Stanford + Pacific Procession

[NeutralNovice]

Hey all, thanks for checking out my review of the Stanford and Pacific Procession Shows! Please note that this review is not very technical as I don't have the eyes or ears for that. Other than the fact that there were three distinct "levels" in each show, the technical aspect of each show is limited to what's more obvious to the masses.

DCI West @ Stanford Stadium

Accompanying Party:

• Nikki - 4th Show Ever
  
• Nikki's Mother - 1st Show Ever
  

Pacific Procession @ Santa Clara High School

Accompanying Party:

• Meg - 4th Show Ever
  
• An umbrella I never needed.
  

Preface: The Stanford show included a first timer and as such, it is always so much fun to observe their reaction to first viewing. Due to work, I was not able to arrive at Stanford Stadium to see a full show until the Mandarins. My position was in the highest row before the boxes and ever so slightly off center so I had a SPECTACULAR high view. This particular show seemed packed more than I have seen in the past, which was great! Also, the crowds seem to have finally gotten a handle on when to get to your seats, which is between shows. It's been an issue in the past. This year ranks at the top in terms of the favorite shows I've been to.

I saw the Pacific Procession show in its entirety. Due to the stands' low height, I didn't really get to see many formations. I was also at the end of the stands. Unfortunately, I ended up getting seats in front of these two kids who kept talking very loudly DURING shows. They also kept kicking the aluminum row where I was seated so I pretty much felt every kick. I wish parents would learn how to keep their kids in line during times like these or simply not take them to these shows at all. Furthermore, this couple in front of me kept talking during shows as well; however, because they were in front of me, I couldn't hear them much. What bothered me the most is that they kept practically making out with each other and their dang elbows kept hitting my knee because they were so fidgety. /rant

MANDARINS: This has to be my favorite show from them of all time. I really connected with the music played and the narration surprisingly didn't bother me much at all. Being that I saw the show at both venues, I also witnessed the uniform change and the new uniforms look pretty good! If my memory serves me right, this is the best I've heard from them for like ever. They sounded rich and they seemed to have their show polished more at this time than they did in previous years. I really liked the story they presented and actually, IMHO, they had the most coherent and easy to follow storyline of all the shows. Being that I am the first generation Asian-American, I felt that I connected with this show pretty well. I really hope that they do well this year--they deserve it! Nikki's mother was so pleasantly surprised at her first viewing ever. She loved the storyline and the musical selection from the Mandarins. Being that the Mandarins was her first viewing EVER, it was a success. She's now hooked!

PACIFIC CREST: This corps seemed larger than the Mandarins and seemed to have a bit more power at the helm in terms of sound when compared to the previous corps. I really liked their musical selection as well. My friends also liked this show very much.

BLUE KNIGHTS: Wow, this year, they seem to be for real. The music from their show was excellent and I will definitely be listening and watching the show again in the future. Their visuals were pretty smooth and sweet and I believe that they will be going very far this season. The only issue, which I am sure is being fixed as we speak, was the fact that we didn't get to see an ending. The show ended abruptly and that was a bit disappointing because I really wanted to see what they had in store. Both their guard and musicians were very strong this year compared to previous seasons. I look forward to seeing their complete show when it makes it debut in a live webcast. Nikki and her mom pretty much agree with me that they have a great show in the works but an ending would have been nice, even at a standstill.

BLUE DEVILS: I listened to their preseason recording before I ever saw a show. The music seemed cool; however, translating this onto the field did not turn out so well. The kids are definitely incredibly talented and perform the heck out of their show and I applaud them for that. As far as watching and listening to drum corps, this show just simply didn't do it for me. The music was simply too esoteric and unpleasant.

I remember reading somewhere in another thread that music is not required make someone feel all coy and bubbly like root beer [+1 if you get the ____ ____ reference]. Some music can make one sad or angry. In this case, it simply wasn't pleasant, and I get that. With that said, I understand what the Blue Devils are trying to do here and I am very sure that from a technical standpoint (the judges), they are putting numbers into those captions like there's no tomorrow because they are just GREAT at what they do. From the designers to the performers, they are just gold all the way around.

Now from a spectator stand point at a drum corps show, the only emotions I want to feel are generally happiness and sadness. The happy music makes me smile and cheer where the sad music tugs at my heart strings. My musical knowledge and experience is relatively narrow compared to the pros and when I go see these shows, I want to have fun!

I will say this though: this show belongs in drum corps. Just because I don't enjoy it doesn't mean someone else can't enjoy it. Who am I to say what they should and shouldn't put on the field. There are plenty of other shows out there for me to enjoy.

Finally, to make it short, my party did not like the show and agreed though that they are very talented.

CAROLINA CROWN: WOW. This show was so great and entertaining. This was my first time viewing them live and I am so very thankful that I finally got to see this fine group of young men and women. There's no doubt about their talent so I will go straight into what I felt of the show overall. The musical selection was incredible; particularly the opener. The show had me at the edge of my seat from wire-to-wire and it was just so much fun fun fun to watch! My only gripe though was the narration at the end, when one of the guys in the pit was actually speaking into a mic. Personally, I didn't really get the transition or connection between the mass-energy equation and love but I guess that's just me. The difference between the vocal recordings and the speaker's voice was just a bit weird for me; however, I love this show no matter what. This corps is one of the two corps I want to see win it all this season. My two friends at Stanford and one friend at PacPro really enjoyed this show. Since this was the first of the majors at Stanford, my first-timer friend was absolutely FLOORED at this show. She didn't like the uniforms at first but in the end it all worked out.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD: WOW AGAIN. Being that this was literally my dream show, which I predicted all the way back in August last year before the announcement, I just had such an amazing time watching and listening to this show. I'm in love the musical so SCV pretty much reaffirmed my love for Les Miserables. The musical selection was nearly perfect and the visuals were spectacular. This was yet another show that had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There were a lot of powerful moments in this show that kept my heart racing. It's a pity that I won't get to see shows like this and the aforementioned shows live in their final stages at the end of the season where they are super polished.

So with that said, I do have a few critiques of SCV's show. I am hoping that they add more story to their show. I didn't, from my live and FN viewings, see any representation of the characters from Les Mis. To have the character storytelling like they did in POTR and PR's Spartacus would make this show off-the-hook crazy good. Also, I was expecting there to be props in this show, like the background used for the uniform reveal. I think they have yet A LOT to be adding to this show because, at the very least, we haven't seen the guard yet in their military costume as shown in one of the guard's uniform reveal photos. Perhaps they will slowly phase these in? I hope so! And finally, while the ending was awesome, they are probably (I'm hoping) going to change it to actually end on "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ending with the video example below where the chorus is singing "Oooohhhh Tomorrow Comes!":

SKIP TO 8m 33s. For some reason, I can't embed a video with a time stamp start.

Anyway, that's pretty much all! I have assimilated one more person into the drum corps collective and want to assimilate even more! Overall, we all immensely enjoyed the show and hope to one day attend finals.

Thanks for reading through this long review. I initially wanted it short but I got carried away lol.

Edited June 25, 2013 by NeutralNovice

[wesleyrp]

Wow what a great review... I hope to take my daughter to see her 1st drum corps this summer:)

[NeutralNovice]

Wow what a great review... I hope to take my daughter to see her 1st drum corps this summer:)

THANKS! Please write a review when you do take your daughter! It's always fun reading about first timers' experiences!

[somerville]

Hey all, thanks for checking out my review of the Stanford and Pacific Procession Shows! Please note that this review is not very technical as I don't have the eyes or ears for that. Other than the fact that there were three distinct "levels" in each show, the technical aspect of each show is limited to what's more obvious to the masses.

DCI West @ Stanford Stadium

Accompanying Party:

• Nikki - 4th Show Ever
  
• Nikki's Mother - 1st Show Ever
  

Pacific Procession @ Santa Clara High School

Accompanying Party:

• Meg - 4th Show Ever
  
• An umbrella I never needed.
  

Preface: The Stanford show included a first timer and as such, it is always so much fun to observe their reaction to first viewing. Due to work, I was not able to arrive at Stanford Stadium to see a full show until the Mandarins. My position was in the highest row before the boxes and ever so slightly off center so I had a SPECTACULAR high view. This particular show seemed packed more than I have seen in the past, which was great! Also, the crowds seem to have finally gotten a handle on when to get to your seats, which is between shows. It's been an issue in the past. This year ranks at the top in terms of the favorite shows I've been to.

I saw the Pacific Procession show in its entirety. Due to the stands' low height, I didn't really get to see many formations. I was also at the end of the stands. Unfortunately, I ended up getting seats in front of these two kids who kept talking very loudly DURING shows. They also kept kicking the aluminum row where I was seated so I pretty much felt every kick. I wish parents would learn how to keep their kids in line during times like these or simply not take them to these shows at all. Furthermore, this couple in front of me kept talking during shows as well; however, because they were in front of me, I couldn't hear them much. What bothered me the most is that they kept practically making out with each other and their dang elbows kept hitting my knee because they were so fidgety. /rant

MANDARINS: This has to be my favorite show from them of all time. I really connected with the music played and the narration surprisingly didn't bother me much at all. Being that I saw the show at both venues, I also witnessed the uniform change and the new uniforms look pretty good! If my memory serves me right, this is the best I've heard from them for like ever. They sounded rich and they seemed to have their show polished more at this time than they did in previous years. I really liked the story they presented and actually, IMHO, they had the most coherent and easy to follow storyline of all the shows. Being that I am the first generation Asian-American, I felt that I connected with this show pretty well. I really hope that they do well this year--they deserve it! Nikki's mother was so pleasantly surprised at her first viewing ever. She loved the storyline and the musical selection from the Mandarins. Being that the Mandarins was her first viewing EVER, it was a success. She's now hooked!

PACIFIC CREST: This corps seemed larger than the Mandarins and seemed to have a bit more power at the helm in terms of sound when compared to the previous corps. I really liked their musical selection as well. My friends also liked this show very much.

BLUE KNIGHTS: Wow, this year, they seem to be for real. The music from their show was excellent and I will definitely be listening and watching the show again in the future. Their visuals were pretty smooth and sweet and I believe that they will be going very far this season. The only issue, which I am sure is being fixed as we speak, was the fact that we didn't get to see an ending. The show ended abruptly and that was a bit disappointing because I really wanted to see what they had in store. Both their guard and musicians were very strong this year compared to previous seasons. I look forward to seeing their complete show when it makes it debut in a live webcast. Nikki and her mom pretty much agree with me that they have a great show in the works but an ending would have been nice, even at a standstill.

BLUE DEVILS: I listened to their preseason recording before I ever saw a show. The music seemed cool; however, translating this onto the field did not turn out so well. The kids are definitely incredibly talented and perform the heck out of their show and I applaud them for that. As far as watching and listening to drum corps, this show just simply didn't do it for me. The music was simply too esoteric and unpleasant.

I remember reading somewhere in another thread that music is not required make someone feel all coy and bubbly like root beer [+1 if you get the ____ ____ reference]. Some music can make one sad or angry. In this case, it simply wasn't pleasant, and I get that. With that said, I understand what the Blue Devils are trying to do here and I am very sure that from a technical standpoint (the judges), they are putting numbers into those captions like there's no tomorrow because they are just GREAT at what they do. From the designers to the performers, they are just gold all the way around.

Now from a spectator stand point at a drum corps show, the only emotions I want to feel are generally happiness and sadness. The happy music makes me smile and cheer where the sad music tugs at my heart strings. My musical knowledge and experience is relatively narrow compared to the pros and when I go see these shows, I want to have fun!

I will say this though: this show belongs in drum corps. Just because I don't enjoy it doesn't mean someone else can't enjoy it. Who am I to say what they should and shouldn't put on the field. There are plenty of other shows out there for me to enjoy.

Finally, to make it short, my party did not like the show and agreed though that they are very talented.

CAROLINA CROWN: WOW. This show was so great and entertaining. This was my first time viewing them live and I am so very thankful that I finally got to see this fine group of young men and women. There's no doubt about their talent so I will go straight into what I felt of the show overall. The musical selection was incredible; particularly the opener. The show had me at the edge of my seat from wire-to-wire and it was just so much fun fun fun to watch! My only gripe though was the narration at the end, when one of the guys in the pit was actually speaking into a mic. Personally, I didn't really get the transition or connection between the mass-energy equation and love but I guess that's just me. The difference between the vocal recordings and the speaker's voice was just a bit weird for me; however, I love this show no matter what. This corps is one of the two corps I want to see win it all this season. My two friends at Stanford and one friend at PacPro really enjoyed this show. Since this was the first of the majors at Stanford, my first-timer friend was absolutely FLOORED at this show. She didn't like the uniforms at first but in the end it all worked out.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD: WOW AGAIN. Being that this was literally my dream show, which I predicted all the way back in August last year before the announcement, I just had such an amazing time watching and listening to this show. I'm in love the musical so SCV pretty much reaffirmed my love for Les Miserables. The musical selection was nearly perfect and the visuals were spectacular. This was yet another show that had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There were a lot of powerful moments in this show that kept my heart racing. It's a pity that I won't get to see shows like this and the aforementioned shows live in their final stages at the end of the season where they are super polished.

So with that said, I do have a few critiques of SCV's show. I am hoping that they add more story to their show. I didn't, from my live and FN viewings, see any representation of the characters from Les Mis. To have the character storytelling like they did in POTR and PR's Spartacus would make this show off-the-hook crazy good. Also, I was expecting there to be props in this show, like the background used for the uniform reveal. I think they have yet A LOT to be adding to this show because, at the very least, we haven't seen the guard yet in their military costume as shown in one of the guard's uniform reveal photos. Perhaps they will slowly phase these in? I hope so! And finally, while the ending was awesome, they are probably (I'm hoping) going to change it to actually end on "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ending with the video example below where the chorus is singing "Oooohhhh Tomorrow Comes!":

SKIP TO 8m 33s. For some reason, I can't embed a video with a time stamp start.

Anyway, that's pretty much all! I have assimilated one more person into the drum corps collective and want to assimilate even more! Overall, we all immensely enjoyed the show and hope to one day attend finals.

Thanks for reading through this long review. I initially wanted it short but I got carried away lol.

Awesome review-nice to hear from some the folks you went with that are newbies too!

[somerville]

Hey all, thanks for checking out my review of the Stanford and Pacific Procession Shows! Please note that this review is not very technical as I don't have the eyes or ears for that. Other than the fact that there were three distinct "levels" in each show, the technical aspect of each show is limited to what's more obvious to the masses.

DCI West @ Stanford Stadium

Accompanying Party:

• Nikki - 4th Show Ever
  
• Nikki's Mother - 1st Show Ever
  

Pacific Procession @ Santa Clara High School

Accompanying Party:

• Meg - 4th Show Ever
  
• An umbrella I never needed.
  

Preface: The Stanford show included a first timer and as such, it is always so much fun to observe their reaction to first viewing. Due to work, I was not able to arrive at Stanford Stadium to see a full show until the Mandarins. My position was in the highest row before the boxes and ever so slightly off center so I had a SPECTACULAR high view. This particular show seemed packed more than I have seen in the past, which was great! Also, the crowds seem to have finally gotten a handle on when to get to your seats, which is between shows. It's been an issue in the past. This year ranks at the top in terms of the favorite shows I've been to.

I saw the Pacific Procession show in its entirety. Due to the stands' low height, I didn't really get to see many formations. I was also at the end of the stands. Unfortunately, I ended up getting seats in front of these two kids who kept talking very loudly DURING shows. They also kept kicking the aluminum row where I was seated so I pretty much felt every kick. I wish parents would learn how to keep their kids in line during times like these or simply not take them to these shows at all. Furthermore, this couple in front of me kept talking during shows as well; however, because they were in front of me, I couldn't hear them much. What bothered me the most is that they kept practically making out with each other and their dang elbows kept hitting my knee because they were so fidgety. /rant

MANDARINS: This has to be my favorite show from them of all time. I really connected with the music played and the narration surprisingly didn't bother me much at all. Being that I saw the show at both venues, I also witnessed the uniform change and the new uniforms look pretty good! If my memory serves me right, this is the best I've heard from them for like ever. They sounded rich and they seemed to have their show polished more at this time than they did in previous years. I really liked the story they presented and actually, IMHO, they had the most coherent and easy to follow storyline of all the shows. Being that I am the first generation Asian-American, I felt that I connected with this show pretty well. I really hope that they do well this year--they deserve it! Nikki's mother was so pleasantly surprised at her first viewing ever. She loved the storyline and the musical selection from the Mandarins. Being that the Mandarins was her first viewing EVER, it was a success. She's now hooked!

PACIFIC CREST: This corps seemed larger than the Mandarins and seemed to have a bit more power at the helm in terms of sound when compared to the previous corps. I really liked their musical selection as well. My friends also liked this show very much.

BLUE KNIGHTS: Wow, this year, they seem to be for real. The music from their show was excellent and I will definitely be listening and watching the show again in the future. Their visuals were pretty smooth and sweet and I believe that they will be going very far this season. The only issue, which I am sure is being fixed as we speak, was the fact that we didn't get to see an ending. The show ended abruptly and that was a bit disappointing because I really wanted to see what they had in store. Both their guard and musicians were very strong this year compared to previous seasons. I look forward to seeing their complete show when it makes it debut in a live webcast. Nikki and her mom pretty much agree with me that they have a great show in the works but an ending would have been nice, even at a standstill.

BLUE DEVILS: I listened to their preseason recording before I ever saw a show. The music seemed cool; however, translating this onto the field did not turn out so well. The kids are definitely incredibly talented and perform the heck out of their show and I applaud them for that. As far as watching and listening to drum corps, this show just simply didn't do it for me. The music was simply too esoteric and unpleasant.

I remember reading somewhere in another thread that music is not required make someone feel all coy and bubbly like root beer [+1 if you get the ____ ____ reference]. Some music can make one sad or angry. In this case, it simply wasn't pleasant, and I get that. With that said, I understand what the Blue Devils are trying to do here and I am very sure that from a technical standpoint (the judges), they are putting numbers into those captions like there's no tomorrow because they are just GREAT at what they do. From the designers to the performers, they are just gold all the way around.

Now from a spectator stand point at a drum corps show, the only emotions I want to feel are generally happiness and sadness. The happy music makes me smile and cheer where the sad music tugs at my heart strings. My musical knowledge and experience is relatively narrow compared to the pros and when I go see these shows, I want to have fun!

I will say this though: this show belongs in drum corps. Just because I don't enjoy it doesn't mean someone else can't enjoy it. Who am I to say what they should and shouldn't put on the field. There are plenty of other shows out there for me to enjoy.

Finally, to make it short, my party did not like the show and agreed though that they are very talented.

CAROLINA CROWN: WOW. This show was so great and entertaining. This was my first time viewing them live and I am so very thankful that I finally got to see this fine group of young men and women. There's no doubt about their talent so I will go straight into what I felt of the show overall. The musical selection was incredible; particularly the opener. The show had me at the edge of my seat from wire-to-wire and it was just so much fun fun fun to watch! My only gripe though was the narration at the end, when one of the guys in the pit was actually speaking into a mic. Personally, I didn't really get the transition or connection between the mass-energy equation and love but I guess that's just me. The difference between the vocal recordings and the speaker's voice was just a bit weird for me; however, I love this show no matter what. This corps is one of the two corps I want to see win it all this season. My two friends at Stanford and one friend at PacPro really enjoyed this show. Since this was the first of the majors at Stanford, my first-timer friend was absolutely FLOORED at this show. She didn't like the uniforms at first but in the end it all worked out.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD: WOW AGAIN. Being that this was literally my dream show, which I predicted all the way back in August last year before the announcement, I just had such an amazing time watching and listening to this show. I'm in love the musical so SCV pretty much reaffirmed my love for Les Miserables. The musical selection was nearly perfect and the visuals were spectacular. This was yet another show that had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. There were a lot of powerful moments in this show that kept my heart racing. It's a pity that I won't get to see shows like this and the aforementioned shows live in their final stages at the end of the season where they are super polished.

So with that said, I do have a few critiques of SCV's show. I am hoping that they add more story to their show. I didn't, from my live and FN viewings, see any representation of the characters from Les Mis. To have the character storytelling like they did in POTR and PR's Spartacus would make this show off-the-hook crazy good. Also, I was expecting there to be props in this show, like the background used for the uniform reveal. I think they have yet A LOT to be adding to this show because, at the very least, we haven't seen the guard yet in their military costume as shown in one of the guard's uniform reveal photos. Perhaps they will slowly phase these in? I hope so! And finally, while the ending was awesome, they are probably (I'm hoping) going to change it to actually end on "Do You Hear the People Sing?" ending with the video example below where the chorus is singing "Oooohhhh Tomorrow Comes!":

SKIP TO 8m 33s. For some reason, I can't embed a video with a time stamp start.

Anyway, that's pretty much all! I have assimilated one more person into the drum corps collective and want to assimilate even more! Overall, we all immensely enjoyed the show and hope to one day attend finals.

Thanks for reading through this long review. I initially wanted it short but I got carried away lol.

Awesome review-nice to hear from some the folks you went with that are newbies too!