NakedEye

Been there the whole time, but they stage it so you don’t realize it is happening until they are wearing them. Starts with the drumline.

I think Pacific Crest is looking pretty good in the BK, Spirit, Madison, Xmen, Academy mix. They perform with a lot of confidence already.

The fictitious story arc I’ve created is it’s about someone searching for the exit after finishing their bartending shift at the leather bar. 😜

Man, with this first high perspective read on BD, the visual design is just staggeringly good. It flows and reconstitutes so effortlessly, with perfect velocity changes where needed. The ballad is stunning, musically as well as visually. Definitely their best guard since maybe...2011? Variety in musical styles is masterful. And it is such a JOYFUL show. It just pulls you in and makes you smile. Big contrast to several much more somber programs. I’m so curious about what the real ending will be. Also, Mandarins and Phantom are going to be duking it out with their high-intensity, risk-taking programs. I think Cadets’ safer, tighter show may get trampled in the end.

I’d just like to say that I’m enjoying the return of ridiculous show title threads. 😂 Those were missed last season when someone took a “just the facts, ma’am” approach. Stanford and Son gave me the giggles.

It takes much more than that to insult me! 😂 I thought perhaps I was not clear and thank you for the kind remarks. Cadets really communicated their idea clearly last year, so I’m hoping this one clarifies more as the season progresses.

I know who Atlas is. I know the mythology, the references in literature, the use as a brand symbol on everything from gyms to movers to air cargo companies. I know the character is often used as an example of carrying a burden or overcoming obstacles, and statues of the character are on their flags, etc. My point is more that, beyond surface references, training choreography early on, and the show title, I haven’t yet picked up on if they are aiming to depict overcoming a struggle or what.

I thought the prior score was on the low side, so I’m pretending this was a more natural progression. 😜 This show strikes me as an evolution. 19 and 22 were very similar structurally, which made sense after the years away and rookie group, but this one jumps again, like from 16 to 17. I find it much more daring in a lot of areas, and that’s great for everyone. They are pushing forward and it is marvelously entertaining.

I would put Phantom over Cadets at this point because their overall design seems more coherent. Props, tarps, drill, uniforms,silks all feel like a uniform thought with shared design elements. With Cadets, I’m not sure what the idea is. An athletic competition? A workout? Struggle to improve? The uniforms are a very literal, specific look, but the props are just...for what purpose? The music is great and they move well, but there seems to be a missing element.

BD is giving me the vapors. Really, really good show that’s full of life. The amount of detail is staggering and they look like they love performing it. Can’t wait to see how they refine it over the next month.

Right now it is missing a showstopping moment like the keytar section last year. Let’s see how they develop it.

Was there a Garfield G in Cadets’ drill on side 1 near the end? I think I saw it briefly.

Everyone else does “color guard dance 101,” which is why most of us of a certain age are having joint replacements now. BD trains for effect and health.

I imagine they will have a video that explains the significance of the uniform eventually, but my take is the earlier part of the show is Matisse experimenting with the cut-out technique as a way to create during infirmity. The second part, and the colorful coats, represents his full embrace of the style he created, and those are covered with the organic shapes most identified with his cut-out period. As are the silks. It’s just everywhere like he is fully living the moment at the conclusion.

Oh the movement technique is still there, no worries. Plus they've now added the hardest technical equipment work they've ever done on top of it, and achieving more of it early in the season than at any time in recent memory. They also have the advantage of a joy-filled show. Look out!

No no no on the tarps. They are blindingly white and pulling focus from the drill, plus obliterating the silver props, which were interesting and effective before.

50 yards of tarps? The giant leg capes weren’t enough???

They need to crawl through those straws and come out the other side in the green outfits. 😜

Rather than holding the rope up at the end (?) , wouldn’t it be more exciting to do a fast tightening lasso drill move around the sun? Or at least run the rope around it or something. That sun ain’t never gonna get caught by the end of a rope!

With the gold horns, some gold spray paint on that sun would really make it tie in more.

I like that Crossmen are getting away from the heavy shows of the recent past. Seems they are trying to recapture some of the identity they let go, Obviously performance issues to work out, but there is potential for an entertaining show.

Madison needs to get the horns, and especially the guard to go all-in on visual/body. It will only sell if they give 110% energy. Right now it is about 35%.

Yep. It's the design quality again. The Blue Two are in another realm. That Bluecoats could be right with them on show #1 (with phasing), while the others were on show #4 (I think?) was a pretty strong statement. Very exciting to see how these two wondrously creative shows evolve.

Climate change 😜

There was no tarp. The props were all on the big M painted on the field. That’s my point. Any mascot/helmet/whatever they have the “pizza” props on really messes up the look of the props, so I hope they eventually cover that spot with something.