momoblooo

I second that, great review! What a nice 4th with the grandchildren, I'm sure they'll remember that forever. And I hope we see that dance-loving granddaughter in a great guard, too!

Okay, thanks! Whew, good to know -- I would have probably shown up late on Saturday thinking Indy was on the same time as me...

Wait, I'm confused -- I just googled Indy's time zone, and the site I got said it's on Central time. It's approx. 10:15 where I am, what time is it in Indy???

Wow, there's somebody else like me out there! Definitely the auditor in you, I'm the same way. How do you feel about zig zig ZAG's posts?

Okay, that might explain it! Thanks for looking into it.

It's weird, and I've said it before (along with the reviewer who started this thread): yes, unfortunately all I could focus on was the costumed characters. The only thing that distracted me briefly was the battery marching in a block toward the backfield and their notes fading away; that was a great moment and did catch my attention. But honestly, that was the only time I wasn't watching the weirdness getting in the way of the corps. I will see them again at Indy and am determined to make a surperhuman effort to ignore the fluff and watch everything else so I can get a read on the rest of the production! Please don't think I'm a Cadets hater! I've said it before and I'll say it again: last year's Cadets show was my favorite drum corps show EVER. Maybe that's why I'm as disappointed in this year's show as I am. I didn't go into this season thinking I'd hate the Cadets show, I went into it excited. I'd read and heard several bad reviews from friends before I saw the show for the first time last year, and I loved it from the first viewing regardless of what I'd read earlier. This year's show has taken a very different turn, and the focus is too removed from everybody but those five characters/actors/singers/dancers. That's unfortunate for the other 130 members, in my opinion.

From this picture, it does appear that she's enjoying herself. Does that mean she likes the costume? Maybe. Or it could just mean that she enjoys performing, regardless of what kind of costume somebody has stuck her in. Does that mean it's flattering, appropriate to the story line, or pleasing to most audiences (at least from the comments on the thread the photo was originally posted in)? There are some who probably really like it, but those types might do well to keep in mind that this is "somebody's kid", as George pointed out! In any case, to me it's a lousy and tasteless representation of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland. Strictly my opinion, of course, and when I said it was embarassing for her, I didn't mean to assume she didn't like it it; I just meant it was something that has the potential to cause embarassment for her (in future years even if it doesn't bother her right now!).

And that's sad -- she should have refused to wear it! I don't care what the corps' "artistic director" (and I use that term loosely) thought it does, she looks like a low-rent Pussycat Doll who bought her costume in the demonic dominatrix section at Frederick's of Hollywood! Nobody should be asked to wear something like that in a "youth activity". It's embarrassing for her and the audience! And you know, I'm not a prude, this is just over the top and does nothing to advance the story of Alice in Wonderland in the show, or the activity. It's just trashy, and not that poor girl's fault. And don't get me started on that cat -- err, rabbit? -- costume...

Wow, great review!! I like the he said/she said thing. I think you're on to something there, keep it up! Please review any more shows you go to. I saw the Cadets in Evansville Tuesday night, and you said everything I couldn't put into words when I wrote briefly about it the next day. You hit the nail on the head on every point (and your husband did too). The Queen's and Rabbit's costumes are totally embarrassing; if you're going to have the singer, at least put her in something other than that plain black dress; the back of the uniforms are horrendous (note to designers: baby blue and maroon don't work!);, and I also couldn't take my eyes off the characters enough to have a clue as to what was going on around them. The judges must be very focused on what they're doing to be able to see past the spectacle... Cadets 2005 was my favorite show to date, even (barely) passing the Cavaliers' Niagara Falls. I wanted this show to top that one, and to be a really terrific continuation of the "story" from last year. Instead, it looks like a low-budget local playhouse's idea of a psychedlic musical -- I kept thinking of "Waiting for Guffman" while I was watching it, for some odd reason. Clean it up, change the focus, do something the kids marching behind the "stars" can be proud of when they watch their corps videos with their own kids 20 years from now. This show isn't it.

Misdirection is the word I would use B) .

Yep -- 15 posts since July 2003 isn't a lot of posts even for a busy guy, especially when you're using them to a)get your thoughts on a show across to forum members in a big way (see this 2005 post), b)drum up talk about a corps which up to that point in the season hadn't been discussed a lot as in this post, c)stir up conversation about merchandise that's due to be released for sale like this one, d)get the scoop on the competition in January, or the ever-popular e)that I've already mentioned, submit posts that wouldn't be politically correct to make under your real name. When someone only has 15 posts that are in ten Cadets-related threads (and they started six of those threads themselves), they're either a pretty obsessed fan, or someone with direct ties to the corps and a vested interest in it. This is one of my favorite recent posts: who the #@%& else would know what the dormouse said???? Of course, it could just be George's identical-separated-at-birth twin. I believe in those, too, and I'm pretty sure Bigfoot has one of his own... ! Am I right? Nobody but zig zig ZAG knows for sure, and I don't know if he'd be willing to tell us. Until then, it's pure conjecture -- but interesting conjecture, imho.

Not such a great speller (see "wierd"). I stand by my opinion; wouldn't be the first time someone has a "real" account complete with their own name and a second one under an assumed name that can be used to tweak opinion, respond in a way they can't under their real name, etc. I'm pretty good at this kind of thing -- check out the blog and compare. A person's writing style can be almost as distinctive as a fingerprint. And Stef -- new to posting, very long-time reader. I have seen YEAguy posts and knew who that was.

Anybody other than me notice that the phrasing and syntax in this post are very reminiscent of George Hopkins' blog entries? He uses short, choppy sentence fragments a lot just like this poster. Hmmm, "doo do doo do..." (sorry, my weak attempt at writing the Twilight Zone theme song). And the poster's id sounds like something I've heard him quoted as saying, something to the effect of "we zig, they zig, we zag". The wording in this sounds almost exactly like his reply to the Lassiter band kid who sent him the email asking him to post his review on the YEA site -- check out the Powder Springs reviews. Or maybe I'm just too much of a conspiracy theorist. Still, I know who I think this guy is...

You took the words right out of my mouth! The mic'ed bass is meant to carry the heartbeat sound throughout the show, and that is definitely an EKG monitor. Might help some people to relate to the show better if that's explained. I was at the Evansville show -- my impression after the Cadets show was that most people were a little stunned, and not in a good way. There was polite applause at a couple of impact points, and a little more polite applause at the conclusion of the performance. Spirit got a standing ovation, Bluecoats got one, zip for the Cadets. Even the rabid Cadets fan sitting next to me was shocked. And yes, there was "booing" when Bluecoats were announced in second place. The "Blooing" came when they exited the field after their performance, and at the close of their encore. Cadets 2006 is just a weird, weird show concept, and focused way too much on the "star" performers. Alice (although I couldn't have identifed her as Alice if I hadn't already known what the show was about since she was just a blonde girl dressed in yellow 60's-era psychedlic attire) is apparently the intended focal point of the show. I couldn't bring myself to watch anything but her, and occasionally the other three very unattractive characters. I actually want to see the show again, and I plan to consciously try to focus on the rest of the production to see what else is going on out there. I don't fault the marching members at all; the design of the program is out of control, and they deserve a better vehicle than they've been given. As for the singer, she is apparently talented, but her vocals in the intro were completely drowned out by the excessively loud pit. The only part that was audible was "history repeating..." -- until that point I had no idea what she was singing. The part in the ballad was better, but I found myself wanting to hear the horns and not the voice; again, the voice was so distracting that it's hard to pick up what's happening behind her. With all that said, I want to add this: last year's Cadets show was my favorite of theirs, and my favorite of the year. I loved it from the first time I saw it and couldn't wait to see what they added as the season progressed. I thought it was funny, light-hearted, innovative, and completely deserving of the gold last year. This year's show seems muddled, derivative, and campy in comparison. Not my cup of tea, Alice!

Is the girl in yellow Hoppy's daughter? He mentioned his daughter being in the show in his blog, and I think he said she's a dancer.

:sshh:

From the web, objectivity/subjectivity in reporting as defined by the BBC: "How would you define objectivity and subjectivity in reporting as far as the electronic media is concerned? Being objective is about being balanced; we try to be as objective as possible by giving the best view. Subjectivity in journalism is opinionated. " So, if you were trying to be opinionated, I'd say you succeeded...because bias and subjectivity are effectively the same thing. If objectivity was your goal, I don't think it was achieved. Other than that, a pretty good review.

I heard that, and I'm guessing it's the MO show since it's listed as a "DCI Major" event, and the tickets are being sold directly by DCI. The SC show is Crown's FirstBeat home show. My money's on MO...

Then you haven't been to WGI finals! I'd never seen Velvet Knights but had heard about them for years -- the first thing I thought while watching that video was that this is where WGI percussion was born...

Wow, that's gorgeous! I'm impressed; you should approach DCI about doing a series of limited edition prints, say one for each of the top 12 corps, for this season. Don't stop at just Scouts, I'm sure fans of other corps would like to have something like this, too.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner! Lol...that's great .

Definitely a better job at the Lisle show on Sunday night, at least from what I could hear on the stream on DCI Season Pass!

Connexus one starts with Pat Metheny's Roots of Coincidence, then goes into Cirque du Soleil's Distorted. I'm not sure if Roots has been used in a commercial, but Distorted probably has -- or you've heard it on a Cirque show when you channel-surf past Bravo. Great job on the APD's this year, sound quality is really nice.