Fan Mom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I brought my sister with me - - she's been to shows before but she says what she thinks. These are HER statements, NOT mine - - Crown - - sounds great but looks vanilla. No color out there. She noticed that the guard uses lots of props but hardly any flags. Cadets - - she liked the musical arrangements but was intrigued why the guard made their Christmas tree with blue flags. Bluecoats - - she fell asleep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) It will be intereresting to see how it all plays out...especially with Cavies....I wouldnt judge things to closely in a theater show....Not even close to what any shows offer live...as to subtleties , nuances, visual additions, even musically is nothing like it is live. JMO.....theater is great BUT only a 2nd best...JMO Scores do seem to be supporting it but time will tell and could be different soon Edited June 19, 2012 by GUARDLING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I thought the kids all did great for their first show. Good luck the rest of the season. Now here are a few things I think each of the design teams need to consider (IMHO): Blue Stars – Clean the drill and guard. Give the boys on the boat/dock something to do other than pose. Cavaliers – Bring back Gaines. The "glam fame" look is not working in the guard. Phantom – Rewrite Nessum Dorma (too square, man). Rewrite drum feature. Nesson Dorma brought the house down in Akron and I had two goosebump moments. Pretty good for the first show of the year when usually corps only get polite applause. Nesson Doruma is one of the greatest songs of all time, and you want it re-written? Man, you have high standards! Cadets – Get that ending on the field! Figure something better to do (or lose) the slides. So you think Cadets should put in their ending? Hmm, interesting idea, although somewhat controversial in drum corps circles. It remains to be seen if Hoppy wants that ending in, but I'm thinking we'll see it before the end of the season. Bluecoats – Rework the second half to match the energy of the first. But rewrite Masquerade (kinda square). Alright, without the sarcasm (lighthearted, fun humorous sarcasm, not the bad kind) I think I somewhat agree with you here. My problem is that I heard the Vanguard play it live in 88 and 89 and it set the standard to my ears as to how that tune should sound. I thought the writing "ran away" from the Vanguard version, and they were trying too hard to say "we are not the Vanguard." My take is that great music is great music, and they should not be afraid to be true to the original chords and tempos, and not try to be different for the sole sake of being different. But if someone on DCP tries to be critical (like that would ever happen) and accuses the Bluecoats of sounding like the 89 Vanguard, the Bluecoats should reply "thanks!" Still, the Bluecoats and I have this arrangement; they put their show on the field, and I sit in the stands and enjoy it. It seems to work for both of us. [/quote Cut me a little slack for having some fun with you. It's early in the season and I'm having fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warsawstory Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) I think the Blue Stars have the potential to be great this year. Sure, they were dirty, but that drill holds so much upside potential. As dirty as it was, it was still readable. Its the kind of drill they will have a lot of fun cleaning but they really have their work cut out for them. Also, I can see where they will add some nuance to their production. The electronic woman's voice? Sirens luring sailors to their demise? The rock props are already there. Who knew Dvorak could be arranged to have a sea chanty feel? The Vaughn Williams Sea Symphony may just turn out to be the ballad of the Summer. I'm really looking forward to watching this show progress. Edited June 19, 2012 by warsawstory 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jameseuph Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I caught the end of the segment about the dci essentials collection. What was that? New DVD collection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfan4567 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I think the Blue Stars have the potential to be great this year. Sure, they were dirty, but that drill holds so much upside potential. As dirty as it was, it was still readable. Its the kind of drill they will have a lot of fun cleaning but they really have their work cut out for them. Also, I can see where they will add some nuance to their production. The electronic woman's voice? Sirens luring sailors to their demise? The rock props are already there. Who knew Dvorak could be arranged to have a sea chanty feel? The Vaughn Williams Sea Symphony may just turn out to be the ballad of the Summer. I'm really looking forward to watching this show progress. The piece that starts out with the Jaws theme has the potential to be a great moment for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geluf Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 The piece that starts out with the Jaws theme has the potential to be a great moment for them. It was the beginning of the 4th movement of New World Symphony long before it was the Jaws theme. In all, I felt the Bluecoats had the best overall package from a design standpoint, they just aren't executing the visual at the highest level yet...which is fine. Loved Phantom...I'm worried that their drill isn't demanding enough. They were very, very clean for June. Peaking in the visual caption might become a concern. Opposite concern for Crown. That drill might be TOO hard. We'll see. Also: change those guard outfits. Yikes. I liked, but did not love, Cadets. Solid show. Not jumping out at me as a title contender, but great performance as usual. Blue Stars were fine for June, but the show design doesn't seem Top 12. They'll need to perform the hell out of it. Cavaliers...man I still don't know what to think about this one. I need to see it live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Definitely walked away from the theater thinking that 2012 is going to be an entertaining year indeed. Of the Top 5 that performed, I can't say that I would be surprised if any of them won it in August. And who knows where SCV and Blue Devils will fit in. As for the Blue Stars, I was expecting a lot worse than what it was just based on what reviews I had read. I think this will end up being a lot better than last year. Little surprised they had an elevated stage again this year. It was quite a distraction and took away from last year's production IMO and so I am just surprised they are doing it again. Actually, I was expecting a LOT worse out of the Cavaliers considering all the negative hype on here. This show reminds me of seeing '10 for the first time at their second show. I was afraid and their show fell flat. At the end of the season, they did MUCH better. I better about this show than I did THAT show at the time, so I'm sure it's just a matter of cleaning, layering, and adding to the show.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Almost across the board, the amps were WAY too loud, Blue Stars being the worst offender. Yes, I'm sure the theater sound system isn't flat and boosts the bass (I guess), but if this is what we're in for this summer, bring ear plugs. That's my two cents. Thanks for the review! The synths were WAY too loud from almost all of the corps. There's a bunch of thunderous goo this year for sure! Maybe it was the theater sound system, but it was very irritating at times... The amplification was a little loud as well, but the synths were the real problem at our theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumcorpsfan4567 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 It was the beginning of the 4th movement of New World Symphony long before it was the Jaws theme. In all, I felt the Bluecoats had the best overall package from a design standpoint, they just aren't executing the visual at the highest level yet...which is fine. Loved Phantom...I'm worried that their drill isn't demanding enough. They were very, very clean for June. Peaking in the visual caption might become a concern. Opposite concern for Crown. That drill might be TOO hard. We'll see. Also: change those guard outfits. Yikes. I liked, but did not love, Cadets. Solid show. Not jumping out at me as a title contender, but great performance as usual. Blue Stars were fine for June, but the show design doesn't seem Top 12. They'll need to perform the hell out of it. Cavaliers...man I still don't know what to think about this one. I need to see it live. Thanks for the education, not that familiar with that symphony haha. Still I really like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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