theCHEZman
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Posts posted by theCHEZman
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As long as scores are visually driven, the designers are going to continue using music snippets to allow them to bring judges on an 11 minute journey loaded with as much relative content as possible. Judges like the rest of us have short attention spans and want constant stimulation. I don't necessarily agree but it is the case as is the migration away from amazing whiplash drills (ala Cadets) of the past. Too much performance exposure and not enough content credit to justify doing it. Hopefully a top tier corps will address these issues next season and thrill us but as long as BD shows are winning and at such large scoring gaps, I don't see designers changing the formula if they want to be competitively viable.
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Yes, BD has a great show and may break the record BUT I also agree as stated before, it will be partially due to the ridiculous strength of the corps behind them pushing up the numbers. Cadets at a 96.1 last night two days before QUARTER FINALS is a reflection of the competition out there with Bluecoats, SCV and Crown on their tails.
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My point was anyone can "pick apart" any show. We should be happy we are experiencing a remarkable season. Those top tier corps this season are absolutely phenomenal whether you like or dislike ramps, narration, Frisbees, coat racks etc.
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Unfortunately the change in the judging sheets have made The Cadets and others alter design. Those wonderful uber exposed Cadets drills of the past would get decimated score wise because they judge the "how" more than the "what" unfortunately. BD has a visual show loaded with content for sure and wonderful nuances but the amount of time the brass stands and plays those intricate parts and get rewarded (in brass, visual proficiency and GE), or runs to different sets, I think Cadets would be nuts to revisit those show styles of the past. In any case, I would like the Cadets to use composers, music, genres that are new for them ( and DCI) next season. I hope their journey into WGI (winter percussion and guard) will stimulate their amazing design team to be more experimental yet keeping them competitive as they have been. BD seems to do both.
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Cadets use that same form on 3 big brass hits. at least. Maybe more. what happened to the innovators of DCI ?
Really? Like Bluecoats in their brass rectangle formation about five times throughout the show or BD in their "no drill at all" half the show?
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Nice Cadets! Marching is phenomenal. Now you have a few days to clean. (Percussion, we need you to lead now)..
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Regardless of who you are a fan of, Cadets should max out Visual Proficiency. Their marching is phenomenal!
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GE tie between Cadets and BluecoatsCadets win Visual and tie Bluecoats for GE
Bluecoats Music
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Some of them are 10 shades darker than their normal color! That's lots of practicing!drum corps credentials
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Maybe Bloo beats Cadets at a show but I think Cadets have strong captions across the board (brass, perc, guard), march like robots and have an equally strong show so I think the odds are for The Cadets but anything is possible.,
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It isn't a lie. Everything is sampled and his microphone is not real. It's his voice, and he performs it, but what comes through the speakers is from the sampler. I assure that my intention is not to do a disservice the performer and his corps. I merely stating a fact of the performance based on what was told to me from a first hand source and experience that I had when visiting a rehearsal. The narration is coming through the sampler.
Go away already. What a negative Nellie.
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Don't let comments on here bother you. DCP is made up of hidden homers, overt homers, haters and a few people that actually have very great unbiased critiques which is what u search for. (It ain't easy!)..There was a comment out here about how Crown tied with Madison in Brass. Another person responded by saying something snide, like "so, the judges agree with all of us who thought Crown was "off" tonight"...What an insulting remark. And whoever made that remark obviously isn't very informed. I'm so sick and tired of Madison being overlooked and slammed this season. Their brass line is amazing. Go Madison. I hope your members are not listening to all of these negative remarks. And everyone is slamming their show design this season. Well...the members should not be penalized by all this negativity because of show design. If you ask me, there are a number of corps in higher standing whose shows have much worse show design. I hope Scouts turn it up in Indianapolis and prove all of you negative people wrong. And by the way...I understand that something went wrong at the end of their show last night in Allentown...I'm not sure what. But if it hadn't been for some mistake, they would have probably scored a lot higher.
Incoming fire 3, 2, 1.....
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2 pet peeves re. FDR quotes.
1. " a day that will live...............................................................................................................(catch) in imfamy".
{ I would prefer that the initiation of the quote start later so that there is less time before the rifle catch}
that is:
"...............................................................................................a day that will live.......(catch) in infamy.
2. I never hear the conclusion to the following quote:
"that the only thing we have to fear is...............(fear itself)"
Artistic license. It works better than just the straight quotes.
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Continued refinement of captions. I think they will play with volume and tempos more. They are still making some drill changes small yet will help staging. They are playing with the ending. Percussion had a tough run yesterday which affected score. Don't underestimate the power of pristine performance levels winning the hearts of some more judges. I'll keep the faith until the gold medal is awarded on Saturday night. As an anniversary show, it is more traditional in design but I am confident 2015 will be "modern" in concept and with the designers more involved in WGI (winter percussion program initiated last year and winter guard this coming year), they will have more opportunities to experiment with design during the off season. As for 2014, still room to grow and BD at almost a 97 on Friday, maybe not so much.Can you summarize the key changes that you think will be game changers for this show? The ones I can see are a new dissolving company front in Appalachian Spring (like 1987), changing guard unis and brass cummerbunds, big tarps with different ethnicities represented, a narrator uni change, and new/added presidential quotes, talking over Appalachian Spring. IMHO, none add any mind-bending new GE to the program. I guess the only one that does is cranking up the tempo in the middle of the show. Love that. Classic Cadets.
I think 2014 Cadets are outstanding across most captions. That's why they've been holding on to 2nd. I think they'll end up staying there, after some back in forth in prelims and semis w Bluecoats. I don't wonder about the talent in the corps, or the technicians on their staff. I do wonder about the creative leadership though. Ever since Angels vs Demons, I'm not seeing much innovation from their shows. Fast marching full of typical rotating lines, ample narration, clumsy props (giant blocks, huge stage) and virtuoso brass and percussion. But, not much pushing of any envelopes. I think, for me, the issue with this show is a lot of "empty calorie" packaging around an amazing core performance.
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This is an area of judging I am tired of. Where the design is 70/100 points and what the corps achieves on the field is only worth 30 points.
I agree. Getting a corps to perform at a high level in marching, brass, percussion and guard should be rewarded. The entire "effect" thing is like a crap shoot. "WE" ....... wait for it, wait for it, wait for it....."HATE IT". And a very long season begins... I get the importance of design, but I think the waited "GE" caption has to go. Great shows will still be designed but it's like pot luck now. Same recipient benefits every year despite how weird it gets.
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I think they have constructed the show well and continue to perfect already high performance levels. Percussion had a tough run last night and Prosperie jumped on that.I keep thinking back to pre-season discussion on DCP about the Cadets upcoming show theme. I think it's safe to say, back then, the majority of posts about upcoming Cadets elements described those elements with great apprehension. There was a palpable fear of audiences not recognizing 'there's a d*mn good corps back there somewhere!' In other words, too many distractions. Such talk continues, even at the end of the season !
Almost stupid to criticize a corps that is about to medal at the World Championship, but the consensus in June was accurate. To me, in 2014, the Cadets have been burdened by package design, not the product inside.
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Cadets will need to be impeccably clean. The changes they've made are better and now they have to settle in. Recaps show they still have room to grow ( no captions with achievement over content). Then it will be up to the judges to acknowledge the performance levels and assign the numbers.
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They're in the home stretch now. They will settle into Indy for a few days and finish final changes, impacts and cleaning.I don't think the music, drill, theme, etc is the big issue here (at least to me). It's the way they present it. To me, this corps is playing this show in way too controlled of a manner. It comes off robotic. Their hornline needs to let loose a little (sort of like Phantom has, and see how infinitely better their show sounds now) and bring passion into the show. I think that's why this show is falling flat for many.
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Agreed BUT, will we see a visual proficiency judge give out a 19.9 or 20 to Cadets for their outstanding marching? No. Will BD bang out a bunch of 20's at finals? You bet. That's where these judging gaps come from.After watching 2 nights of Allentown on FN (wish I could have been there live) I have several observations:
1. For whatever reason, there seems to be a lot of people who feel that in order to root for their corps they must slam (in some way) the corps who are standing in the way of their favorite. Perhaps being a music school student and having taught at the college level for so many years I never got this. We were always taught to congratulate all performers at a recital or concert after the event was over, no matter what you really thought. I'm mainly referring to the comments on FN, but even those I hear at live shows (over the last so many years). It's alarming to me.
Are we no longer able to respect all the corps, find their strengths and root for those (or at least appreciate those moments) as we enjoy this activity? Being critical of a show is not an issue for me. If you can do that professionally then you have that right. Not being able to find anything to like in a show tells me you would rather insult, or that you lack objective analysis skills. I know people mean well, and I guess I'm the meanie for saying this, but the last few nights on this forum have seen some mean-spirited hate, dislike, and an uncanny need to criticize and poke fun at various shows. Sad.
2. From a competitive side I think I enjoy this top 5 more than many over the years. For one thing, it's nice to see really CLEAN shows again. This was something that disappeared after the TIC system was lost. The build-up years from 1984-late 1990s (I realize the build-up system is still what we use, but criteria has changed much over the years) tended to favor demand over execution. There was a delicate balance for sure between how demanding and how clean. But we definitely saw some top 5 shows that were exciting but sloppy.
The sensational marching I am seeing from Blue Devils, Cadets (best legs on the field I think), and Bluecoats is just a joy to watch. Blooo still needs to clean the legs a bit more, but their brass and percussion are so strong that they can and should do quite well with a week of polishing. BD is the cleanest overall, but I think Cadets match them in marching (if not better). Even SCV and Crown look amazing to me and I love both of their shows. Phantom Regiment put on a CLEAN performance on Friday, and the Cavaliers ldrill is wonderful (and the music). They need a little more polish for Indy. One of the best drills on the field. At any rate, it is wonderful seeing all these outstanding, and clean, shows. When the feet and legs truly clean-up, it's amazing the amount of "shine" that puts on a show. Can't wait for the Massillon show and DCI Finals.
3. Designers will be studying this Blue Devils show over the off-season and over the next few years. A true beast of design and performance, and in a most unique way. The two MOST unique shows on the field are BD and Bluecoats. They may end up 1 and 2. Each brings something different, but the combination of staging, large-ensemble work, field use, small chamber-like groups, and individual talent (solos) makes BD a unique and special champion. I thought the 2010 Blue Devils were the best corps I had seen in the modern era (2000-onward), but this one may top that. Let's see what happens.
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Well perhaps Bluecoats had an amazing performance (percussion 19.8) and the stars lined up (won brass over Crown) and still haven't beat Cadets. I think we had this discussion this time last season about SCV overtaking Cadets. The show may not be as popular with the crowds but it is still well constructed and performed at an amazing level. Judging sometimes defies our impressions. I certainly can't justify BD gaps over Cadets and Bluecoats but they remain. Lots of things evaluated by different eyes to come up with the final score.agreed - it was a 96+ quality performance
we've been through this before - it was called 2007
they will be moved into 3rd place finals week - mark my word
Cadets were very amazing tonight.
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Yep, that should help muster the 9 points gap between them and BD.The announcer should never, ever leave the stage. Pick a costume, and leave him in it. He should move off to one side and acknowledge anyone else who comes up there, but that's it.
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OK...little levity here...but when watching Cadets tonite in a living room full of corps geeks, of course the narration thing came up, uniform he's wearing, the fact that he's lip syncing, and gradually the great drum corps took over and all that died down...'til a judge walked out from behind the stage. We all laughed when someone suggested he (the judge) just kinda stroll on up there and check out the show!
Jordan actually kneels and conducts behind the stage, also changes uniforms and I think serves lite refreshments to the judges but not Jeff Prosperie this year. That stage is paramount.
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Idk, I don't like to complain about judges numbers but the feeling I have deep down is BD should win but those numbers are just so inflated, SCV numbers are inflated and Crown is getting decimated. I know judges in a very competitive season have to start separating corps but Jeesh. I would have BD 96.5 Cadets 95.7 Bluecoats 95.3 Crown 94.8 Cavies 94.3 SCV 93.7 as my top 6.
The Cadets - 2014
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
I suspect those last minute changes require practice with uniforms.