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All time shows: Carolina Crown


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18 hours ago, MikeN said:

Yay Crown!

Favorites

Out of this World (2014) - I was very disappointed by this show when I first saw it in the theater that year.  2013 was such a wonderful music book that totally captured the "spirit" of the 20th century minimalists, if not the letter.  OOTW was a more typical drum corps type program that felt all over the place.  As the years have gone on, though, I think they really did not get as much credit as they should have, particularly in the brass - my goodness, this is one of the most well-written and performed brass books ever!  Love, love, love the finale with the running upper brass, and they absolutely nailed the opening.

Rach Star (2011) - I loved how they integrated the various bits and bobs together.  Paint it Black is one of my favorite drum features ever (even managed to transcribe the parts - holy heck!).  I know the Band Directors that run marching music turn their nose up at rock, but it *can* be done.  (Though it's funny that Crown's idea of "raawwwwwk" are the Stones and Queen - who have been performing for more than and almost 50 years each)

Chess...and the Art of Strategy (1996) - this was the first year for "darker" Crown - the purple jackets, and of course, the giant chess set on the field.  If only we'd known what props were going to be like 20 years later... The visual design is superb - they use the pieces to great effect throughout the program, popping out and back in to match the darker music.  While Nimrod of course is the change of piece ballad, the closer merges Walton and Elgar's music together in a really cool way that just screams "yup, we're done."  While Postcards from Britain (1997) was a more technically well-performed show (and Terpsichore is one of my favorite DCI charts ever!), Chess had more heart. 

A Second Chance (2010) - I love this show so hard.  The opening Mahler... wow.  Longest mello note ever?  Danzon - another of my favorite drum breaks ever.  The only thing that keeps this show from being in like my top 3 ever is the finale.  Despite being told a million times over the summer "we have a plan," it never felt like they had a plan.  Unless presented with undisputable video evidence, I do not believe kind of sort of reprising 2009 was the end goal.  That's a minor quibble though - the music in the first 2/3 is so spectacular, I'll forgive just about anything in there!

Finis (2008) - Sometimes, it's the seemingly "easy' shows that are the hardest.  Peel back the curtain on Crown that year and they are running and gunning as much as any of the other top corps, while making it feel like a stroll in the park.  The closer, of course, is an insanely fun game of DCI Music Whack-A-Mole, but pay attention along the way and there is so much to like in what you see and hear.  This new "sophisticated" version of Crown may be above a show like this these days, but this program would score high in any year. 

 

Honorable Mention

Angelus (2005) - the brass the brass the brass the brass the brass the brass the brass ...

 

Not-So-Favorites

Bohemia (2004) - yeah, the singing, but the whole back half of the show didn't musically connect to the front half.  It never really felt like a full program.

Greek Mythology (2002) - let us never speak of this again.  Two corps got suckered in by "Javelin" that summer and had bad competitive years (Glassmen).  Let's just call it the curse of Michael Torke and move on.

I believe 3 corps played Javelin in 2002. I'm pretty sure Troopers played Javelin as well.

 

Z

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 Anybody else here like the 2000 Carolina Crown show... " Mask of Zorro ?. I realize it was during the early stages of the ascendancy for Carolina Crown, and it did not have the polish, music demand, and the MM talent we'd begin to find in their high placing and more successful shows that would soon follow from them in the succeeding years... but Man, I liked their Spanish themed music from this 2000 year from them...aggressive, intense, loud... and with a nice beat, I thought. Is toe taping music bad ? Not necessarily for me... lol!

Edited by BRASSO
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Favorites: 

1. 2007

2. 2016

3. 2012

4. 2000

5. 2014 

6. 2011

7. 2015

8. 2013 

9. 2008 

10. 2010

 

Bonus: shows I really dislike 

2009

2017

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1 hour ago, BRASSO said:

 Anybody else here like the 2000 Carolina Crown show... " Mask of Zorro ?. I realize it was during the early stages of the ascendancy for Carolina Crown, and it did not have the polish, music demand, and the MM talent we'd begin to find in their high placing and more successful shows that would soon follow from them in the succeeding years... but Man, I liked their Spanish themed music from this 2000 year from them...aggressive, intense, loud... and with a nice beat, I thought. Is toe taping music bad ? Not necessarily for me... lol!

I honestly haven't seen it. I've seen film from 01-17 but not 00. Regardless of the talent on the field I usually am a fan of their show design so I would love to see it.

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3 hours ago, Cappybara said:

Bonus: shows I really dislike 

2009

THANK YOU.

I've felt for ages like I was the only person who really disliked that show, given all the praise that gets heaped on it. I mean, the brass was great, but...the uniforms were ugly (that green and that cream did *NOT* work), the concept was so-so at best and didn't really sell unless you were looking for it/knew where to look (and they didn't do a particularly good job of directing your eyes, so things like Tink taking over the DM stand got missed easily)...not nearly the be-all-end-all it has often been made out to be.

As for my own rankings:

2007--fantastic "introducing someone to drum corps" show, and one of the better guards out there (seriously, guard placed second performing in the sixth-place slot--that's like PR 2010 percussion levels of achievement).
2008--ditto, but with an even better hornline (and even more familiar music)
2015--because it was about time someone did a good Phantom show (Lord knows Phantom wasn't doing one that year...)
2011--this one was just fun. One of the better percussion books they've had, too.
2013--first championship. 'nuff said.

Least favorites:
2009--for reasons stated above
2014--felt a little *too* try-hard
2006--just a bit of a shrug of a show

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1.E=MC2 - I just love this everything about this show. Great music, Great Drill, Great Visual,  Excellent guard,  Loved the voices up front.  First year they wore the crowns which are so cool! And, Quantum Physics to boot! I wish there was a video of just the voices during the whole show they had some pretty cool choreography.

2. Grass is always Greener- Promise of Living (So Beautiful) Such good Storytelling, Great corps.  This was the year I knew Crown was on the right track to win one of these things.

3. RachStar- Just a fun show to watch! Always a standing Ovation!

3. Bohemia-  It took a  lot of Balls to put this on the field in 2004. I used to give them a Standing Ovation every time I saw them for being so daring. Beat Poetry,  A quintet singing Season of Love from Rent  and those sharp cream uniforms with purple accents! They placed 7th but you knew they were on the move up!

5. For the Common Good- Awesome Show but, It lacked color! I wish in the final Push they would have put out the boldest most iridescent guard equipment possible, I think that would have put them over the top!

Awesome organization, Awesome people 

Edited by boxingfred
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1. 2009 Probably my favorite drum corps show of all time. <SNL Stefon> This show had everything (including a didgeridoo!).  Amazing music and drill. Told a story with out gaudy voiceovers, the music and visuals spoke for themselves and guided us through the almost 'wizard of oz' type story. I thought the use of green and cream was one of the most unique color schemes ever fielded.  Seeing that "tinker bell" was disguised as a marching member and her reveal is probably the only time I was truly surprised by something happening on the field. Can't say enough about how perfect this show was.

2. 2008 First crack in the top 5. Probably the only "cut and paste" show I have ever liked. Intro with candide into that first impact, yowza. 

3. 2012 Fantastic, but wish they would have put a little more color on the field.

4. 2015 Inferno was great, perfect program design.

5. 2006 This was the first year I really started following drum corps and I fell in love with this show. The music is fantastic. I would really like to hear them or someone else revisit some of the source music. Sure, execution wasn't as high as we know them today. That drill is beastly and included some very, umm, interesting drill sets. I encourage everyone that hasn't watched this show in quite some time to revisit to hear that brass line digging into the music. Yes it is less refined, but yeah can begin to hear the real beginning of that distinct crown sound. Also look for a young Herbert on the flag line, the start of his years 2006-2011!

 

HM's

2010 I love love loved the Mahler and Danzon No. 2! I enjoyed this show much more than others. Sadly, the last year they really fielded the cream team. 

2016 That guard and the music!

1999+2000: The start of something special. Jekyll and Hyde and The Mask of Zorro featured some great tunes. Also those guards were way above the rest of the corps. Didn't 1999 finish like 6th while the rest of the corps finished around their final placement of 11-12th?

 

Edit: Yes, 2007 and 2013 are quite good. I just don't go back and rewatch them as much as I do for the shows listed above. 

Less than favorite: 2011 and 2014

Edited by palmettomello
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2009 and 2012 are two of my favorite music books I've ever heard on the field at any level of the marching arts so those two are in a world of their own. 

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