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All time shows: Phantom Regiment


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The week I've been waiting for. Phantom has given us some of the most amazing shows this activity has to offer, as well as some of the biggest stinkers.

Favorites: 1989, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2010.

Honorable mentions: 1993, 2003, 2008. All great shows, but the shows I listed above are simply better in my mind.

Least favorites: Literally every show post-2012. I could go on all day about the poor designs and executions of these shows, but I won't. Needless to say, Phantom has never recovered since JD and the Rennicks moved to SCV, and I'm not expecting this recent pattern to change anytime soon with all the hungry competition around them.

Dishonorable mentions: 1999, 2009.

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I've been waiting for this one!  Seeing the broadcast in '89 is what introduced me to drum corps, and Regiment hooked me immediately.

Favorites

Spartacus (2008) - I give this one the edge over Defiant Heart because of the story.  Defiant Heart generated its GE through music, Spartacus did perhaps the best job ever in DCI in adapting an honest-to-goodness narrative story into a 12 minute show.  Past that, the music was incredibly sophisticated - being honest, the brass book was much more technically demanding than Phantom typically does - and they pulled it off with a bang.  This year was my first and only live Finals weekend, and one thing that stood out was how they kept cranking the tempos up ever so slightly each show.  On the last night it felt like they must be on the edge of it just falling apart, but it never even came close.  And yes, the crowd reaction on video - it was that crazy live. 

Defiant Heart (1996 2006) - One of the more unconventional - but most effective - music books they've ever done.  Not many corps are brave enough to start with the ballad (such as it was), but the payoff was well worth it.  The poles in the drum feature were awesome live (less so on video), and of course the closer brought the house down.  Not much else I can say about it - just brilliant.  And the black on black was a masterstroke.

Harmonic Journey (2003) - yes, yes, yes, Libera's Sanctus and the reprise.  But the rest of the show is mega-awesome, too.  They managed to make some pretty complex modern pieces work with a very traditional-sounding ballad.  Musically, this show had a little bit of everything, and it totally should have been a blueprint for what they could have done moving forward.  Honestly, if they're looking for inspiration now, they could do worse than maybe watching this show again.

1989 - scores were <a bit> inflated that Finals, and I don't think it was actually a 98.4, but Phantom did a brilliant job of adapting a pretty lengthy work, with a lot of great melodies, into a fighting-trim package.  I don't care what Jeff Ream says, the drum riff in the ballad was fine.  The corps had a very mature, very dark sound, and some amazing drill moves in there as well.  All in all, it felt like a group comfortably at the top of their game. 

Phantom Voices (1991) - Not the cleanest show ever, but one of my favorites because it wears its heart on its sleeve.  No needing to deconstruct what they're going for - it's pretty much front and center.  Absolutely brilliant musical choices that all fit together nicely, and I would love to see them figuratively let their hair down like they did with Pagliacci, which is still one of my all time favorite charts.  Their second stab at Bacchanale was much tighter, and the battery much improved from the year before.  All in call, it's "classic" Phantom, and if you had to show a new fan one show that represents all that Phantom Regiment is, this one wouldn't be a bad choice!

 

Not-so-favorites

Songs from the Eternal City (1998) - After the title in '96 and such a strong brass program in '97, this show kind of felt like falling off a cliff.  It was a musical and visual mess.  I blame the staff - there was an obvious lack of clarity as to what they were going for here.

The Red Violin (2009) - I get what they were going for, but it didn't connect.  The story wasn't as interesting, and the music was... well... boring.  And the new uniform jackets were awful.

Swan Lake (2014) - Felt like another corps trying to program like Phantom Regiment.  And the uniforms... yeah.

Phantasm (2017) - I'm not sure where this one came from, but they should have put it back.  The voiceovers added nothing, and distracted greatly, and for all of the years waiting on Finlandia to appear in a show, they sure didn't do much with it. 

 

Mike

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I knew this week had to come soon.  For me, the hardest to do (except for SCV).  My favorites (for the most part) all have some personal reason why they are my favorites (duh...).  So many of their shows have moments which I absolutely adore, but the list below distills that down:

Favorites

1976 - The first year I REALLY fell in love with Phantom.  Competed against them, got to know a few of them, kinda infatuated with one of them.  The year they really cemented their image.

1982 - They took everything good from the 81 show and enhanced it.  One of the first shows where the guard really embraced playing the role.

1989 - I was really torn between Phantom and SCV winning.  If 1988 turned out just a little different for SCV, who knows how I would have felt...

1991 - Music. Passion. Jingling bells on frames. THE guard move.  LOVE this show.

1996 - Shostakovich and the black uniforms and overall stark feel. Drew you in from the start.

2008 - So much more than a Spartacus reboot, while staying true to those prior shows. Phenomenal stuff.

HMs (each with great moments)

77, 78, 79, 92, 03, 07, 11

Umm, no.

2017 (and the witch puppet from 2013)

Edited by gak27
correction and clarification
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13 minutes ago, MikeN said:

 

Defiant Heart (2006) - One of the more unconventional - but most effective - music books they've ever done.  Not many corps are brave enough to start with the ballad (such as it was), but the payoff was well worth it.  The poles in the drum feature were awesome live (less so on video), and of course the closer brought the house down.  Not much else I can say about it - just brilliant.  And the black on black was a masterstroke.

 

Mike, I think you meant 1996...

I saw your post after finishing mine and it's almost like we channeled some of our thoughts/impressions...

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58 minutes ago, MikeN said:

Songs from the Eternal City (1998) - After the title in '96 and such a strong brass program in '97, this show kind of felt like falling off a cliff.  It was a musical and visual mess.  I blame the staff - there was an obvious lack of clarity as to what they were going for here.

I can provide some insight on this one from one of my HS band directors, who marched the show--the drill writer got meningitis and had to leave early, so everything after that was cobbled together.

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1996 A Defiant Heart: classic PR

2003 Harmonic Journey: who hasn't blasted this in your car?

2006 Faust: tied with 2010 as all time PR favorite. Love the story, the music, just everything about this program. Might be the minority here, but I prefer this over The Machine from that year. 

2010 Into the Light: tied with 2006 as all time PR favorite. Not the standard PR repertoire, but jeez this show just oozes with emotion. Loved seeing this show develop over summer tour, culminating with the intro in the tunnel at Indy- sheer perfection. 

2011 Juliet: classic story, gorgeous music, bada** corps and beautiful guard.

 

Really hope that PR returns to the stylistic approach of some of the shows above. Haven't been the biggest fan of their program design for quite a few years lately. Pulling for a return of a really strong phantom. 

 

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