bawker Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I was thinking about this earlier...1989 is the most popular DVD that DCI sells. Moreover, SCV's show from that year constantly tops favorites lists, and won the first Classic Countdown as the most popular show ever... this being almost twenty years after the fact. Given it's widespread fan and critical (hey, it won, after all) appeal, do you think there's still any lessons to be learned from this show in todays programming? What made it work so well? The fact it borrowed from musical theater so well, complete with the "stage magic"? The fact that the show had time to be polished a second year? Should we look more towards musical theater than we do? This show seems to have balanced what fans love with what (at the time) won....do we just chalk that up as the show having a certain je ne sais quoi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I was thinking about this earlier...1989 is the most popular DVD that DCI sells.Moreover, SCV's show from that year constantly tops favorites lists, and won the first Classic Countdown as the most popular show ever... this being almost twenty years after the fact. Given it's widespread fan and critical (hey, it won, after all) appeal, do you think there's still any lessons to be learned from this show in todays programming? What made it work so well? The fact it borrowed from musical theater so well, complete with the "stage magic"? The fact that the show had time to be polished a second year? Should we look more towards musical theater than we do? This show seems to have balanced what fans love with what (at the time) won....do we just chalk that up as the show having a certain je ne sais quoi? I almost feel bad being trendy, but i love this show myself. I probably watch it more than any cadets show even to be honest. People will say 88 is better, but I saw 89 years before, so i cant really watch 88 with a clean slate. My favorite drum corps moment is still everything from the baritone solo at the end to the company front, as it ellicits the biggest emotional response from me out of all dc. Add to that, the drill was pretty cool and high paced, and the hornline was playing some of the most recognizable music in the world, loud....and you have a winner :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Honestly? I don't think it would be as popular if it hadn't held the record high score for so long. It's unavoidable that scores and placements will affect how we think of a show. So a decent enjoyable show gets referred to over and over as the best ever, and people buy it. Well, that's my explanation at least, because I've never really felt strongly about it. I love the Music of the Night at the end, but could leave the rest. Maybe others will be better at answering your question than I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 it's popular powerful music. i bought the 89 dvd for the top 12 as a whole, but consistantly watch phantom and scv of course. the musical has widespread fame and hearing how great vanguard put it together i believe it makes it sort of an "icon" of a show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07-Socks Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 (edited) Honestly? I don't think it would be as popular if it hadn't held the record high score for so long. It's unavoidable that scores and placements will affect how we think of a show. Maybe I'm in the minority, but the show I think of the most is '03 Regiment, a show that placed 4th. Scores aren't always a factor. Edited August 3, 2007 by 07-Socks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcat Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I think the lesson is that if you do something well, do it again and again until we all cry mercy... LOL That show isn't that good. It's lots of snippets to me; like a reader's digest - funny thing is I thought they did better with Miss Saigon. That carried the intent more, and was less of a mash-up. That said, I think 1989 sells well because of the exceptional competitive tightness. We didn't know how it was going to turn out, but the parity was exciting. We also can't overlook that they "overcame adversity" with their over-age dilemma. The key, to me, is that there was competitive parity. The more drum corps able to challenge the top, the better. SCV came out on top of the pile, and then in the coming years, you get controversy, near bankruptcy, and an emergence into a "new era" in the late 90's. After 1992, you have the tough times, so I think the 89 SCV show is kind of like the way America remembers the 1950's -- golden era. Then dead-ball. Then juiced-ball. Next up, random steroid testing of contra players and bottom basses. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patblamo Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Maybe I'm in the minority, but the show I think of the most is '03 Regiment, a show that placed 4th. Scores aren't always a factor. Bringing up PR 03 brings to mind a question for the OP, is the question to learn what will make you popular or what will win? In 89 it might have been closer to the same thing, today is it NOT! SCV 89 (and PR 03) won fans with emotion which gets you little to nothing on a score sheet. I don't think most of the top corps today want to be as popular as SCV 89 unless the championship is included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 89 was a great year. I personally will always feel that 89 SCV was far too close to 88 SCV, as I view 88 as what a show (any show) would look and sound like at the beginning of the season, and after some tweaks 89 was what it would look like at the end. But disregarding how I feel about the two shows compared to eachother and everything that happened during the season, looking at just the show, it's an emotional and wonderful show! It was magical, it had every little piece perfectly tweaked to sound just right and look just right. The music is so great anyways, but because of all of the emotion and the crowd reaction and how well they sold it, you can hear the words, you can feel all of it and it just becomes so powerful! One of the greatest things ever in drum corps is the company front at the end, right after the euphonium solo, because they are wailing, honking those horns like there's no tomorrow, and you can't even hear them because every person in that audience was screaming and throwing babies and embracing that emotion that every person in that stadium felt, it was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They didn't even have to march, they could have just kept walking straight into the audience, and not a single person would have noticed anything but how great that whole night felt. On that note, I'll add that Phantom Regiment had their absolutely best performance in history (even better than 96, 03 and 06 I'd argue) and the crowd absolutely felt exactly the same way as they did for SCV. But think of a show that is that strong, and really that ended up just being the warm up act for SCV. I'd argue that both shows had so much emotion and passion that it was the emotion that won it all that night, and I personalyl believe that if SCV had gone on before Phantom, the crowd and judges would have had the exact same reaction for Phantom that they had for SCV, and Phantom would have won. So going back to the question, 89 is such a great year because there was so much perfection and great great feelings on the field that night, the whole night, even from the coked up dude who hacked the solo in BD. Actually, I'd argue up until the note he was feeling even better than the rest of the world did that night (though I heard he actually never did drugs, that was just a rumor) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 This show seems to have balanced what fans love with what (at the time) won....do we just chalk that up as the show having a certain je ne sais quoi? MMmmmm....I love it when you speak French... :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradrick Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 This show seems to have balanced what fans love with what (at the time) won....do we just chalk that up as the show having a certain je ne sais quoi? I went to school with a girl named Jenny Sekwa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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