Plan9 Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Sorry.... It's different! With respect to your father from the western circuit, now adays is completely different. When there used to be 2 big regionals in the summer no one saw each other for long stretches... Now corps see each other every weekend. Conspiracy? No, but storylines sell tickets and all of the Regionals sans Allentown are multi thousand seat domes or stadiums. Trust me corps A might be competitive with Corps B, but allow for a flopping of placements and watch reaction... BD over Criwn, Cadets virtually tied... Bluecoats, Madison, Phantom all close, BK fighting Cavies to very tight race, Blue Stars losing to Crossmen who lost to Colts earlier, Troop lurking... You bet they do this stuff. It's not conspiracy, it keeps fans watching and corps pushing their products even harder. Some of this may be true...and it doesn't take much imagination to know that close competition sells....and that dominating corps enjoying 1.5 pt leads throughout the season are a buzz kill (except for them of course :rolleyes:/>). But this year, there are 3 corps with "unquestionable" title shows (and a 4th that is medal quality as well). This is a tough one for the judges...........and none of us can even remotely predict a winner in Indy...............yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scv_chuck Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Why are you giving up? Judges are simply using the sheets they're given. See my explanation in the above post. BTW, I agree with most of your predictions there!! :) Are the Blue Devils starting to receive some crowd response? How much does crowd response count on the judges sheets? and which captions/subs? You seem to know a lot more about the sheets than I do since I've never bothered to look at them. I'm really trying to understand how a corps could score so high in GE if the crowd is not engaged at all. In Denver BD never got anything more than polite golf claps during the show and most people didn't even stand at the end, which was a poor showing for the Denver crowd if you ask me. Lil help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoCervantes II Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Agreed NewJersey... Storylines sell tickets and create revenue. How many fans would go to Finals week if you knew the placements ahead of time? I dunno, how many fans would go to hear Shostakovich 5 or Beethoven 9 or anything else if they already knew the notes ahead of time?...oh wait. I do tend to be a believer in conspiracy theories in general (ie: I was pretty sure the government was in bed with Google and whatnot so that they could look at all our "in the cloud" stuff), and I definately remember that little yellow piece of paper that fell out of the judge's pocket some 8 years ago in TX with the scores from the previous night written on it, BUT, I also feel that in general the judges are doing their best to get it right for the corps, and I feel like once Cessario broke the judging community away from a propensity toward slotting earlier this decade (remember how exciting scores were in 2011 when they were just judging what was on the field, not who?), the rep/perf boxes have been being used better and better and it can cause some of this drama from time to time (which is great! Any given night baby!). It does seem worrisome for Crown that BD took BOTH of the rep subcaptions in GE, only falling to Crown at the moment because performance wasn't quite there of that rep yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaddyt Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Why during the week in Indy, all of a sudden we get these huge spreads appearing between corps that were relatively close prior? Lets say for example, we go into Indy with Crown/Cadets/BD very tight (95.9, 95.6, 95.5), I guarantee by finals that becomes 98.3, 97.4, 96.8. You know what I'm talking about..I'm not saying conspiracy, just the number management technique used. Two brass lines can't tie? If two corps are really close, every judge feels inclined to separate them by a .1 or .2, it winds up bring a point plus spread! (Unless a corps has one weak caption). Maybe it doesn't matter... Right. Because there's never been a close finish for the title. Isn't that right, 2008? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euphscott Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Are the Blue Devils starting to receive some crowd response? Last night from my location (general admission 35-40 down low) it was polite appreciation. Stunned silence in many cases. Some dinosaurs behind me commented that SO much is going on with the show they cannot focus. They admitted it was full of talent, but very difficult to like this show. And as a pre-fossil - I have to agree... Random thoughts - in random order even: Loudest corps was Cadets - I'm loving the straight ahead, no story line, no contrived theme (ok - side by side is what it's called, but really what the heck does that mena? This show is all about playing a modern master really well) and found them really likable for the second year in a row. Loudest goo was BD - almost painful to hear all the electronics.. Biggest goosebumps - pick any one of them from SCV - being a fan that got my start in early 80's and a big fan of Vanguard from that era - it's nice to see this corps remind me of that time. High mark times? Cymbal Lines? Broadway? Strong visual presence? Oh yeah - THAT is Vanguard! Crown clearly is marching and playing some serious notes. The sound was magnificent - but volume way off from year's past. Reading through the comments here and the recaps, perhaps it was an off night. But if an off night in mid to late July has one .1 behind the Blue Devils, then one is sitting in a good position. Bones - if they could march as well as they play... I was really impressed with their sound, not so much with visual or even programming choices. If you are gonna tease me with Some Nights - get on with it and deliver some more!! Blue Knights - not a fan of the design - but they perform it will - with multiple viewings I can see how it might grow on me. Did they drop the bicycle step last year or is this the first year? I don't miss it...I think this group has improved visually a great deal over the last two seasons. Cavies - what a mess. They had a tough spot by following SCV, Cadets, and Crown - but wow - they have a long way to return to old form. Big ouch moment was a huge hole in a long chord where Tubas just totally botched the stagger breathing. Half the section must have taken a breath at an inopportune moment. Colts are sporting a new uni that the Mrs and I enjoyed. Gradient purple red and blue I think in the coats that have a similar strip down their legs. Nice look. It is a fun show - I wish this show would have been performed by the Colts of about 10 years ago. That said - show up early and get a nice entertaining show! Mandarins marched the same number of Tubas as Mellos. With a deep bari/euph section, they had a nice depth to their sound most corps their size can't enjoy. The show fits them nicely with the coming to America from China theme. Blue Stars were first corps of night to smack the crowd with sound. I'm not sure I like this theme much - not familiar with the music either. I wanted to like them - really I did! Big crowd - great lineup for a non major. And thankfully the weather was cooperating and made for a pleasant evening! Edited July 19, 2013 by Euphscott 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ContrasAreFun Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Some overall impressions and $0.02 of last night, because this was my first show of the year. My opinions have all probably been mentioned somehow, somewhere. Colts and Spirit: Thank you for keeping with your roots. Drum corps doesn't always have to be about marching as fast as possible while playing 50 million notes. Cadets: In a word, disappointing. Well executed by the corps, but really anti-climatic. Maybe I'm too partial with past shows, but I just don't get into programs filled completely with recycled music. Granted, probably 90% of the people attending have no idea about 1999-2000 SCV, or even have heard of Star of Indiana, but I'd prefer more originality with the concept. I have to remind myself a lot of kids in high school these days weren't even alive when these songs were on a football field. I was at least hoping for the push and resolution at the end of Madea, but was left hanging. I know corps utilize and repeat past repertoire all the time, but even the 2012 Cadets show had a cool flare and new take. Everyone knows Christmas songs, but it felt brand new to me. SCV: Had a great resemblance to shows of the 80's and 90's. Refreshing and easily accessible to audience. The brass and drum book are solid. Pardon my ignorance, but is Pete Weber no longer writing their drill? It's not bad by any means, just not as complex as I remember in the past. Cool backfield effect with disappearing hornline and battery. I think there is still room for some added effect that can push them over the top. They don't need to become 2008 PR, but there's obviously a lot of potential. Knowing SCV, I'm sure there's something up their sleeve. A complete moment of silence for a Vanguard yell would be great, too, but beggars can't be choosers. Crown: Holy crap. I would die if I tried marching and playing that show. GE, visual, brass, and guard are all amazing. I hope their drums can improve, though; it's apparent they're not quite up to snuff with the other top corps. BD: Just like every year- typical BD. Amazing marching, brass, guard, drums, and execution. However, this is similar to 2005 Cadets or 93 Star. Confusing for most people because the concept is probably ahead of its time. Most of audience didn't know how to watch or understand the show, making for a somewhat awkward crowd reaction at the end of the show. Edited July 19, 2013 by ContrasAreFun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barigirl78 Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Bones - if they could march as well as they play... I was really impressed with their sound, not so much with visual or even programming choices. If you are gonna tease me with Some Nights - get on with it and deliver some more!! They had more of Some Nights earlier in the season, but they cut it down. I'm assuming it was in response to judge's feedback and not crowd response. There may be an early season show on the Fan Network that will give you a sense of how it went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmathis Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) SCV: Had a great resemblance to shows of the 80's and 90's. Refreshing and easily accessible to audience. The brass and drum book are solid. Pardon my ignorance, but is Pete Weber no longer writing their drill? It's not bad by any means, just not as complex as I remember in the past. Cool backfield effect with disappearing hornline and battery. Yes, he is. I had the same reaction as you. I've been disappointed with Weber's drill since 2009. 2006-2008 were great IMO, but everything since then has left me wanting more. Edited July 19, 2013 by cmathis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadwick Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Last night from my location (general admission 35-40 down low) it was polite appreciation. Stunned silence in many cases. Some dinosaurs behind me commented that SO much is going on with the show they cannot focus. They admitted it was full of talent, but very difficult to like this show. And as a pre-fossil - I have to agree... Any thoughts on Spirit? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 (edited) Star was great with Medea, but the piece actually ends like Cadets version, not like 1993 Also find it interesting Cadets program is deemed derivative but SCV can do their 1989 program and its considered fresh? Edited July 19, 2013 by George Dixon 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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