NakedEye

Interesting comments, and similar to my impression after listening to the 'designer's copy' of the music and explanation that was on here. I kept thinking "this is technically great and isn't it interesting how careful everything has been woven in." BUT, the segments were SO woven and reimagined that much of the impact seemed to be missing. Wondered if it was different live. Perhaps they will adjust and pick a few themes to pull out more forcefully as time goes on.

Yes, I do realize that it is on the pants only. What I am saying is that, in the past, when many corps had striped pants, the jacket was a different color. Here you have a red stripe that runs up the black base color, and since the jacket is the same color, stops. If the stripe went u the jacket side too, it might make them look even taller.

I like the red stripe on the pants, though I think it would have looked good if it went up the side of the jacket as well, since they are the same color. How it is now, it sort of "comes out of nowhere." at the top. While there was a definite need to add some white (or bright) somewhere, I think the way they outlined everything with piping makes it look sort of cheap. It also makes the red parts actually look smaller than they did before. Instead, I was hoping they would change that sequin sash to either silver or white. It was invisible black, and then when they switched it to red, the color red doesn't match with that on the shoulder and gauntlet stuff. Little details like that bug me. On the drum major, the red areas are all white, I think, and it looks GREAT. I believe they are getting new uniforms after the split, so they can start with a clean sheet of paper. This design has been really fussed with over the past few years.

"If I run fast enough, they can't put one of those guard outfits on me...."

Yes, it is definitely there, and I believe just added for finals. I saw it all three nights, and it was just the red/yellow flag up until Saturday. The notion of some flack about a huge communist symbol does ring a bell...

I think that is what they used for a ballad in the '91 show. It is the only Troopers show that I actually remember, mainly because the Dances stuff was very emotional nicely done. Their uniform at the time (with the gray pants) fit perfectly. Not sure how it would work with the Blueberry suits they have now.

The score was a nice start..similar to last year's week-later opening number, but now it is a week later and it hasn't moved. Hmmmm..

First strains of Apalachian Spring from the Cadets during the webcast from Annapolis. Brought back so many good memories for me. Great music, great shows, great years. Yup..ditto. An unexpected surprise.

That's hysterical! It was the same thing when I was at UNT (graduated '91). "Pre-formation," the birds sat, and xxxx, on every building and tree in sight. It is just as well the Regiment is not depicting that part in their show..at least not yet. :sshh:

If I had happened to see anything looking like clips, which of course I didn't, I would probably say that sections that were shown were GREAT. AND, I loved the narration in them, since in those parts at least, it was sooooo interesting and nicely integrated. Reminds me of something from...I think.. the original "Fantasia" film...where the different instruments are explained and illustrated...very fun. A little like Peter and the Wolf too. Had there been any shots of the 'trick' poles, I could also say that I now understand how the work - different silk at each end..duh. I couldn't picture it. My vote goes for the App. Spring closing. Perfect tribute to the 20th anniversary of that show. It had better include the backfield exit, representing the Cadets going on to the next new thing...

On a similar topic, my question is this: which is more a factor to a corps moving up - their own increase in excellence or one of the major players above them stumbling? For instance, the Cadets last year had an uncharacteristically weak show design and the Bluecoats jumped up. No doubt they had improved, but an opportunity was also opened for them. This year Cadets look a bit closer to form, and the scores are starting to go the other way. SO, while both excellence and a stumble lead to placement changes, which do people think makes the most difference? I think it is the stumble. When the powerhouses are on their game they are a wall that is almost impossible to get through with any consistency.

The staff is not scoring the show. They will work on all the things they feel need to be improved, but there could be a section of the design that they just love, and the judges see it differently. You can defend something til you're blue in the face in critique, but when the judges say "we still think that transition stinks and can't give you credit for it, " you have to rewrite and adjust. Academy won't be getting the benefit of exposure to that sort of feedback.

That show was interesting, but it seemed a bit against type for them. They do best when they efficiently and creatively portray one simple idea, and the topic of "Chicago" was overly broad, resulting in a mishmash of styles pushed together. All well done but not completely cohesive. I personally couldn't get past those guard outfits. I know they were based on the Hancock building and the colored routes of the 'el' train, but from a distance they come off as form-fitting, sleeveless, lattice-printed nightmares. Especially when combined with the changing of the little hats. Yuck. When the Cavaliers do one of their 'fun' shows, they strike me as similar to Cadets '91 or '06 ventures. A temporary experiment with something different, where they bring some ideas from it into the next, more comfortable show (see Cadets '07). Perhaps in '08 there will be another simple idea show that also includes rolling on the ground?

I'm just curious about why the score is such a surprise. Nothing produces success like consistency, and complete staff/director turnover is not that. They were a bit shaky last year, then turmoil, then a new approach, which makes even the returning members have to start over to some extent. They may have the "Madison Mystique" but that is still a lot for any organization to go through. My guess was they would be on the bubble this year, and that currently seems about right. They look to be within the same pack they were in last year, so that is not exactly failure. Now, the uniforms on the other hand..... :sshh:

That's true of '98, but '97 actually was all about New Orleans/Mardi Gras, and a parade that turns into a drum corps show and then back into a parade. The Bourbon Street Crawl opener had snippets of different music that you might hear coming out of bar doorways as you walked down the street, with the 'drunk' horn players. The ballad ("Mass" if I remember correctly) was meant to evoke the elaborate regional funeral imagery. Some of this with what is happening in NOLA now could have a lot of meat in it. The Harry Connick "Oh My Nola" CD has great stuff on it.

I agree with this, and I'm not sure why they run so much from "old Spirit." It is much better to have an actual identity than to try to find/create one. The trick is keeping it fresh. When is the last time they have done anything that could be confused with their shows from the 80's? Many fans (including me) have not even seen much of that, other than some jumpy video. Instead there has been Broadway, "Cavies-lite" and assorted other nebulous themes that have sometimes come off as disjointed pieces instead of a complete idea. The new uniform seems a personification of that - four different elements that are not necessarily working together. Having an identity is a blessing. Have fun and be daring in it's variations, but embrace it! Who could do a better job with something moving about New Orleans? Genesis? That's an off-the-shelf idea.

With the guards starting later, there is some justification for having the costumes unfinished, as you can't make a customized outfit until you know the size of the person who will be wearing it. The flags, however, are another story. All it takes is planning to have them finished. Once you decide how many spots there are for guard in the show, you can get them underway. I think we started cutting fabric as early as February back when I was doing this stuff. Once you get a few prototypes finished, volunteers can take the rest of the pieces home and work on them a bit at a time in the evenings. You do a final push during everydays and you're good to go. Magic was notorious for not having stuff done, once even going over half a season with incomplete uniforms on the horns and drums. A little scheduling fixed that, however and the season I was involved we had everything finished, including props, by the season start. My goal was to not have the kids feel embarrased when they went out and performed with dirty practice flags. It's a lot of hours and no picnic, but it can be done.

The first time I saw it, I went "uhhhh....", but now I've watched it several more times and I'm getting to really like certain parts a great deal.Last year was a train wreck buried under poorly-rendered props. This is done very much in the vein of the NPR segments on which it is based, where people talk about life experiences and how it has caused them to think, believe or be inspired in a certain way. I would think it is safe to assume that the staff talked about these words extensively for months, since some of the music is written around them, so it is unlikely that a great deal of forced brainwashing has been going on. What I heard sounded like ideas that they feel represent the history and foundation of the organization. After all, they are saying "I believe," not "You should believe." It is a personal viewpoint and from what I could hear, a lot of it I agree with. Oh, and I was a kid who didn't fit in until I found art and music..so that part was GREAT. I like the parts that bounce back and forth between words and music more than when the words are overlayed. Some of those areas need work. What doesn't need work, however, is the opening. A few words about history with snips of App. Spring wafting in the background was a chill-inducing moment. Beautifully done and so true to who the Cadets are. Far from being a DEAD concept, I think it is one that is just being BORN. Embryonic and incomplete right now. People will be screaming about it all summer, and I will enjoy every minute of it. Of course, I've been a proponent of the more offbeat shows for 20 years. This is fun and very, very interesting.

Cuz wings are soooooooo last year! :P Stripes, sponge painted fabric, danglers and Joan Crawford-sized shoulder pads are in this year.

I still think it looks like this: Or perhaps they have new sponsorship from Safeway? :P

While Bluecoats have taken steps to be more aggressive and intimidating, Spirit seems to be going in the opposite direction. This strikes me as a softer look than they have had in the past (not including the spandex late 80's outfits) with the yin and yang and delicately shaded white to pastel blue. There is a reason you don't see horizontal stripes on much swimwear - their well-known widening properties. Those combined with the yin/yang curve are making for some pretty expansive body shapes. Crown's old uniform pulled it off because the purple stripes were a relatively minor part of the overall uniform, which made a pretty strong vertical shape of cream. This is looking wider rather than taller. The turq/baby blue is such a strong color on the field. I think it's a shame they didn't chose to use it in a bolder fashion than they did here I also miss the reflective delta emblem that used to be on the shakos, now replaced with a generic stock medallion. Much like when Magic replaced their notorious "hood ornament" spike with the same stock item, I think something unique to the corps identity is lost.

Another part of a horse's anatomy perhaps. Mane? No. I think the overall look is nice (minus the front dangler), but the horse vision may be only in Mr. C's mind.

Oh yeah, I completely understand the concept and like it. Designs have a balance point, which can't really be described, but is a sense you get of visual weight. Something with that B is just a bit heavy on the right side when locked inside the shield, to me anyway, but I do logo work all the time so notice these things. I still think the overall look is great.

I like this a great deal. For a change, we see something that actually is original and not a combination of Jacket #3 with Sash #7 and Gauntlets #D-36. The whole rebranding is very slick (you can see other pieces of the package - trade show booth, press kit, etc. on the designer's website). Only thing that bugs me is the logo. I really like the shield, the colors, the silver. It is just the slanted B in the non-slanted shield. Every time I look at it it seems off-balance, like it is too heavy on the right and about to tip over. Great job overall. They have taken their rise in status seriously and seem to want to present themselves at that level.

I like the "windows," but my guess is that knotted business will be either cut off or shortened pretty early in the season. A few outings of all that swingin' down there, and it ending up in the wrong place a few times, may result in a stampede to the scissors drawer.