Intrigue In Indy

[henry7184]

I'm quite chill, I assure you my BP is just fine :)

Good. Have a good rest of your night. I'm on the west coast and exhausted. It was a great day for drum corps for sure.

[geluf]

Not really. People say this same thing, all year, every year. Last year, all I read, all season was how Blue Stars and Boston were going to leave Madison in the dust. It is what it is. It's a discussion board. I'm just stating my opinion, which is Crown and Bluecoats will stay ahead of the Cadets, unless major changes are made. Everyone said last year Crown was 5th at best and look what happened - they made a lot of changes. So, we will see what happens. Relax, my opinion has no impact on your life.

Yeah. Honestly, statistically you're making the smart money play. It's difficult to overcome a 3 point deficit head-to-head no matter when it happens in the season. It's rare that a corps that is down by 3-4 points to another early on (head to head only, mind you, different shows don't count) manages to pass that corps down the line. Certainly it isn't impossible, it's just not as likely.

Edited June 24, 2016 by geluf

[ajlemm]

I think Bluecoats' show is too far forward, which makes it not very appealing. There's a lack of structure which makes the audience lost and confused. That's my perception.

Cube, you sound a lot like another poster we haven't heard from in a few weeks...

[ShortAndFast]

My impressions from the theater:

Meta note: these are obviously the "dark years" of DCI as far as uniform designs are concerned. I cannot wait for designers to figure out that fabrics come in other colors than black and white. They could even, you know, pick a color to be part of the corps' identity and use that - Cadets could pick maroon, Cavies could pick green, ... I know it's a crazy idea, but it just might be crazy enough to work!

* Boston: I liked the look and motion of the windmill props and I liked when they did drill to mimic the windmill shapes (at least that's what I thought it was ). I didn't really feel like the music book went anywhere very interesting, but I did think they were playing pretty well. I know they've had problems in recent years with shows too hard to clean, but maybe they've corrected a bit too far in the other direction.

* Phantom: I liked the music book in general, and I thought the arrangement of YPG was fantastic. A really nice showing from Pitts in his first year as arranger. I didn't think it was terrible visually, but thinking back on it there aren't any visual moments that stood out for me. If the show had any kind of theme or storyline, I didn't catch it on a first viewing.

* Cavaliers: There's definitely some real improvements in performance and visual design. The theme is kind of a miss for me - I didn't like the show when the Crossmen did it, and didn't find the Cavies' flavor much better. I think the challenge with this kind of political theme is to find ways to communicate it through the performance rather than through a bunch of random recordings of politicians and dictators. The vocal section probably came the closest to achieving that for me, but the ending also has some potential. This could be a really good vehicle for them.

* Cadets: I definitely liked the visual less than in the preview show. The props and stages don't really seem to be used effectively. There's tons of awkward transitions to get people on/off them, but not much effect once they get there. I also couldn't figure out Aedonis - it looked like he sat on a stool on the 50 until the very end, when he walked to the "cupcake". There are definitely some good musical moments in the Respighi but it came off a little stale compared to other programs. The Mackey stood out a lot more for me as a demonstration of how compelling their music ensemble can be. They have a lot of work to do!

* Crown: This was surprisingly polished and well performed for opening night. The individual visual performances are amazing - I'd say the only corps that matches BD in that regard. I was captivated by their guard the whole way through. The story line came across pretty clearly. If there was a disappointment for me, it's that their music book (despite containing some great pieces) is a little too fragmented for my taste. Medea is less compelling in bits and pieces than as a whole work. I loved the initial initial low brass entrance at the beginning, but wanted a more glorious climax of Hallelujah. There's no denying that it's a strong show - I'm sure they're going to do well with it this summer.

* Bluecoats: Wow! This is the music book of the year, I think. I loved the pieces they picked, I loved the arrangements, I loved the performance. I'm looking forward to listening to it a bunch more. Oh yeah, and they do some cool stuff with half pipes... I think they probably need about 2 more tricks with the pipes to keep it fresh all season long. It's great to see a corps that is really trying to break the mold in DCI. It was definitely the freshest and most exciting performance of the evening. This could be their year - it was certainly a really compelling start.

Edited June 24, 2016 by ShortAndFast

[N.E. Brigand]

Boston - Not sure if it was our speakers or their mix but the pit covered up the majority of the show. I liked the ballad but need to read more about the show so I understand the windmill things. Those by far were my favorite props.

It wasn't your cinema, and for once, we actually know that it wasn't DCI's video team.

Lots of times in past years, when people here complain about the pit being too loud on cinemacasts and webcasts, others huffily reply that it's only that way on the feed because the recording microphones are too close to the corps' speakers.

But tonight, Steve Rondinaro said after Boston's show, "Gotta bring the mallets down a bit".

It was so nice to get that vindication.

[NakedEye]

A few brief thoughts, mainly from a visual point of view, as that is what I focus on:

Placement was what I thought might happen, both before and after the show.

Bluecoats: Yeah, there it is. It will be a battle between them and BD for first. I give the slight edge to BD at this point, but it will be a lot of fun to watch this unfold. Their staff approaches programming like real artists, and they have the guts to follow through on their instincts. So much to love in this. Their guard is starting way stronger than last year, and the horns seemed to really use a range of volume very well. It wasn't just soft or blast, like some corps. Tons of nuance. I'm not 100% sold on no headgear. A helmet or shako would look stupid, but maybe some sort of cap or similar to add a bit more uniformity, without covering their expressive faces. It is rather a treat to see the actual performers. Usually we only get to see that on a victory encore. Can't wait to see it again.

Crown: It's very richly detailed, but my attention drifted in the middle and never really came back. Not getting the story at all. There seemed to be a murder to take the bag of money or something, and then there was a headstone, and someone was dead at the end and dragged off. I generally feel they have much stronger shows when they don't try to tell something too complex (2013, 2015). I like how Medea is woven throughout, even if I can't get the Star version out of my head. As in the 2010 show, the brown and gold color scheme is a bit hard to see. The first time I saw Inferno, I thought that could win. Not the same vibe for this effort so far.

Cadets: They have a very deep visual hole to dig themselves out of. I like the music quite a bit, but a lot of the visual and concept choices have me puzzled. There is zero drama with the statues coming to life because they come to life immediately. And then start spinning flags. It is like they couldn't quite bring themselves to not fill every moment. Instead of stuffing each phrase with multi-part work, park the guard in frozen pozes for the whole first minute of the show. You'll have an audience eagerly anticipating something to happen, and then when it does, a big payoff. My friend (Cadet guard alum) and I were completely baffled by the bit with them having a fit with the big pieces of drab fabric. Maybe that will be more clear down the road. There is almost no color anywhere, just more variations of atonal stone print. I give them a lot of credit for trying to break out of the rather stiff box they have been in, but it is coming across right now as more made-up on the spot, than part of a master plan.

Cavaliers. I love it. It is raw and strange and the second half is a bit cacophonous, but oh man there is something to work with here. The singing, the staging, the street dance parts. It is just cool and fresh. The new uniforms are great. Cesario has a misfire now and then, but he when he hits, he really hits. If Blue Knights live up to the hype, they and the Cavaliers are poised to pick off the low hanging fruit of the top 5.

Phantom. I don't think they will go up with this. It is classy, but just very, very safe. It could easily have come from 1992. To me, the Paris show had much more personality. All very pleasant, but didn't scream growth potential.

Boston: Nice overall, great music and the windmills are very cool. But, I feel they should be a different color, perhaps a deep gold, as is used in parts of the guard outfits. Their current white caused extreme amounts of visual clutter with the yardlines, white plumes and white accents on the corps. Especially with the massed forms. Change them to something that still pops, but doesn't compete with everything else, and they will be a great effect.

[ajlemm]

And done.

Excellent.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Cav's visual score has a comma in it instead of a period.

...Why is this so funny to me.

Don't some European countries use commas in numbers where we use periods? Given that the Cavs include political references in their show, maybe DCI was returning the favor by referencing tonight's Brexit referendum, with which the U.K. has apparently decided to divorce the E.U.

(Very subtle of you to respond in your own way by using a period instead of a question mark on your second sentence.)

[cube]

Cube, you sound a lot like another poster we haven't heard from in a few weeks...

What a coincidence!

[BoyWonder1911]

Someone asked what i thought about Boston.

Maybe it's just me but i really thought either the pit overblew the brass or the brass is just a bit weak.

I think it's a nice show...not bad...but not great either. I think they will have to fight to keep a finals spot, especially if academy and troopers really bring it. I think at least one of them will steal a spot and the most likely to lose it will be BAC.

Strangley, I felt comfortable with the props...although dangerous. Did anyone else notice the mm that tripped over one of the windmills?

I thought Cavs show was a little over the top - i also don't see what anything has to do with propoganda - it actually seems more like the show is actually leftist propaganda itself. Probably designed by Bernie supporters. I don't like political statements made in drum corps programs and this left-leaning strain the Cavs have been putting out on and off for a while is starting to irritate me. I won't get into it anymore than this though so don't ask...even though I'm inviting it, I know.

What I saw tonight was 3 corps trying to push this new theatrical era into the next level...but sadly I don't see any improvement. Either remain traditional and risk being left behind or push the boundaries and go for it...all 3 seemed to be pushing it. Watch Blue Devils rush in to fill th3 gap they opened the past 6 years with a traditional show and blow away the competition.

I will say watch out for BK though....one corps is bound to hit a home run with new era theatrics and it isn't BCoats or Crown or Cadets...

Tis a risky game they are all playing and someone is going to get burnt and somebody is going to surge.

Anyway thanks to my boss for letting me out of work for 2.5 hours so i could go to the theater.