Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps

• 98.125 - Phantom Regiment
• 98.100 - Blue Devils
• 97.325 - The Cavaliers
• 96.800 - Carolina Crown
• 94.750 - The Cadets
• 93.175 - Bluecoats
• 93.025 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 90.425 - Blue Stars
• 88.250 - Blue Knights
• 87.275 - Boston Crusaders
• 87.200 - Glassmen
• 85.225 - Madison Scouts

• 98.050 - Blue Devils
• 97.675 - Phantom Regiment
• 97.550 - The Cavaliers
• 96.700 - Carolina Crown
• 95.450 - The Cadets
• 93.625 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 92.800 - Bluecoats
• 90.575 - Blue Stars
• 89.700 - Blue Knights
• 88.975 - Boston Crusaders
• 88.125 - Glassmen
• 86.375 - Madison Scouts
• 85.950 - Crossmen
• 85.175 - Colts
• 83.175 - Spirit
• 81.100 - Troopers
• 79.650 - Pacific Crest

• 97.375 - Blue Devils
• 97.050 - The Cavaliers
• 96.575 - Phantom Regiment
• 96.075 - Carolina Crown
• 94.225 - The Cadets
• 92.625 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 92.175 - Bluecoats
• 88.425 - Blue Knights
• 88.100 - Blue Stars
• 87.925 - Boston Crusaders
• 87.625 - Glassmen
• 85.075 - Madison Scouts
• 84.825 - Crossmen
• 84.450 - Colts
• 83.350 - Spirit
• 81.500 - Troopers
• 79.350 - Pacific Crest
• 78.850 - The Academy
• 77.925 - mandarins
• 74.125 - Pioneer

"Mandarins, as usual, performed like the gutsy smaller corps they are. Performance levels were markedly improved on Thursday from just a week ago. The River made for a nice vehicle for the corps - and there were many nice visual accents for the theme throughout with ripples & cascading drill forms used to nice effect. Musically, the show was pleasant to listen to, but perhaps lacking some of the high points & intensity that I usually enjoy from Mandarins shows when they veer more towards their typical Asian style. I thought they should have beaten Academy on Thursday." -- TexasPRfan, on DCP

"Though the Mandarins followed a somewhat mediocre season on paper, when you consider the amount of members they had in comparison to others it is much more impressive. Member Jon Holloway also enjoyed winning DCI's I&E top Mellophone solo by a significantly large margin over his competition (his solo in the actual show pretty much proof he definitely deserved it" -- NR_Ohiobando, on DCP

"I am a big fan of Mandarins, and would love to be a fan of Pio. I got to see them live last year in Pasadena, and I loved the show! (Since I don't have $$$ to my name, fan network is out of the question for me.) However, I still root for the 15-20 corps, maybe even more so than I do for the 1-5 corps. My beloved Phantom included. Why? Because, I can't tell you enough how much I love watching the hard work and achievment from these corps! I have watched Mandarins grow this year. Their membership was about 10% veterans... and 90% brand spankin new high school students. And the progress they made all season was amazing! I wonder how many people even watched Pio and Mandarins this year??? As far as I can tell, many people are much more excited to watch the lot than to go in and actually see what these two wonderful, and FINANCIALLY SOUND, corps are pulling off. MY HAT OFF to Pio and Mandarins. " -- #1PhantomPhan, on DCP

"go Mandarins! love the mello solo." -- hornandsoccer, on DCP

"Mandarins DM used every single inch of the podium!!! He was all over the place and a few times jumped blindly right to the edge!!! Very energetic--- very cool!!! -- Liam, on DCP

• 96.150 - Blue Devils
• 92.350 - Bluecoats
• 92.350 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 88.800 - Boston Crusaders
• 87.950 - Blue Stars
• 83.100 - Spirit
• 82.250 - Troopers
• 79.000 - mandarins

"Mandarins were next, and although slightly smaller than Troop, boy can they play and march. I was very impressed. At first I wasn't so sure about their uniform look, but the more I watched, the more I like that burnt orange top they have. Crowd really liked them." -- jwillis35, on DCP

• 95.900 - The Cavaliers
• 95.650 - Blue Devils
• 90.800 - Bluecoats
• 86.650 - Glassmen
• 86.350 - Boston Crusaders
• 86.200 - Blue Knights
• 85.875 - Jersey Surf
• 84.425 - Madison Scouts
• 80.075 - Troopers
• 78.025 - The Academy
• 77.700 - Beatrix
• 77.600 - mandarins

"Pleasing show, and balanced among the captions....they are an example of how tough competition has become, as this would have easily made semis in many years, but not now........" -- Bob984 on DCP

"This is the third year the corps has worn the rust uniforms. Personally, I think they make the corps look amazing on the field, and still the details are all about the Mandarins styles." -- #1phantomphan on DCP

"Haven't really been a fan since you moved into World, but I feel this is the best offering since the move. The music flowed well with the River theme, and I enjoyed many of the visual moments and the pit toys accompanying them to make the mood and create the river feel. Some feet issues, and the brass seemed either winded, or playing maybe too controlled. perc did a nice job...nothing stellar,but no major uglies." -- Jeffsnewjetta on DCP

"They did something with a river theme. Horns seemed strained at points. I did enjoy them more live than on the webcasts, though." -- DavidJ on DCP

"After reading positive stuff about these guys and gals from the surfer state, I was eager to catch the show. They did not disappoint. This group is one of those that probably do not come across as well on video. Like Pioneer, they are dirty, but they pack several versions of zing throughout their performance that keep you paying attention. Several brass impacts were healthy as an olympic wrestler and the drum line carried an ora of confidence that almost scared me when they charged the front of the field on several occasions ( I think several grandmothers on the front row actually required oxygen and assurance that it was just part of the show). The guard also offers some great stuff. Also an improving corps over past seasons" -- tigger, on DCP

"Mandarin were next and to me, not nearly as exciting and not holding nearly as much potential as they did two years ago. The new uniform, in its second year , has totally helped to destroy any identity this corps built and now they are just another homogonized corps "in the pack" Its been two days and I cant really remember anything that stood out about their program." -- GMichael1230, on DCP

• 93.400 - Carolina Crown
• 92.800 - The Cadets
• 86.760 - Glassmen
• 86.700 - Blue Knights
• 84.450 - Crossmen
• 84.100 - Colts
• 81.200 - Pacific Crest
• 78.150 - mandarins

• 93.250 - Carolina Crown
• 89.600 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 85.650 - Glassmen
• 83.550 - Colts
• 79.450 - Pacific Crest
• 76.550 - mandarins

"Next up were the Mandarins and with them came a 'World Class' presence. This corps was slightly smaller than Teal Sound (mid-40's brass) but played a more difficult book with more difficult drill more cleanly. Decrescendos and Crescendos seemed more uniform throughout as well. The show theme 'The River' was illustrated well by the guard in blue uniforms 'flowing' between the banks created by the horns and drums fro the northwest corner of the field in the opener to the southeast corner at the end. Nice concept performed well. I wish that they had scored a little better….. Bottom line - the Colts.......the Mandarins for tht matter.......are attempting and achieving things on the field that we could not have even imagined when I aged-out in 1984." -- Notelvis, on DCP

• 88.850 - Boston Crusaders
• 84.875 - Blue Stars
• 83.000 - Glassmen
• 82.700 - Crossmen
• 81.825 - Madison Scouts
• 80.725 - Colts
• 80.425 - Sprit
• 77.200 - Pacific Crest
• 77.000 - The Academy
• 76.450 - Troopers
• 75.225 - mandarins
• 70.300 - Pioneer

"The "River" worked for me. I enjoyed all aspects of this show. Actually, I found this show more entertaining that The Academy (more about them later). This show has potential to maybe make a move in Bloomington. Great effort and great to watch." -- BigMo, on DCP

"The sound coming from this pit our awesome. The opening music really sets the mood, along with the hornline members swaying. It was a good show to start of the afternoon (for me, at least). I thought the guard did a good job, and the horns packed some power despite being a smaller line. The ending is really cool. The quiet impact reminded me a lot of a WGI show for some reason. That’s not a bad thing, just something I noticed." -- IplayPercussion, on DCP

"Enjoyed their show, thought I heard some of Smetena's The Moldau in there. Also seemed like they had some young kids out there, but you know what, they were fun to watch, and held my attention. Good work, Mandarins!" -- Pioneersop98, on DCP

"Mandarins - very underappreciated...great show!" -- Chadwick, on DCP

"Thanks for sharing your Atlanta thoughts. Also, major thanks for showing some Mandarins love--I was disappointed in their low score and placement, as I thought they had made great improvements since San Antonio." -- brassboy, on DCP

"No problem! I thought they were neck and neck with Troopers and well ahead of PC and the Academy. Yes, those two had more sound, but the Mandarins had more clarity with their sound, better music and the theme was presented very well." -- Chadwick, on DCP

• 91.750 - Phantom Regiment
• 81.000 - Spirit
• 78.850 - Pacific Crest
• 77.350 - mandarins
• 72.100 - Pioneer

• 93.050 - Blue Devils
• 90.400 - Carolina Crown
• 89.900 - Phantom Regiment
• 80.050 - Spirit
• 78.250 - Pacific Crest
• 75.450 - mandarins

• 90.300 - Carolina Crown
• 79.650 - Spirit
• 77.650 - Pacific Crest
• 74.150 - mandarins

• 83.225 - Blue Knights
• 81.975 - Blue Stars
• 81.625 - Glassmen
• 79.350 - Crossmen
• 78.925 - Madison Scouts
• 78.800 - Colts
• 77.600 - Spirit
• 76.425 - Troopers
• 75.150 - Pacific Crest
• 74.725 - The Academy
• 74.650 - mandarins
• 69.125 - Pioneer

"It is amazing to me that this corps has such a big and well rounded sound for such a small hornline. They are bigger than Pioneer but still quite a bit smaller than the other corps around them. The river theme is well conveyed from beginning to end. They play well, have good soloists and are a good drum corps this year. I am not a huge fan of their current uniform, but then I am not partial to burnt orange!!! (I'm a red raider grad!) Anyway I think this show while good is where it is going to stay. They could possibly make a move and catch Pac Crest, but I feel the corps above them just have a little more substance to them." -- WesleyRP, on DCP

"Mandarins are another corps I admire for similar reasons to Pioneer – though they are clearly a step up from Pioneer in size, age & show design – they aren’t going to make too much noise in open class this year. However, as always, this corps really works hard to max out their performance by August, and they are clearly intent on doing that again. I like this show, and the ballad in particular has some nice moments that sell the River theme well. This is not one of my favorite Mandarins shows though. It’s just missing that usual Mandarins intensity, as well as those usually terrific Asian-tinged drum breaks. They put out some nice power for a corps their size, though." -- TexasPRFan, on DCP

"Pretty good, don't remember much..." -- SCVsopAaron, on DCP

"Better than in California, but not near as much as I expected. The theme, uniform, impacts and energy are there, but cleaning seems to be progressing forward slowly. I still enjoyed them. Compared to all WC corps, they I agreed with their placement." -- Cadetzoid, on DCP

"As my wife and I hadn't eaten yet, this was the lunch corps. If what I heard through the entrances to the stands was any indication, I seriously missed out. That was one powerful hornline." -- Rusty on DCP

• 89.850 - Blue Devils
• 88.200 - Phantom Regiment
• 85.650 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 81.550 - Blue Knights
• 78.350 - Crossmen
• 77.250 - Madison Scouts
• 74.750 - Pacific Crest
• 72.850 - mandarins
• 67.400 - Pioneer

• 88.600 - Blue Devils
• 87.000 - Phantom Regiment
• 74.100 - Troopers
• 73.300 - mandarins
• 63.750 - Pioneer

• 87.150 - Blue Devils
• 86.625 - The Cavaliers
• 84.350 - Phantom Regiment
• 82.750 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 80.000 - Blue Knights
• 73.475 - Madison Scouts
• 73.250 - Troopers
• 69.125 - mandarins

"They have a very nice book with great melodic content and rich harmonic range. I heard a lot of feet through the horns, but that can change as they keep working. Drumline has good stuff to play, and pit is contributing wonderfully to the overall musical book. Visual is also quite attractive and they'll keep cleaning it up and making it work. It's a good, solid show and when they get more stamina and can focus more on emotional presence they'll be even more entertaining than they already are." -- TerriTroop, on DCP

"Mandarins - had a bigger sound and were cleaner than I expected. A great start for the night." -- jwbnm, on bluedevils.org

"Mandarins got the show off to a very solid start. This corps seems improved this summer, with a more coherent package, IMO, than last summer. Color guard added some VERY nice accents to the show with some strong silks on some nice effect moments. This little, gutsy corps continues to be just that. Visually, the clearly have work to do to improve individual technique and form alignment & spacing. The drill has some nice flowing "River" moments that they pull off well. The horn line put out about the volume you would expect for a corps of this size. It will be interesting to see how this show tightens up over the next 4 weeks. I certainly look forward to seeing them again." -- TexasPRfan, on DCP

• 83.300 - Blue Devils
• 81.600 - Phantom Regiment
• 80.150 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 72.750 - Pacific Crest
• 68.800 - The Academy
• 67.650 - mandarins

"WONDERFUL SHOW. I was a little surprised they didn't score higher. Brass had some really, really nice moments. Guard did well, but I did notice they added a bunch of new work and I think that caused more drops than I have seen with them in the past. It is a shame that more people won't get to see this show. I do think there is a chance (please note I said CHANCE) that if the cards fall right, they COULD make it into finals. I think the Mandarians are one of the best run Corps out there and its so wonderful to see their performance level going up a notch." -- CaliforniaDCfan, on DCP

"Gotta give a thumbs-up to Mandarins. They have a small hornline, but sitting up in the second tier last night, they were putting out some serious sound! " -- #1PhantomPhan, on DCP

"Exploring the sounds of “The River”, the Sacramento Mandarins opened the night’s World Class competition. Following a strong brass opening in Wind River, the corps really has fun with Frank Ticheli’s Cajun Folk Songs, featuring square dancing and excellent small brass ensemble work. During the closer of Inferno, there is a musical hint of the theme from the movie “Jaws”. All-in-all, an excellent performance that was a crowd favorite." -- Van Williams, on DCW

"Now there is just something about this show that really makes me just love it! The concept is great and they executed it extremely well from a design stand point. This corps had a good size and an excellent sound! Their music was intense and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Between them, PC, and Academy, I must say I liked their show the most. I can't say too much on technicalities but I can say that their show entertained me. What a great group of kids and I hope to see them go very far this year. They had a GREAT standing O from the crowd. Another heart-warming moment." - NeutralNovice via Drumcorpsplanet.com

"This is clearly the best offering I have seen from this group. Though understanding the motivation for the design of past uniforms, their untidy appearance always seemed to diminish the corps professional look. This uniform is clean and attractive, yet also looking like Mandarins. When a show title is announced, certainly one as to the point as "The River", it is natural for audience members to feel a need to make sure they catch all of the "river-esque" components of the show. While overtly evident at times, there seems to be large gaps where the theme is lost. This issue aside, the horn line is loud and at times plays with outstanding control, tone and sensitivity. Too often however, the horn line loses the control and many individuals show an immature level of musicianship. The guard has some beautiful silks and like the horn line, has moments of excellence mixed with a few sections of the book that are certainly on the priority list for cleaning. The guard is strong a certainly has a positive effect on the visual package. The percussion section, while aggressive (which is good), has quite a few phrases undoubtedly on the priority list for cleaning. Pit to batterie displayed some good timing moments, but were more often than not suffering from vertical alignment issues. I feel the overall visual package to be stronger than Academy and Pacific Crest. Good to see this corps on it way up." -- cadetzoid, on DCP

"They really impressed me. Nice, flowing show (hmmm .. The River is the theme ...). Great design, from music selections to drill. For being the smallest World Class corps competing, they used the field well. Brass volume was ok, as you would expect from a smaller line (maybe 45-50 maximum?)" -- bgg80, on DCP

"Mandarins having a great year so far. Strong show, powerful sound." -- bdufls, on bluedevils.org

"Love the show. They've still got some blanks, but they've gotten a lot tighter ... Real pretty melodies in places." -- DCIHasBeen, on DCP

• 82.200 - Blue Devils
• 80.200 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 72.600 - Pacific Crest
• 70.000 - mandarins
• 68.900 - The Academy

"Much better show over last night. the 2nd movement of frank ticheli's cajun folk song is STELLAR!!! great energy in it that keeps it moving to the park and blow; and once that hits.... seriously duck and cover! visually, they need to move better in order to clean their show. technique is o.k., but they are pretty wobbly, and need to address that before the show will feel more comfortable. i like this gaurd best when they all have flags, some cool writing and effective swoosh-arounds....... i cant wait to see what this corp does this year, regardless of finals or not, they have a great vehicle to cause some world class rapids...(pun intended)" -- shaners, on DCP

• 81.900 - Blue Devils
• 79.500 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 71.900 - Pacific Crest
• 69.600 - The Academy
• 69.000 - mandarins

"Just watched Mandarins. WOW, what an incredible step up in performance level from last week, especially in the brass tuning and balance. There were honestly a few moments when they sounded a lot like SCV in terms of their brass sound and blend. Unfortunately their color guard hasn't come as far since last week, which surprises me. Usually they really clean things up pretty quickly, but there were some pretty dirty exposed flag phrases. Overall though I think the Mandarins have made a really great step in the right direction this weekend. If they can continue on this path, they should have a fantastic season this year!" -- brassboy, on DCP

"Again, much improved over 2007. better drill, stronger brass, fluid show design! the biggest weakness would be the drumline and pit. not bad, just didnt have the same weight in the perofrmance. the guard had some interesting work to portray 'the river' theme. way cool arrangements, for the opening statements. nice mellophone solist. i love the uniforms." -- shaners, on DCP

• 79.800 - Blue Devils
• 78.200 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 67.700 - mandarins

"Mandarins' show is a big step in the right direction from last year, very enjoyable, got a pretty big crowd response." -- rosski47, on DCP

"Hopefully Mandarins get their holes filled. Their show has muy potential to get them in come August." -- Wildabeast, on DCP

"I couldn't agree with you more - their show in Stockton wa very entertaining, and if the cards fall right, they could be challening for a finals spot." -- CaliforniaDCfan, on DCP

• 75.900 - Blue Devils
• 74.000 - Santa Clara Vanguard
• 64.600 - mandarins

"I love the uniforms. I know they're not new anymore, but they just look so good I had to mention them again. Bigger numbers indeed. Big first hit, really announced that World Class has arrived. This show is really easy to get in to. Exciting music and powerful brass throughout. Low brass is very very strong this year. Drum line is better than average with an excellent feature, tip of the cap to Mr. Aguilar and consultant Zarco. Guard like many others don't have uniforms yet, but the flags were well integrated. I enjoyed this show as much as any tonight. Wonderful show! You can only go up from here." -- Guizeppe, on DCP

"After watching videos from the night before, I took notice as to how much smaller the corps looks next to the now 150-sized SCV and BD A Corps. In their case, size does not matter. Once they got on the field and started playing, my friend and I looked at each other and gave each other that look of approval, signifying that this was the point of the Classic where the best is to come. Their show was loud and furious with some very pleasurable tunes. This year they didn't have elaborate props, which my friend by my side loved last year. It will be interesting to see what the guard uniforms will look like once they get them. The guard work was pretty cool but felt incomplete." -- NeutralNovice, on DCP

"Mandarians were good. Really good. It's a shame how small they are - if they were in Open Class, they would be a shoe-in to win at Championships. I feel bad for them - they rocked Division II for so long they "upgraded" to Division One (now World Class) and are always at the bottom. Enjoyable show." -- CaliforniaDCfan, on DCP

"I like what Mandarins have done with Ticheli's "Cajun Folk Songs". I think Mandarins were the only "finished" show of the 3 World Class corps here. It's too bad more people don't go to fill in spots. Mandarins are putting out a nice product this year." -- Wildabeast, on DCP

"I agree. After watching the Concord video, I had my doubts about how they'd score in Stockton. However, they were practically a different corps in Stockton--much stronger performance overall (although there were some brass stickouts and intonation issues from time to time). For those raising their eyebrows at the "high" score for the Mandarins, bear in mind that since there are no field judges, the music and marching scores are primarily ensemble-based using the 5-judge panel. I think Mandarins had a much stronger ensemble performance than the Concord performance, and the scores seemed to reflect that they had some nice ensemble moments throughout. Once the field judges are added, there may be a drop in score due to individual issues. On the other hand, by the time they add the rest of the panel, the individual errors are probably going to be lessened." -- brassboy, on DCP

"Really nice show. Even better in a stadium with a backfield wall... lots of really nice, resonant melodies." -- DCIHasBeen, on DCP

Exhibition Only

"They have some real nice things happening for them, including what I'd consider to be one of the most balanced brass sounds they've had (a strong low brass presence this year). The show has potential, but with the roughness around the performance edges right now it's hard to tell its effectiveness. The hits seemed pretty loud given their brassline's size (about 43, I think). Their guard seems to be a bit less prepared than in the past, but as the season progresses I'm sure we'll see that trademark Mandarins clean-up. Their guard is considerably bigger than last year, and I wish they'd spread them out more to accentuate that. As it is, they seem smaller than they are because of how compact their guard forms are. Overall, a nice start." -- brassboy, on DCP

"Just saw Mandarins... they got some rockin tunes. I like them! Go TOMORROW!" -- NeutralNovice, on DCP

"Mandarins: They looked so small compared to BD and SCV. To me, year after year their shows all seem the same (even when I competed against them in Div III) They have lots of to do to finish, refine and clean their show. It will be itneresting to see them stacked up against Scouts, Blue Stars, Troopers etc." -- arno0940, on DCP