BoaDci Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 13 minutes ago, DrumManTx said: This show is like watching cartoons as a kid again, I LOVE IT. There really isnt any other way to describe it either. I'm gonna be honest, I was expecting a one hit wonder last year, but this show will be hanging right there with the other finalist. "Hunting Wabbits" is fabulous, Gordon Goodwin is SUCH a good writer. Listening to this though...reminds me how much I want that all Goodwin BD show...wrong thread. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Just now, DrumManTx said: Yes! It was posted on the show thread. Oh must've missed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoaDci Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 They probably have one of my favorite design teams in DCI right now. They arent afraid to take a risk, even if it seems cheesy at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake W. Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Finally got a chance to sit down and watch the Periscope video from tonight. I am head over heels in love!!!! Before I start gushing in detail, all of my initial read can be summed up in one ideal: this corps no longer looks like they're fighting for a Finals spot. I mean, really...they don't. They're mature, confident, and proud of what they're selling. I was so scared of last season's magic turning out to be lightning in a bottle instead of the new norm for them...but oh my god is it the new norm for them. This show is pure enjoyment and fun, backed by class and elegance and lots of demand. The musical selections are PERFECT and make the show so #### accessible. Every audience member will recognize these classics. The design is brilliant; not just in entertainment, but musical pacing, guard staging, visual appeal, and of course those elegant uniforms. And that Anvil Chorus hit in the middle of Hungarian Rhapsody!!!! Ahhhh. What a moment. I have to note what a giant step up in skill the guard has taken. This show does NOT let up on the relentless and high demand weapon work, and said weapons are showcased up front for the majority of the show. The music demand is also notably higher, although I still maintain last year's book offered much more demand than people gave it credit for. But, in my opinion, this year's brass and percussion books are rising outside of bottom-few-finalists territory, in terms of demand. I have not had the pleasure of catching a bootlegged recording of Blue Stars' show this season (someone...plz?), but have watched Crossmen a good number of times now, and while Crossmen have a terrific show lined up this year, The Academy, to me, seems to have a show designed with much more "gas in the tank" (to quote drum man tx) than anyone else in their tier. What they do with said gas and distance remains to be seen, but I don't see this show having to fight for a Finals spot. Two years of terrific designs from this corps. I can't wait to see what the future, and the rest of this year, holds for them. Thank you, Academy, for giving us another show that's so audience-friendly, well-written, and enjoyable. I'm already in love. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommynev Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 Just watched it on Periscope and I thought they looked and sounded pretty strong for so early. I couldn't help thinking of VK '92 for the last few minutes, though :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry7184 Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 (edited) Last year I loved two shows - Vanguard and Academy. I was at Stanford last night, and unfortunately I feel this years show is a big step down for them. Last year, the show was so well designed, fun, interesting and entertaining. I didn't feel like what I saw last night was any of those things. I was bored and disappointed. Sadly, I don't see them making finals with this product, unless they make a lot more changes, add demand, and make it more interesting and compelling. I was not in the least bit surprised Mandarins beat them last year - their show is superior to Academy's. Edited June 26, 2017 by henry7184 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 (edited) Academy has a wonderful, fun show this summer, imo, ie easily recognizeable and appealing music, uniforms that fit the show theme perfectly, and a Guard that is a hoot in performance and attire. The theme messaging is clear and cogent as well. They just need to clean and polish this highly entertaining show now. Edited June 26, 2017 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PricklyPear Posted June 26, 2017 Share Posted June 26, 2017 18 minutes ago, BRASSO said: Academy has a wonderful, fun show this summer, imo, ie easily recognizeable and appealing music, uniforms that fit the show theme perfectly, and a Guard that is a hoot in performance and attire. The theme messaging is clear and cogent as well. They just need to clean and polish this highly entertaining show now. I agree. Everything fits really well. It's just so ugly dirty right now - and that is affecting everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadevilina Crown Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) Having only seen the show a couple of times (on Periscope and YouTube, not live and not on Flo), I'm not really understanding people's criticisms of the show. Poorly designed? Not to my ears and eyes. Relatively poorly performed? Probably. But excessively compared to the magical show they had last year? You bet. I think they'll be fine. They just seem to be a bit younger this year; my guess is they got a huge influx of members due to the popularity of Drum Corpse Bride. Just give them some time to clean and rise to the challenges. And if they don't make Finals again, so be it. At the very least, the Academy has proven over the past few seasons that they are capable of performing more lighthearted shows, and this year is no different. I'm not experiencing anything like BK 2001, where is was such a shock to see them go from playing the brass band music of Peter Graham to corny cartoon music. To see Academy only 1-2 places out of Finals would not disappoint me at all in a competitive year for the Finals bubble. Edited July 3, 2017 by Cadevilina Crown 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumManTx Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Cadevilina Crown said: Having only seen the show a couple of times (on Periscope and YouTube, not live and not on Flo), I'm not really understanding people's criticisms of the show. Poorly designed? Not to my ears and eyes. Relatively poorly performed? Probably. But excessively compared to the magical show they had last year? You bet. I think they'll be fine. They just seem to be a bit younger this year; my guess is they got a huge influx of members due to the popularity of Drum Corpse Bride. Just give them some time to clean and rise to the challenges. And if they don't make Finals again, so be it. At the very least, the Academy has proven over the past few seasons that they are capable of performing more lighthearted shows, and this year is no different. I'm not experiencing anything like BK 2001, where is was such a shock to see them go from playing the brass band music of Peter Graham to corny cartoon music. To see Academy only 1-2 places out of Finals would not disappoint me at all in a competitive year for the Finals bubble. I agree, it's not a bad show at all, if you compare it to last year where it was already clicking on all cylinders you're probably going to come up short on enjoyment. We're less than two weeks in, there is still plenty of time to work with it. They've got the caption talent IMO to carry it far. I still like it but to me I think the big issue is it seems like they can't decide if it's going to be a serious take on the cartoon inspirations or if they're gonna go all in silly/cartoon/hilarious. Compared to last year I think they're on the too serious side, I say at this point put all your cards on the table and go full on Looney Tunes crazy with it. Regardless I think some people are throwing in the towel too early on this one, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it. Edited July 3, 2017 by DrumManTx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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