I Love Crown -definately the gold

[2000Cadet]

Well excuse me for having an opinion. Geez.

I saw the program in June, in July and at finals and early on you could (of course) see the potential. BUT Many of the "wow" moments were added about half way through the season, the slow build/organ sound of the push, the kneel down, the white banners and uniforms at the end, and the opener was hacked to pieces and redrilled mid season to get rid of the repetition, the drum "battle" was completely restaged, the electronic voices from the pit that were KEY to that program were all added AFTER JUNE.

I kinda agree with you here. In the beginning, Cadets show in 2011, was not exactly wowing me either (but then again, most of their shows don't, not even the ones I marched in), but you could definitely see some potential in that show. They added a lot of elements later on in the season that made that show special. While at this point there may not look like there is much more they can do with this year's show, I am pretty confident that the staff has some tricks up their sleeve.

[charlie1223]

Good I hope you hold your grudge. I also hated Yowza from BD 05 I'll send you flowers when you have your stroke.

LMAO... atleast you aren't childish am I right!

[chaddyt]

Hope BD finds time in it's schedule to work on the show.

5 full days in between competitions that are 6 hours away from each other.

Seems a little ridiculous, IMO.

[cixelsyd]

The poles (they look-especially the bases-like the mobile volleyball net stands you used to see in gym class) are fantastic, and I'm sure their use will become crisper as time moves along. Something as simple as painting the bottoms red produces a surprise. The perceived velocity of the marching is greatly heightened by seeing the members go flying by/through the white stick forest. It's like how passing phone poles on the highway makes you seem to be going faster.

Oh, cool. Phantom Regiment has poles, too. With antlers on top. And their horn players carry them around in the drill. While playing. The perceived velocity of the marching is greatly heightened by seeing the members go flying by/through the white antler forest... and whatever else you said.

[cowtown]

which moves the show along with a series of musical and visual entrances and exits, rather than the stale opener-drum solo-ballad-closer formula.

I haven’t seen this years show so no comment on 2013 yet but as far as last year…

I disagree with that statement. Musically, they had an opener that they reprised as a closer. Their ballad was well defined. Sprinkle in a swing, rock out section, some drum breaks and a few phrases to support visual accompaniment and it’s pretty much what we’ve been hearing from some corps for the past decade

Visually – maybe I could give that to you but I don’t see it as a positive. The series of visual entrances and exits would be defined as wandering around in a modified scatter then sort of hit a loose looking form. Move a prop over here, run around it and re-stage the prop to mark off it for another ‘lazy’ (your words) set. In the ensemble, they failed to show disciplined ensemble marching, dress forms, keep clearly defined intervals and such…it may have fit the theme but it stuck me more as the entire corps doing 'guard in a spread' drill approach…make it to you dot by then, no need to march, just dash over there….sort of hit the form, don’t worry if you have to break the form to make your catch sort of thing. When spread wide, the guard is often absolved of ‘marching’so they can get staged on time

It may have fit their show last year, fine. I don’t get why they got some much credit for it. If all corps were doing that…ekks, what a boring mess. I liked their music and concept a lot last year – it was their ensemble visual that let me down otherwise, one of their best shows in years

Here is a quick question – what are the top recent drill moments from BD since 2008 from the overhead cam? You know, like some of the Cadets and Cavies flash from days of yore. Matter of tastes for sure – but you’d be hard pressed to make one of those ‘best drill’ comp youtubes of highcam ensemble drill high lights from the most dominant visual corps of the past 5 years – that’s the disconnect. Their visual seems to be all about the close up, individually focused – again, like a guard that has good individual technique through out but doesn’t synch up

[cowtown]

This thread is sort of annoying, trying to declare a winner now based upon the design of the staff. Yeah, you’re right, even with the new performers first sheets – but it just kills the hope of a corps being able to pop one due to the membership being really strong. It also makes it appears the DCI rewards the corps that do gimmick and try something ‘different’ for the shake of being different. A traditional show can’t really win without throwing in their own GE gimmick. It narrowly defines what will be successfully in DCI and only amongst a small group of corps

[drilltech1]

I haven't seen this years show so no comment on 2013 yet but as far as last year…

I disagree with that statement. Musically, they had an opener that they reprised as a closer. Their ballad was well defined. Sprinkle in a swing, rock out section, some drum breaks and a few phrases to support visual accompaniment and it's pretty much what we've been hearing from some corps for the past decade

Visually – maybe I could give that to you but I don't see it as a positive. The series of visual entrances and exits would be defined as wandering around in a modified scatter then sort of hit a loose looking form. Move a prop over here, run around it and re-stage the prop to mark off it for another 'lazy' (your words) set. In the ensemble, they failed to show disciplined ensemble marching, dress forms, keep clearly defined intervals and such…it may have fit the theme but it stuck me more as the entire corps doing 'guard in a spread' drill approach…make it to you dot by then, no need to march, just dash over there….sort of hit the form, don't worry if you have to break the form to make your catch sort of thing. When spread wide, the guard is often absolved of 'marching'so they can get staged on time

It may have fit their show last year, fine. I don't get why they got some much credit for it. If all corps were doing that…ekks, what a boring mess. I liked their music and concept a lot last year – it was their ensemble visual that let me down otherwise, one of their best shows in years

Here is a quick question – what are the top recent drill moments from BD since 2008 from the overhead cam? You know, like some of the Cadets and Cavies flash from days of yore. Matter of tastes for sure – but you'd be hard pressed to make one of those 'best drill' comp youtubes of highcam ensemble drill high lights from the most dominant visual corps of the past 5 years – that's the disconnect. Their visual seems to be all about the close up, individually focused – again, like a guard that has good individual technique through out but doesn't synch up

I have only had the opportunity to view 2013 BD's full performance once this year. It strikes me that they do more free-style, scatter type drill than even last year. Of course, it is hard to tick if there is no form or measure to use as a yardstick. Clever to some degree; visually boring to a greater degree. The last two minutes of the show visually, as we know see it early season, is very limited in drill concept beyond this, IMHO.

[ContraFart]

I disagree...I think BD is marching more this year then they have in the past 5 years....I actually have no gripe about their visual show (except that they should never get higher than a 19.0 in visual analysis since they treat their contra section like a high school sousaphone section always in 4 step interval and never integrated in the main form).....well at least not my usual gripe.

but in the end I REALLY like BDs show, it made 13 minutes seem like 5 and I wanted more. The musical book while esoteric is tight and they play it well....

but in the end I think the Cadets are going to win.

[MikeD]

For me it did in June, I liked it a lot! They added MORE stuff later, but even in early season form, there were several sections that I wanted to watch over and over to see the detail and enjoy the energy. Their current show is not having that effect on me. I appreciate it, but it is not intriguing me enough to watch repeatedly. I'll check back in on it in a few weeks, after they've taught their newest marching members, the towers, how to "dress the form." :tongue:/>

:tongue:/>

it was funny last night near the end of the show where thy had the towers create a diagonal in the upper quadrant of the field, and one of them looked the person had trouble steering the tower, and it ever-so-slowly eased into alignment (or close) kind of like "Maybe if I do it slowly nobody will notice". :smile:/>

[flammaster]

I disagree...I think BD is marching more this year then they have in the past 5 years....I actually have no gripe about their visual show (except that they should never get higher than a 19.0 in visual analysis since they treat their contra section like a high school sousaphone section always in 4 step interval and never integrated in the main form).....well at least not my usual gripe.

but in the end I REALLY like BDs show, it made 13 minutes seem like 5 and I wanted more. The musical book while esoteric is tight and they play it well....

but in the end I think the Cadets are going to win.

Yea they probably will. I am more interested to see how Cadets and SCV's drumlines compare. Cadets have the Meat and SCV has the musicality. Cadets are playing a drummers dream and Vanguard are playing an arrangers dream. Both have the more traditional shows.

With SCV having no props they look small on field which is not a bad thing but was pointed out to me by my good friend during the show at Stanford.