Jump to content

Opening Night!


Recommended Posts

14 minutes ago, Tobias said:

Everyone's show is incomplete.

I thought everyone debuts their final product in June..... </sarcasm>

What I was alluding to is that almost everyone else tonight had shows that saturate the field with their key concepts/ideas. Religious references, a huge jagged runway, space props, love, etc. Crown's concept will take infinitely more work to covey on the field as they polish their show and add in layers. Their show is smart and will take some time to sink in like 2013 and many of BD's recent productions. I know this isn't all that GE takes into accounts but I just hope this caption doesn't hold their score back as August rolls around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So just back to the hotel from LOS. Here is my very "unprofessional" take on the night:

Theme of the night:  how big can your props get and how many speakers can you fit on the field

Cross man:  my favorite show of the night belongs to Bones!  They have stepped it up a notch this year. This show is integrated very well with the props and the guard. Pretty good brass book. It sounded a little thin tonight but I'm sure it has to do with the demand of the drill. I'm sure that will get better. Those uniforms look incredible under the lights. I really like this show. 

Bluestars:  Cool story!  Not at all what I was expecting. They tell a love story that is pretty easy to follow. Awful brave using Romeo and Juliet after The Academy but it sounds different enough that the comparison went away pretty quick. This brass line is pretty good. 

Cadets:  not sure what to do with this one yet. This show is hard, hard, hard!  And not traditional Cadets. It has a ton of potential and if it catches fire it could be a tough one to beat. The choir blended pretty well. they were featured when needed and at other times just sounded like part of the brass line. This pit is really good. I actually like the stained glass props. The trumpet and baritone duet toward the end was gorgeous the way they were staged. The robes are going to have to grow on me. Too easy to highlight dirty feet. I'm anxious to see this one again in July. 

Cavies:  Electronic Avenue!  They have gone crazy with the electronics but somehow it worked. I can sum this show up in one word...fun!  The uniform "switch" was seamless and virtually unnoticed although it was in plain sight. The live crowd liked the switch. Visually this show was stunning.   Not sure this has the potential Propaganda did but it is going to be fun to watch it develope. 

Crown:  The preview video floating around dies not do this show justice. This show is a monster. Those uniforms look great in person. I quit trying to figure out what "it is" and just enjoyed the show. That brass line...OMG!!  None of the other corps tonight came even close to that Crown line. And the battery is definitely not in the way this year!  Tight, crisp, and loud. As this show evolves it is going to be a contender. 

Coats:  Well...they did it again. There was a collective gasp as the props began to come onto the field. And their uniforms this year are more minimalist than last but they fit the show. At least they are wearing hats this year. Lol. They came out with that champion attitude!  I'm not really sure how you beat what I saw on the field tonight. I wasn't really impressed with their overall sound but it is early and that is some tough music. Don't know if it was seen on the stream but on of the snares highlighted the danger of this show. One slip on the stairs an the whole corps winds up in a pile at the bottom. I hope he is ok!  I do have to admit the opener is insanely cool, and that ballad...wow!  I do wonder though where does this show go from here?  It is Bloo and I'm sure they have a plan. 

Bottom line:  If the six corps in tonight's premier are any indication of the rest of the corps we are in for a lot of fun this summer!!

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, palmettomello said:

I thought everyone debuts their final product in June..... </sarcasm>

What I was alluding to is that almost everyone else tonight had shows that saturate the field with their key concepts/ideas. Religious references, a huge jagged runway, space props, love, etc. Crown's concept will take infinitely more work to covey on the field as they polish their show and add in layers. Their show is smart and will take some time to sink in like 2013 and many of BD's recent productions. I know this isn't all that GE takes into accounts but I just hope this caption doesn't hold their score back as August rolls around.

Second half may require major rewrites. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few thoughts:

- Cavies' use of samples this year isn't as fluid as last year, but at least they tried to create the effect with samples and recordings. Cadets and Crown would've been much better served to sprinkle in recorded stuff rather than use live voice, in my opinion. 

- I didn't see anything from Crown's drill that said "wow, thankfully they finally ditched Leon May and got somebody like Sacktig!" I was never in the anti-May camp, and I didn't see much drill-wise that excited me from Sacktig this year (not bad, just not memorable - perhaps that's to come).

- I like Blue Stars, and I'm sure things will shape up for them. I hope they add a snippet read from Moulin Rouge to mirror the other two segments. The Moulin Rouge segment didn't make much sense to me, but I'm sure they're still working on it.

- Crown and Bluecoats brass are performing at such a high level right now - wow. 

- I thought the Bloo/Crown gap would be a little wider.

- Entertainment wise, my order: Bloo, Blue Stars, Cadets, Cavies, Crown, Xmen

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, kinetic inferno11 said:

Everyone praising the Cavies, but for all the backlash the Cadets were getting, they really showed up tonight. Even without an ending, they still got 4 points ahead of the Blue Stars who I thought was very good. In the theater they seemed VERY visually dirty, but when they add the ending and clean that up it could very well end up as a top 5 or 6 show. I absolutely love it.

The Cadets have a show that could be special, but likely not top 3.  I think their show has better flow than some of the others.  But it also needs less clutter in visual and more coordination, which I think is coming. I love the risks they are taking.  I really believe they needed to move this direction.  Regardless of placement this was needed. Enjoyed them. 

Carolina Crown essentially has what looks like two shows, so I understand the confusion and even dislike of their 2nd act. But I really like it and it has grown on me. If they can smooth out the transitions I think they are top 3 material -- possibly.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...