Tone Quality Matters Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, jmc5682 said: BD must have had an awful night in percussion. They were only 2 tenths behind Bloo at Drums along the Rockies 6 tenths behind Bloo tonight. Maybe the corps in front of them were just better tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liahona Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 4 minutes ago, Tone Quality Matters said: Maybe the corps in front of them were just better tonight? Say it isn't so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrumManTx Posted July 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2017 I was on the side two 45 yardline about 5 rows up. EVERYONE was WAY better live. I didn't hate anyone, and actually found something in each show I loved. That said, lots to......discuss. Blue Devils - I really feel like sitting low killed this show for me. It was 12 minutes of getting screamed at through speakers, the bass thunderous goo and the solos were bone shattering loud where I was. Their whole show sounded synthetic. And on top of that there was no dynamic variance to me, it was either kinda loud or REALLY LOUD. Ballad was awesome but everything after that still seems incredibly schizophrenic and I didn't know what to look for or listen to. Front half was fine. Percussion has bitten off A LOT. That book is nearly impossible. Being up close I was shocked at what seemed like a lack of attention to details in terms of props, uniform changes, equipment changes, etc. Feel like I need to see it again which I do in San Antonio. Was incredibly impressed by how good they are but was expecting more with the numbers they're putting up. Santa Clara Vanguard - Juxtaposed against BD........this show is immaculately designed down to every detail. Equipment changes were SEAMLESS, members were popping in and out of nowhere, it just felt like every single little thing was planned. Featured performers are OBVIOUSLY the featured performers and the brass line has PLENTY to work with, so the myth of all of hard stuff being handed off to the 12 is just that.......a myth. Percussion took my breath away as always and the guard was mesmerizing. That said, it's all gonna come down to achievement. Out of all the corps tonight this show felt like the biggest risk/reward payoff or downfall potential this year. If it gets clean......they're gonna soar. If not. Well. Getting beat by about .5 happens. Bluecoats - Well. I know which show I wanna see again. I thought the ballad was awesome live, when they turn around and you expect that sound to die away and echo and suddenly BOOM it's right in front of you was super effective to me in terms of playing with what you see and hear. Lets talk about ZAPPA. Zomby Woof was probably the single most fun thing I've ever seen at a live drum corps show, and that Psychopomp reprise to the end was fantastic. I enjoyed this WAY more than last years show live in Denton and I loved that. The members look like they 100% believe in and enjoy this show which IMO translated to the audience, it was infectious. Dirtier than the 3 that placed above them? Yes. That much dirtier? I don't know. But who the hell cares. I want more ZAPPA. The Cadets - Some amazing highs in the opener/Agnus Dei and the Fallen section and some incredible lows in the narration and heavy handedness and what is one of the worst uniform changes I've ever seen on the football field in the closer. I was hoping that was gonna go away but they managed to make it worse and enhance it by bringing out a cross tarp and throwing their discarded uniforms on them as they stand in the same area for a minute killing any visual momentum this show has into a pretty stock and expected ending. This show feels like the polar opposite of last year. Awakening was very difficult to follow and interpret and way too vague. This year is 12 minutes of getting beat with a cross and a bible. The corps was stronger than I was expecting, still LOTS to clean visually though. Blue Knights - They sound like a top tier corps, but don't look like one. I understand everything they're doing with the unconventional guard equipment but it still has nowhere near the effect or presence of when they're on traditional equipment. LOVE the Beck and Schwartner. When they got done with the Schwartner I was drooling at this show. And then Bjork went on.......and on.......and on.......and on......and not a huge change of tone in Hide And Seek. Not sure about the arrangement of the closer......I REALLY appreciate the dynamic contrast which the hornline pulled off MASTERFULLY, but it felt chunky. I did really enjoy it overall though, and that percussion......man. They're AMAZING. Phantom Regiment - Hornline sounded better live than I was expecting but definitely a noticeable level below everyone else tonight to my ear. They start to sell me........and then Broken Arrow voiceover lady shows up with fantasy.......fantasy......invasion.......fantasy.......fantasy.......invasion........madness........fantasy.........ugh. Not sure if this show is the cliche of all cliches dark to light show or if it's something else but I didn't follow. Loved the use of color and they play about as many notes and march as intensely as anyone else. Just question if they're gonna be able to get clean enough. This show (design) just feels like it belongs on the field at a BOA show in the fall. It's incredibly mimic-y of Wes Cartwright's high school shows to the point it just feels like another one. Carolina Crown - Very clean. Hornline is amazing. They march VERY well. Singer is very talented. But.........if you're trying to sell your show as an evolution of what drum corps was to what they think drum corps is/is going to be a bunch of gimmicks I've seen before, don't really sell me on that. This show feels like it would have worked five - ten years ago though obviously the judges disagree with me on that. It just feels a bit......pretentious. That said, they do sound amazing and are very clean. The Cavaliers - Fun fun FUN. Loved it, incredibly entertaining and I thought their hornline followed up Carolina Crown GREATLY tonight, I wasn't expecting nearly as much sound as they gave me on the first big turn around. Percussion was off the charts awesome, and the color guard REALLY stole the show. This show is exceptional visually, so much exciting stuff to watch. They really play to their strengths and it works incredibly well for them. Like last year........the members made it impossible for me to not love this show, they're so engaging and incredibly fun to watch. Really enjoyed it. 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommynev Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 2 hours ago, saxfreq1128 said: Agree. Excited to see SCV's guard surging on the football field this year, too. In WGI they're a major player, much moreso than in the summer—til maybe this year! I love BD's guard year to year... But they've been weird with execution this year. "Bumblebee" is still killing them. I don't think they should be on top right now. One of the girls in the ballad flag feature got a sail, dropped her flag and was out for a good 16-20 counts. There were other ticks throughout but they still dominated execution. ??? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoaDci Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) doot doot Edited July 20, 2017 by BoaDci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnZ Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 several individuals suspended from the board for violating the Community Guidelines in this discussion thread. fair warning for the next show discussion, or any thread for that matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 2 hours ago, tommynev said: One of the girls in the ballad flag feature got a sail, dropped her flag and was out for a good 16-20 counts. There were other ticks throughout but they still dominated execution. ??? Yup. That guard has had problems EVERY time I've seen them. Like major problems, but they don't get called out on them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylogan Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Well done, BD and SCV. Your shows are amazing and remind me why I love drum corps. BD, you bring me to tears with that beautiful ballad; to me your show is the best thing I have seen in a long while! Everything is top notch! Thank you Cavaliers for a fun show. I enjoyed it. Cadets, what a challenging show. I'm not religious but I love the works of Bernstein and I appreciate what you are doing this year. Congrats to all the other corps. What a season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jwillis35 Posted July 19, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2017 My impressions of last night via FloMarching: Not impressed with Flo. When the sound was at normal levels I kept thinking this is pretty good. But too often the audio was up and down and felt uncontrollable, not to mention the failure to be ready for Blue Devils and Santa Clara. I think the video was fine, and a lot of that depends on your computer and what speeds you can run with your internet connection. Blue Devils: They continue to have one of my favorite shows of the summer. I really believe their show is full of great GE. Soloists are staged well, their guard is stellar, their marching and jazz running technique is outstanding, and the music choices were really well put together. A lot of their GE success comes from, I believe, how well they put that music book together. The brass and percussion integrate really well, and I love the trade-offs at the intro. Percussion did not score well, but they have a nice book. I do feel they need to add to the visual book if they wish to hold off SCV. Santa Clara: Their show grew on me a little more. I have not been the biggest fan of this music book. I love the visual program and dig the props. Staging is superb. Their brass impressed me more last night, but again I was not there live. Percussion is wonderful, as is their guard. Musically I feel like I want more to dig into in the first part of the show. I sort of get that at the end of the opener. All in all I can see why people are loving them and why they are scoring well. All the best to them. I would have no problem with SCV winning Gold. Carolina Crown: Because they went on 2nd to last they got a chance to shine -- and boy did they. When Crown is on the field there is one thing we know, you will be treated to a great music show by one of the best brass lines you will ever hear. They have the most impressive opening statement of the year. The Bach begins impressively in trumpets, then mellos, and then low brass and percussion. They don't mess around and quickly modulate to a massive climax that just SMACKS YOU IN THE FACE! You are given the full force of that Nuclear Blast and yet you are stunned at the intonation and control they retain while pinning your ears to the back of the stadium. Aside from the phenom known as their brass line, Crown showcased a wonderful percussion section and some pretty clean drill. Now I must admit I was shocked that their visual proficiency score was 4th. To my eyes they were 1st. I have seen corps from high up (and I was watching high cam) where the forms and intervals looked incredible but the technique was not quite there yet. Maybe this is the case. Proficiency is judged at field level I think. Some of you may have a better eye for this. All of Crown's music is fun. "For Good" is beautifully arranged and the young lady singing it does a wonderful job. I am growing to really like the last two segments of the show as well, but I have to admit that when it comes to GE I believe this will be the challenge for Carolina. They are taking a risk with this show, and much of that is this deconstruction idea. The return to the Bach was not very climactic and the closing drill set is weak. If Crown could get this show to sparkle over the last 1/3 I think they could medal and maybe even challenge. Their guard numbers will have to improve though if they wish to medal. Still, count me VERY impressed by Crown's performance. When a corps can perform like that, I am willing to forgive perceived GE flaws or perhaps my personal preferences on design/content. That is one impressive corps! Bluecoats: My hometown corps continues to deliver high-energy, high-octane music and drill and showmanship for the fans. People may be surprised to see Bluecoats in 4th, but they are not far out of this thing. If you think this corps can't medal, or even win the whole thing then you are not paying attention. Visually Bloo is not very clean. This is hurting scores in visual and GE. They are flying around at super high velocities and really need to buckle down on visual cleanliness. They are one of the fan favorites (if not THE fan favorite) wherever they go for a reason, and that's because they, like Crown and BD, begin show creation by putting together a fantastic music book. However, where Crown has made some interesting choices for music in the back half of their show, Bloo has knocked it out of the park with the Zappa which brings the crowd to a frenzy. If I think music only, from a standpoint of construction, I feel Bluecoats have the best arc of beginning - middle - end. The Blue Devils do this extremely well this year, too. I don't quite feel this with SCV, and as I said Crown seems to falter just slightly. This may come into play by Allentown when both Bloo and BD are a lot cleaner. Bloo's percussion is amazing!! So much varied musical content and the percussive phrasing is wonderful. Of the top 4 Bloo is definitely the least clean, especially in visual. I don't think the ballad is the major problem that many have eluded to, but I do feel they will continue to tweak that section. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrownBariDad Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 7 hours ago, crownisking said: They're distorting the yard lines. Kind of like BDB did a few years ago. I think BK did something like it too not long ago. And Cadets made all the yard numbers "10". Bloo "tilted" the entire field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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