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MikeZ

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Posts posted by MikeZ

    DCI Era Medalists - Something New to talk about!!

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    2 hours ago, hostrauser said:

    Phantom should have won outright in 1996. SCV should have won outright in 1999. Cadets should have won outright in 2000.

    1993 is the only year I look at and think, yeah, that probably should have been a tie.

    I feel the exact opposite. I thought BD was the best corps in 96, BD was the best corps in 99, and Cavaliers were the best corps in 2000. Of the 3, I feel 2000 was the one that could have legitimately been a tie.

    Mike Z

    • Like 3

    The 1996 Thread

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    21 hours ago, MikeN said:

    '96 was a year of firsts for me.  As much of a drum corps fanatic as I'd been since '89, that summer was my first live show (Killeen, TX - Phantom over Cavies over Crown).  Finals night '96 was also my first time finding drum corps online via RAMD (also dumbly asked "what's the best show ever" and got decades worth of education in one thread).  Also my first year buying the videos for Christmas.  

    Phantom had a show for the ages.  Brass was great, guard was good, drums were okay, and the GE was iconic.  It's hard to see on the videos, but the triangular poles they used in the middle movement were an "ooooh" for the audience as they strobed, catching the light.  When we heard them midsummer, I thought for sure they'd challenge for a title.  And the black on black unis looked spectacular under stadium lights.  Visually, it was a show built for outdoor night performances, for sure.

    Blue Devils, however, punched equally as hard.  I think this show has grown in a lot of peoples' estimations *since* that year.  That gut punch opening chord is to die for.  Desi, in particular (the 2nd "production" number) leaned hard into jazz, and the Dick Tracy music fit the mood really well.  Why'd they end up tying?  Probably because Phantom rode that GE wave and caught them - I don't know BD put a foot wrong.

    The Cadets had... well, a fun show.  A well performed show.  Not a terribly visually interesting show, and not one that felt like it took any risks.  Yeah, they fixed that the next few years.  Beef.

    Santa Clara rebooted themselves in '96, and while it might not have been a young group (I truly don't know), it *felt* like a young group.  You can definitely see the design groundwork being laid for their 97-98 shows, building of course to their title in '99.  They do capture Debussy well, and while it's not going to blow your mind, if you're a Vanguard fan it's worth watching.  

    Madison Scouts went back to the well, and while the brass felt a little fuzzier, and the guard moments not quite so Wow, and the drumline (holy cow, 8 tenors?!?) underwhelmed (how can you not hear 8 tenors?!?), it's still a wonderful production.  If anything, I think the *show* in '96 was much better than in '95, though the performance wasn't as sharp.  Bolero > Concerto de Aranjuez, always.

    Bluecoats had a rock solid show, and performance.  The Auld Lang Syne closer was an awesome touch to end it, but My Funny Valentine kind of stole the show.

    Crossmen had their famous move to YEA, of course, and the numbers suffered, but the show was a great Crossmen jazz performance.  Birdland of course was spectacular (and even better in '97).  I wish they hadn't kept the shakos that year, but that's about my only gripe.

    Magic put on probably their best show of their existence in '96.  Twelve Seconds, though not written for drum corps, sure felt like it was.  Of course, at the time we still felt they were a little *too* avant garde for what we still thought of as primarily hot-dog audiences.  Looking back from today, it's a fine, 20th century show done about 10 years too early.

    Carolina Crown's Chess show was I think the best-designed program of their 90's years.  It was dark, edgy and the chess pieces were amazing in person.  Again, modern audiences are used to these sorts of things now, but at the time most of us had never seen anything quite like it.  I can still sing you the Walton opener.  Nimrod was really good as well, if since waaay overused.  I may have to go watch this one again.  Oh yeah, and these were the second best uniforms they ever had.  (Gotta go with 2013 for first.)

    Ok, I've always had a soft spot for the Colts, but as I write these reviews I realize I keep dumping on their shows.  Can't do that with Magnificat - absolutely beautiful arrangements!  The whole production is glorious, and I love love love it.  It felt like it was written for a 5th-6th place corps musically.

    BK snuck into Finals with a smaller corps, a more reserved set of charts and a little more reserved visual program, and I can't find much fault with it.  They gave the kids an achievable vehicle that they could clean really well, and it worked.  They, like SCV, also used this show to lay the groundwork for much-upgraded vehicles in the next few years.

    It was only a few years ago that I finally heard the pre-show from Glassmen - go find it on Youtube.  Absolute brass balls from the arrangers to put that on first in a late-90's program.  You could make a pretty convincing argument that they should have been 12th.  They had horn intensity from start to finish.  

    VK's last show came in '96, and it was definitely a whisper rather than a roar.  I'm sure the arrangers took it as seriously as ever, but it almost felt like the gags were becoming the program, not the music.  

    Finally, Les Etoiles earned the second biggest upset of the summer by beating Pioneer.  Seriously - Pioneer's Celtic Twilight show was a beast.  Almost Division 1 size, drill, music - they had it all.  Did *not* see that one coming, but once you see Les Etoiles, man they had a good show.  And of course, zero-gee drum racks.  You had me at Zero Gee...

    Next time - DCI's middle year in Orlando surprisingly brought one of the strongest lineups of the '90's together.

    Mike

    1996 was a gut punch for me. I was a member of Pioneer in 96. 6 corps beat us in quarters that hadn't touched us until the last week of the season. I am not a conspiracy theory guy, but I am convinced that we were the 14th best drumcorps in 1996. It felt like we were being punished for remaining in division 2 instead of moving to world class. It's really a sliding doors type moment...what happens if Pioneer goes world class in 96 after undefeated II/III seasons in 94 and 95? 

    Pioneer was great in all of the performance captions, it was GE that was ultimately our downfall. That said, I have watched the videos hundreds of times, and there is just no way that Les Etoiles, Troopers, VK, etc were better than us. I kind of feel like kindred spirits with Colts who suffered a similar drop on quarterfinals day.

     

    Mike Z

    Food at Lucas Oil Stadium

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, ArtTalk said:

    Thinking ahead... For the 2020 finals I would so much like to be able to get a few tickets low in section 140. Since they never seem to be offered on Ticketmaster (at least that was my experience when I checked very early when finals ticket went on sale last year) I assume assume these seats must be in some way reserved. Could someone please tell me how one gets access to purchasing these prime tickets (Is it by becoming a donor to DCI or to a particular corps?) 

    Sorry this is off topic, but in some recent posts were people have been talking about their their great seats at finals, and it got me thinking. Thanks very much. 

    I get mine by being on the Tickmaster app the minute they go on sale. You can be guaranteed those seats if you buy Super 3 tickets, but that will require you to have the same seats all 3 nights.

    I go to the theater broadcast for prelims, sit in 640 for semis, and low in 140 for finals. I have never had an issue securing these seats as long as you are purchasing the moment they go on sale. Wait a day or two and you may miss out.

    I feel like I get to see 3 completely different shows over 3 days. It's pricey, but tons of fun.

    Z

    • Like 2

    DCI Southwestern Championship (San Antonio) - Saturday, July 20, 2019

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

    I'm not sure I'd go that far. Could that show beat Colt Cadets' or Raiders' or Heat Wave's shows? Based on the current standings, it looks like those are the three corps contending for the last two spots at O.C. this year. (No offense to Les Stentors. Maybe they come out blazing tonight!)

    I have only seen Colt Cadets this season of the 3 you mentioned. The Compass kids are older and performing a more complicated musical book...and performing it well. It’s not a knock on Colt Cadets, they do a great job filling their niche. The Colt Cadets could not do what Compass just did.

     

    Z

    Pasadena, CA - Saturday, June 29, 2019

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    I'm about as big a Vanguard fan as there is. My daughter is named after Gail Royer. I wear the 92 Vanguard tour shirt to finals every year.

    That said....Vanguard does not march and play. At all. If bodies are moving on the field battery/pit/soloist/small ensembles are playing. It was bad last year, it's worse this year. They sound unbelievable. They should. They are standing still.

    My enjoyment of the show is ruined, because I spend the whole time checking to see if anyone is moving and playing. I try to ignore it, but I'm a visual guy. That's what I do...I clean feet.

     

    Z

    Missing Pete Webber.

    • Like 8

    podcast: drum corps

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    It's okay for folks to have their own opinion about anything...but if those opinions are supported by incorrect or blatantly false facts, I'm just going to roll my eyes and go on. 

    I feel both drumcorps af and drunkcorps are the Barstool Sports of drumcorps. They claim to be "real" or have "hot takes" that DCI or DCP can't handle, but what they really are is mean spirited and immature. I think there is a wide gap between Marching Roundtable and drumcorps af. Wide enough that I wish there was content to fill that void. As of now there is not...so I will continue to listen to all of these shows. I still feel that a bad drumcorps podcast is better than no drumcorps podcast.

     

    Z

    • Like 2

    podcast: drum corps

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    I have no problem with folks who like or dislike any of the current podcasts. It's nice that there are a few different podcasts coming at the activity from various standpoint. I will listen to all of them, because I like drumcorps and there is limited content out there.

     

    That said, it's difficult to take drumcorps AF and drunkcorps seriously when they clearly don't entirely understand what they are talking about. Everyone is entitled to opinions, but when the hosts make errors in who played what when, don't know who designs some of the show's they are making fun of, etc it's hard to take them seriously.

     

    Knowing that the hosts of drumcorps AF are a Bluecoats alumni and a current staff member of Music City, I have a lesser opinion of those two organizations.

     

    Z

    • Thanks 2
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