Cadets 2006 vs. Cadets 2008

[KingJoeVII]

What the heck? You really think there have never been sequel shows before? Really?

Just a Friendly question. How long have you been a fan of/marched in/been invovled in drum corps?

Out of curiosity, how many shows have actually carried a single original story through like cadets 05 - 06, with the second show leading off right where the first show finished? Things like scv 88-89, or Madison 95-95 dont count. Similar theme =/= a 'sequel'. Anyway, I am genuinely curious...

Well, I should have hedged my bets a bit and put in more of an explanation, but I was at work at the time and very tired.

salad hits the nail on the head about shows and sequels. Sure there have been shows played back to back that have had very similar themes and even the same music, as salad points out. What those shows don't have is the narrative connection that spans the year. '06 took the same narrative from '05 and expanded it in new directions...that is different from say '88'89 SCV where it was basically a rehash of the same material and MS '95'96 where there is no deeper overall narrative.

'06 demanded the audience remember specific things about the '05 program -

-The ending drill sequence which is played back in silence at the beginning,

-the sections of the '05 show resembled by the princess hat, the workman's hat, the umbrella and the suitcase,

-musical themes - from the liquid theme from '05, to parts of "false mirrors" to, the kill bill motif, to the twilight zone

-The mirrored uniforms, changed in '06 to the psychedelic floral print to reflect the overarching visual theme

-The narrative of the '05 program wherein a girl becomes lost in several different worlds, '06 expands upon this to include the psychedelic Alice in Wonderland world which Alice/Danny first finds friends and enjoys, but soon finds that she wishes to go home (in an arc reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz - which is referenced in both the number of friends Alice/Danny meets and also seen in their skipping together at the end of "The Garden")

- The ending drill and musical sequence which on the surface appears to be a rehash of the '05 ending, however with extra musical and visual elements thrown in or adjusted.

Taking all of these into account, the '06 show goes well beyond a simple "part 2" show.

Thus you have the most complex show every put on a marching field (well drum corps show - I'm sure some BOA band out there has an even more involved and complex show design)

The 2006 show had many moments of brilliance, chief among them the hazy, dreamlike drill of the guard in the ballad. What the show lacked overall was staging and dramatic structure and continuity. Too often, the expansive concept took our eyes away from the “action.” A great counterpoint from that year was Cavies who demonstrated (as usual) a remarkable ability to lead our eyes and ears to the right point at the right time.

Which is better 2006 or 2008? Based on finals performances, I’m picking 2006, which is a shame because I feel that the unrealized potential in 2008 was greater.

HH

Interesting note about this...Hop always told us back in '06 that the judges kept saying this, saying we didn't draw the focus to anything specifically. Hop had been defending it all year saying that it was silly for the judges to penalize us for having too much effect going on. 'glory' is right that the goal of '06's effect was completely different from the Cavies show which everything was laid out in neat little packages, but I would contend that they merely represent different ways of designing a show and neither is inherently better.

Personally, I believe that criticizing a show for having too much going on is akin to saying that Mahler had too many themes or that his harmonies were too thick for the melody. It is more a matter of taste than an objective criticism.

I would love it if every show was so chocked full of effect that it would take several viewings to see it all. As it is I have seen Cavies '06 once or twice and it was plenty for me, whereas I would love to see PR '08 again and again because there was so much I missed the first time.

[Mouthpiece1234]

2008 just because of that closer. Wow. The last 2 minutes was definitely the most intense demand out of the top 12. Standing O

[chris ncsu]

I don't think Nitro and Round 4 in 2008 delivered like they had hoped or should have. Nitro never really grabbed me, never really got off the ground; and I never felt that Round 4 'popped', it never really jumped off the field. Vesuvius, I thought, got better and better as the year went on and wound up being a very good arrangement and performance, musically and with the drill.

Then again, I really don't like the 2006 opening number, it's very flat and subdued. I don't particularly care for the drum feature arrangement/theme, but I love the jumping off the tables. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ballad, especially the guard work. Then, the closing number is nothing special; the last 30-60 seconds sound like Bocook's drunken thoughts.

So 2008's opener is better to me; 2006's drum feature + ballad is probably better than 2008's Round 4; and 2008 carries the closer hands down.

[glory]

Personally, I believe that criticizing a show for having too much going on is akin to saying that Mahler had too many themes or that his harmonies were too thick for the melody. It is more a matter of taste than an objective criticism.

It is a matter of taste, as you say. It's also a matter of concept and execution. If your best content is overlooked because lesser content has the attention of the audience, then the program is flawed.

You're right that Cavies and Cadets in 2006 took different approaches to the program. Where I think Cadets were flawed that year was in a show design that seemed at times to obscure what the corps was doing best. You couldn't say the same about the Cavies (albiet with a more focused design).

That's where taste isn't the issue, I think. Take the ballad and the guard. I must have seen that show five times that year. But I didn't notice the outstanding guard work in the ballad until semi-finals because I was too distracted (and enjoying) other effects. To put it another way, in more than half my viewings, the corps didn't get the credit it deserved for what many of us feel was its best moment because that moment was obscured a profusion of lesser moves.

HH