Star of Indiana - 1992

[Kevin Powell]

So, is there some consensus that the show was just somewhat on the boring side? I just remember the reaction seeming more volatile than simply an entertainment issue.

A beautiful woman with not much to say wearing tacky clothes and way to much makeup.

[Fran Haring]

Star was great in 1992... that horn line was unbelievable.

I saw them early in the season at a show in Hershey, PA, and they were hitting on all eight cylinders... a high-energy performance that night. The crowd absolutely loved 'em.

I then saw them two more times, just before DCI championship week... and while they were still super-clean, it seemed that some of the "spark" from that night in Hershey was missing, for whatever reason.

[MikeN]

I was still in my formative HS years, just really getting into DCI (started in '89). Remember, back when *every* show you saw was the coolest thing ever?

I actually loved this show - I thought they managed to take a simple concept and really add layers and depth to it, especially musically. (I'm always a fan for huge gimmicks, so the screens were already A+ in my book.)

I thought their drumline, which didn't really feel like a championship line in '91, really had much more of an "authoritative" presence, both in the book and in the execution. It really felt like the drums were starting to catch up with the brass.

I've not seen it in years now, but honestly, I still have a warm spot for it in my heart.

Mike

[DWEST]

I thought the show was a little hokey at the time,

but that opening hit was the loudest thing I ever heard.

That horn line was amazing.

50 yard line, 5 rows up, Hershey.

[Corbin]

I honestly did not generally their arrangements, especially the Star-Spangled Banner. The opening hit, however, was amazing.

[Kevin Powell]

we all might need to watch 93 Medea tonight just to see how it shook up the next 20 years.

[BRASSO]

Amber Waves was the best ballad ever put on the field.

1992 Star of Indiana was received way better at the time by audiences than was 1993 Star of Indiana. Star 93 is like BD 2012 ( flat reaction with many fans ) except that even the DCI judges in '93 didn't think it was the best in '93. I liked 92 Star better than I did '93 Star. I still do even today.... and I saw both live several times to enable me draw my personal preference. I believe one has to see shows live in order to get a good read on shows. Taped shows are just really not the same, imo.

[perc2100]

I loved that show musically, but agree it left a lot to be desired visually and thematically.

This seems obvious: like Star was frantically throwing more scrims, props, whatever at the show without much benefit. I agree that this was a great musical book, and I appreciate the intent (now: I really didn't like this show live in 1992). I personally am not a fan of patriotic type shows, as I feel they're largely cheezy, come across to me as a bit disingenuous (especially in an uber competitive environment like DCI), and almost always feel flat. I think Cadets 1995 of getting the 'patriotic' feel across without being too cheezy, but few shows like Star 92 do it for me.

Again, I really like the musical arrangements, and in hindsight it's interesting to hear the stories of why they went in that direction.

[BRASSO]

Star was great in 1992... that horn line was unbelievable.

I saw them early in the season at a show in Hershey, PA, and they were hitting on all eight cylinders... a high-energy performance that night. The crowd absolutely loved 'em.

I then saw them two more times, just before DCI championship week... and while they were still super-clean, it seemed that some of the "spark" from that night in Hershey was missing, for whatever reason.

I agree, Fran. 1992 Star simply wasn't good enough in Percussion ( 5th ) and Visual ( 4th ) to repeat and win it all in '92, although they were only 8 tenths removed from winning it all on Finals night. They won GE Brass and Field Brass in '92. The brass line was the best on the field in DCI that year, and I loved the 92 Star show. I love recognizable show themes... and Star 92 had that in spades. The audiences loved 92 Star. Star 92 had the deepest and richest sounding brass line that I had heard up until that time. DCI Judges thought so too. Sounds like you were there to witness the positive audiences reactions too, Fran.

Edited August 17, 2012 by BRASSO

[perc2100]

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.

To be fair, it's been said (I've heard stories from some of the Star designers & staffers) that Star 1993 was almost a direct 'answer' to the perceived crowd resentment from 1992's show. Star designers thought in 1992 they were programming a show that would have obvious mass appeal, and were expecting drum corps fans to appreciate not only the artistry and technical aspects of the show, but also the general patriotic theme. But when the fans seemed to turn on them, designers were a bit confused, and decided to design 1993 with a darker, more stark show that would completely take fan reaction out of the equation and put the corps' success in the hands of the performers

(that probably wasn't explained as well as it could've been, but I'm at Day 4 of band camp, in hour #9ish, so I'm not thinking super clearly).

Also, the design team really dug the body sculpting ideas they 'experimented' with in 1992, but didn't have a ton of time throughout the summer to really expand on those ideas. They obviously went wild with that stuff in 1993. And then everyone in DCI has been going wild with those ideas ever since.

Star 1993 comes up a lot because I think it really is the pinnacle of that organization. It was outside-the-box thinking, with incredible execution. I am a HUGE fan of Cadets 1993, and I consider Cadets show that year to be one of my all-time favorites. But I honestly think that Star didn't quite win DCI in 1993 because judges didn't know what to make of that show: they didn't quite know how to score it. Only later, when many of the other top corps did the body sculpting type stuff and that became more prevalent did judges understand how to credit that work.

Star 1993's influence is still obviously felt today, and IMO I think it is still the last truly revolutionary show from DCI. Every other successful show can be traced back to Star 1993, I think, and I don't think there's been a single drum corps show design since that has had such a huge impact on show design as Star 93.

Also, FWIW, I saw that show a TON live in 1993: I pretty much saw it's evolution from June-Finals, I saw their percussion warm-ups, their brass line warm-ups, and watch a few of their rehearsal blocks that summer. But at the time, I really disliked their show. I had friends in Cadets 93 and wanted them to win that tight competition, but I really didn't like the show design. I didn't get it, for sure (I was only 17 or so that summer), but I really didn't like it. It's taken me awhile to truly "get" not only what the designers intentions were, but to appreciate how revolutionary that show was to our activity. It's always humorous to see people hold that show on a pedestal now-a-days, but it really was not a popular show summer of 1993! I never saw them not boo'ed by a decent chunk of audience, and there was SO MUCH discourse about their show from fans I talked to throughout the summer.