Someone please explain e=mc^2 to me, because I really don't like/g

[Cavfan930]

The first time I saw Crown's show I was pretty offended by it. Given the show title, I was expecting a show celebrating science and human advancement, but instead I see a show that celebrates everything it can't do. I REALLY don't like the counting, and I actually hate the narration (sorry if the guy who did that reads this). If you ask me I don't think a narrated story has ANY place in DCI. It covers a relatively weak ballad. Sure, their hornline was absolutely dialed in, can't deny that. But the music does nothing for me. Especially what they hid under the narration during the ballad piece.

I also did a little personal calculating and found that Crown's hornline is neither playing or marching for a full 26% of the show. That's appalling. I'm afraid in our eagerness for Crown to finally beat BD, Crown became them. Also, I'm not one of the old DCI fans. I'm not even 20 yet, and was only introduced to DCI just 3 years ago. So, this isn't someone pining for the days before b-flat trumpets and amplification.

Anyways, this opinion has not been well received around the internet or among my friends. Given the huge negative backlash, I'm looking for someone who could explain this show to me in a way that would make sense of it all. Anyone who could address my concerns above would be really appreciated. Thanks guys.

ALSO, please don't comment telling me I'm stupid or just don't get it. This is me taking that under consideration and hoping to gain more understanding. Thanks.

[N.E. Brigand]

I also did a little personal calculating and found that Crown's hornline is neither playing [...] for a full 26% of the show. That's appalling.

[...]

this isn't someone pining for the days before b-flat trumpets and amplification

I wonder: are those things perhaps related? Does amplification mean that the pit can more often take the music once delegated to the brass?

[kcbari]

Research the origins of the show music to discover the meaning behind the counting...and the poem...HINT: they're part of the show design and meaning.

Since you cite your age and relative lack of experience with the activity, I suggest doing some historical watching/listening.

Have fun.

Edited August 30, 2013 by kcbari

[Michael Boo]

Everyone has likes and dislikes. I suspect that while an explanation might help you understand the show better, no amount of explanation will help you enjoy it more.

That's cool...but there's no need to be "offended," to "hate" the narration, to state that the horns "hid under the narration during the ballad" or to attempt to discredit the horn line's phenomenal accomplishment by stating that they neither marched nor played for over a quarter of the show. (I think your calculations are off, though I haven't tried doing my own. Anyhow, a horn line needs some time to rest and that's what drum features are for.)

I hope someone is able to address your concerns in the matter you wish, but it seems like any attempt to do so will be akin to trying to find a wormhole to crawl into until the next DCI season starts.

[Cavfan930]

I wonder: are those things perhaps related? Does amplification mean that the pit can more often take the music once delegated to the brass?

I think that's something being seen across all corps though, not just Crown. BD clocked in at about 20%, but Cadets did just fine at about 2.5%

Edited August 30, 2013 by Cavfan930

[N.E. Brigand]

I think that's something being seen across all corps though, not just Crown. BD clocked in at about 24%, but Cadets did just fine at only 3%.

It's too hard to time marching in older videos where no high camera shot is available, but as for brass playing, I just checked a past winner, selected at random: Blue Devils '94. For 24% of that show, the brass wasn't playing.

[Cavfan930]

It's too hard to time marching in older videos where no high camera shot is available, but as for brass playing, I just checked a past winner, selected at random: Blue Devils '94. For 24% of that show, the brass wasn't playing.

Okay, so that type of statistic is fairly insignificant. Good to know.

[Tim K]

Crown's show this year was based on the opera "Einstein on the Beach" and the counting and narration are from the opera itself. Glass often uses historical figures as a basis, or more accurately uses the ideas of historical figures as a basis for his works rather than straightforward biography. I'll be honest, I was wondering what Crown would do with the material. As a opera lover and someone who finds Glass interesting in small doses, I wondered what kind of show we'd see. I also had no inkling of how Glass would adapt to drum corps. I love it when a corps attempts opera in its shows, and while we've had some great operatic moments, it doesn't always work well. Since Glass does not always use standard instrumentation, it had the potential to be hit or miss. I have to say I was very impressed with the final result. It had the feel of Philip Glass, the style that is uniquely Crown, and with what could have been a show with little or audience accessibility, they riveted most crowds.

In general, I'm not a fan of narration. Last year Bluecoats performed a piece called "Flume" where a narrator stated their masks: alone, abandoned, etc.. I thought it was a powerful piece and enjoyed it. In Meadowlands there was a torrential rain storm and thunder and lighting, so every corps performed without amplification and sound effects and I absolutely loved the piece without narration, much more than I did with the spoken words.. Now as far as Crown's ballad, I'm not sure that story could have been told without narration. Now I'm not a fan of singing in drum corps, but I know I was moved by Madison's "You'll Never Walk Alone" and Boston Crusaders 2000 show "Red" is one of my all time favorite show and includes singing. So I suppose that what does or does not belong in a show can depend on how much you like a corps.

Now regarding Crown on DCP, they were DCP darlings until prelims in 2012. From that point, all winter, and well into the competitive year they took all kinds of slings and arrows. They still do to some extent. Certainly they are not criticized the way BD is, but look at some of the posts regarding Crown in early August--they were not getting that much love.

Finally you are not stupid or someone who just doesn't get it if you have a valid opinion, and if you did not get it, the show was not effective as far as you are concerned. Crown should be happy you are in the audience and not a judge, and we can all have opinions. Personally I enjoyed but didn't quite get "The Grass is Always Greener" and thought "Rach Star" was an underrated masterpiece. I'm not expecting to be given the title of "Guru of Drum Corps" for that opinion, but it is an opinion just as your "E=MC2" comments are your opinion, so you'll get no red negatives or insults from me.

Edited August 31, 2013 by Tim K

[Cavfan930]

Research the origins of the show music to discover the meaning behind the counting...and the poem...HINT: they're part of the show design and meaning.

Counting: My quick search found that apparently the counting is supposed to be "...an interpretation as a reference to the mathematical and scientific breakthroughs made by Einstein himself." And I'm sorry but as someone majoring in math education and dating a physicist, that just rubs me the wrong way. YES, Einstein was a genius. YES, he shaped modern physics. However, more modern physics is finding that he may be completely wrong. I protest that such beautiful achievements be referenced by counting over and over again to the number 8. Yes, I know that musically 8 is convenient to count to. But I mean come on. The equation is squared, and 8 is a cube. To me, that's like drawing a line and saying it exists in 2 dimensional space. It's just silly.

Poem: Couldn't find the name, someone help?

[general_tsos_chicken2]

wait, you were OFFENDED by their show?? It's going to be a tough life for you if so!