Carolina Crown

[kickhaltsforlife]

Best thing JD ever wrote.

Couldn't agree more.

[N.E. Brigand]

I love the moment when the on-field percussion judge is almost caught in the crown-to-crown transition at the end of "Finis" -- and I just noticed that it happens at both Allentown and at Finals.

[chaddyt]

DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS NOT TO START A FIGHT (of course that is near impossible of dcp)

Ok, so here's the deal...I am NOT a drum corps rookie. I have been around the activity since I was 5. I understand show design and such. But I'm not seeing it in Crown's shows. I want to like Crown and all I hear are amazing things about their shows...but I just don't get it. Someone PLEASE explain what is so fabulous about them, show me videos sound clips anything just help me because all I get from their shows is that they are OK at the max and underwhelming. I must be missing something.

Why is it so important for you to like to like Crown? It's like me starting a post begging people to explain why I should like vodka. Is it the distillation process? The fancy bottles some put it in? The fact it's odorless and I can conceal it in my water bottle at work? None of that stuff matters to me because I don't like the taste and it gives me a nasty headache. Other people like it and that's great. I'll stick with a nice gin and tonic or some home brews because it's what I like.

Crown has been a player for years now. If you haven't been impressed with anything they've done up till now, no amount of Crown-honk-responses or YouTube links are going to persuade you. And I think you kinda knew that when posting, but just wanted to stir #### up, despite your disclaimer.

And that's fine, I get it. I used to be a griper too, especially when it came to BD. I just didn't get the love the judges constantly afforded them. But then I took off my Maroon and Gold glasses and realized that, even if their shows aren't my cup of tea, there's no denying they are the corps that sets the standard for excellence.

[glory]

I liked Second Chance better than Rach Star... And Phantom 2006 is my all time favorite show. So you are DUMB!

That I already knew!

HH

[CrownBaritone]

But that's only your personal opinion. Crown's show just bore me to tears. Probably because I'm more of a percussion/visual person. Nothing about their shows draw my eyes; they just glaze over and wander around so that I'm stuck watching their timpani/bass players just saunter around the backfield after their intro last year. Or I check out their guard soloist who's just kind of skipping around the field. So then a chord comes out of nowhere because they can't keep their volume up when running, jarring me back to reality, only to have them start a brass feature, while sitting on the ground.

I was kind of with you on your first paragraph (after I deciphered the English), but why do you have to attack the OP after that? The OP clearly feels like they're missing out on something and, since they love drum corps so much, doesn't want to miss out on this so-called excellence. But every time they ask someone what they're missing, they just get accused of starting a bait thread. This is why we can't have nice things. Also, if you really think it's a bait thread, you wouldn't have responded. Instead, you respond and tell the OP you won't waste words on their thoughts...after wasting words on their thoughts.

For my own knowledge, could you provide some examples or times during shows where Crown is unable to play at volume while on the move? Specifically recently, as the program has grown in the last several years.

[JamMan]

For my own knowledge, could you provide some examples or times during shows where Crown is unable to play at volume while on the move? Specifically recently, as the program has grown in the last several years.

I don't have the CD or DVD from this year, but that crazy drill did not allow them to play smooth crescendi. So whenever there's crazy drill and a crescendo, the volume seemed to go soft...louder...around mezzo piano...at mezzo forte...TRIPLE FORTE!

[chaddyt]

I was kind of with you on your first paragraph (after I deciphered the English), but why do you have to attack the OP after that? The OP clearly feels like they're missing out on something and, since they love drum corps so much, doesn't want to miss out on this so-called excellence. But every time they ask someone what they're missing, they just get accused of starting a bait thread. This is why we can't have nice things. Also, if you really think it's a bait thread, you wouldn't have responded. Instead, you respond and tell the OP you won't waste words on their thoughts...after wasting words on their thoughts.

Crown does impressive things, as do pretty much all corps you will see throughout championship week. The things they do may not be particularly impressive to you or just not up your alley, but they do them nonetheless. Most corps who crack the Top 5 and are even regularly challenging for a medal don't get there by having no redeeming qualities. Someone who's been following the activity since the age of 5 should know this.

This is a bait thread. And that's okay. Gives us something else to talk about other than the G7 and fun-yet-meaningless predictions. Let's just not fool ourselves into thinking that the OP was honestly hoping to glean some insight into Crown and suddenly become more appreciative of their shows. As I said in my previous post, if Crown hasn't given you anything to be impressed with by now, they simply won't be impressing you any time soon.

Edited February 2, 2013 by chaddyt

[Tim K]

For me, to truly appreciate Crown, you need to see them live, which I believe someone has already said. This is true for just about any corps, but I find it more so with Crown.

I have in my collection every finals DVD from 1974 (not a complete finals presentation but a great DVD anyway) to 2012 One year I missed Crown live was 2009, "The Grass is Always Greener." It is a wonderful show, a favorite of many, but it didn't impact me all that much when I first saw it on DVD, yet when I watched the DVD with friends who had seen the show live, they kept pointing out what was missing in the DVD, some field shots due to camera angles which is something that happens all the time because as good as the videos are, they cannot capture every moment. Also missing was the crowd response. Over the years I've had the opportunity to see Crown in back to back shows and the more they engage the audience from the beginning of their show, the better the performance. "Rach Star" may be their best example. The more revved up the crowd was at the beginning, the better the show.

Whether you like or dislike Crown is a matter of personal taste, and all the convincing in the world won't change that, however, there are times I watch Legacy DVD's and I sometimes think as I watch "I liked that show?" We'll keep the corps nameless, but I will readily admit I had no love for the Bridgemen when they competed but today I love watching their shows. Bridgemen were archrivals of my three favorite corps 27th, BAC, and North Star. They also poked fun at their fellow New Jersians Garfield Cadets. They would give Madison a run for their money and they were hardly as stately as SCV and Phantom, at least that's what I thought back in the day.. Now I watch the Legacy DVD's and consider the Bridgemen to be pioneers (not Pioneer), I am amazed at how good and precise they were, and miss them greatly. Now unless the original poster's favorite corps is Blue Devils who have only fallen to Crown once in an early season show, Crown has beat them somewhat regularly in the past few years, so maybe it's not lack of appreciation but good old rivalry. If that's the case, when nostalgia kicks in, you may find youself a Crown lover.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Tim K

[Donny Drum Corps]

They have an amazing hornline and brass arrangements.

And also...we'll...um.. ... Well hornline and brass arrangements are really feckin good

And their brass line and arrangements arevery good as well.

[TESB]

At the onset of last season, I wasn't blown away by Crown. They did grow on me though. I think much of the buzz remains from last year's finals where fans were boarderline disrepectful for BD, hoping that Crown would unseat them. To a certain extent, I think some of that sentiment remains. Nonetheless, Crown's show was excellent. As for 2013? There's a few other corps out there that could challenge too. Regardless of placement, I do understand and appreciate the connection we get from certain shows. Sometimes it really does boil down to a matter of taste. It's great to have the variety!

This. I wonder how those kids might feel when they go on the fan network or youtube and note the deafening silence in most of their performances from audiences. I mean, people went nuts for anything and everything in Crown's show and then when BD had a huge hit, there was almost always silence or quiet, polite, and sparse applause. I wonder how those kids feel when they go on any social media, including dcp, and read left and right that crown got robbed. Like jeez. Or think about how they felt when they said "we have a correction" at retreat and at that moment knew they were pretty much the only ones in the room who were happy with them winning anything.

I think that's all sort of a symptom of Crown fans through their grief making excuses for what's missing in their favorite corps' production and a common theme is their percussion. Sure they got 6th finals night, but even if they got a perfect 20 (or more realistically were a few tenths below or right at BD's score) they would still be looking at 2nd place by a healthy margin. Remember in 2009 when crown got 2nd in percussion and BD still topped them by a point and a half? Personally, I attribute a lot of the grief Crown fans have about 2012 to their denial about what might plague Crown on the sheets. I don't really want or mean to bash the drill writer(s?) at Crown, but how many visual staffs have they gone through and they still can't quite seem to master the "look ma! see what I can do on Pyware" style drill without frankly looking really bad. Believe it or not, there are limits to what a 19 year old kid can do while playing crazy licks on a trumpet or holding a contra without breaking down upper and/or lower body technique. I really did find myself wondering "why are you making the kids do that?!" or "was that really necessary" for much of the 2012 show.

Don't get me wrong, Crown's drill is unique enough that it gives Crown an identity visually, there's sometimes a four man deep block on side one with some lunge at a hit, the curvy company front, among other things, OH and the CROWN!!! for heaven's sake. But man, you just don't win when you're catching air on 6-5 forwards and backwards toes up and toes down or your idea of hitting a dot is a 45 degree body angle just before you head in the opposite direction and you shrink 2 feet just to get the muster to go in that opposite direction. To me, those don't really sound like the kids' problem, but a shortcoming of the drill not giving the kids a chance to look tall. Contrary to what a lot of crown honks might say about how For the Common Good was the most difficult show they've ever seen, that's just not a good enough reason to think they deserve a higher score than an undeniably less difficult show. Also, don't forget that it was paced pretty well (considering the performer's stamina pacing) for how sprinty and 5-5y that show was.

But to get back on topic, I think just about everyone's response to the OP has been something along the lines of "their hornline. period" or "I like the music". Well gosh, that's what, three or four things on the sheets? Brass perf and analysis, the music GEs (which has everything to do with how well your show is put together, what music/visual matches, etc and nothing to do with how bananas the crowd goes) and that's it? Like I said before, I think there is an amplified bias when it comes to Crown fans because they're so supportive and hungry to see them win the gold (not a bad thing) but it's also important to recognize that such an attitude often blinds people to the point that they don't realize that BD just had a more thoughtful show which, sorry, might be more important to certain people in green shirts who have seen it all before. When your favorite corps gets 2nd place finals night by more than a point and you still think they got robbed, there's probably a little more to it than just personal taste.

Edited February 2, 2013 by TESB