Quad Aces Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I have to agree - for many years they have been the best at 'hiding' park & bark. The section that is playing the most demanding technical bit is often standing still, while there is such a flurry of activity occurring at other locations on the field your eyes are drawn there, while your ears hear the musically-demanding technical part. It is brilliant show design. You're so right about hiding these sections! I was "fooled" for a while with this concept before I realized what was going on when I first encountered it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 go to Allentown and color it maroon. happens everywhere with different teams uh the Pasadena 2007 "event" has NEVER happened in Allentown the Allentown crowd is polite and respectful, not drunk/high and extremely rude as the other poster mentioned, the 2007 Rose Bowl final week was a black eye for the whole activity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcsnare93 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I don't know....... Seven corps...... Seven different shows.....seven very different styles...... seven diverse strengths ALL very entertaining... "vive la difference" ....oops, they went on second....... Yep. I prefer a bowl of neapolitan to just plain vanilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 If they were 65-ish, they didn't march in the Blue Devils when they were winning, if they ever did march. I marched in BAC in the somewhat bad old days of the late 60's. We were regularly booed in Massachusetts, and occasionally even spit at by blowsers entering the stadium. We did our talking on the field. Today at shows, I keep my mouth shut unless it's to cheer for something I appreciate. I never lose sight of the fact that every competitor works harder than we ever did "back in the day". Most importantly, the competitors are someone else's kids. These days, that crap is not tolerated in the stands in Massachusetts. If it occurs, people should not hesitate to speak up. If that should lead to unpleasantries, well then its a trip in the drum corps time machine, when the fans were a cross between roller derby and a biker bar. Perhaps the loss of so many "great" corps over the years, coupled with the possibility that this whole activity could go away, made the entire DCI marketplace a lot more humble and a lot more supportive of anyone who tries to make this work. Despite (and perhaps because of) all of the G7 stuff, it is very cool to see BD travel across the country to support BAC. I dare say that might not be the case back in the so called glory days of DCI. I for one truly love how all of you support all of these corps, even the ones who are never very good and never will be. Tells me the activity has its heart in the right place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeDz Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 snip I was sitting in front of a couple of older (65+) ladies in the "B" section, row 12 if anyone else was near.. and I'd like to just say a few things to them, an "open letter" of sorts..: Hey ladies.. Why do you go see DCI competitions? I only say this, because I never saw you smile, or heard a kind word from you, about much of anything last night. You were openly rude, and foul-mouthed, about every corps EXCEPT for the Blue Devils (I'm not harping on the Dev's here, just their fan-grannies) Ladies, please take a moment to scan the audience around you.. I was there, right in front of you, with friends who are new fans of DCI, and their 7 year old daughter (who LOVED the corps).. You really made a serious BAD impression on them. Let me just remind you of a few of the opinions that you made very clear last night.. snip seriously, I've been to many many DCI performances in my life, both on and off the field. I can regretfully say, that I have never heard anything as violent, and full of hatred, as I heard from you ladies last night.. maybe you were cranky because of the horribly hot weather? maybe you never got into the corps you wanted ? please stay home next time. J What you described should cause EVERYONE to pause anytime we are about to speak out loud. It should have been obvious to them that they were being that discourteous, but in front of a 7-year old...... this has nothing to do with drum corps...... it has to do with decency and thinking before talking out of anger (or even disagreement with results) That 7-year old saw a show that was one of the best in drum corps history, only to have adults (who probably have no connection to BD) show none of the class that BD shows 24/7. My compliments to you, "MJ," for taking the time to type out the entire post. Maybe the ladies didn't even get to read it, but I did, and it made quite an impression on me. Our over-enthusiastic support for a drum corps ends right before someone else's ears........ and daughter. Thank you, Mello....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jwillis35 Posted July 14, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted July 14, 2015 Last night's show was tremendous! I had totally forgot DCI was airing that online, so it was a wonderful surprise to check the site and find that I was going to see a show. Despite it's imperfections, FN/DCI LIVE has been more a blessing than a curse. Leaving scores aside, I think we have a lot of unique shows out there. Each corps has something they are trying to offer, a style of presentation, a theme (or not), a look and feel, and a sound that is uniquely theirs. Each one of the top 5 have 1 or 2 small weaknesses that will keep things interesting. My big take away from each group: 1. The Cadets - a wonderful music book coupled with frenetic drill and a traditional look back at early 90s Cadets through a modern lens. The show theme really isn't important. Just watch and listen...pure joy of sight and sound in marching and playing. Perhaps not overly innovative (other than the 10 yard ballad), but then again too much is made of the need to "push" the activity. Perform, entertain, teach kids, travel and learn life lessons...repeat. Can easily win Gold. 2. Blue Devils - A brilliant brass line with some major demand in the book. A true and tried formula from recent years, but continually being updated and tweaked. Staging, free form, mixed with some excellent drill and some amazing marching when they do apply traditional drill concepts. Clearly BD has moved away from traditional drill methods and I have no problem with that. They still do the best job of mixing-up visual aspects of the show. The effect of most of the props this year is probably not as effective as in past years, especially last year or the 2010 show. Then again, changes may come. Still, this show is a delight from top to bottom. Ending does need a boost or at least needs to make more sense. With some tweaking this show can take Gold. 3. Bluecoats - a thrilling ride into the FUTURE of drum corps. Bloo has carefully studied the Cavaliers and Blue Devils over the years, and they have modified their own style to arrive at where they are today. They also took electronics seriously from day one, investing big bucks into equipment and training. Their 2015 show features traditional drill, sequential design aspects similar to Cavaliers early 2000s shows, and staging similar to BD. Kinetic Noise then applies modern scoring of minimalist music with a powerful dose of electronic effects and synth-based sounds, and what you have is a modern approach to drum corps design. If you were to walk into a mythical Disney theme park that featured a look at the "modern marching band," the show you would see is this one. If they clean the feet and lock-in musically in brass and percussion, they can compete with anyone this year. Definitely a show worthy of Gold providing the performance is there. 4. Santa Clara Vanguard - Taking a page out of the Bluecoats book, they are using electronics to excellent effect. The show features traditional drill (lots of it, similar to Cadets), and with their guard integration they have one of the best overall visual packages out there. Percussion is a beast. Brass is good but not at the level of the top 3 plus Crown. The music book is interesting and doesn't always grab me, but I enjoyed it more last night than the two previous times I have seen them on DCI LIVE. Cannot wait to see it live. They march some incredibly tight formations at 1-step and 2-step intervals. Very demanding and scary to pull off. My only concern with this show is music GE and brass performance. Perhaps some of that is the show theme just not being strong enough. 5. Carolina Crown - Powerful music that conveys their Inferno theme and a brass line capable of blowing the roof off of Lucas Oil Stadium makes this show a must see. Some traditional drill writing, but a lot of body movement and staging. They definitely mix-up the visual package, and the guard integration is second to none. For my personal taste, Crown tends to do too much body movement. At some point I'm not sure what any of it means or how to interpret all those moves, especially from way up in the stands. Love the dark uniform, but I hate the red "candy cane" swirl up the leg. This show would have been super with costuming and perhaps even more theatrical staging (a la Phantom 2008 or Blue Devils last year). Still, this is a corps capable of taking high brass and guard come finals. They march well and their percussion is very solid. The ending still doesn't work, but I am sure they will add more in the next few weeks. 6. Cavaliers - Perhaps a throwback to the Cavaliers of the early 2000s. Awesome drill, both traditional drill and sequential patterns of motion. Brass book is their best in the last 3 years. Percussion is good and written beautifully for the show. I like the theme. Nothing to take seriously. Just watch and enjoy. No special meaning, just a concept. Do not like the singing. That needs to go. Overall I find this show FUN and love that it's not trying too hard to innovate, just entertain and push excellent performance concepts. Cavies just need to clean and they can challenge for the 6 spot. BK will be tough, but I kind of think a clean Cavaliers corps will also be tough to beat. 7. Phantom Regiment - A look at American tourists in Paris. Awesome brass line! They have a fairly good brass book with plenty of demand, and boy do they play it well. Percussion is solid, too. The drill reminds me of their 2005 drill, but with less impact. Not sure why that is. I sort of feel the drill is moving almost too much for what the music is saying. Too much jazz running, especially when we are hearing majestic music. There are just some elements of the show not lining up. Otherwise, I find it entertaining and the marching members can definitely perform. If this cleans to a "T" come Finals I could see them challenging Cavaliers and BK. The Organ Symphony (Saint-saens 3rd symphony) is nice to hear but likely needs a more cathedral-like pipe organ and a few more majestic hit points to truly "bring home the bacon." 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 ^^ terrific review and observations as usual - thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000Cadet Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 ^^ terrific review and observations as usual - thanks! Seconded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 (edited) If they were 65-ish, they didn't march in the Blue Devils when they were winning, if they ever did march. I marched in BAC in the somewhat bad old days of the late 60's. We were regularly booed in Massachusetts, and occasionally even spit at by blowsers entering the stadium. We did our talking on the field. Today at shows, I keep my mouth shut unless it's to cheer for something I appreciate. I never lose sight of the fact that every competitor works harder than we ever did "back in the day". Most importantly, the competitors are someone else's kids. These days, that crap is not tolerated in the stands in Massachusetts. If it occurs, people should not hesitate to speak up. If that should lead to unpleasantries, well then its a trip in the drum corps time machine, when the fans were a cross between roller derby and a biker bar. Agree. even when Star of Indiana came to Massachusetts, they were cheered.... never, ever booed. I don't recall a Corps in performance or after a performance ever being booed in a show in Massachusetts in the DCI era. That stuff is not tolerated in Massachusetts these days. No Corps in performance should ever, ever be booed, imo. DCI Drum Corps is not really a " college sport " ,( even if some in DCI, and in its fanbase, want to characterize it as such ) Edited July 15, 2015 by BRASSO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobias Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 uh the Pasadena 2007 "event" has NEVER happened in Allentown the Allentown crowd is polite and respectful, not drunk/high and extremely rude as the other poster mentioned, the 2007 Rose Bowl final week was a black eye for the whole activity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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