.000 - Bluecoats
• 80.900 - Blue Knights
• 76.200 - Troopers
• 75.950 - Colts
• 74.550 - Madison Scouts
• 71.700 - Mandarins
• 66.750 - Cascades

• "I was immediately impressed with the Mandarins. The cool thing about this corps from what I saw last night is the fact that every section is strong as a section, and could "stand alone" when featured, but knew how to fit into the big picture, if that makes sense. I was pleasantly surprised with the hornline from the very beginning, and I think that once the performers just keep working on their endurance throughout the whole show, they will really shine. I felt as if they lost some steam in the middle and it was an uphill battle to the end. But still... great work so far. Their percussion seemed rather strong, which is great. I really appreciated what their front ensemble was playing, and how it interacted with the battery parts. Their guard was good as well, but I feel as if they need the same kind of work that the Cascades' guard needs- refinement. I feel as if the Mandarins were a big culprit of what I call "design ADD". In the middle of the show, their guard pulls out mattresses (I imagine they are aero-beds) and incorporates them into the show for about one minute. I didn't really get was this was doing? Maybe I just missed what their design intent was, but I didn't connect with this. And then at the end, they pull out these HUGE gorgeous flags, and use them for maybe 30 seconds, 20 of those seconds being them running to their spot. Sometimes I feel as if corps try to just throw in as much as possible thinking it will help them with GE, but it really just takes away from the whole picture, since they never really allow for one concept to settle in as much as it should/could. Overall I seriously enjoyed this corps, and think that once they just keep cleaning and get used to pushing through a whole show, they will do even better. However, I do think that a lot of design stuff is holding them back at this point." -- Dylan Ford, via DCP

"Mandarins took care of many of their tempo issues they've been dealing with. Near the end it got a little shaky. The guard did really well. I didn't hear a whole lot of sticking out from the brass but the sub par quality of the audio doesn't allow me to hear much precision. Their best show so far in my opinion. I liked how the communication between the brass and battery is starting to have more impact. So much potential for these guys. As for the clouds/pillows, yes we all know they're aerobeds. Great. How they're being used IS coming across to me as the spectator. The shape of these props may confuse a lot of people but that's just them first latching onto the fact of what they resemble. I'm sure the judges have decent abstract thinking so I'm not worried about the props effecting the score." -- Dj-GraceNote, via Blue Devils Forum

"a HUGE step in quality here. Big horn sound, nice color guard, some complexity in the writing and drill. Hope they can clean this up, it should be pretty strong by the end. I didn't get what the show theme was, and didn't understand the air mattresses, but they seemed to do what they were doing well." -- NWdrumcorps, via DCP

• "I really like the music! Horn line is VERY powerful and really does a great job. Not sure about the ballad (matresses??). Flags are gorgeous (God bless whoever sewed those!) and the whole show was just enjoyable and easy to watch. As with the Cascades, nothing stellar stuck out." -- Will, via DCP

• 84.100 - Blue Devils
• 79.700 - Bluecoats
• 73.150 - The Academy
• 70.050 - Mandarins
• 67.300 - Pacific Crest
• "I enjoy this show (not sure on the air matresses) but its entertaining they are getting good volume and keeping the crowd engaged. should be fun by Indy." -- blueoriginal, via DCP

• Blue Devils, Bluecoats, Mandarins, Pacific Crest, The Academy: Exhibition Only

"I really enjoyed their show. Over the past few years these guys just seem to get cleaner, louder, and more crowd pleasing, and this year is no different. I really dug their arrangement of Festive Overture, and the show as a whole is really energetic. There were some definite execution issues, but I'd say this is one of the better corps that the Mandarins have put on the field in the past few years. Oh and KILLER tenor line. I think I counted 6 or 7 tenor features in the show. lol" -- rosski47, via DCP

• 83.900 - Blue Devils
• 80.200 - Bluecoats
• 71.700 - The Academy
• 67.400 - Mandarins
• 67.100 - Pacific Crest

• 81.650 - Blue Devils
• 79.750 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 77.450 - Bluecoats
• 72.350 - Blue Knights
• 69.700 - Troopers
• 65.150 - Mandarins
  
  
• "I thought of a new yell for my home town crew. Ready? "Peel my face off!!" Get it, Mandarins, peel, No? Anyway, here come the Mandarins with the first truly polished group of the night. Opens up with a nice face peeling (see what I did there) brass hit, followed by a few more big hits. Brass overall was good but a bit tentaitve during long movements. When they're standing still, which they do a number of times, they really let loose. Excellent! The horn duet with the tenor and bass drums is really cool. Drums were really clean, probably the cleanest I've seen them for this early in the season. Really good feature showcasing their chops. The flags are just beautiful. Not so good things: Way too much bass from the keyboard, something I hope will get toned down over time. And what's with the umpteen Aero beds, this must be the reason for the DCI Areobed partnership. Anyway, the beds were distracting and unless they are going to be used better, ditch'em. Heard some "string" instrument from the keyboard, meh. The closing drill is right up there with the Cadets and Cavies of the world, tough stuff. Another good show from a corps that just lacks the size to compete with the next teir. This hometown boy is rooting for ya, go peel some faces." -- Guizeppe, via DCP

• 80.850 - Blue Devils
• 78.400 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 76.200 - Bluecoats
• 72.050 - Blue Knights
• 68.950 - Troopers
• 66.150 - Mandarins
  
  
• "First open class corps of the night; came after a looooong break. Anyway, I think this is their biggest corps in history (from what I've heard) and I thought they had a pretty good sound. I'm having trouble remembering much about their show, my apologies." -- 08ThunderBass5, via DCP

"What can I say about this corps? Year in, year out, I enjoy their shows. This year was a departure from the Asian-themed music I am used to hearing from them but it was still quite beautiful. They pumped up the volume and rocked the house. Their guard was on their mark as well, with a few exceptions of course but it's still early in the season. I really hope to see them in finals this year as the show they bring to the field is both intense and entertaining!" -- NeutralNovice, via DCP

• "I had written off the Mandarins...but Saturday they were pretty darn good. Great energy and
  VOLUME...especially from the high brass." -- Calistar, via DCP

"Nice solid corps. Good sound. Nothing very memorable, except for the guard pulling air mattresses all over the field during one segment. Didn't really work." -- bgg80, via DCP

• 80.300 - Blue Devils
• 77.400 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 76.000 - Bluecoats
• 71.800 - Blue Knights
• 66.700 - Troopers
• 65.100 - Mandarins

"The first corps I saw was the Mandarins. All in all, enjoyable, nothing stood out or grabbed me. The show seems to be the run-of-the-mill opener, production, ballad, drum solo, closer with a different color associated with each piece. Seen that theme a million times, it works, but isn't the most original concept. Seems to me with a corps that appears to still be smaller than their competition (although bigger than past seasons) they need to come up with stronger conceptual ideas and "story lines" since they are not going to outplay, out spin or out march anyone. Highlight for me was the second production, a latin piece. The piece starts off very smooth musically (with a guard uniform change from purple vests in Festive Overture to smaller red vests, sabres, and great red flags) and picks up tempo and energy with a percussion break and goes strong to the end. I also really liked a grooving drum solo, a Beethoven piece with a 12/8 Latin rhythm underlying the entire way. Awesome tenor break!!! Would still like to hear the horn line put out a bit more sound at impact moments and you can tell they were losing steam the last minute or so of their show, although I realize the tempo is FAST at the end. Finalist corps, no. Semifinalist corps, might be a stretch, probably 17-19 range again for these guys." -- ToneDeaf, via DCP

• 77.200 - Blue Devils
• 74.300 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 67.500 - The Academy
• 64.800 - Pacific Crest
• 64.200 - Mandarins

• 76.100 - Blue Devils
• 74.200 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 66.000 - The Academy
• 63.800 - Mandarins
• 63.200 - Pacific Crest
  

  "I just saw the show tonight in Walnut and I really enjoyed it. It is a very mature and sophisticated production and I was very impressed. I look forward to watching the show again as the season progresses. Good luck!" -- Breck Oyama, via email

• "Festive Oveture ala SCV.... Nice lush sound. This going to be a good corps. Man's have a nice sound, and the first Corp I have seen with a full show on the field. They have plenty to clean, a top 20 corps for sure. They used electronics, but you would never know it. The show didn't seem to have a theme, just some good music on the field. Different genres, from classical to Latin. They march well, but not as demanding a book as Academy. They have some rough patches to clean, but will be in the thick of a top 17 battle come August.." -- Newseditor44, via DCP

• "Finally some drum corps! Keyboards add a low end to the brass impacts which still feels like cheating ("where'd all those contras come from" *look at left hand of girl at keyboard* ... "Oh...") Great show. Most demanding book I've heard from them in ages (ever?). Pretty clean and well poised visually - they look like their trying. Loved the show, don't see a theme but don't need one to enjoy it." -- PCSoprano9702, via DCP