Barifonium Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 I have an ongoing fear that Dan just cannnot move forward from an creative and innovation stand point in order to remain top 7, this summer, or ever. You and I share that fear. Hopefully he can perhaps take a breather and rejuvenate his creativity. Regiment has continued to evolve yet has managed to maintain its identity after greats like Jim Wren left, and it seems like Regiment is intent on continuing this in the form of keeping a few of the old guard while taking in new blood. I see this as a good thing, because while the old guard creative structure and philosophy is there, my opinion is that it's getting a bit strained based on the last few show designs. This is, of course, an entirely subjective and intuitive view on my part. I believe though that they'll pull through and continue to create great shows. Hopefully they find a new "old guard" that maintains tradition, yet tastefully evolves at a reasonable pace, if at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phd-student-TTU Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 You and I share that fear. Hopefully he can perhaps take a breather and rejuvenate his creativity. Regiment has continued to evolve yet has managed to maintain its identity after greats like Jim Wren left, and it seems like Regiment is intent on continuing this in the form of keeping a few of the old guard while taking in new blood. I see this as a good thing, because while the old guard creative structure and philosophy is there, my opinion is that it's getting a bit strained based on the last few show designs. This is, of course, an entirely subjective and intuitive view on my part. I believe though that they'll pull through and continue to create great shows. Hopefully they find a new "old guard" that maintains tradition, yet tastefully evolves at a reasonable pace, if at all. You're more than intuitive. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rd Glasgow BB Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 On the first sentence I have to disagree. A lot of people are assuming things due to their first read on music. A big mistake. Once things are filled in (transitions, effects), and once the drill and visual ideas are in place then I think we will get a better idea. I personally enjoyed the music and feel it has growth. Also, your comment in the first line about "what the judges are looking for..." is misleading and assumes judges have a set criteria for show design and performance in their head. They don't. Judges DO NOT enter the season expecting corps to do certain things, to be like others, to design like others. They only judge what is given to them, then react to it. As for the 2nd line, remember that some of Phantom's staff left to work for SCV. The board didn't get rid of them, the staff simply left for so called "greener" pastures. Other times staff are let go, and in those cases it's not always because of quality of work, but perhaps quality of teaching, quality of teamwork, and in some cases unfair treatment to the marching members. I agree with line 3. I really like their music. YPG was likely conducted too fast at the concert. It needs to be pulled down a few clicks, and we'll see how they transition into it. That tune always feels more like an opener to me than a closer, more the way SCV did it in 1981 and The Cadets did in 2001. So using it as a closer is perhaps my only concern for this show from a musical standpoint. But let's see what they got planned for us. :) My 1st sentence wasn't just based on this year. 2012 apart, they have placed outside of where I would want/expect them to place. Anything top 3 is amazing so I have removed 2012 from the equation. Top 5 is very good but Placing outside the top 5 has become the norm since 2008... average position since 2008 has us between 6th & 7th. With the talent on the field i.e. members who constantly outperform the show I don't think I'm out of line to say we should be placing higher. On my 2nd point I find it difficult to understand why other top Corps can retain their key staff when PR can't. I understand that real life happens and people move on but their staff retention in key areas is very, very poor. I'm not close enough to the organization to be specific about why but clearly something isn't quite right down Rockford way. Juries out on how they present YPG on the field, if they stick as close to possible to the orchestral score/timings etc. then it should work well for them and the audience. No silly kindergarten puppets and avoidable deaths please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Juries out on how they present YPG on the field, if they stick as close to possible to the orchestral score/timings etc. then it should work well for them and the audience. No silly kindergarten puppets and avoidable deaths please. At the very least, we know that no one will be saying "Welcome to the City of Light!" as part of the show, nor will there be clips of Frank Sinatra singing. That counts for a ton in improved program maturity over last year's offering. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 At the very least, we know that no one will be saying "Welcome to the City of Light!" as part of the show, nor will there be clips of Frank Sinatra singing. That counts for a ton in improved program maturity over last year's offering. I think they're going with a more serious theme as a way to honor the corps' history. Or at least that's the way I'm looking at it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 At the very least, we know that no one will be saying "Welcome to the City of Light!" as part of the show, nor will there be clips of Frank Sinatra singing. That counts for a ton in improved program maturity over last year's offering. No, but how do we know there won't be Voices of Promise? maybe clips of this: https://youtu.be/5HI_xFQWiYU 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general_tsos_chicken2 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 the two issues I mentioned earlier still stand, but the more I listen, the more I like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantombari1 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Back to my point, it appears to me that BD cleans as it goes. And ends up adding much more than it takes away. However when they hit the field for the first time, they execute better than everyone else and build on that execution. They already have the transitions down from a flow perspective in drill and musicality. Phantom has always had a few years where they came out swinging with a legitimate contending product. Slow starts, for the most part, equal a disappointing season in most cases....That is of course when standards get lowered and the naysayers come out of the wood work saying it shouldn't be about winning. No matter what angle you take, we all want Phantom to do well. In business expectations there are things we expect, and fewer things we accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAndCurious Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 So, after having their recording on repeat for a day, I think I finally have an opinion. Without a doubt, it is different, very different. I think Will Pitts has arranged an excellent book for the hornline, presenting them with challenging music that I look forward to hearing them have clean. Transitions are weird, but I think that point has been played up enough. I actually like the different take on The Chairman Dances, it's exciting and energetic, albeit a departure from the source. The ballads are gorgeous and YPG is fun (I enjoy it in general, it's always nice hearing it on the field. The percussion feature was... different... however tastefully done in my opinion. Overall, the beginning and the ending scream Phantom, with a much different feel in between from recent years. Here's the hiccup: arrangement issues aside, the hornline has had a record for taking what they're given and making something amazing out of it. Their music has been a pleasure, so seeing this development out of their traditional roles is a welcome change; it'll be great to see what they can do with it. Music, however, has been only part of the problem. Their visual package as of late has been, in my opinion, their weakest area, as it's been most stuck in the 2000's. Will they explore a new approach from that standpoint in the same way the seem to be musically? They have the talent to compete in the top tier, and I think the book may give them a better shot than in previous years, but will they pull together a visual package to compete? Excited to see DCI premier in the theaters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 So, after having their recording on repeat for a day, I think I finally have an opinion. Here's the hiccup: ... Their visual package as of late has been, in my opinion, their weakest area, as it's been most stuck in the 2000's. Will they explore a new approach from that standpoint in the same way the seem to be musically? They have the talent to compete in the top tier, and I think the book may give them a better shot than in previous years, but will they pull together a visual package to compete? Excited to see DCI premier in the theaters! So, what could they do with their visual package to unstick it? Should they go in the direction of any particular corps? I know Cadets are going towards changing their visuals to match other corps. So, does that now mean that all corps have to follow? I mean, I keep that corps should be able to do what THEY do and if they do that well, they should score high, but it seems that corps have little compulsories they have to follow to be competitive. This is a problem for a bunch of corps. So, should they do more pods and "staging"? Should they demonstrate a bunch of different skills, instead of just being Phantom? I'm just curious about that. I am generally [leased with their drill, but a couple of years recently haven't struck me as visually as effective. Last year seemed decent to me, but Swan Lake visually didn't do as much for me. Turandot, Juliet, and Into the Light were all good. I don't remember Triumphant Journey. So for me, it's been the last 3 years where I think they've gone backwards visually. Anyway, I am not attacking, and I hope it doesn't come across that way, I am just a little sad that some corps seem to need to change to get more points. It's not just Phantom, or Cadets... Plenty of other corps are going to be changing their approach this year. Homogenization, yea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.