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2017 World Championships Prelims - Aug 10


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A couple points I wanted to make after reading through comments:

 

1. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but this place has became quite negative recently. I've only been using DCP for a few years, but I really feel bummed out.

 

2. I LOVE SCV this year. They're wonderful. Here's the point I'd like to make. Just about all of the east coast folk were adamant after their first meet that Bluecoats were better than SCV, that Bluecoats were the best corps and we're going to win it all. Fast forward to today, nobody is really making that argument. Now it's that SCV is getting the shaft and should be dominating BD. Few made these arguments until SCV was clearly in 2nd place. I feel like people really jumped on the SCV bandwagon because they are serious challengers to BD. My point being: it seems to me that some people (not all) just argue that BD should be losing to whoever is in 2nd place.

 

3. Lots of talk of BD standing still (ballad is the biggest complaint), which there is a level of validity to. My biggest question here is this: Why is nobody upset about Bluecoats ballad?

 

I know I've made some inflammatory comments here. I really love each of the corps this year and SCV is among my favorites. I have no problem with Bloo's ballad. I don't mean to create more tension, I just believe some are being overly critical of BD. Drum corps becomes vastly more enjoyable when you're not invested in the results and just show up to see some great performances.

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9 hours ago, Ghost said:

Maybe it is, but recently the judges don't seem to think so.

They thought so last night.

My post claimed that the judges think Crown has the best brass. Are you claiming otherwise?

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Dark takes, from the theater.

Had a 2/3-full house, mostly HS band kids and their older friends who have since graduated, some of them in corps jackets. This is one of the more band-forward areas of Colorado.

BD: Others have complained: Formulaic! My take: yes, but they work their formula so dang well that it doesn't matter. Performance quality counts for a lot. You could put BD members in a lackluster show design and they will carry the show deep into finals. And Rondinaro is right: the ballad is one of the five best moments of the year.

SCV: Fierce. Tom Blair's excellent crew gave us a great read on the drum line, and the theater sound was good and crisp. Those tenors just blew me away. The mellos howled. The visual intensity of the final 2 minutes was electrifying. Rooting for a gold.

Crown: Yes, the brass, but to me the battery deserves equal star billing. That feature on the 40 yard line near the halfway mark of the show is nails. The opening statement is fabulous, but this year's Crown show seems to lack that one, massive, volcanic moment deep in the show.

Bluecoats: During the show lead-in, Dean Westman seemed to say that the design team just threw stuff at the wall last autumn and this is what they came up with. Well. The performance jumped off the screen; the energy level in the theater went up two notches. This is the corps kids drool over.

Cavaliers: The more I see it, the more fun I have. It's wacky; it's frenetic; it's not especially flowing and beautiful the way Cavies have shown before. But when the big "My Way" theme punches through "Mars" during the final 60 seconds, it is immensely satisfying.

Boston: I enjoyed it more in the theater than I have via Flo so far this season. I felt more of a connection with the performers, and they communicate very well. The big screen does a lot for their guard, too. Musically, this is my least-favorite show among the top 15 or so; there's no ear-worm melody, not even of a haunting type, that sticks with me. It's all acting and stagecraft and high-level technical execution with drums and brass. But if I were a music analysis judge, I'd have a hard time grabbing on to something to analyze.

Cadets: Getting more enjoyable with each run. I had been looking forward to what the theater could do with that final push in the closer, and it was as glorious as I had hoped. That's another one of the top-5 moments this season. Those robes either hide marching/interval inconsistencies, or they make them look dirty -- you choose. I find their ultimate uniform -- the one that's visible at the very end -- be be rinky-dink. But I enjoyed the overall production. Kids are really bringing it.

Blue Knights: Hometown crowd loved them, of course. They've changed up the narration, and I think for the better. For one thing, there's less of it during the tacets in the closer, and the stuff about cities in 107 Steps has been changed to more effective ideas about self-worth. Or something. Anyway, I felt BK's run betrayed a bit of nerves; some errant guard equipment work and at least one uncertain horn entrance during a supremely exposed moment. That's unusual for BK, whose members seem to be completely comfortable in their skin and who have embraced this music and concept from the first day of spring training. But they powered through it, and their extended ending feels solid. I expect they'll own the field a bit more confidently tonight. Overall, BK's program has a distinctive difference to it compared to all the other corps. I guess that much is obvious, especially considering their costumes. But what I mean is that everything about the show -- the musical selections, their arrangements, the (some would say excessive) body movement of the corps proper, the way the members get face-to-face with the audience at various points -- just the whole mood is somehow more personal, more intimate than the spectacles put on by the likes of Cavies, BAC, SCV ... 

Phantom: The closer is the highlight for me. Others have remarked how huge the guard is, and on the big screen, not only did the big guard appear even bigger, but at certain high-cam shots when the entire horn line was assembled in one unit visually, the smallness of the brass ensemble was noticeable, too. The "phantasm" theme seems entirely pointless and unnecessary; Will made a game effort to explain the show is a move from reality to fantasy to . . . something else, but really, I don't see any need for it. If I didn't speak English and didn't understand the narration (more like chanting), I don't imagine I would enjoy the show any less. They could have called this show Four Great Tunes and the Biggest Guard You've Ever Seen, and it would have had no ill effect, except maybe on T-shirt sales.

Blue Stars: Some genuinely big moments and glorious sound -- though by the end, the repeated Romeo&Juliet quotation was feeling a bit cliche. They are constantly on the move, it seems, and there are visually compelling moments. The theme is just about as deep as you'd want it to be: enough of an idea to give it structure, but thin enough to get out of the way. I didn't get much in the way of lovers, or literature from the show, and that's okay.

Crossmen: This is the most engaging and enjoyable product from them in the past 5 years or so. The day-glo balls are gimmicky and their repeated introduction -- the birth of ideas from a trapped hornline; the irrepressive inventive spirit? or something -- has no obvious connection to the theme of "enigma," but then again, nothing really has a connection to the enigmatic. Maybe the whole show is supposed to leave you scratching your head. But, as with PR, Crossmen could have named their show nothing at all, and it still would have been as enjoyable.

Madison: Better in the theater than I had experienced on the livestreams. I put it in the BAC category of mood and moments, but little melody. But the performers put on a convincing scowl, and from a mood perspective, there was no mistaking the message, so mission accomplished, I guess. I'd still prefer that Madison knock the house down with a great tune.

Mandarins: Their final 90 seconds or so are marvelous. The rest is a lot of fun, too. 

Colts: I dunno, it's a fine show. It all feels a bit generic to me. Sort of like where Crossmen have been in recent years, only in red. The pac-man half-globes feel ham-handed to me, sort of a "get it?" attempt. Yeah, I get it. They move and play very well, and "both sides now" is a great arrangement.

Academy: Surprised to see them drop below Colts, tbh. What felt like a ponderous production early in the season has lightened up and gained a good bounce in its step. Tom Blair and his crew made the show accessible in a way Flo has not. The show held my interest in a way Colts and several other corps did not. I expect them to turn up the wattage tonight; wouldn't be surprised to see them jump up a spot.

Edited by 2muchcoffeeman
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Anyone else hear a few soloist cracks in BD? Phasing at the end between pit drumset & field brass/battery?

( My perceptions at theater last night)

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My random 2 cents on last night's performances:

My first time seeing Madison and I liked it way more than I thought I would. Lots of intensity and the brass sounds solid!

I realized that while I'm meh on the visual program, the Crossmen music is great! I would totally listen to it in my car.

My first time seeing BAC. ! That show blew me away. Massive jump from last year. Hot take alert: IMO, the best singing and best ballad this year! It really pulled at my emotions, and for me, that is the point of this artistic activity :)

In fact, my personal enjoyment ranking:

  1. Vanguard and BD (tie, yeah its a cop-out). 
  2. Crown
  3. BAC
  4. Bloo

Performance-wise, I found something to enjoy from every single show. Special mention to Mandarins: Very cool show, even though the drum major intimidates me a little, haha!

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, denverjohn said:

Anyone else hear a few soloist cracks in BD? Phasing at the end between pit drumset & field brass/battery?

( My perceptions at theater last night)

BD did not have a particularly good run last night and I'm sure they know it. I fully expect them to come out with guns blazing tonight.

Edited by mfrontz
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10 hours ago, goirish52 said:

Wonderful night tonight.  i loved every second of it.

One mans opinion.

Mandarins were woulds better than Madison.

I agree with this (although not sure about world's better), but I admit to being very biased. I know nothing about the technical side of scoring, so I'm sure I'm missing alot that differentiates the scores in the minds of the judges. However, from a pure "likeability" factor it's hard to see a 2-pt difference in scores. Luckily for all involved, I'm not a judge.

Very impressed by all of the corps who performed. The dedication required just to get here is amazing, and every participant should be proud of themselves.

Edited by DCIdad
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1 hour ago, MidWAmericanArts said:

3. Lots of talk of BD standing still (ballad is the biggest complaint), which there is a level of validity to. My biggest question here is this: Why is nobody upset about Bluecoats ballad?

It sucks so much that people are focused on the subpar music content and not even thinking about the visual.

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1 hour ago, MidWAmericanArts said:

A couple points I wanted to make after reading through comments:

 

1. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but this place has became quite negative recently. I've only been using DCP for a few years, but I really feel bummed out.

 

2. I LOVE SCV this year. They're wonderful. Here's the point I'd like to make. Just about all of the east coast folk were adamant after their first meet that Bluecoats were better than SCV, that Bluecoats were the best corps and we're going to win it all. Fast forward to today, nobody is really making that argument. Now it's that SCV is getting the shaft and should be dominating BD. Few made these arguments until SCV was clearly in 2nd place. I feel like people really jumped on the SCV bandwagon because they are serious challengers to BD. My point being: it seems to me that some people (not all) just argue that BD should be losing to whoever is in 2nd place.

 

3. Lots of talk of BD standing still (ballad is the biggest complaint), which there is a level of validity to. My biggest question here is this: Why is nobody upset about Bluecoats ballad?

 

I know I've made some inflammatory comments here. I really love each of the corps this year and SCV is among my favorites. I have no problem with Bloo's ballad. I don't mean to create more tension, I just believe some are being overly critical of BD. Drum corps becomes vastly more enjoyable when you're not invested in the results and just show up to see some great performances.nty

Plenty of people have discussed the Bluecoats ballad, it's been the weak point of their show all season long. They left way too much off the field in that section to medal. 

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3 minutes ago, MikeRapp said:

Plenty of people have discussed the Bluecoats ballad, it's been the weak point of their show all season long. They left way too much off the field in that section to medal. 

This was in reference to their lack of drill/movement. I've heard discussion of the weakness of it, but I'm not talking about that. I'm making the comparison to BD's ballad, which people have been very critical of the lack of drill.

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