Stanford Review

[Lightness]

I will buy eight of them, for the benefit of my young drum students, who will be happily and intelligently talking about SCV's "Bartok" for the rest of the week.

And, do enjoy your Miley Cyrus concert. I understand there's free all-u-can-eat bubblegum at the venue.

..

Edited June 28, 2010 by Lightness

[Jeff Ream]

Well you blew it.

Finished or not, SCV's show is the killer musical/visual experience of the year. Just being anywhere near it, and getting drawn into its spell, was a privilege I would happily have paid and driven double for.

Too bad for you.

did you go to the BD school of attacking anyone that doesnt gush about your show?

it has potential. but it's not God's gift to drum corps

[TrainWreck]

meh. I'll let my dollars talk versus arguing here.

Edited June 28, 2010 by TrainWreck

[Tez]

I'm actually a pretty nice guy. I just needed to vent, because you forced it out of me. But at least I did justify my (partially exaggerated) anger.

You've got to understand that music is a life passion, and it goes a lot deeper than "entertainment" for anyone with any depth of humanity. You know that. You're on a musical forum here -- there's no way you don't have some kind of passionate attachment to music.

I couldn't care less whether you're a fan or not as a result of some stranger's forum rant, but you should know you can't go casually trashing masterpieces without expecting a passionate reaction.

Further, when you have shallow and careless reactions like that to works that are new to you, then post them as "reviews", you know you are directly discouraging others from hearing it for themselves. This verges on a criminal act of vandalism, to anyone who plays, teaches, and loves music.

Why couldn't you be bothered to mention the truth -- that Santa Clara's show is something different? It's beautifully designed to pull you forward, wake up your ears, and make you listen and watch with more involvement? It's a whole symphony of great images and musical detail, played to perfection. Why didn't you say a single thing about the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, which is one of the greatest and spookiest works of the 20th century, and how SCV has found their way into it?

In other words, why didn't you accept the challenge, stand up in pride and intelligence, and respond to it in detail, like a thoughtful grown-up?

Instead, you made it sound as though you sat there in a weird cloud of attention-deficit distraction, waiting for them to throw candy or something.

This is a "review"?!

Why shouldn't someone who actually cares about good work be ###### at you?

You know better. Try waking up your mind a little next time -- it's actually not so hard.

There's no other way for me to put it. I'm sorry.

This is one of the best posts I have ever read on DCP. If all true drum corps fans actually read this and tried to understand what this person is saying with an open mind, I guarantee they would be a "better" drum corps fan. And by that I mean..... enjoy and appreciate many more of the shows these designers and young adults work countless hours to present us for our viewing and listening pleasure.

I know some people (maybe many people) would label the above poster as "elitist" or whatever..... but I strongly challenge those people to re-read what he has written with an open-mind...... try to see things from a different perspective..... realize that the human mind can be stimulated in many more ways than we can even imagine......

[FHdork]

Inspiring rant, Ian Shields - I'm most impressed.

While I'm all for one doing what's best for one's family, finances, and their own personal definition of fun - if one likes music and has a taste for drum corps, attending a show...even early in the season when things might be creaky or incomplete (or feature music you think you might not like...) is a good thing to do.

Train wreck could do what I do: leave at home the kids who only attend grudgingly anyway...skip the souvies (sorry corps...the ticket was all I could choke down...), skip the food (easy...it sucks), and park a mile away where it's free and hike in.

Then for $25 and the cost of gas, you might just hear a few shows that wow you. The lingering afterimage of a great 'WOW' is a wonderful thing for the musical soul.

[Scerpella]

Shame on all of you for reacting to SCV that way.

"Esoteric" music? "Boring"??? WHAT?!!

(Do you even know what the word "esoteric" means, or is that just some vague cloudy term you throw around when you have a vague cloudy reaction to anything that asks for a teensy amount of extra attention from you?)

Look guys -- if you are musicians or music lovers, you have absolutely no business not jumping up and down in glee, and going down on your knees in worship to SCV this year.

It's the friggin Bartok Concerto for Orchestra -- it's one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, ya know? It's not "esoteric", it's a universal landmark in music. It's actually being handed to you on a silver platter, with the greatest of care and preparation. It's a frigging masterpiece, and you can't even be bothered to stretch your sleepy brain up enough to pay attention for once? Well, to hell with ya.

It's grown-up music. It's a 7-course dinner, not a hamburger. Quit looking for the goddam ketchup, ya rubes!

This Vanguard show is one of the best things they've ever done, and deserves an audience with their brains attached and their souls fully engaged. It will be those listeners, the real ones, who will be on their feet when SCV puts it all together.

If you're left in the dust, well, your loss.

Okay, done with my venting. *deep breaths...lol...*

Shame on everyone for having the temerity to not enjoy what this member enjoys apparently!

[PeeWee]

Shame on all of you for reacting to SCV that way.

"Esoteric" music? "Boring"??? WHAT?!!

(Do you even know what the word "esoteric" means, or is that just some vague cloudy term you throw around when you have a vague cloudy reaction to anything that asks for a teensy amount of extra attention from you?)

Look here Mr. IanKShields, I happen to be an alumnus from the Santa Clara Vanguard. If anyone on here would have any credibility it would be a DCI alumni. You can love or hate a show as much as you like, but that doesn't mean you can discount the opinions of others.

And by the way - Esoteric = "Intended for or understood by only a particular group." So yes, I know exactly what it means.

[garfield]

Mr. Shields,

I was actually shocked and, at the same time, embarrased for you about your rant. I've been listening to "Adult Music" for 50 years, have loved many, many SCV shows over the years, and appreciate their willingness to take up "esoteric" music and dispense it to the drum corps community.

But your rant is one of the most childish I've read in DCP. Your passion for music seems to have taken over your sensibilities to the point of absurdity (hat tip to BD).

Your post is akin to me ranting at every non-drum corps person because they aren't "mature" enough to understand the deeper meaning of drum corps. I sure as heck am in no position to call them shallow, or immature, or "...of a cloistered mind". Yet you feel free to do so in this thread.

There's lots of modern "classical" writing that I don't appreciate. It doesn't make me a shallow knucklehead. Bartok has merit, certainly, but he's hardly the pinnacle of symphonic writing. His writing is no more "universal" than Beethoven was...um, several years earlier. Bartok as a "universal landmark" of classical music? Please.

You need to take a step back and give others the ability to disagree with your view, and recognize that not everyone who disagrees with your opinion is some stone-headed cretan.

"Shallow", "Careless", "Stretch your sleeping brain", "Ya Rubes", "brains attached", "souls engaged", "stand up in pride and intelligence", "like a thoughtful grown-up", "like a thoughtful grown-up" (again), "Try waking up your mind a little next time -- it's actually not so hard".

You surely win the prize for the most personal attacks in two posts!

"Why shouldn't someone who actually cares about good work be ###### at you?" Well, I care, "passionatly" about good classical music and I'm not ###### at him.

I'm more ###### at you for typing such a pompous and insulting post on DCP, and in an opinion thread, to boot.

Now that you've calmed down a bit, how about expressing some apology to the many here you've felt comfortable tearing apart.

If you were hoping DCPers were "going down on [their] knees in worship" of your "review and opinion" I suspect you'll be sadly disappointed with it's results.

Edited June 28, 2010 by garfield

[hsreed]

My name is Danayle Royescoione and I am the ultimate Drum Corps judge. I will be attending the show on July 3rd and bring resolution to this dispute. All opinions are irrelevant next to mine.

This is the law because I say it is.

[chasgroh]

...this is a good thread! I was at the Stanford show as a sideline photographer, which in and of itself is a great way to watch drum corps! Not necessarily a great seat in the house for evaluation of total show, though...heh. I've been in the activity for 50-odd years in many capacities, but my favorite by far is teaching the visual end of things...and I'll be quite honest when I say I am biased leaning toward the visual...(I actually think we *all* are, but to most it's completely subliminal). So, qualifiers on record, I hate Bartok. I hated it in high school when we tried to play it...it didn't sound good, had no discernible melody, was too hard to hear...ugh. So, when I heard Bela was the basis for SCV's show, you gotta know I was ready to trash it. Silly me. I like the show! Mostly because I saw a Santa Clara that hasn't been seen for awhile...quirky, funny and FUN! Also quite good. That said, they're in for a rough road to make the top 5 again...it's a beast out there. BD has got all the marbles and the huge steelie to throw in the middle of the pot...talent galore and lots of time to perfect it...what a guard (that's that close-up vantage point I get to comment on...), feet are nice and the horn and drum sections are great as always. But my favorite of the night was Blue Knights...they flat kicked my butt and had me cryin' like a corny movie. Had the pleasure to work a viz block with 'em Sunday morning...my tribute to a great, accessible show. Sorry for the digression...main point is that all the hard work and effort to produce these shows needs to be recognized by us...the fans...after all, we *are* it.

Mainstreet USA really doesn't give much of a #### about our activity...we need to nurture a bit more than criticize, eh? Enjoy and revel in what we have...it may not be around in the near future...

cg