superOOk

Yes, it is more out of frustration that I see glaring things that could easily be fixed. Will they? That is up to the talented individuals running the Bluecoats. I do know one thing about any sport or venue: if you listen to the audience, and engage them, the sport grows. If you decide, "hey, we did this for a reason and it makes sense to us, so you just need to understand us" and dis-engage the audience, the sport dies. It would be a crying shame if they don't re-center the show around "Creep". Give the show a meaning that people understand.

Disagree...but I think the voiceover could be more "dark". It clearly sounds like the voiceover comes from the program coordinator, Michael Gray, and it just doesn't sound quite right. But the idea is good. No offense to anyone, but if you are giggling you are a major dork and need to listen to more Radiohead. :)

Ok, my quick review: Sound was a huge issue -- luckily someone told the mgmt. and they turned it up, but it was not nearly loud enough. If you have ever marched in a top corps or watched it live, you know exactly what I mean. The wind had a lot to do with it, but the mix was definitely sub-par. And it DID NOT come across like it was high definition, high quality, or whatever moniker you want. The video playback only covered half of the theater screen as well (not widescreen). The theater was about 60% full. A brief intro: I marched '93 and '94 Bluecoats as a soprano. While I appreciate talent and skill, I tend to side on the "GE" side of things. So my review is geared towards that. Blue Devils: I'm not sure why everyone is dissing the "houses". It created a pretty cool 3D effect which was pretty much the highlight of this extremely boring show. Burt Bacharach? Seriously? Maybe it appealed to some, but it completely missed me and my generation I promise you. Listen, being a former Bluecoats soprano player, I LOVE the Blue Devils hornline and their history. But lately this corp has lost all connection to the crowd. I'm afraid they are headed in the wrong direction. Cavaliers: I loved the Cavaliers for the past 20 years. 1992 Gavornka Fanfare is my favorite opener of all time. Best Drill of any corps tonight. Will it be the best of the year? Ask the Cadets. Music is just forgettable. Honestly, the only thing I can remember are the upsides-down tenors. I have to say, no hard feelings to anyone, but there are A LOT of Cavaliers' homers out there. It tends to skew things pretty dramatically sometimes, and tonight is no exception. No closer drill. 1st place? uhhh.... Bluecoats: See my separate post. "Creep" is going to be the song everyone remembers about 2011 at the end of the year. But these guys are being held back by the show particulars right now. Will the staff make the necessary changes? Carolina Crown: "Cheese" is what the DCI industry says when they feel uncomfortable, or they think it looks or sounds too much like a "band". Seriously people. You can connect with the crowd on all kinds of levels. Velvet Knights used to do this routinely. This is part of Crown's history. Loved the drill (always do). I think Cavaliers/Crown/Cadets are in a league by themselves drill-wise. Like "Creep" with Bluecoats, Crown needs to expand on their "Bohemian Rhapsody" theme if they are going to go this route. Theater crowd roared when Saginaw's scores were announced, so clearly a favorite. Cadets: My pick to win this year back in May. It is funny, when I hear Angels and Demons from the Bluecoats show last year (2010), I think to myself: so this is what the show was supposed to look like! My only problem is that they don't go far enough with the theatrics. The corps should have looked like ... wait for it ... Angels and Demons! Why the traditional uniforms? Oh wait, its the Cadets... This is a perfect example of what I mean by "GE". Not the best brass (Bluecoats/Blue Devils) nor the best drill (Cavaliers), but the effect is beyond all this year. I predict that they win without winning many of the sub-captions this year. Phantom Regiment: Love the Montigue crest!! They look bad ###! The kids are playing their minds out, unfortunately, the staff (similar to what is happening with the Bluecoats overall design this year) is letting them down. Its a "forest from the trees" type of thing that is going on here. There is NO STORY. I mean, come on. This is one of the easiest stories to tell. One of the easiest stories to connect with the audience. Yet it doesn't. That should tell you something. Can't beat the guard though, incredibly hot (could rank as one of the hottest lineups of the decade). Santa Clara Vanguard: This is definitely not your '93 Star of Indiana. This is '93 Star of Indiana gone wrong. Maybe they will clean it up to the point of the crowd saying "well, that was interesting". Shows you how good '93 Star was and why they were so upset when they didn't win. Great percussion arrangement (which Bartok lends itself to). Well executed by the drum line. Blue Stars: The crowd favorite tonight. My favorite tonight. The Bourne music is so chilling and their closer has to be the best of any corps tonight. Some of this had to do with the theater/mix sound as it finally came up to "drum corps" levels. You could see everyone sit up in their chairs like "whoa, holy crap this is nice". Leave the props. Leave the synth (best use of synth all night -- traditionalists will hate it though). People talking about how the props constrain them to the front and center of the field...like this is a bad thing. I'll tell you what constrains a corps: the music arrangement or the drill arrangement....definitely not a prop or anything else... My placements for tonight (these are almost entirely based off of "GE", not how "clean" or how "challenging" the show was): 1. Blue Stars 2. Bluecoats 3. Cadets 4. Crown 5. Phantom 6. Cavaliers 7. Blue Devils 8. SCV My Finals Predictions: 1. Cadets 2. Bluecoats 3. Cavaliers 4. Crown 5. Blue Devils 6. Blue Stars 7. Phantom 8. Madison Scouts 9-12 Toss ups between a number of corps Sleeper: Bluecoats and Blue Stars. Bluecoats have a chance if they make the necessary changes. Blue Stars do not get the credit (think Rodney Dangerfield) but will by the end of the year if they keep playing like this. Looks like we're in for a hell of a ride this year! I've updated my Finals Predictions after seeing DCI West

Being a Bluecoats homer, I felt the need to register an account here and say something about this year's show, "Brave New World". Actually, it is more a request that I hope someone sees or hears, since I would like to see my Bluecoats challege Cadets/Cavies for the title this year. Unfortunately, without making these changes (below), I just don't see them coming in the top 3. Ok, here are my wishes for this year: **** 1. WE NEED MORE "CREEP" !!! **** 2. The best part of the opener isn't the power chord or the build up. The best part is when the mello solo ends, and the mello line does that sexy turnaround and the tempo picks up from there. EXPAND ON THAT!@!! Pretty Please with pennies on top. You can build an entire 2nd set off of this rhythm. 3. There is NO FLOW between the opener and "Deus Ex Machina". How to fix this? See #2, then flow into the already nice dissonant chord climax before the transition, and then FINISH the climax, instead of abruptly stopping and moving directly into "Deus Ex Machina". 4. If you add more "Creep", then you must remove some stuff. This is easy: Get rid of the quadrophic mess (great idea, but it turns out playing from opposite ends of the field doesn't work so well) 5. Bring "Creep" back in at the end. Maybe use the "missing" piece after the mello solo (see #2) again for this to build into a nice power chord ending. To the staff: You are incredible at what you do, but remember, if you cannot connect with the crowd, what is the point? You owe the members (current and former) at least that much. You are ALMOST THERE, but you have to add MORE of the opening feel into the show. You still have time. By far the best DCI Opener of the year is Bluecoats' "Creep", and I don't think many people will disagree. It is unfortunate, though, that most of the crowd ends up feeling like "what was that about" after listening to the rest of the show. We'll see if the staff has the guts to do what is necessary to win.