billj
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Posts posted by billj
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""Cavaliers. Machine. Right now the music is the highlight of this show for me. .
I'm not sure that I saw the whole show though.......it just seemed to 'end'....and my immediate thought was 'that can't be the end'. Maybe I'm wrong and that's the effect they want. I hope that it changes.""
For me, it's the music that is holding me back from enjoying it. I just need music: melodies. I need something that gets me interested. I know that Cavies always have a huge visual focus to the designs of their shows, but... I can't really "root" for the Green Team until they play some good music. I guess I just don't like their musical "style" of Original Compositions...oh well.
I do definatly agree that their show just ENDS. I'm sure they'll fix that though. However, I thought they'd fix that problem with their show last year, and they didn't.
As I mentioned in another thread:
"They did a fake ending (stopped early & played some ending chords), which they pretty much do every year at the beginning of the season. I don't like that, but they have a formula for success, and they probably have a lot more drill sets than anyone else, who am I to argue?"
They do this every year. The other thing that they do every year is leave out some of their big visual impacts (usually during a percussion feature, with the winds doing some choreography and the guard either doing choreography or throwing rifles), and add them in later in the season. I kinda feel cheated when I see them at the beginning of each season, but then again, I feel that way when some of the other top 12 don't have 1/3 or more of their guard work, guard uniforms, or real show flags out on the field. I don't know if the corps think that they get more credit from the judges as the the judges see more things added to the show during the season, or if there's another explanation for the uniforms and flags not being ready for the first shows of the season.
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I miss my mother's Madison Scouts....
I have the '99 CD's in my car. I love listening to Jesus Christ, Superstar. I'd consider that corps & that show the last of the "old school" Madison. What do you all think?
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What? SCV dropped the white pants (pun intended) after 1 season? Or are they going to do like back in the 80's, where you never knew if they were going to wear white or black (dark green?) at any given show?
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This isn't a good stadium in which to judge crowd response. Sound doesn't carry well within the stands, thus the audience response to all corps seemed rather tepid. I was seated on the 50 yard line near the top -- right in the middle of the action, so to speak, but even from this position crowd noise seemed very subdued.
Several problems with BOTH this venue AND North Central College in Naperville, just up the road, which hosts a DCI show later in the year:
- The stadium faces due west, so the fans are staring straight into the sun as it is setting. Since the Lisle show started at 6, the only performance that I did not have the sun in my face was for the PR, and they were the last corps on AND I was in the 2nd row from the bottom! It's hard to see, what's going on on the field with the sun right in your face, and it's a major pain, and an energy drain, too. Thus, a built-in loss in crowd response.
- The field is set back a fair distance from the field. There's a large track & a fairly wide sideline. With the performers set back from the crowd, the volume & intensity is lost before it gets to the crowd. More built-in loss in crowd response.
- No trooping the stands. I can't recall if they do this in Naperville, but in Lisle, not this or last year. I think people expect it, and save some of their applause for the trooping. Plus, as mentioned, the single-file-out, single-file-in just slowed the show down & dragged things on longer than necessary.
While nothing individually is a big deal, I think these things add up to reduce the crowd's enjoyment, and thus, their response.
My suggestions:
- Start the show later. I am sure that there are considerations for travel, for the audience, the judges, and the corps, but there were only 6 corps - the show was over before 8:30. Starting at 7 or 7:30 would get the sun out of everyone's eyes.
- Let the corps troop the stands!
- If it was planned all along that PR would be giving a concert, it SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED DURING THE SHOW! Many people, including me, leave right after the last corps performs, since there's no real retreat & many people don't really care much (or don't agree with) the scores. But, if I knew PR would perform, you can bet that I would have hung around. Sorry I missed them :-(
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Glassmen (Toledo, OH) [2 DM; 19, 13, 18, 8 brass; 8, 3, 5 drums; 12 pit; 36 guard]
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As with some of the later shows, I heard someone yelling either “Vanguard” or “Blast Off” during a silence in the “Ode to Joy.” ...
I had a few Glassmen fans right behind me - the yell during the silence in the closer was "Glassmen!" a la the "Vanguard!" yell that seems to find a home somewhere in the SCV show every year.
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My review of Oswego is tacked on to: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums//ind...showtopic=80303 . I won't repeat what I already said in my Oswego review, but I'll comment on new different things that I saw/heard in Lisle. My seats were VERY low :-( but right in the middle. I really couldn't see much drill, so a watched the guards a lot more, and I heard a lot more of the pits.
Kilties
They were enjoyable, music was performed very well, and they pumped out some decent sound.
Pioneer
I can definitely say that percussion is their strong suit.
Glassmen
Their guard had a better performance than Oswego. The silly/drunk part doesn't do much for me - I don't know if it's that the work isn't clean, or the writing needs improvement. The corps runs out of steam towards the end, but the tempo is fast, the music is loud, and the drill is moving, somewhat, so that'll probably lock in down the road. They might need to tweak the ending drill, for more effect.
Bluecoats
Real nice sound - great, full brass sound & the percussion were on. Real good guard - best of the night. Great drill - nice staging of the voices.
Cavies
I figured it out, upon second viewing/listening: the crescendo in the ballad section sounds like a cross between the ballad in Frameworks and the ballad in Bond. But, then again, there always seem to be musical phrases in their show that sound similar to past shows. Oh, and being down low, in the middle, I heard a lot more of the various machine sounds coming from the pit - interesting.
Phantom
What a great, dark, symphonic sound. They were the loudest - it was fun. They have about 4 or 5 FFFF moments. Percussion is real good, too. The show is dark, and obviously not as crowd-friendly as last year, but I really liked it. Can't comment on drill since I was so low, but I couldn't see any drastic less amount of difficulty, as compared to Bluecoats (as one Toledo reviewer commented on). The guard was the weakest section. Not as clean as i remember 2005 in Lisle. They have 6 male guard members that spend a lot of time on rifle. The ballad, with the high brass on baritone was impressive, but I was hoping for an FFFF moment with all of those low brass horns, and that didn't happen :-(
EDIT: I forgot to mention that the male guard members are costumed & staged as the "evil" in the Faust theme.
I didn't wait for the scores, since I usually don't agree, and real finales are sadly a thing of the past. There were clearly 4 top 12 corps here, and possibly 3 of the top 5 again. It'll be interesting to see where the corps take things over the next few weeks.
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I didn't think it worth starting a new topic, so I'll tack on my comments of the Oswego show here. I was up high, on about the 45 yard-line. This is all from my memory, no notes...
Capital Sound
Their strength seemed to be marching. A lot of good technique & many of their step-offs & direction changes were done well. I would have liked to see more variety in their drill - lots of 3 rows or columns that then shift to diagonals. They gave a good effort & projected some good energy.
Pioneer
They are not huge (30-some horns, but a large marching battery, including 4 or 5 cymbals), but their drill really fills up the field. Marching is pretty good for this early. I am not familiar with the music that they are playing. I struggled with finding a melody in much of what they were playing. The horns seemed to struggle with balance and intonation more than I recall in 2005, at this time of year. Hopefully they just need to gain more confidence with the show. They, too, performed with good energy.
Southwind
This is a really well-designed show, better than last year - and I really love last year's. They are also performing better than last year at this time. The pairing-duality-mirror theme is all over the drill & music (didn't notice in the guard, but I didn't watch them as much). A couple of things that I remember most:
- There's a great drill/music coordination moment (during part 1 or 2?)) where the low brass & high brass are trading off their melodies, playing backfield, and they are in ovals that intermesh and pull through each other, just as the melodies are intertwining. I might have been at the right viewing angle, but it was a great effect.
- There's a cool part somewhere in the middle where the battery & low brass are in a circle on the left side, playing cool rhythm & stuff while the mid & high brass (dunno if trpts or sops) is playing a ballad on the right.
- As much as I loved the show, i seemed to drag on, like the designers didn't know how to end it. Maybe the corps ran out of steam a little? The show just kept on going, after I thought it might be done, and THEN, they went into the "real" ending (see next).
- The show ends the way that it starts - winds doing choreography to percussion (not sure if the whites & blacks are on the same or opposite sides at the end as they are at the beginning). It's kind of like the Cavies did with Spin Cycle (sorry to compare, but that's how I saw it), reversing back from the beginning.
Glassmen
Great drill & great sound. Lots of nice drill moves - The only detail that I remember is that the show ends in a mirror image of the opening drill set. I didn't see them in person last year, but I have the CD's. Their sound this year is so much better than 2005 finals (balance, intonation, power, etc). Their percussion stood out as being very good, as well. Guard was inconsistent, but some very good movements. The drill moves a lot, and I thought their marching was pretty good for this early. As I watched them, I was thinking that this looked a lot more like the Glassmen from 4-5 years ago, as opposed to the last 2 years. I really liked their show - much of the music is familiar (which always helps), and, yes, they do have some twists and themes-and-variations on the music, like last year, and somewhat like Southwind - however, I didn't find the music arrangements as over-the-top as last year (i.e. no Samba Beethoven, or anything like that), but that's OK. The show is very entertaining, accessible, and has a lot of audience appeal. Many in the crowd, including me, immediately gave them a standing-O as soon as the show ended. I'd be surprised if they don't place higher than 2005, but I guess that depends on the other corps, too.
Cavies
I agree that they are hard to review. They come out very prepared, with drill, music & guardwork are usually the most difficult. I did notice the titled snares, but other than the visual aspect, nothing else to note (I’m not a drummer, so I don’t know if/how this affects the sound). This show does seem to have a better design & more energy behind it than 2005. They did a fake ending (stopped early & played some ending chords), which they pretty much do every year at the beginning of the season. I don't like that, but they have a formula for success, and they probably have a lot more drill sets than anyone else, who am I to argue? They play & march really well. Lots of fast-paced drill that is really cool, but hard to describe. One part, in the middle of the show is easier to describe: the brass is in a block, front & center, and a couple of guard members are on the edges & corners of the block. The percussion is playing during this - the guard members, individually, push, pull, and bend the block into various shapes, then block always snapping back, or being bent back into the block shape - very creative. I can seem them challenging for the top spot this year.
I’m going to Lisle, so it’ll be interesting to see how Phantom & Bluecoats fit into the mix.
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These tickets have been sold
Lisle Review
in DCI (All) Corps Show & Event Reviews
Posted · Edited by billj
I'll sort of agree. The show is dark and mean. But the music is less accessible, and I just think not as many casual drum corp fans (or first-timers) will get into the show, only those that really appreciate their musical performance. There are probably more WOW musical hits in this show than anyone else at Lisle, but that only goes so far, and people definately won't be going home humming their music, like last year.
This is all fine with me, since last year was quite a departure from the Phatom that I know & love.