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ipecac

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  1. I know who won Guard in 1991, but I've yet to see the guard scores anywhere. Anyone know them? Who judged? Thanks. ;)^
  2. Well, my reason for posting that was because I've been quite critical of Cadets' guard over the last few years... as I wrote to a certain caption head who nearly choked me to death right through my monitor a few years ago <g>, birds pick at the best fruit. Weapons are quite cool---providing special impact points---but amazing flagwork isn't the easiest thing to find... they just make it look as though the air lifts all the silks. omg.. i think i just had a M Cesario out-of-body experience. no, Bart....no. no, Bart....no. no, Bart....no. w/Stp:
  3. I forgot to mention that in Cincinnati, when the Cadets pledged, when they said "Under God," the crowd went WILD! lol I wonder if this happens at other shows? Two corps at 90. Hmmmmmm... i *think* that's the earliest for this judging system (2000 - ). ;)^
  4. I skimmed over this in the review: In the (shudder) 30 minute intermission, I stood against the fence chainsmoking and watching the guard rehearse. The flag work was stunning. Of course, it always is in a tight block, but the flag design, coupled with the exposure of the book, amazed me. They are sooo talented, and now that I think about it more, they WERE off in performance. Watching the guys practice their tosses gave me chills. It looks like they're spinning 9's and 10's.. but I cannot judge it that carefully. In the show, there's a huh-UUUUGE rifle toss... the guys in the back went higher, and I don't know if that was the intention or if they just cut loose more than the other guys. (ripple or not) Are they using 7-ft poles again? Those silks are so gloriously big (great look, par usual) that it's hard to tell. I was told by a WGI vet (Hi, Steph!) that Cavies' guard is better. Zounds!! If that's true, you'll excuse me in Indy, 'cause I'll be the pathetic drooling fool. I don't know when I began to focus on guards---i never used to---but thanks, April, etc for a terrific bunch of "kids." I believe they were working on the end of BWBB... I'm not experienced enough to know how difficult the book is, but they seem to be all over the place and make it look effortless (that's what impresses me most). I need a full-time guard mentor to walk me through this:) :o
  5. Wow. In many, many years of DCI, I've never enjoyed a full slate this much. Every corps has redefined entertainment. The East Coast can teach a few lessons! Hands down, all 6 corps were FAR more interesting than the midwest contingent (save Cavies, who I have yet to view). Magic will probably sweep Div 2. Great design.. very nice pace to the show. Congrats!! Crown is MUCH more fun than what all this reading has led me to believe. The CONTENT of the color guard astounded me; the EXCELLENCE did not, but the book is terrific. I loved the mythological theme as well. GREAT music (esp. "Medusa")! Spirit: I'll admit that I've never cared for this corps.. just never pushed my buttons---until last night. Great job. great show, great staging. They won me over.. although the ghost of Freddie Martin's "balls to the wall" hornline hovers too closely:) Crossmen, I was told, were WAY off last night. Really? Hoo boy, I'd like to see them ON! Great repertoire.. they march nearly as fast as big brother. The sop line plays with more intensity than they've ever had! Boston.. again, i've always found them ho-hum.. this is a kinder, gentler Crusaders' show in terms of demand/exposure, but it's a heck of a thrill! The Artie Shaw closer is stupendous! I was tentative about Cadets, as I've read "they've already done this." I saw almost no similarity to 1995 (other than the final pose and the production number). With a tenth row seat in one of Ohio's crappiest stadiums (next to US Open in Marion), it was impossible to see the drill--- but the drums and horns are OFF the charts. Could these sops (whatever) rival any BD team? I say yes. Man, oh man, this is one helluva show! During the (oh my God) THIRTY minute intermission, I watched the guard practice.. one of the techs said they were WAY off (6 sabre drops.. i saw none)... but I'll say this: nothing will be settled until Saturday night in Camp Randall. I would have liked to hear the beginning of the closer, but the crowd was STILL going apes###e over BWBB (which, by the way, is the performance of the year). CONGRATS, EAST COAST!!! You've brought drum corps back to its audience!!!! I hope y'all step on some very big toes next month. Fairfield HS: the building itself looks like a trillion-dollar design with three huge parking lots and a huge empty grassland... so WHY WHY WHY must everyone be shuttled to the stadium (three counties over, i think)??? Oh.. message to Scott from MV, OH... email me re Wisconsin!! (we were talking downtown) <-- BWBB reaction
  6. mikemey, your review was just fine:) my question: do shows start too early? too many people arrive late; is it due to the Div 2/3's which usually open shows? is it because people only go to see XMen, BD, Cadets, etal? If i were in a Div 3 corps that faced a half audience.. then saw as the bleachers were overrun when XMen entered the field, I might feel a bit slighted. granted, I'd prefer to watch BD over Marion (barely. hehehe).. but for the prices they charge these days, I want my money's worth. but.. as long as no one bothers me during a performance, people are free to do as they choose. ;)^
  7. Geeeoooffrey, should I kneel before BD, will thoust proclaim thy love to me, also? :P
  8. woohoo! Orlando in '03! I hate the weather and the constant precip.. but I love FL:) Sounds like BD is reverting to the early 90's? Did they lose any staff? ok.. that's the second time I've heard "Cavies' hornline sounds great." What's next? "Madison wins GE Visual?" ^0^
  9. What they don't realize is that these same people (the ones writing the reviews) will be saying things like, "Man, this corps has come a long way since June" when August rolls around. i concur. (and i stink at quotes) For instance, I drove to Bayonne in '94 to see Cadets and Boston in their first show. I liked Boston better. Not a fan of YET ANOTHER West Side Saga rehash, I was thoroughly disappointed in Cadets' performance (the crowd was a little bored, too). And the guard was quite stinky, especially after the last few seasons (I saw their opening shows in 92 and 93.. the guard was fantastic for June!!). My buddies and I traveled to a late July show, and I had warned them how blah Cadets were.. well, we went nuts (as did the crowd). The sponsor "forced" them to remarch the entire thing afterward! (and the next year at the Columbus show, they lost to BD but had already been assigned the post-show concert) On a different note, the Les Mis production literally made us cry in July... by KC, it was watered down and not worthy of a top-5 placement (save the guard)... In Buffalo, I nearly got up for a smoke during Phantom's finals show (I saw them practically every show last yr).. but I stayed and was AMAZED how much energy they injected into that one last show. That's what makes this fun..
  10. DCI is not killing the Scouts. The fans are not killing the Scouts. The Scouts are killing the Scouts. BRAVISSIMA! friend of Ipecac, even though he's a supporter of those D### C###ts !! Goiffrey, Jgefffrei, gjeffreee.... Let's hope BD found some GE over the winter:) When I was a film critic, my boss implored me to "find good in every film" i reviewed. Most of the time, I could. Then, someone wrote calling me a "left-wing liberal soccer mom" for being light-hearted about awful films (after all.. the actors, directors, editors, etal TRIIIIIIIIIED so hard!). I chuckled at this wake-up call but did not turn into an "I hate everything!" critic. Now that I've realised that film criticism is one of life's biggest wastes of time (tell 'em how horrible Armageddon is, and they'll pay for it twice), I can revert to drum corps and calling thrid down plays from Ohio Stadium's AA deck. I think one of the natural reactions from folks is to nod solo to criticism but outwardly oppose it. When Paul Tsongas was running for Pres in '88, a deadbeat asked him "what are you going to do to find me a job?" His response: "It's not the President's job to find you a job." Everyone concurred...alas, Tsongas got about 2 votes in the primary. Why? Because although anyone with sense AGREES, they don't want to be seen as "heartless." Well, when I see shows full of heart, I'll let you know. Yours from the Phantom Regiment 2002 (band)wagon.... B)
  11. Yes.. it was harsh, but I shan't make apologies.. I had surgery last week and couldn't even say hello to all my buds I only see in stadia (24 stitches in my big, fat mouf). Really? It's June? Oh.. allow me to retract... When I saw The Cadets at this show last year, I was harsher... granted ,my first "viewing" of them annually makes my knees weak. I cannot explain what the corps does to me emotionally.. but that repertoire was crap (I'm STILL stymied as to how they soared in GE in Buffalo!). I was thoroughly disappointed in the entire production and let it be known. Granted, I give 'em balls for doing what others don't: rather than watering it down, they added about 60,000 notes. hehe lost 'em a Brass award, but won some respect. I realize that the kids---even the Scouts---read this stuff. Well? Put yourself in the public eye, and take your licks. Here's what one highly regarded NY Book reviewer had to say about my first published piece: "It reads like a gigantic sloth, leaving trails of bodily waste up and down the tree." Ouch!!! I laughed all the way to the deposit slip.. and Madison (etal) should rest assured that even if the color guard stands on the 50 and takes a noisy dump (which I'd prefer over the alleged flag-spinning), the crowds will shriek and want more. By the way.. i omitted a positive: their show flies by.. seemed like about 7 minutes. WAY TO GO! YAYYYYYYYY! Short and (un)sweet. YAYYYYYYY! (who gets that high-larious reference?) Seriously, I know it's June... I've seen June shows for decades (remember June 3rd shows?). Take heart in the fact that it only took about 2 minutes for me to become rabid about Phantom again:) B)
  12. Once again, a worthy soccer stadium but a crappy advertising campaign... not a great crowd. When one goes to a fine steakhouse, one doesn't talk about the taters... just the steak... so the div 2/3's will get little space (when i go to a show, i'm in my seat before the National Anthem, thank you). Marion Cincinnati Glory Cadets or whatever (9th: 33.40) struggled... but ya know? I'd rather see them 20x than some of the crap you're about to read... Scenic City (8th 38.85) was the first corps to step off.. enjoyable!! Another smaller corps with something to say. Americanos (7th 47.05) used to be, well, fun.. now they take themselves way too seriously..."La Fiesta Mexicana" is one of my fave pieces.. this needs a more definitive ending. Pioneer (6th 48.95) are doing "Oliver!" which is one of the most awful films to win Best Picture. I knew i would hate this show (why did they go last??). I was wrong. Wonderful staging. This is my very favorite outing by Pioneer. I really enjoyed it (and i normally hate that music). Capital Regiment (5th 52.40): WHen they marched out, my eyeballs jumped out of their sockets, and my jaw hit the bench: Aaa-OOOOOOOOO-gaaa! They're friggin' HUGE! Not 135 members.. but h###, SOMEONE did some top-notch recruiting! Good job, kids! Watch this corps... big things a-comin'. Blue Knights (4th 59.40): Back in the top 12? Oh yeah. Star of Indiana-----er---BK will hit it good. Too bad they have no identity... the show is weird for the sake of weird.. but it works. It's just doity doity doity right now. Drumline sounded pretty fresh... i have yet to see a recap. Madison (3rd 64.30): I hope these guys have dates on Finals night... 'cause they'll need someplace to go. This is a horrible mess. They're ###### lucky they can play... they cannot march.. and i've seen Junior High color guards spin better (guard will NOT be top 16 on Friday night in Madison). The guard uni looks like one of those old Captain Doofus serials. Suggestion: spend less time on your silly, pointless warmup grandstanding. and...leave "Conquest" (the warmup) to Boston, ok? Christy Brown could march better than this unit (if ya hafta ask, don't). Definitely the nadir of the evening... but hey.. the crowd still loves this crap...gawd knows why. Then again... people paid to see "Dude, Where's My Car." Phantom (CLOSE 2nd 68.65): My, my, my... if these kids didn't have two left feet... they'd have won this'n BIG!!!! I've only been a fan of Phantom in '89 and '93.. and now '02. I LOVE this!! Musically, it is astounding. Beautiful, brilliant, wonderfully written... bring up the visual, and this will most certainly be a top-3 corps. The guard, CLEARLY the very best tonight, was tremendous. Wonderful! I really didn't dig 'em at all last year... HUGE turnaround in terms of vocabulary and "telling a story" simply through great music. CONGRATS! Glassmen (1st 68.85): They march well.. and probably drum well.. they sound like crapola. Plus, the repertoire is cheaper than Sominex. What IS it with these people? All that talent.. 3 (i think...) 5th place finishes... yet, no one seems to know how to plan a decent program. BORING!!!!!! I was thinking.. on the 7 minute drive home... T-shirts: Marion Glory: "We're conquering Ohio! One city at a time!" Scenic City: "Tennessee'in' is Believin'! (apologies to Matt Groening) Americanos: "We were better without the battery!" Cap Reg: "Holy s###! We're HUGE!" Blue Knights: "He told me to BURN things!" (ahem.. Denver) Madison: "Call me! I'm free Saturday, August 10th!" Phantom: "We may LOOK like a train wreck, but ######, we SOUND great!" Glassmen: "Euthanizing fans since 1961" Ok.. it was harsh. Sue me. :P
  13. CAVIES' SOPS SOUNDED TINNY???? OMG. SAY IT ISN'T SOOOOOOOO! That's never...EVER...happened to them in the history of musical sound. EVER! (That's the last time I'll say that) :P
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