Phantom Regiment!

[cmathis]

Oh, and I was wondering - they spend a ton of time playing backfield - will that hurt them with the giant curtain in the Oil Can?

Mike

That curtain will absorb some of the sound, so they'll have to play louder to match their dynamics now. At least that's what I think.

[Cardman]

For whoever it was that asked about the pass through. It is crazy and shocking that no one got hit or fell. Its on side 1 around the 40 in the opener everyone should look for it. During all the sensemble I saw the soloist did not move in the drill. He actually walked off the field and watched for a part he didn't play. I'd say we saw about 3-4 minutes.

Watch it again. Someone DID fall, but they recover pretty quickly. I thought this was the best part of the entire drill. (Not the falling, the meshing/un-meshing/rotating part)

[idontwan2know]

Gotta admit, as a big Phantom phan, I'm worried about that drill.

I am sure the members and staff will do an excellent job cleaning it as the summer progresses, but I'm concerned that even if spotlessly clean, a lot of it will still be unreadable. It is just SO compact, with incredibly tight intervals and front to back layering. Combine that with Phantom's monochromatic color scheme and I'm afraid that so many sets will just look like big white blobs even when marched perfectly.

The big horn dot with tubas in a circle around it right at 2 minutes into the show is a perfect example of this. I don't know if that set will ever be readable.

Granted, the low res video exacerbates the problem, but I don't think it's the sole cause, either. If they stick with Myron in the future, something may have to change on the uniform color wise so that you can actually distinguish one individual member from the next. A different color baldric or something.

[bawker]

Well, I finally sat down and gave this show three or four views.

I can respect the brass charts, the source material . . .etc. I tried not to let the BOA version of this color my thought process, as this show does treat the original a little different than Central did.

However, I don't get anything emotionally from the performance; the last solo going into the extended forever chord was the beginning of something, but I just felt emotionally untethered from the rest of the show . . .and that's a weird feeling to get from Phantom Regiment.

There's lots to like, to be sure, but it wasn't the " gonna kick you in the head/gonna make you weep" yin/yang emotionally that so many other Regiment horn lines have brought to life for me.

Then again, there's plenty of season left for it to click for me personally, although I usually don't need repeat viewing with Phantom to accomplish that . . .even for the oft-maligned-here 2004 show.

To echo the visual comments above, a lot of the forms (given Rosanders propensity for the block form whiplash/group dissolve) are kind of muddy. I think a splash of color will fix that, though.

Maybe it's just me . . .but I don't like feeling ambivalent after watching a PR show.

[ashevillemurphy]

I agree that he drill is terribly compact and unreadable in many places; that said, PR always seems to get it together by seasons end.

On thing I miss is a "Phantom" trademark move ( a wedge running across the field, etc), although it looks like there is a "chevron" within an ocal shape at one point.

The soloist seems like he doesn't have enough to do .... there is no visual interaction with he and the rest of the musicians (I know he is supposed to be the spirit leader or whatever) but he stays back field and at times appears to be just sort of milling around in the far corner.

There is plenty of time for this show to develop and with extensive clean-up and perhaps the real flags this could put PR back in the hunt.

[BigPapiBass5]

Watch it again. Someone DID fall, but they recover pretty quickly. I thought this was the best part of the entire drill. (Not the falling, the meshing/un-meshing/rotating part)

i was talking about their rehearsal

[Phantombari1]

i was talking about their rehearsal

After watching the show several times I give Phantom the nod for potential. This show reminds me a lot of the cadets shows early in the year. Overly technical and muddy in many places.

Right now, as is, this show will fall anywhere between 5th-7th place.

By just cleaning the drill they can get a lock on the top 5, and with the addition of more POWER/WOW moments to the musical arrangments it will push them into the top 3.

The potential is there, they just need to plan now and execute!

[gellio]

Got to watch the show tonight. It's a tale of two corps, I think -

Visually, this isn't the same Phantom that we've seen for so many years. The drill is complex, engaging and finally - FINALLY - makes logical sense. The body movement is sophisticated, and the new slimmer uniforms make them look like ghostly dancers on the field. Bravo to Myron and the visual staff - brilliant job there. Seriously - it works wonderfully with the show theme.

Musically... the songs leave me flat. Two of the pieces - about 5.5 minutes of music, are nothing but horn stabs leading to a power chord, then a pit run afterwards. When they did that with Spartacus, I totally overlooked it thanks to the story being played out by the guard. In this show, it's kind of beating you over the head. I get it - the hornline is great, and the drumline is , but those arrangements... are ugly. Now, with that said, the opening / ending ballads are gorgeous and are a worthy addition to their vast library of classics, but I'd have loved to have seen their take on 1000AD (the piece the Glassmen flugel soloist did to such great effect in 2002).

I know the music is personal preference - it either grabs you or it doesn't - but for the first time in a long time for me, it didn't grab me. Yet, it's still early, and I have hope.

Mike

Wow, we think exactly opposite. I think the show is musically spectacular - the opening is gorgeous. I absolutely love the show musically. I do not like the show visually. I have never been a fan of Myron. This reminds me of past SCV drills (like Madison '06 did) and like Madison '06 it seems that there is demand for the shake of demand and nothing more. Honestly, I do not see this show catching Crown, Cadets, Cavies or Bluecoats - they (Bloo) were phenomenal and although their drill isn't as demanding as Regiment's, it's much more effective in my opinion. For the life of me I will never understand why Myron's still working - it's rehash after rehash, and demand for the sake of demand.

[MikeN]

No, I do agree about the beginning / end - I think the ballad parts are great. It's just the "tension" sections that do nothing for me.

Mike

[gellio]

No, I do agree about the beginning / end - I think the ballad parts are great. It's just the "tension" sections that do nothing for me.

Mike

I love those - fierce!

It's going to be really interesting when Blue Stars and Boston get in the mix. Shaping up to be a really good season.