Corbin Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 At the time, this show seemed to be the red-headed stepchild of show design and I have not seen it mentioned much here. Let's talk about this show. Do people look back on it positively or is it still bane? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cron Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 At the time, this show seemed to be the red-headed stepchild of show design and I have not seen it mentioned much here. Let's talk about this show. Do people look back on it positively or is it still bane? Of course an excellent brass line, and excellent performance. As for the show, given what Star was capable of, this production was a little flat for me design-wise. I think the "Americana" theme has been done better. One example that comes to mind is Cadets '96. Though, not really the same sort of mood, I thought it was a better show in that vein. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Without the reaction to 92, we probably would've had a very different 93 program. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Powell Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 At the time, this show seemed to be the red-headed stepchild of show design and I have not seen it mentioned much here. Let's talk about this show. Do people look back on it positively or is it still bane? ballsy brass line and they were explorers. We did not know who they might be from one year to the next. The show was flat to watch although it was full of pomp and circumstance. I am not sure what would have improved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cron Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Without the reaction to 92, we probably would've had a very different 93 program. Interesting point, who knows where would be without that '93 program? Funny how no matter what discussion pops up about Star, '93 always enters the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I loved that show musically, but agree it left a lot to be desired visually and thematically. Additionally, we need to think about the context of the times when looking at this show. The bulk of the show design occurred during the first Gulf War, and we were starting to celebrate troop returns by the time the summer tour hit. There was an amazing wave of patriotism across the country, which included finally acknowledging Vietnam veterans along with returning Gulf War troops. I felt then, and still do now, that Star's design team pandered to that just a bit, and the whole production, coupled with the amount of money spent on supporting the theme visually came off as hokey and lame. Especially the god-awful giant flag at the end, considering that only eight years before Suncoast Sound formed an American Flag in the dril (and waved it). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) Shows with patriotic themes are always appreciated at the time even though they never win. Star 92 and Cadets 2002 come to mind. Both of these programs came in years following major American events like the first Gulf War and 9/11. We tend to remember the events more than the patriotic spirit felt shortly thereafter. The shows in retrospect give off a sense of using patriotism as an edge in a competitive way. We are and should be suspicious of people or things that use patriotism in this way. False "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel " is an idea that makes a lot of people wary of too much flag waving Of course it didn't help that both of these 2 shows had performance issues the night of finals. Edited August 16, 2012 by bluesman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) ballsy brass line and they were explorers. We did not know who they might be from one year to the next. The show was flat to watch although it was full of pomp and circumstance. I am not sure what would have improved it. It needed massive visual editing. Way too much going on. Too many silk changes! Too many stars in the drill! Too much Betsy Ross all over everything! Too much chaos in Amber waves, with scrims, flags of many nations, stalks of wheat, etc. etc.! Then ending with the ultimate "too too much" - the gigantic scrim featuring a sparkly Statue of Liberty (of questionable appearance) opened up in front of what was an already busy ending of American Flag drill with sparkly spinning silver stars. I'm exhausted just writing about it. The music was nice, so if they had cut out at least 40% of the clutter and simplified it all, it probably would have been great. Edited August 16, 2012 by NakedEye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turnadot Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Amber Waves was the best ballad ever put on the field. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuStu Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Follwoing Belshazzar's Feast in '90 (a somewhat forgotten gem) and Roman Images in '91 (IMHO, the ultimate expresson of '80s style drum corps) was a tough act. And, sandwiched between those shows and Medea in '93, the '92 show seems ... uhm ... (I'm struggling for words here). I don't want to say it was "lightweight" or "simplistic" because it wasn't. Perhaps one could say it didn't have the kind of gravitas of other Star shows. In some ways, Star in '92 was akin to Cadets in '12 - a straightfoward idea that wasn't going to win no matter how well it was performed. It was a good corps and they did well, but I absolutely agree that the show was cluttered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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