AzEuph Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 For obvious reasons I picked Santa Clara....and I'm tired of Bluecoats beating us on Finals out! (2006 and 2008) but. I think both corps had an off year and they each know it. I felt that Santa Clara had a better designed but lacked in the execution. Their strengths were the drill and guard IMO. My favorite movement was their second piece. I loved the way they incorporated their 3s into the show with triangles/trios/3s. I liked the design and it kept me interesting the entire time, a little weak in Cloudburst at the beginning tho. Bluecoats, like last year this corps musical sections were flat out impressive IMO. I thought that this was by far their weakest show since atleast 2005 (2005 was when I first took notice of them). They lacked in the execution of drill, and part of that was because of the actual drill. I thought their design was a little weak, but they had moments that I really enjoyed. Overall I don't think Bluecoats design was top 6 and would place Vanguard above. I thought that Bluecoats had some cool ideas, i.e. the snares solo and the boxer punching bag with the bass drums (one of my favorite moments in 2008). Like I mentioned earlier, Vanguard lacked in the execution of their show but I still loved it. I look for both of these corps to come back in 2009 heated and ready to redeem themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyle079 Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 bluecoats just because i saw them the most, 3 times to vanguards 1. but my first time seeing vanguard in person was awesome. they dont come by stl much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrVinegar Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 The Bluecoats of course! I am biased but doing my best to look at the two shows objectively I felt that the Bluecoats should have been 1.5-2 points ahead, heck, even the SCV fan next to me felt the same way. Bluecoats music really grabbed me and pulled me in which surprised me because I thought a boxing theme would be cheesy. I am glad they proved me wrong. SCV's music while very good, and I enjoyed the show, just didn't hit me on an emotional level. SCV had better designed drill overall but both corps had the same level of dirtyness in their drill. I really feel that Bluecoats had a superior show. Also, you can tell from the posts that many, certainly not all, voted for SCV out of nostalgia as if to say, "they're SCV, so they should win." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I play the baritone good Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 SCV all the way. I feel kinda bad for them because they're doing just as well as they always have, there's just more top-notch corps these days to thicken the competition. On one hand I'm like 7th, that hurts. On the other I'm like wow but they scored a 93, good enough for 4th some years. Lots of competition at the top these days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scv guy Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Also, you can tell from the posts that many, certainly not all, voted for SCV out of nostalgia as if to say, "they're SCV, so they should win." I don't buy that at all. SCV had a show that was so far above Bloo in the level of sophistication. That show was pure art, highly innovative and exceedingly difficult. To say that fans were just giving them a nod out of nostalgia is pure B.S. Give the fans a little more credit. SCV and Bloo fans are looking for different things, so this is kind of a loaded question anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 SCV for sure. Loved the show design and energy. Loved the color guard and drill. I'm in the minority here and that's ok but I don't like boxing and couldn't get into Bluecoats show. I also didn't like their arrangments and use of "On the Waterfront." I did appreciate some good playing and the hit in "The Boxer." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancerlady Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 I loved them both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 The more I saw, the less I like BC I more I saw, the better I like SCV. The more I watched BC, the "cheezier" the show became and I thought the "boxing members" looked too cartoonish ? Can't find the right word but it just came across blando with the exception of "the boxer" horn feature. SCV at first was so far over my head I found it annoying but the more I watched and heard it, the more captivated I was by the show. It's seldom that drum corps gets me to appreciate something different but SCV did it to me. Had it not been for the fan network I doubt that I would have really gotten into so many shows this year I just wish there was good coverage of the open class corps also. Overall, one of the best years for me since 1980. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartyount Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 (edited) SCV and Bluecoats were pretty much neck-and-neck all season, right to the end. Bluecoats had an edge in music and SCV had an edge in visual. I think it could've gone either way on any given night. It just happened to be in Bluecoats favor on finals night (last year, it was in SCV's favor on finals night). I personally liked both shows alot and can't really pick a favorite. Their shows since 2001, their slow but steady rise towards the top, into the next tier of participants has been fun to watch.To me, their visual design from say: 2002 - 2006 have been groundbreaking and above EVERYONE else in terms of design, staging, and total package. This year, I think they failed, a failure compounded from last season. Wow. You feel that the 2007 show was a failure? Really? Yes - their visual design has been their weakest link (hopefully that will change soon), but I don't see how anyone can say that 2007 was a failure unless that is based purely on their finals placement (edit: compared to their placement in the previous few years). In 2007, the 4th through 7th place corps (Bluecoats, Phantom, SCV and Crown) were within a point of each other all finals week if memory serves correctly. It was another case of it could be anyone any night in my opinion. But Bluecoats ended up at the bottom of the pile despite having scored higher than the year before when they placed 4th and with what I think most people considered to be the best overall performing Bluecoats line to date and also one of the best show designs (despite the weak visual design). Edited August 13, 2008 by bartyount Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byline Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 For me, the answer isn't about who I was "supporting" more. I enjoyed both corps, for different reasons. Loved Bluecoats' music, but felt their drill design was a bit lacking in demand and creativity (and it also looked a tad dirty to me, watching high-cam via the Fan Network). Loved Santa Clara precisely because their drill design was so innovative. Was it dirty? I'd be hard-pressed to believe their marching had more dirt than Bluecoats, but I could be wrong about that. Again, I was watching high-cam. I'll know more when I watch the DVD. So, in the end, I loved both shows. I would've given the edge to Santa Clara, but of course that's based only on what I saw in the streaming video of semifinals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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