JulesBry

If you can, go back and watch the video of Star 1993. I'm not a big fan of the show, but even then, they received HUGE ovations multiple times through the show. There was a certain power (apparently) that doesn't translate so well through the video. I'm not sure that I sense that from BD, though. I don't know why. It's an interesting comparison, though. I would say that Star's inaccessible music from 1993 is the equivalent of BD's weird-looking props in 2011.

Your analysis is sound, and it's a great suggestion. Had they titled the show, "A House Is Not a Home", I think I would have liked it much more from the beginning. I just think they're asking people in the stands to jump through a ton of hoops to like the show. That, IMO, is bad design.

Then it shouldn't be the "theme" for the show. As a composer, I know how important a title is for a work. Pick the wrong one, and it completely changes the audience's perception of what they hear. BD picked the wrong title. It's a great title, but not for this show.

It's a great title, but not for this show. If you're going to pick that title, every minute of the show needs to have something that relates to the title. Otherwise, don't give the show a title. As to props, they can be used VERY well (see Crown '96--Chess, for one example). But these, aren't, IMO. I firmly believe that without them, the show would be at least 100% better.

2011 Cascades (Pandora) / 2012 Cascades (Trapped) 2011 BD (The Beat My Heart Skipped--About building a home) / 2012 BD (Building a Home--All about dogs playing poker) 2011 BC (Brave New World) / 2012 BC (1984) 2011 Crown (Rach Star) / 2012 Crown (Chopin Liszt) 2012 Jersey Shore (Bridgemania) / 2013 Jersey Shore (Velvet Knighthood) 2011 Phantom (Juliet) / 2012 Phantom (Arsenic and Old Lace) 2011 SCV (The Devil's Staircase) / 2012 SCV (The Heavenly Aeroplane--the music of John Rutter) And yes, the Heavenly Aeroplane is a REAL composition by John Rutter. Look it up. :-)

First, if synths were still illegal, we wouldn't be asking each other if that was a "real" sound. :-) Second, a funny story. A couple of years ago, we were giving our sixth graders the opportunity to try out several instruments as they were picking what they would play in band the next year. One girl was deadset on playing the tuba, and when they sat her in front of the instrument, the most beautiful, lyric sound came out. For awhile, we thought she was a natural--the best tuba sound we'd heard in that middle school for many years--and from a complete beginner playing her first note. Then, we figured it out--she was singing through the horn. She's now a drummer. :-)

I think BD has a couple of big problems. For one, they gave the show a title that has virtually nothing to do with the music or the visuals. Secondly, the props completely distract from any great things they're doing. I found myself watching them move props more than I was paying attention to their marching and playing. I will say that I like the show more now than I did before, but at best, it's a "meh" instead of the "what the #$*^%^ was that?" (which was my first reaction)

Traditionally, I like both corps, but I prefer SCV's show this year. More than that, though, it seems more demanding. Of course, I can't analyze every second of both shows, but my general impression is that SCV's show has more demand. Perhaps that is what allowed them to jump the big Blue?

We had the same experience. You really only noticed it on the extreme close-ups, but it was occasionally distracting.

Maybe it looked different on the field, but in [my] theater, the new ending got rave reviews. I'm sure most people smiled (thinking of 2008), but they were simultaneously cheering and clapping.

I had the EXACT same reaction. How long's the original show, something like three and a half hours? And there aren't 11 minutes of music in it? Of course, I love the melding that they came up with, so I'm glad they went the way they did, but HOLY COW! (The guy next to me leaned over and said, "did he just say what I think he said"?)

AMEN! If we're going to be stuck with amplification and synths and stuff like that, the LEAST the judges can do is treat it just as they would if the entire brass section were blaring the whole night or the snares were phasing for the whole show. A poorly used synth or amp should be just as devastating as a corps with any other poor technique. A side note to the moderators, I somehow created two identical topics. Please feel free to delete one and/or merge them.

You know, when the QF broadcast mentioned the Scouts singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at ground zero, I started tearing up. I can only imagine, but that had to have been among the most emotional moments in Madison history, and that's saying something. Thanks for reminding us what this is REALLY all about.

I've enjoyed this BK show immensely. Great music, especially. The visual package still has room for improvement, but it has come a long way from the tie-dyed flags of old. I also appreciate the "classical" bent of the corps. That's an aspect of BK identity that I hope never disappears. BK is on the right track. It's just a matter of time...

Well worth the wait! Congratulations, Phantom, on a touching and powerful conclusion! Good luck with the rest of the week, too. I think you just bumped your GE potential by a lot.

First off, Phantom's new ending ROCKS! (or should I say RACHS?) Very emotional conclusion! I'm wondering if others noticed problems with the amplification throughout the evening? Balance was out of whack in a few shows, but it sounded like performers were distorted all night long, perhaps by overloading the microphones. Maybe it was just our theater, but it was rather distracting. I really enjoyed seeing The Cadets pour it on. I had no idea they had lost a snare drummer and had to spend two weeks fixing it! Kudos to them for pulling it together. I keep seeing new and cool things in the Cavies' show. It seems like there's always something I missed the last time. Loved the non-guard members on stilts at the end. SCV continues to rise! Their show was MUCH cleaner tonight than it has been, and I really enjoyed that performance. Many other great moments, but those are the ones most on my mind at the moment. As a side note, I'm curious if other theaters had the same reaction to the Cadets/BD score announcements as mine did. As soon as BD scores were announced, and people realized the Cadets were ahead, there was a huge cheer that went up--by far the loudest cheer of the night. Who knew that Huntsville, AL was a bastion for Cadets fans!

First off, Phantom's new ending ROCKS! (or should I say RACHS?) Very emotional conclusion! I'm wondering if others noticed problems with the amplification throughout the evening? Balance was out of whack in a few shows, but it sounded like performers were distorted all night long, perhaps by overloading the microphones. Maybe it was just our theater, but it was rather distracting. I really enjoyed seeing The Cadets pour it on. I had no idea they had lost a snare drummer and had to spend two weeks fixing it! Kudos to them for pulling it together. I keep seeing new and cool things in the Cavies' show. It seems like there's always something I missed the last time. Loved the non-guard members on stilts at the end. SCV continues to rise! Their show was MUCH cleaner tonight than it has been, and I really enjoyed that performance. Many other great moments, but those are the ones most on my mind at the moment. As a side note, I'm curious if other theaters had the same reaction to the Cadets/BD score announcements as mine did. As soon as BD scores were announced, and people realized the Cadets were ahead, there was a huge cheer that went up--by far the loudest cheer of the night. Who knew that Huntsville, AL was a bastion for Cadets fans!

No, but I would REALLY like it to be fairly judged for the 40% it currently receives. And if you say that the Cadets, Cavies, and Phantom "barely move" and are "hard to watch", then I'll have to take your word on that. In my experience, it is COMPLETELY possible to please both the judges AND the fans. This is my request. I will agree that Crown has as much if not more standing still than BD this year, but they aren't too shabby, either. However, if the results of tonight's QFs continue to hold, this may be a mute point (for this year). I wonder why you seem so uptight about me wanting corps to connect with the audience? Is it really too much to ask that they not confuse/ignore/mislead the people who pay to support them?

No, corps never use "steroids". They just call them amplification. And when I'm talking to woodwind players, I have even more fun by saying things like, "and none of those pesky (or wimpy) woodwinds". I say it with sarcasm, and everyone I've told it to has laughed. Good luck with your version, but if DCI ever changes its name to SSMB, it WILL be the end of the organization. Mark my words, and if I'm wrong, I'll eat a Cavaliers' hat.

Based on what I saw, I think BD was the most fan-unfriendly show in Atlanta. Maybe people were leaping out of their seats for it in other locales, but there, the response was tepid at best. I also sensed less than loving responses to BC and SCV, and yet they beat out several corps that fans were ready to "throw babies" about. Personally, I like SCV's show (BC wasn't one of my faves this year), but the public seemed disappointed in them. Other shows that didn't seem to connect include the Glassmen and Colts, but they're a ways further down. Still, though, the Crossmen lit up the stadium, and finished lower than either of those corps. I'm not saying that audience response is the ONLY meaningful determining factor of who should win, but I think it's difficult for the activity when crowd-pleasers consistently finish lower than judge pleasers. I'm picky. I want both from everyone every year.

That's good to hear. Wish I could say the same about Huntsville, AL! Maybe this year. :-)

Maybe you will, but I don't think I'll spend a second wishing for these days of DCI.

You know, with what everyone has said about BD, I think Crown may have the most "stand-still" moments of any corps. I'd be interested in someone with a stopwatch timing it. And many times when they aren't standing still, they're using scatter drills and body English. It's effective in an emotional sense, and that's great. But I don't think it's as difficult, visually, as several other shows. I think that's why it's in fourth and justifiably so. It isn't, IMO, the worst show, but it's also not the best. As a side note, there is a good deal of unaccompanied piano solo in the show, and that bothers me. This is a drum corps show, after all, not a concerto competition. :-) I don't want to come across as completely negative or a Crown hater, though. I just wanted to add a bit of ammo to Corbin's assertion. There are some valid reasons for his position, and there is also support for wvu80's position. That's why I think Crown deserves to be on neither list in this topic.

So here's the twenty second explanation, and it hasn't failed me yet (at least with people who have a somewhat positive opinion of marching bands). Imagine a marching band with no woodwinds. It's several times louder. Now, imagine them moving twice as fast as any marching band you've ever seen, playing harder music--higher, faster, and more intense. (If they're a color guard member, you might throw in a couple of examples--Crown's Herbert, this year, for one.) It's like marching band on steroids. That pretty much does it. Let me know if it works for you. (Don't forget to be excited and animated as you share--that always helps, too.)

In general, yes. However, the judges seem to be deadset on rewarding shows that aren't as fan friendly. And that's the trend that worries me. Over time, the push toward fan-friendly shows will fall apart unless the judges get on board and give some credit for "connecting with the audience" as the rules require them to do. And the last thing I want to see is another slate of Cadets 05-07.