Crown is... just okay.

[MotorCityMusician]

How can you not like the rotating box at the end??? I thought the drill flowed well with the music as well. Still don't get the middle part though XD

I think he turned it off before he got to the rotating box.

[jasgre2000]

If Crown is "just okay" then the bar sure has been raised, because my mouth was hanging open during most of their show, not believing what I was seeing. And for the poster who just doesn't like Fanfare for the Common Man, well, snobby snobberton, I thought the effect of tymps in both endzones and midfield was amazingly clever. And their brass has been other-worldly for several years now. Guess I'm too much of a simpleton to understand that I should be holding my nose at this show. You know...they have "so much visual dirt" and all.

I'm a snob because I don't like Fanfare? O.K. You learn something new every day.

[Corbin]

To be fair .. in the mid 2000's .. I was extremely harsh with Cadets. To the point I disowned the corps as not being the corps I was a part of. I didn't get much flack from my fellow alums. I got some emails trying to discuss things with me ... maybe enlightening me a little bit .. but the fact was, I didn't agree with the direction of the organization .. and every year got worse for a while there. When all was said and done, there was still a healthy respect for differing opinions amongst ourselves. I think that's how it should be for all corps supporters and descentors within their alumni. The truth is .. we all want the best for our corps. Sometimes you have to drop a bomb to get people to realize that something isn't right with the state of things.

I don't think this is the case with Crown at all. They are a great corps. They are still finding their groove in the design captions as far as I'm concerned. Between them and 2 or 3 other corps in WC ... they are trying their best to be conventional for the older fans and alums while still being modern and competitive. It's a delicate balance .. and I think they're doing the best they can.

As for me ... I want desperately for them to get it right .. so a show like this year WILL be considered an all time great. That's hard to achieve. VERY HARD. Anyone that posts something that could be construed as negative .... all they're really trying to do is help the corps (hoping someone from the corps is reading all of our rubbish). At least we can hope.

I completely agree with what your thoughts here! Thank you for this. By the way, loved 89 Madison and 90 Cadets, honestly.

[JamMan]

BD is different for me. I think they do a good job at selling every aspect of their show. That may be because their show design is easier from top to bottom, but I think it is a hallmark of a winning show.

BD's design is easier? How hard is "Be kind of like a superhero!"? Or "walk chalantly from bass drum and timpani to the other bass drum and timpani"?

[bobchilds]

I have only seen Crown on FN, so I kind of assumed that I was underwhelmed by this year's show because of something that wasn't coming across on my computer screen. The show strikes me flat compared to BD, PR, SCV and Cadets. Part of the reason I think was that I didn't recall seeing any color other than off-white in the show (uniforms and silks). And, while they are really cranking tempos in parts of the show, there are other spots where the show seems to drag. And while I can see the timpani staged all over the field, I can't quite hear the aural effect - not even with headphones.

To Crown's credit, the music is powerful and the drill looks really big. At times, it even seems like they are bigger than the other corps.

Still, it seems to me that, if Crown really is dirty as many are saying, and if BD really is as clean as many are saying, Crown may very well overtake BD for the win. My rationale is that Crown seems to have more room to improve and that BD might be in danger of peaking before finals.

[DCImonkey]

Holy crap..... I guess that's it folks. BD bought up all the pink, yellow, and stripes in the world and Crown was left without COLOR! They lose!

It's a drumcorps show. Who gives crap what color drapes are on the windows. This isn't freaking Project Runway... IT'S DRUMCORPS!

I thought it was about marching, and playing, and spinning, not what costume you choose out of the FJM catalog.

I feel like I just ate the best #### steak ever and someone just told me that Applebees has better steaks because their forks are shinier.

[supersop]

Holy crap..... I guess that's it folks. BD bought up all the pink, yellow, and stripes in the world and Crown was left without COLOR! They lose!

It's a drumcorps show. Who gives crap what color drapes are on the windows. This isn't freaking Project Runway... IT'S DRUMCORPS!

I thought it was about marching, and playing, and spinning, not what costume you choose out of the FJM catalog.

I feel like I just ate the best #### steak ever and someone just told me that Applebees has better steaks because their forks are shinier.

And a color guards purpose is the visually interpret the music within the show. That requires changes in the color palette .... usually a visual contrast between the corps and the guard. If we can't FIND the color guard .. we can't see what they're spinning. IE, it isn't adding to the effect of the program .... in fact it's not adding very much at all in those terms.

Nobody is trying to ruin your steak dinner .... not by any means. We're just implying to you that there's no desert.

[splat-a-drag-a-phonium]

Be glad you didn't march with Crown. Otherwise, the Crown blind loyalist would be taking a lot of frustration out on you like they do on me for saying the same general thing you have in this message.

Corbin- I will (once again) offer to met you to discuss.

[supersop]

Corbin- I will (once again) offer to met you to discuss.

THIS ... seems like the right thing to me. I went thru a similar situation as I said .... and it's best if you find a way to come together again ... one way or another. In person over a nice frosty beverage is always a nice touch.

[Cardman]

*snip* Furthermore, they have no effect but somehow they are capturing the general effect captions. Maybe that's why they're getting golf-clapped and boos every time scores are announced. There's no doubt about thier performance. These guys are performing at a level unmatched this year. Like holy crap... BD is great on the individual level. But why they're winning GE, I'll never know. Why they're winning Visual, I'll never know.

This.

I'll take that action...Madison just plain sucked from 1996 through 2010. They were not worth watching or listening to. Oh wait!!...even last year's show is missing the best piece because of rights issues. Oh well, I guess 2011 is out as well.

Wow, just...wow.

Apparently falling all over yourself trying to march and not being able to lock in a straight line while the battery craps the bed for 90% of the show should be winning DCI this year. I don't blame the kids, I blame the staff! (See how stupid that sounds?)

Yeah! Pass the haterade!

I see the OP's point, and I was thinking about this the other day. Crown's show is one of my favorites this year, but I can't really honestly say that I love it. I really want Crown to win, but if I'm honest, I have to say that a lot of that is not just because I like their show more than most of the corps out there, but because I dislike BD's show so much. Not turning this into an anti-BD thread, just sayin. If I thought it were really possible, I would really like for Phantom to win it all this year, as they have the most enjoyable show of the year, for me, at least. Anyway, it doesn't really matter where Crown places this year, I will always love to listen to that glorious hornline. Crown's hornline is truly head and shoulders WAY above the rest of the competition, imo.