NakedEye

I find Bluecoats creativity so much above the other two, which doesn’t mean they will outscore them at this stage. It’s an endlessly interesting and intriguing show that flows so organically. Boston and Crown are more what you might expect from a nautical or King Arthur type show. Well done, but not very surprising.

At each show so far, whatever has been painted on the field in the center has really muddled the visual of Crown’s props. As much as I dislike tarps, I hope they have one coming to cover that area sometime during the season.

Whatever you do, don't watch scholastic wrestling, swimming, diving, track, or any number of sports! Somehow, people have managed to keep their cool about those.

Agreed, and I was thinking yesterday that the entire show is reminding me of 2014 in the way that, even this early, it is a very consistent design thought. Everything refers to the Matisse motif, like everything referred to the Fellini film idea. Some of the more recent shows have been mashups that they made work, but this concept is very, very tight. It's also pretty simple for audiences of all knowledge levels to get. The shapes are everywhere - drill, props, costumes, flags, body positioning. And it will only get more enhanced and defined. Potential for a very high ceiling by the end of the season.

Cavaliers guard looks like a Cavaliers guard again, which is somewhat intangible, but the style of work and performance reminds me more of their past than what they had done in recent years. The uniforms look nice, but they may have left some effect on the table by not doing the white gauntlets. They used to such unique visuals with them. If not now, when?

A bit on the dour side. Certainly a 180 from last year’s forced enjoyment. Maybe needs some mood shaping to lift the gloom a bit here and there.

I feel like Phantom could take Cadets. It’s a more dynamic show. Perhaps tone down the chaos in the opener. It’s all over the place right now. Would bring more initial impact.

A less busy flag design would give more visual impact in the Rach ballad. This one is getting lost amongst the uniforms. Something with big, simple color impact.

So you have BD and Bluecoats with sort of evolved design shows. You have Boston and Crown with somewhat more traditional shows. All 4 are packed with content. Who can shape and execute theirs the best by the end? I found the first part of Boston’s show choppy, but the communication picked way up at On the Waterfront. I like Cadets music a lot, and overall staging was fine. Props and costumes didn’t add much. The shorts seem unnecessary. They make everyone look square and short, where a tapered athletic pant would have served a similar thematic purpose with cleaner appearance.

What made me laugh was the part at the end where they are moving in circles, without playing, and then start playing as they continue the circles. That was totally designed to stick it to cranks who say they don’t play and march at the same time. 😂

Holy crap. How is that their first show?! I like this way better than 22 already and we know it is only skeletal at this point. Guard is 🔥🔥🔥

Yep. There is massed flag moment in center field during the swell of the ballad in 2018 that gets me every time.

I adore their guard, as I did last year. They are lyrical. It’s a constant flow that expands and recedes - totally at one with the music. No unnecessary fireworks just to cram in more tosses.

😍😍😍 Love it!!! 🌸🌼 It has the emotion already. Those butterflies are the spiritual successor to the Suncoast Sound seagulls from ‘89, and likely created by the same person.

They are certainly leaning into that sports complex partnership! Cadets 22: "some are saying we look too casual." Cadets 23: "hold my beer!" I'm a huge proponent of climate-appropriate costuming for the worsening heat, however my first reaction was not immediate love. BUT, let's see how they work on the field.

Did a memo go out encouraging left sleeves only? 😂 That’s at least 4 now - BD, BAC, PR, BK.

My only real surprise is BS and Cavaliers being that close. I thought Cavs looked and sounded rough. Some really giant visual issues, though guard was noticeably improved over last year. Some of my reaction may be to Gloria. It’s hard not to remember it with cool drill moves and these...weren’t. I like Blue Stars’ show. It’s a bizarre theme, but intriguing, and (for them) the costumes/props are a bit scaled back.

BD's have never been that long, and have usually been black on the inside with the black pants, so added a bit of motion without too much clutter (2015's shredded streamers an exception). I found the PR ones last night really muddied up every visual move and I wouldn't be surprised if they trim them back as time goes on. They are really large and full - almost more like a 1/2 skirt. Overall, this is one of Cesario's messier uniforms. There is a lot going on. For decades he has been known for really strong clarity of color/line/shape, but not this time.

Oh that's right! I had forgotten it was that extensive. I well remember the guard uniforms and opener silks now (duh). And then in '94 all Joan Miró.

I speculated to a friend the other day that it might be a Matisse cut-paper theme, but also thought it might have been a misdirect. This has the potential to be much stronger visually than what they did last year and I'll bet they will have the members body shaping to mimic the paper shapes, etc. My hope is they keep it very graphically clean and crisp, like his artwork, and don't fuss it up with overly photoshoped flags, etc. Could be gorgeous and pop off the field. Trivia: what other corps used the Matisse cut-paper period for inspiration? Answer: 1993 Phantom Regiment. The ballad flags are based on his "Icarus" piece.

Regardless or what shoe he chooses, the hole in the top may still happen. I have that problem with my Asics. I've worn them for years but the last few generations are made of considerably lighter weight materials. That makes them more comfortable, but they don't put the level of reinforcement in the toe area that they used to, and I think that is the case with most current shoes models. Almost like a heavy sock attached to a sole.

Am I imagining things, or wasn't something like this announced for both BDB and SCVC several years ago, perhaps planned for the 2020 season? I could swear that they were both going to only do California tours, so was surprised to see them at Indy after the restart.

We got hit hard in the Orlando area, in the "safe" part of the state. Bad hurricanes here before, including 3 in a row in 2004, but the flooding this time is unbelievable. I live on a lake, which has never come close to overflowing in the 25 years the property has been in my family. The level is now over my seawall and 4' into the yard, and the last of my dock is about to go under. Likely to keep rising over the next few days. Fortunately I had tied down my boat. There is a sophisticated drainage system that sends excess lake water to the St. John's River, but that is also flooded, so who knows at this point. So many photos from friends of other, always dry, neighborhoods under water. Much yard carnage from 24 hours of constant wind, but nothing other major with me, other than one ceiling leak. Power was undergrounded this year and has stayed on (a first for me). Will definitely be a tough recovery for many people. Unfortunately, situations like this are likely to only increase in frequency, and while the developers don't want to accept it, big parts of the coastal areas are going to become less and less habitable.

No one in the finalist class is buying uniforms. They all have sponsorship deals with the uniform companies. They change them every year now for product placement to help the companies make lucrative sales to scholastic programs. It's like Nike/Addidas/UA sponsoring x sports team for visibility. I personally feel it's led to big cost explosions lower down the chain, but that is another discussion.

The guard had several who had not been in DCI at any level. A few had just been in their HS guards and the associated scholastic winter guards. I took note of it because you don't usually see that with BD. To me it said they were looking for the best talent, regardless of where they came from, and bringing in some younger kids to grow with the organization. It would seem to be a wise move after having to do an almost total reload of members this season.