Favorite Cavies show of the "decade"

[FaustianMachine]

Well, I saw one being made for several corps, so here's one for the guys in green. You know the drill.

Personally my top three:

2008 - Samurai

2010 - Mad World

2002- Frameworks

[chris ncsu]

2004 (007) !!!

Then, in some order (but kinda ordered by these bunches)...

2000

...

2003, 2010

...

2002

...

2001, 2008

...

2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

[GMichael1230]

2000

2001

2006

2004

2003

G

[bawker]

2004, then 2000.

[Jami]

2001, 2000, 2004 (all very close together), then 2006, 2010, 2007.

[MikeN]

Near and dear to my heart! The Cavaliers have been a favorite of mine since first show I ever saw on TV ('89) and live ('96).

In order of my favorites, which naturally means they're the best.

2010 (Mad World) - The Cavaliers, when they want to, are the best at selling "total package" shows that start the second they take the field. (See "Machine" below.) I think this one is my favorite because of the incredibly dark edge that Samurai and Machine were lacking. And the drill was every bit the equal of their early decade powerhouse shows. The joker-esque masks were absolutely brilliant, too.

2001 (Four Corners) - I think this show is incredibly underrated - the 3rd movement (drum feature) is an absolute classic, and they make it look so effortless you forget they're marching double time through the entire closer. It didn't dominate the entire season like Frameworks, but it's every bit as much the championship show.

2008 (Samurai) - I rate this show so highly because of the visual components. Musically, it's almost a cookie cutter Cavalier score (see 2002 / 2003) with an "hey, look - it's Asian!" overlay. Add in the drill and guard, though, and it just oozes attitude. When you try to break it down past that, you're doing the show a disservice. And come on, the slow-mo dodge at the end is amazing!

2004 (007) - Welcome to Cuba - hot, hot, hot! That alone makes up for the relatively fractured nature of the drum segment near the end (it kind of starts and ends with dead space and adds a weird halt to the flow of the show). Another one of those that they sell from start to finish.

2003 (Spin Cycle) - while Frameworks and Spin Cycle are clearly from the same mold of arranging, I give '03 the nod because it lacks some of the dry precision of the 2002 show and actually turns up the intensity a bit. And that might be one of the most amazing drill packages I've ever seen.

2006 (Machine) - More of the "total package," selling the show from the moment they come out. Doesn't require a libretto - "look, it's robots!" - and while I think the music was so funky that it moved into "huh?" territory, the show is a how-to-sell-effect demonstration; a theme (as opposed to story) show at its finest.

2002 (Frameworks) - "Fight Club" sequence aside, the horn book to me is a sterile, clinical thing. I don't mean this as bad as it sounds, but it's almost like a Hal Leonard exercise - it's almost perfectly executed, but it has no... oomph. I think this show, more than any other, defined the Cavalier "sound" of the decade, and as a fan, that's not entirely the best thing.

2009 (The Great Divide) - I think this is an incredibly vanilla show that they still manage to put some life into. I love the repeating melody that keeps popping up - very much "action movie" type music, except for the fact that... well... the guard doesn't really do anything action movie-ey. I like it, but I don't love it.

2000 (Niagara Falls) - the main problem I have with this show is that I don't like the music. There, I said it. It's well done, for sure, but it's just not fun to listen to. Fun to watch, though. (And it doesn't help that I once rode out a 48-hour stomach virus in a delerium with the 3rd movement (Daugherty's "Niagara Falls") stuck in my head. So in a completely oblique way, hearing that piece kind of makes my stomach sick now. True story.)

2007 (And So it Goes) - Except for the Italian Restaurant closer, which has tempos verging on insanity (seriously - have you heard the original? And they took it *faster*?!?), this is a "yuk" show for me - they managed to do a Billy Joel show without anything that really made you go "hey, it's Billy Joel!" Kind of pointless then, I think, to put so much emphasis on the songwriter.

2005 (My Kind of Town) - My least favorite, by far, of the decade. The ladders were simply distracting, the charts were vanilla, and the whole vibe of the program really lacked anything that we're used to seeing from Cavalier shows. And the swing closer made me Sad Panda.

Mike

[Jeff Ream]

2001 still wins

[Guard Diva]

2004, hands down!!!

i'm not sure that would beat Revolution and Triumph or the Planets, but those 3 run neck and neck for my favorite.

[Musicman1084]

2010 (Mad World) - I've always at LEAST "sort of" liked Cavaliers shows, but this is the first time in the last few years that they completely sold a show, IMO. From the very moment they stepped on the field, they set the tone, and the controlled chaos in the music, while exploring the various themes behind Mad World from a visual and commitment perspective, made this one of the most enjoyable products for me in many years.

2001 (Four Corners) - The visual design was great, and I loved the music.

2003 (Spin Cycle) - I loved the concept, drill and most of the music, but HATED the guard uniforms! Wow, what an...oversight? Regardless, the drill was awesome, and I love how everything came full circle.

2002 (Frameworks) - Didn't like drum feature and thought the Fight Club stuff was an overhype, but this is an overall package worthy of the highest score in DCI history. Awesome, awesome drill, and probably the cleanest I've ever seen.

2006 (Machine) - Lots of great nuances and gimmicks thrown in to a great visual and music package.

2008 (Samurai) - See "Machine."

2004 (007) - See "Machine."

2000 (Niagara Falls) - I actually like the source material quite a bit, and found this show enjoyable, but I still feel the Cadets should have been in sole possession of 1st.

2009 (The Great Divide) - This show had some moments that I enjoyed, but it was overall a bit bland for what I've come to expect from the Cavies.

2007 (And So it Goes) - Some enjoyable music, but subpar to what I expected from the Cavies.

2005 (My Kind of Town) - This show just didn't do it for me... the only thing I remember is the high brass playing two horns.

[Hook'emCavies]

Being a huge fan of the Green Machine this was something that took along time to decide... but never the less I was able to choose!!

1. 2010 Mad World... To me this was the most exciting program from this group (in my opinion the 2000 decade ended last year but ok its all good)

2. 2002 Frameworks... For the longest time this was my all time favorite show... not because of the score but it was just the best thing I have ever seen on the field.

3. 2000 Niagra Falls... The music was just amazing!!

4. 2004 007... Great show, Great music and had great visuals. (This show actually got me really into DCI and The Cavaliers back in 04)

5. 2006 Machine... Just a great show from start to finish.

Overall, their 2010 show is now my all time favorite show... I was really able to connect with it. I think what The Cavaliers proved this year is that, you don't have to get first to perform an amazing show. (of course many have proved that) Also, this is the highest score they ever had since 2005 (they got a 97.6 something I think). Also not to mention that their horn line just sounded amazing. No doubt about it, think about it the trumpet solos in 08 were good but were not performed very strongly... during the 2010 season the solos were performed so very well... with so much emotion.