chris ncsu Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I like Spartacus a lot, but I LOVE Defiant Heart. For most of the show, Spartacus pummels you with sound (a trademark for Regiment) and visual GE. It's exasperating and thrilling. That finals audience was so into the show, they were willing it to victory in a way I hadn't seen before -- until, to some extent, this year with Crown. Defiant Heart is smoother and has a lot more subtlety. The opener is such a slow build, so brooding. They make you wait for the payoff, but you're with them every note. They don't punch you in the gut -- they make you listen to every note, you often can't take your eyes off the guard with red uniforms in such stark contrast to to the all-black corps, those shiny guard poles flicker with such effect. Toward the end of Symph 5, after they crescendo those big staccato notes, the guard forming a heart...your defiant heart stops for a second, and then they begin another very slow build, and then they start to reach the payoff -- they build an exquisite chord note by note, section by section, and resolve it with such an exuberant major chord, in a way that I think is better than the original piece. The rest is so fulfilling, such a release. Whew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavie95 Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Toughy. Both are great to listen to. In the end I went with 2008 for the crowd reaction. I still hear 'Jingle Bells' at the end of the 1996 show. I could swear there's at least one baritone who plays it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tariq.shah Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Toughy. Both are great to listen to. In the end I went with 2008 for the crowd reaction. I still hear 'Jingle Bells' at the end of the 1996 show. I could swear there's at least one baritone who plays it. "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Toughy. Both are great to listen to. In the end I went with 2008 for the crowd reaction. I still hear 'Jingle Bells' at the end of the 1996 show. I could swear there's at least one baritone who plays it. I'm fine with the Jingle Bells push, it's the sop hangover at finals that kills me. Still my favorite Regiment show by far. 93 Regiment, while not a champion show, doesn't seem to be mentioned nearly as much as it deserves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspaDave Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Defiant Heart has the best opener in DCI history I don't know about that. It is great, but greatest? No. Any opener that has the drumline tacet for over two minutes has to be excluded from that list. I do agree that after the opener the rest of the show is kind of meh. I voted for Spartacus because it holds my interest throughout the entire show, musically and visually. Another big plus in favor of 2008: white uniforms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Another big plus in favor of 2008: white uniforms. Yeah, well, that's just like....your opinion, man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burgerbob Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I'm fine with the Jingle Bells push, it's the sop hangover at finals that kills me. Still my favorite Regiment show by far. 93 Regiment, while not a champion show, doesn't seem to be mentioned nearly as much as it deserves. I like '93 much more than '96. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 I loved Phantom 1996. The show drew me in and kept me there for the entire duration. I think it's one of the most incredible shows ever done. It was the pinnacle of their black uniform period. I also liked 1995. It's too bad there are no good recordings from that year because so much of the music was amazing. Some of the visual design was a bit "meh" but the music made up for it. So Phantom changes their image in 1995, follows up with an incredible show in 1996 and what do they do next? The Ring?? To this day I still can't get into that show. It really says something when the only thing you like about a show is the ring design on the front of the uniform. As for 2008 - I knew something was different about them from my first viewing early season because the show just kept coming at the audience - it was so intense. However, I prefer 1996 over 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.l. Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Loved Defiant Heart in the opener, and it gets exciting right after and then peters off a little. Spartacus is intense all the way around. If there was better audio quality for 1996 I may change my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted August 26, 2013 Share Posted August 26, 2013 Loved Defiant Heart in the opener, and it gets exciting right after and then peters off a little. Spartacus is intense all the way around. If there was better audio quality for 1996 I may change my opinion. I think 2006 was a better show than either of the two choices in the poll and is (by a margin) my favorite PR show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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