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Hrothgar15

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Everything posted by Hrothgar15

  1. That's not it at all. We go to shows expecting to see what we have fallen in love with for all these years, but do not. It's disappointing, if nothing else. Corps can very easily realize that some of the things they're doing are not bringing drum corps in the direction most desired by fans and can change this...and then everyone will be happy. And I don't want to hear anything about how by not using amps corps would be leaving a whole realm of creativity and cease to entertain an entire group of fans...corps from 1972 to 2003 were exponentially more creative and had more creative shows on the field than they do now, for sure, and NO ONE in that era complained, "Hmm, if only we could add a little singing to this section and a few minutes of talking right here." This is ridiculous.
  2. Mind you that recording was taken after about seven full (as in three-hour) rehearsals...and it's a high school band.
  3. My major gripe with this show is that...there's nothing going on! It just seems...dead, especially in the opener. Nothing to pull the audience in. Think of openers like '95, '96, '97, and '99...just one fully developed musical idea and melodic phrase after another. Everything flowed so perfectly. Everything WENT somewhere. It's as if each note and chord was hand-picked and placed perfectly. The arrangement of Gabriel's Oboe...what was that? I enjoyed the solo work but what was with the pit part? In 2003 my band used this as our ballad, arranged by Jay Bocook. Here's a recording from an early-season football game to give you guys a better idea of what this piece is supposed to sound like and what the Scouts could be doing with it...and aren't: Gabriel's Oboe The closer was pretty much dead too. I think Phantom Regiment in '93 and Blue Devils in '99 pretty much did all that could be done with that...piece (sorry, don't know the name). Why not go for something original? (Oh, and you for all of you pushing for woodwinds in DCI, did you notice how "un-drum-corps-like" that clip was? Do you REALLY want those sounds in drum corps? I know I sure don't...heck, I was responsible for some of those sounds in that clip and I still would NEVER want to hear them in drum corps.)
  4. I seem to remember the characters from the Cadets 1995 show quite well...the main soldier, his girlfriend, all the other soldiers and their girlfriends...and they told a beautiful, serious, coherent story that I got the first time I ever saw the show, oh and what else did they do...oh yeah, they didn't OPEN THEIR MOUTHS. I had NO idea what was going on during the Cadets show I saw last Friday night. Something about a yellow girl and a scantily clad lady in red and a rabbit who swallowed something. That's all I got out of the book. I didn't want to understand what was up with the yellow girl and her friends, I wanted to understand the music the hornline was playing and the licks the percussion was throwing down. Unfortunately, ALL of the performers took a back seat to the four "characters." My freakin' God...and people are wondering why this show is getting such negative reviews...
  5. But they're not full, well-developed, maturely written melodies, just tiny four-note motifs. Gimme a corps that'll go out and play or maybe a Heck, even will do. But do I really want to hear a one-second long repeated ad infinitum in various different forms yielding to very little musical development? No thank you.
  6. Uhhh...who suffers? Why would anyone "suffer" if amps could not be used? How many corps "suffered" from 1972 to 2003...oh yeah, that's right...NO ONE, and at least 100 complete masterpieces of shows came out of that era and hundreds of other superb ones. <**> Let's make a list of every beneficial contribution that amps have made, the ones that make fans go, "Oh, if only they had allowed amps in 1992, what a show that would have been!" 1.
  7. Obviously I was paraphrasing what the kid said and those were by no means his actual words, but he clearly mentioned the props, the uniforms, the singer, and the talking. More accurately it was something like, "Dad...what are those benches for? You know Dad? The pink benches? Why are they there?" or something like, "Who is that lady? Dad? Dad, why is she singing?" The kid was annoying, but give him time and in a few years he'll be the perfect DCPer. :P
  8. Confused, to say the least. Take the 7-year-old son of a Spirit alum sitting behind me, for example. "Dad, why are there so many props? Dad, why do their uniforms look so silly? Dad, how come there's a girl singing? Dad, why are they talking? You just got finished telling me to be quiet during the shows but THEY'RE allowed to talk? Not fair."
  9. Yes, it's true that we at DCP make up a very small fraction of the total DCI audience, but as extreme fans of the activity who pay so much money to go to shows as we do, I believe we are most entitled to seeing drum corps as entertaining as possible. That said, take the time to answer this poll. Thanks! Also, since the poll won't let me add anymore questions, if you would like you can choose to answer this question as well. Out of the three vocal sections in the show ("History Repeating" introduction, percussion feature lines, ballad), which was your favorite? least favorite? And why?
  10. 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001 are all incredibly "safe" shows and were exactly like every show on the field and every show they've done before, and those are some of their best. I saw no innovation, only great music and great drill. That's all that drum corps needs to survive. Heck, keep it exactly how it was in 1999 for 100 more years and I'll be a happy man.
  11. Star of Indiana 1987. Holy ballad, Batman!
  12. Any way we can compare the use of amplified voice in Division I this year as opposed to last year (and the year before)? I'd like to see where things are heading. So far 2004 Blue Devils: No Blue Stars: No Bluecoats: No Boston Crusaders: Yes Cadets: No Capital Regiment: No Carolina Crown: Yes Cavaliers: No Colts: No Crossmen: No Glassmen: No Kiwanis Kavaliers: No Madison Scouts: No Magic: No Phantom Regiment: No Pioneer: No Santa Clara Vanguard: No Seattle Cascades: No Southwind: No Sprit of JSU: No Troopers: No 2005 Blue Devils: No...haha, just making sure you were paying attention, big fat YES right here Blue Stars: No Bluecoats: Yes Boston Crusaders: No Cadets: Yes Capital Regiment: No Carolina Crown: No Cavaliers: No Colts: ? Crossmen: No Glassmen: No Kiwanis Kavaliers: No Madison Scouts: No Magic: No Phantom Regiment: No Pioneer: No Santa Clara Vanguard: No Seattle Cascades: Yes Southwind: No Sprit of JSU: ? Troopers: No 2006 Blue Devils: No Blue Stars: No Bluecoats: No Boston Crusaders: No Cadets: Yes Capital Regiment: ? Carolina Crown: No Cavaliers: No Colts: No Crossmen: Yes Glassmen: No Madison Scouts: No Magic: No Phantom Regiment: No Santa Clara Vanguard: No Seattle Cascades: Yes Southwind: No Sprit of JSU: No Does that look about right? Also, a question mark means I'm not sure, can anyone help clarify? Thanks.
  13. Here's the latest...actually I overreacted, of course he can post whatever he wants on his website. "Our website is our website.. We do get to control what is posted - don't ya think" "True enough. Again, no hard feelings. Looking forward to seeing the Cadets in Atlanta with all of the vocals removed. "History Repeating" can simply be played by the pit (the corps proper is marching at a different tempo than the song, correct?) Any background information that the audience needs to know about show (in this case, that it's a sequel to last year's) can be placed inside the event program so it is unobtrusive. Instead of vocal interludes during the percussion feature, have the four do a solo rifle toss, or some other guard trick (1999 Big Apple show with the "toss-hug-catch," anyone?) At least that actually belongs in drum corps and falls within the idiom. And the audience can applaud it...every single millisecond performed on the field should be able to be applauded by the audience. A member speaking a line into a microphone, however, cannot be applauded. The solution for the ballad is simple: give Amy Hernandez a mellophone and teach her how to play. An amplified voice, unfortunately, will never blend within the brass ensemble. Isn't the point of drum corps instrumentation the homogenized sound the full corps makes? Her voice adds something foreign to this sound and practically covers up the entire brass sound. If anything else, at least reduce her volume to half the amount. Remember in 1995 when the corps told a beautiful story without the use of voice and relied on their instruments, and in doing this were able to provide a purely musical program? By the way, I understood that story a lot easier than this one, and it was very tastefully done. One of the best shows of all time! I cried the first time I watched it on DVD, with the guard member posing with the rifle at the end...I just lost it! Hope to see more shows like this in the future. Music's main selling point, though, is that its limitations force the performers to communicate not in conventional ways but through their instruments. This is the exact reason so many fans love drum corps and the Cadets. With this years show, this limitation is gone and it's no longer "music." I'm telling you, with all the vocals removed this WOULD be one of my favorite shows of all of it. Seriously. The opener that Jay wrote is simply amazing. Spectacular. I loved any minute of it. Unfortunately, the more and more I start to like this piece, the sadder I become because I know I'll never be able to enjoy it in its current form. The ballad is...scratch that, would be the most beautiful one I've ever heard on the field. I also witnessed the most talented percussion section I've ever seen, but the audience reaction was nowhere near what it could have been because people were so put off by the vocals. In fact, the man in front of me kept shaking his head the entire time. What do the vocals really add to the show? In the opinion of most, nothing, but they take away a LOT. The comments simply made a mockery out of the percussion's performance. Look at it this way. Consider the 1984 show after Barbara Moroney holds that high G in "I Have a Love" for close to 25 seconds. What if a guard member portraying Maria had yelled through a microphone in a Spanish accent, "Does-a she have to do that everrry time?" It would be ridiculous and would remove any form of integrity the show would have. People love that show because the members found an amazing way to tell the story of West Side Story THROUGH THEIR MUSIC. Please take my thoughts into consideration when tweaking the show and realize that I'm in the majority. Thanks, Jordan" "When did you see the 1995 show? You would have been 6.- And I hate to say - the voice is not going - sorry" "On DVD and on my iPod (audio portion) literally hundreds of times. Keep in mind I've seen and pretty much memorized from beginning to end (music-wise) every Cadets show since 1983. Some of the greatest shows in the world. Also, I was wondering, do you plan on featuring voice extensively in every upcoming Cadets show as long as you're director? The Cadets are known for having so many styles of shows...compare the over-the-top, theatrical, prop-heavy shows of '95 and '96 to the more traditional, less thematic, purely marching and music productions of '97 and '98. With changes in styles will voice (which in this year and last adds to the "weird" and "silly" aspects associated with the Zone) still be used? What if you choose to a showcase a composer's most famous work in an upcoming show with no real "theme" or "story"...will voice be included? If so, I'm worried." We'll see what he says.
  14. Just one of the many completely untrue rumors about the band. Many members go on to march drum corps each year.
  15. I dunno, the reviews are seem to be unanimously negative from what I've read here and on that site. Even if he doesn't post them, I encourage everyone to send him your review if you saw the show so MAYBE it can be saved. Doubt it'll do anything, but they do make adjustments over the course of the season, and they might take audience reaction into consideration.
  16. Recently, a page was started on the Cadets website that showed fan reviews of the 2006 show. The website proclaimed to give readers news about the Cadets in a "fair and balanced approach" encouraged me to "send my thoughts on the show at any time." In addition to the two largely negative reviews of the show (due solely to the vocal aspects), I decided to e-mail George with my very own review that I had also posted on the forums here. His response was, to say the least, bewildering: "I read it ... prove to me you are 17 and a student at Lassiter .." And later: "Not sure I need to give your commentary roon on my page anyway. Your views are at best closed minded." To show him this proof I sent him a picture of my Facebook profile, which clearly indicates my age and former high school, and the following message: "Please, if you are seriously trying to present audience reactions to the show in a fair and balanced way, post my review. You know I have no disrespect against the Cadets organization or its members and staff...they are BY FAR my favorite drum corps in the entire world, on a completely different level than any other. The shows from 1983 to 2004 are all, quite simply, complete masterpieces, some of the best drum corps has ever seen; in fact I honestly don't think there will ever be a finer production on the field than the 2000 show...ever. Feel free to edit my review as necessary so that it is appropriate to post on the website." And then this one: "Actually, you can even indicate which parts need to be edited or omitted so that the review can be posted on the website; I feel I deserve a chance to share my views on the show as much as anyone else, even though they may not be exactly what you want to hear. I hope you realize I have no negative feelings toward you or any of the Cadets staff ("hate the idea, not the person") and sincerely hope I didn't offend you personally. Your contribution to the Cadets over the past 25 years is simply outstanding, and they wouldn't be anywhere NEAR the level they are at today without you at the helm. Nine world championships? All you. I will say, though, that your "closed-minded" comment was a bit ironic...you won't post my comments on the show simply because I didn't like it, but I'm the closed-minded one? Hmmm... I tried to keep an open mind as best I could and tried to enjoy the Cadets show as much as possible as I have every single other one, but I couldn't. I don't see how this is closed-minded; I simply said EXACTLY what I thought of the show. Of course you have no obligation to post my review, but I would greatly appreciate it if you did. Again, no hard feelings...please? =)" The last reply I received was as follows: "Interesting - I am not posting. I just needed a sample of the love. I am just too busy to take care of all opinions I receive." Wow. So much for fair and balanced. Seems more like denial than anything else. To keep this on topic, though, do you think that the two e-mails on the website accurately reflect the general viewing public, or is it just coincidence that both painted the show in an unfavorable light?
  17. Who was he? I probaby know him. Think what you want of my former school...I was just proud to be part of a program that in its 25-year history has never used any form of amplified voice, and won't...ever. This might be why I'm so anti-amplification...I never understood the need for talking during a musical activity. Isn't it music's main selling point that the activity is inherently limited for a reason and forces the performers to communicate not in normal ways but through their instruments? That's why I go to live musical performances like drum corps shows in the first place, to see how the performers will deal with this limitation. I don't approve of mixing two completely different activities into one and destroying the integrity of both. Maybe the New York Mets should also have professional unicyclers on the field in addition to their baseball players...same exact idea as what's going on in DCI.
  18. Venue: Atlanta Brass Classic Location: McEachern High School Date: June 23, 2006 Let me start off by saying this won’t be a conventional review. There are plenty of others on this very message board, so why bore you? I hope to give you guys some insight you might not get from other reviews…so here goes. Forgive me for the errors, It was 1:36 AM after the show when I started this and 4:12 when I finished. Now that’s dedication. Little bit of background about me before we begin: I'm 17 years old (a guy) and played clarinet in my high school's marching band for four years (Lassiter High School, if you're wondering). I love drum corps and never want to see it include woodwinds in any way, shape or form. I'm just a fan though, as I obviously have never marched. First I’ll give my initial impressions of the corps and their performance. Then I’ll grade each corps by this…what I thought about how the show was performed, regardless of how it was designed. Next I’ll share how I thought the show was from a design standpoint, regardless of how it was performed. Moving on I’ll add what needs to be fixed about the show from both viewpoints. Here’s where it gets interesting. Though drum corps has many different facets, there are about twenty or so aspects I look for when I determine how great a show a show truly will be come finals night, so I’ll say which requirements the show met and give it a “requirement rating.” Next explain how the audience around me reacted to the show, and basically how the show will be perceived by the general DCI-viewing public. And finally, I’ll give the show a letter grade based on its potential for the performance and design to improve by finals, and then a letter grade for the performance tonight. A note on the ratings first off: I’m rating the shows compared to every other drum corps show I’ve seen. My favorite shows, Cadets 2000 and Santa Clara Vanguard 1989, would receive an A+ on this scale, and I’ll be rating accordingly. Actually though, let me begin by talking about the venue. McEachern is a great place for drum corps, excellent facilities, food, and great layout. It’s just a place you can go at the beginning of the season and have that warm feeling in your heart seeing everyone there, just like you, for the activity you love. I went with a friend, a fellow drum corps fan, and we had seats close to the top on the north 45 yardline—couldn’t have been much better. Very comfortable seating as well. Behind me was a Spirit alum and his two young sons—in front two middle-aged couples from which I could tell the husband had been involved with drum corps. The bandos seemed to have stayed home as the Cavaliers were not at this competition, so I was mainly surrounded with drum corps fans—always a plus. Now, on to the shows. Corpsvets Since they were in exhibition, I won’t do an in-depth analysis. This was a great show and seemed to be designed very well for the performers. It was short, but I don’t think that was the full show. They are MUCH improved from last year, both design- and performance-wise. Great visual program that is just right for them, performed solidly. The members seem to really be “selling the show” and exhibit a confidence unseen from them by me. Overall rating: D+ Let me take this time to mention my “requirements” as mentioned before. They are, in no particular order: 1. Melodic, coherent writing 2. Complexity of music 3. Maturity of music 4. Originality 5. Volume Excitement 6. Power 7. Goosebumps 8. Tears 9. Beauty 10. Lushness 11. Emotion-arising capability 12. Captivating ability (genuinely WANTING to watch the show and wanting to see what’s next) 13. Maturity of design 14. Fullness and richness of overall product 15. “Big”ness (you KNOW when a show is “big”…will it stand out from the rest of their productions?) 16. Memorability 17. Worthiness (will it stand against the best drum corps shows of all time) 18. Nuance 19. Polish And most importantly 20. Complete corps-audience connectivity (is EVERYTHING the corps performs what the audience WANTS to hear and see? Are the corps and the audience on the “same side,” or does it feel like the corps is going AGAINST the audience? Will the audience clap politely for the corps or clap as a way of expressing how they feel? Will the corps lift the entire audience to their feet at the end of the show…before it even ends?) Teal Sound Intial Impressions: They did what they needed to—show exactly the difference between senior corps and junior corps. They had that “drum corps sound” right off the bat, that sound that puts you in another world and is like any other sound you’ve heard before. I was looking forward to seeing where this show was going. Performance: Exceeded my expectations. Imagine my surprise when I saw these kids in the stands after the show and figured out they were primarily high-schoolers. This did NOT show on the field…they do the drum corps activity justice, and their youth isn’t made readily apparent in the least bit. These kids deserve a LOT of credit for doing what they’re doing. Yes, there were definite ensemble issues, but it seems like these kids are being taught well and are heading in the right direction. Visual I would not expect too much more from such a group, VERY impressive. Issues? Of course. Nothing that can’t cleaned up, though, to make for a great performance. Design: This show just screamed, “Great coherent, melodic writing.” No, I wasn’t aware of any of the pieces, or a theme, but the show just “made sense” to me. It’s a greatly designed product for the kids, and I approve. The show was entertaining and definitely representative of drum corps. Needs to be fixed: Not much. The kids need to keep at it and keep doing what they’re doing. Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Effectiveness of drill Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: C+ (10/20) Audience Reaction: They dug it, and understood it, and approved. Potential Rating: B- Actual Rating: C- Final words: Great show! Magic Intial Impressions: Love the uniform. Expected to “wow” me from the beginning than Teal Sound; they did not, and I was disappointed. THE DRUM LINE IS SICK. Viewing them warming up they were the real deal. These kids are for real. Performance: Adequate but underwhelming…even scored on the same sheets I would but them behind Teal Sound. They have very loose control of the ensemble and have not really met that characteristic drum corps sound nor are approaching it. The effort is totally there, though and with help they can grow to new heights. Sound is way-too trumpet heavy and frankly, quite harsh. Enormous potential in this group, however. Excellent soloists as well. Design: Immature. “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” is taken completely out of context and completely lacked in originality, more “tarnished” than “rearranged.” The theme seems like a gimmick, it’s ineffective in portraying “Joy.” There were aspects of the design I enjoyed, though, though the source material was limited the opener was arranged quite well and flowed, it was ust ineffective. Ballad was very enjoyable, voiced well and does what it needs to. “Chaos” was just a waste. This piece is done, over with, kaput, and has no business in being in a DCI show until the ‘30s or ‘40s. Show designers must take into account other corps’ shows when designing their own. Unfortunately, this piece did not work within the context and the arrangement left a lot to be desired…most importantly it dropped the originality and maturity of this show. The last number was very well done, however, and brought the show to a great finish. Needs to be fixed: Ensemble needs be built from scratch; members need to “sell” the show and gain confidence. Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Effectiveness of drill Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: F (6/20) Audience Reaction: Loved the drumline. Potential Rating: C- Actual Rating: F+ Final words: Members need a better product to work with. Southwind Initial Impressions: Kid behind me (around 7 years old) says, “Well Dad, I guess Southwind ‘gets the point’!” Laughed literally for 30 seconds. Audience seemed unfamiliar with the corps….having not seen them live I didn’t know what to expect. Performance: Again, like Magic, too trumpet heavy. Their blend is better, though, and it’s more characteristically “drum corps.” Closer in achieving the true drum corps “it’s unlike anything else, and it’s amazing” sound (you all know what I’m talking about). Confident visual performance. Design: It works to an extent. Not original in the least bit, but at least in this case the source music is used quite effectively. Also from a design perspective the show represented the theme of duality very well and some VERY creative things were done on the field. Claire de Lune, however, was not represented will and the arrangement didn’t seem to fit well into the show…Phantom 1994 pretty much put this piece to rest, this show tried to represent it in the same light and did not do nearly as good as a job. Enjoyable, however. Visual design is very satisfying and works with the entire show. The designers tried hard with this one, and got many things right. Overall pretty good. Needs to be fixed: Clean up the ensemble. Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Power Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: D (9/20) Audience Reaction: Loved the drumline. Potential Rating: C+ Actual Rating: D+ Final words: Nice job, I look forward to seeing this show again. Boston Crusaders Initial Impressions: After intermission (and $4 poorer) I was ready for the “big boys.” I expected a lot from Boston. Uniform is great and the corps has great field presence. Performance: They sold it! The corps is sounding great and they know what to do. Boston has a much better product than last year and the kids know it; they are getting into the show and taking it to the next level. Some issues need to be resolved but they are on an EXCELLENT track. Way to go! Members are confident and show you that they know how to march and play. Design: First maturely designed program of the night. The staff really thought this one out, and it shows. Flows well, arranged well, great all around! The musical design of the program was VERY satisfying and I witnessed a great musical performance throughout. Unfortunately, I don’t understand the theme of this show or how it is represented with the music and drill, which could be considered a design flaw, though perhaps it’s up to personal interpretation. Visual design is a HUGE step above last year and incredibly enjoyable. This is most definitely the best designed Boston show since 2000 by far. Nice! Needs to be fixed: Just keep doing what you’ve been doing! Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Power Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: B- (13/20) Audience Reaction: Excellent performance. Potential Rating: B Actual Rating: C+ Final words: My expectations were exceeded. Loved the show! Cadets Initial Impressions: Excited, trying to stay open-minded, but aware that there would be aspects of this show that did not fall within the drum corps idiom and would ruin an otherwise amazing product. Uniform backs are nonsensical and mock tradition. Way too many props, took too long to enter the field Performance: There was no question. The Cadets were on fire tonight and were clearly the best performing group tonight. This is best June drum corps can sound, and boy did they sound amazing. Blew me back into my seat, made me want to stand up and scream. The demand on them is insane and I see only minor flaws (for June, of course). They tore the field apart as well marching-wise. Some minor tears in the ensemble, need to try harder to stay together, but they know exactly what they’re doing. They are the Cadets, after all. Design: Whoops. Jay Bocook has written a masterful, wonderful brass book full of excitement, and the Cadets drumline is performing the greatest stuff they have in a long time. Unfortunately, all of this material is ruined and cannot be enjoyed. The show as a whole has so may repulsive elements that its merits are fore more easily overlooked. The opening segment with the drill from last year’s show WOULD have been will done…if there was not a singer singing a ROCK AND ROLL chart. Instead of paying attention to the show, everyone in the audience is wondering why someone is singing. She is completely distracting, adds nothing to the show, and takes much away. I’ll said it before and I’ll say it again: every single millisecond the members produce needs to be able to be applauded. When the opening segment was done, people didn’t know what to do. I mean, anyone can sing, and the segment wasn’t entirely impressive. The man in front of me shouted, “NOT DRUM CORPS!” and I agree. It wasn’t. The opener, on the other hand, was amazing. Spectacular. INCREDIBLY written…Jay Bocook is a genius. It doesn’t get much better than this, guys. This was the highlight of their show. It was fast, loud, melodic, and completely awesome. There were no vocals to be heard. The next feature, the percussion feature, was the worst production I’ve ever seen in drum corps in my entire life. Yet I witnessed the most amazing percussion production in the world. Guess what? It’s ruined. Completely and utterly ruined, peed upon, if you will. Characters talk back and forth with nonsensical statements that MOCK and RIDICULE the performance aspect of the show. The thing is, these statements don’t make sense. A male guard member exclaims, “I swallowed that two hours ago.” I have no idea what this means, nor did a single person in the audience. (Frankly, I have no desire to hear about a male guard member “swallowing” anything, if you catch my drift.) NO ONE got was going on and everyone was wondering why a great feature was being ruined. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR CHARACTERS TALK IN A DRUM CORPS SHOW. It’s adding something completely foreign, annoying , CHEESY, and just plain STUPID. The ballad was completely beautiful until the singer came in, Best ballad I’ve ever heard, ruined. I come to drum corps competitions to hear drums and bugles. I didn’t. I heard an amateur, averagely talented singer on amplification system. The singing adds nothing to this piece, she completely sticks out and doesn’t blend in at all, and she’s so LOUD. It makes want to cry, because the Cadets have a product that could be AMAZING and for no reason whatsoever they’ve decided to ruin it. And it’s not just me, the majority of audience members feel the same way. I am the HUGEST Cadets fan in the world and I can’t enjoy this show. At all, no matter hard I try. And THAT’S when you know when you’ve ruined the show. I imagined this ballad in my head with the brass only and it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. However, with the singer, the ballad was terrible, disgusting, horrible at best. The rest of the show was amazing and I loved it, loved Jubilee Games and how the ending from last year crept in. By the way, the story made no sense, and the dialog IN NO WAY helped explain it. What, then, are they there for if they can’t even do THAT? I had no clue what was going on…loved the music the brass and percussion played though. Needs to be fixed: Remove any sort of vocal performance entirely from the show. This MUST be done in order to give the show any sort of credibility or audience acceptance whatsoever. This show in its current form is the worst drum corps show I’ve seen in my entire life, and close for many people. It has the potential to be the best, most amazing show in the world for so many...incredible shame something like this is going on and I’m deeply saddened. Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Power Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: C (11/20) Audience Reaction: Why Potential Rating: C- Potential Rating under pre-2004 rules: A+ Actual Rating: D- Final words: What a waste. Can’t wait till 2007 when the Cadets will wake up from their “dream.” Phantom Regiment Initial Impressions: Here. We. Go. This is why I came tonight and paid $25 for good seating. I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I had fallen in love with this show from the APD and pretty much memorized it from start to end. This was the first corps from which I knew exactly what to expect and what was coming next, which in my opinion is the most enjoyable way to view a show. Could not WAIT to see this show live. Very classy field entrance. Performance: Yup. This is drum corps, and who better than Phantom Regiment to show it off? From beginning to end they were on fire: their sound is “almost” there and blends great, just a great ensemble all around. Drumline is the real deal as well. Both the technical and lyrical passages were played with great proficiency, and marching was top-notched. Phantom reminded me why I love drum corps. Design: Perfect. There, I said it. This show is designed perfectly from beginning to end. The theme is conveyed immaculately, with no need for narration or invasive props, just good old guard acting that we’ve come to know and love. Phantom tells a story through their music, a moving, emotional, heart-wrenching story. The music chosen for this story probably couldn’t have been better. The opener starts out jarring and chaotic and transforms into a huge, awe-inspiring monster. After the very effective pit interlude this piece just keeps going and going until it’s abrupt finish. Great source music, great arrangement. The ballad is beautiful and poignant, and the added baritones are a nice bonus. Incredibly melodic and lush…by far the best ballad of the night. Musical ideas are born and come to fruition, and the entire ballad is just really well done. The Corigliano is just amazing, I love all the licks and it fits incredibly well into the show, and the members are selling it. Like the rest of the show, visual design was incredible. And now the best production on the field tonight: Phantom’s closer. This. Piece. Is. Amazing. Beautiful, lush, melodic chorales progress and progress, and when the baris and mellos hit their climbing fanfares and I was grinning from ear to ear. This show brought out emotions in me never felt before. I was on the edge my seat as the corps faced backfield…Faust was being saved, good was conquering evil…I waited in anticipation as the pit played their segment, just waiting…and then it happened. Like magic, the corps turned around and launched into a final push unlike anything I’ve heard before…what was going on on the field was simply beautiful. Glorious. Amazing. Awe-inspiring. Emotional. And as I was enveloped in this huge sound, I looked at the snareline crabbing across the field and that look in their eyes, and I just lost it. I completely lost it, and started crying tears of joy. This. Is. Drum. Corps. This is why I’m a fan, why I get on DCP and argue my point to no end…it’s shows like these that I want to see for the rest of my life. The corps continued and brought the Faust motif back as a reminder and finished the show with glorious chords. I stood up 10 seconds before the end and started clapping, and only after the corps was completely off the field did I sit down…and wipe my tears. Needs to be fixed: Drill was slightly dirty, Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume
Excitement Power Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: A+ (20/20) Audience Reaction: Speechless. Potential Rating: A+ Actual Rating: A- Final words: Take it home, Phantom! Thanks for showing me what drum corps is all about. A completely moving and emotional experience. Spirit of JSU Initial Impressions: Interesting to see what these guys will pull off this year. They look excited. Performance: Nice! Best I’ve ever seen Spirit, no comparison to last year. I can’t go into much detail, but this is a great ensemble, marching and visual. Design: Compared to last year’s Broadway show (no corps should ever do such a show, sorry) this was a welcome change. I loved it! Great musical and visual design the whole way though. Blue Shades, though unoriginal, was well done. Loved the ballad. Needs to be fixed: Just keep on working and they’re a possible top 10 contender! Requirements (met requirements are in bold): Melodic, coherent writing Complexity of music Maturity of music Originality Volume Excitement Power Goosebumps Tears Beauty Lushness Emotion-arising capability Captivating ability Maturity of design Fullness and richness of overall product “Big”ness Memorability Worthiness Nuance Polish Complete corps-audience connectivity Requirement Rating: C- (11/20) Audience Reaction: Gooooo Spirit! Excellent show. Potential Rating: B+ Actual Rating: C Final words: I am LIKING what I’m seeing. Keep up the good work. Overall, it was a WONDERFUL show, and seeing Phantom Regiment tonight will be something I remember forever. It was unlike anything I’d seen or heard before. Emotions were had that only drum corps can bring out. Phantom Regiment reminded me why I love the activity…I’ll remember myself sitting there on the edge of my seat, sobbing, for the rest of my life. I’m pulling for them to win this year…I went over to the souvie booth after the show and bought a bumper sticker, which I will place in a blatant location on my car tomorrow. I’m also dedicating next week as Phantom week on my iPod, during which while driving I will blast such classics as 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 2003 from my car for the world to hear. I skipped the Cadets souvenir booth. George Hopkins, do you see what your ideas are doing to even the greatest of Cadets fans? Unfortunately, I now have to disregard 20+ years of complete masterpieces. Sorry. Again, I’m glad I got to witness one of my greatest passions tonight, drum and bugle corps, tonight, and I wish EVERY corps the best of luck for the 2006 eason.
  19. ^ WOW. Corpsvets MAJORLY IMPROVED since last year. Loved your show tonight!
  20. Not really...I find myself listening to this APD more than any of the others...it's stuck in my head quite a bit too. Yeah there are a few design issues, I will say that...it's nothing that can't be fixed or rewritten. Incredibly excited about seeing this show tonight.
  21. Hah, that's actually pretty funny. One problem I have with narration is that it's too loud...I really wish they would turn the volume down so it's a bit more subtle.
  22. Yeah, I've heard about that, just wondering if they added any more. Also, does anyone know if the hornline/percussion is playing during the dialog, or is it completely silent?
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