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Quick Allentown Saturday Review


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I'd have to agree with this as well. There is no need to " feel sorry " for the kids in the Cadets. Good, bad, or indifferent, they knew exactly what to expect when they auditioned for a spot in the Cadets in the off season. When in the last few years has a Cadets show not been considered " controversial " over some aspect ?

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Allentown Night one – short review

*snip*

Reading Buccaneers – Nice show design and great to see some major movement from a DCA corps. Right now its very rough, but this could be a repeat title for Reading.

*snip*

DCI made the Buccaneers go on FIRST?!

Come on, DCI. Get your act together.

Dan

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I'm thinking I'm going to have to strap myself in my seat at Quarterfinals to keep from walking out myself. I find The Cadets psychological approach to narration very manipulative and condescending as well. Trying to play on the emotions of the audience members so that we'll say, "Aww, it's not that bad. They're talking about ME!" is just so beneath morality that I'm astounded others don't pick-up on this.

Thank you for the review

They (the Cadets) are throwing candy at the kids.

Dan

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Bridgemen are going on first tonight. Since Bucs didn't get judged, where should they have gone on?

Somewhere in the middle - in a place appropriate for their previous scores or just before/just after intermission.

But you don't think that DCI plays games with DCA corps?

Dan

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Cadets narration: don't really like it, but if you're going to amplify the human voice, do it correctly.

They desperately need a sound engineer that won't overload the mic preamps.

This is the inherent problem with miking the voice to cover a STADIUM clearly.

To do it right, with proper headroom etc.., you'd need much more than any of the corps carry.

And.you.must.speak.clear.ly.

Interesting reviews. I'm interested in seeing Cadets show. Not for the narration but when I heard it early on without narration I thought I might like this show.

However, I quoted your point about needing a sound engineer....I thought that's the reason why they voted to have someone in the stands outside of a member to run the sound? You mean they still haven't figured out how to do it YET? What a shame. :music: Anyway, I don't want to be accused of hijacking a thread, just wanted to make that point.

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Somewhere in the middle - in a place appropriate for their previous scores or just before/just after intermission.

But you don't think that DCI plays games with DCA corps?

Dan

You sound a bit hostile over an issue that everyone who marches in a DCA corps with DCI affiliation understands. Jr's are the SHOW. All Age always goes on first. PERIOD! Regardless of how good/powerful/entertaining the All Age corps might be ... they will go on First and continue to do so until DCI should change their mind. Since DCI = "The Jr Corps" themselves ... I don't see this changing. Just be thankful that us old farts get to suit up and throw down.

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Some thoughts that I recall from last night:

Carolina Crown: This show really connects with the audience. They definitely got the best response from those around me. It's entertaining, and people like the concept. I loved the sound of the hornline. They blend really well and have a nice balance and a bright tone. I also like how they hold chords out longer than you expect. This has a great effect. Visually, they were a bit sloppy last night, and I recall several points where the drumline was not completely in sync. Double and triple tonguing in William Tell was excellent and crisp, yet can still get cleaner. I had them slightly above SCV.

SCV: I loved their repertoire. Great music, and great arrangements. To me, they need to work on some of their bigger hits "WOW!" moments. They need to stand out more compared to the rest of the music. Overall, great show, and it has the potential to get much, much better before finals, especially in terms of effect.

Phantom Regiment: What an incredible low brass sound! Their hornline sounds absolutely fantastic. I recall several times just being amazed at the sound of the contras and euphoniums.

The Cadets: I love the music, and the entire ensemble was noticeably clean. The drumline was fantastic throughout, and the hornline was tight, powerful, and well balanced. There were points in the program where I didn't mind the narration (the beginning introduction segment). But at other points, it is amateurish and cliche (the middle rehearsal section). But they are performing this show very well, and it's great music. I love the Karl Jenkins ending, especially the last chord.

We moved down to the fence for the encore, and it was excellent. I was hoping to hear parts of the show minus the narration, but they played mostly their other CD tracks: Shenandoah, Philip Bliss, Yesterday, Rocky Point Holiday, Back to the Future. Their hornline is absolutely fantastic and gave me chills during each piece.

As for the crowd, it was jam packed between the goal lines, but relatively empty in the general admission sections (end zones and beyond).

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I'd have to agree with this as well. There is no need to " feel sorry " for the kids in the Cadets. Good, bad, or indifferent, they knew exactly what to expect when they auditioned for a spot in the Cadets in the off season. When in the last few years has a Cadets show not been considered " controversial " over some aspect ?

I completely agree. One doesn’t join The Cadets… the corps that brought us The Zone shows and the director who polarizes the drum corps community… without knowing what he or she is getting into. Furthermore, the talent level of the members is such that they could probably choose to be in most other corps. They made an informed decision to become members of The Cadets, so feeling sorry for them isn’t necessary or appropriate. Just like with The Zone, another hugely controversial show, if they win Championships with This I Believe, I suspect many of them will be thinking the joke is anyone who “feels sorry” for them. They are getting what they signed-up for and I’m sure many of them, like George Hopkins, like to play the role of rebel. Don't victimize the members... they enjoy being the drum corps “agents of change” (like George Hopkins) or they are merely disciples of the drum corps anti-Christ, it all depends on which side of the debate you are on.

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\

IMHO, the only debate that really needs to happen with regards to the whole amplified voice thing is where and how that aspect of the corps' book and performance shows up on the sheets. As it is, the 'caption' of voiceover is more or less unjudged, which has allowed some poor writing and vocal performance to go by without affecting the score one way or another.

So you know for a fact that the GE music judges don't take the narration into account? I think that's a bit of a leap, and I'm willing to bet that some of the judges have said some of the things that are being said in here. if you can force yourself to watch the 2006 DVD of the cadets and listen to the music GE judge, he does reference the voice and whether or not it is blending appropriately.

Since it is audible instead of visual, I think the music caption is fine for judging it without adding another caption.

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