tim_brandt Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 On 7/16/2018 at 3:50 PM, BlueStainGlass said: Blue Stars beat phantom and Mandarins and still people say they have no chance and put them 11th. They still have the most room to grow within subcaptions. With Jim Wunderlich writing the musical book, they have my full confidence. I think those people may be proved wrong. We shall see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bicsta Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 9 minutes ago, Jake W. said: *snip* Scouts could turn things around, who knows. I don't care for the show. Some have postulated that it's only a few fixes away from making sense, as long as that front half can be tweaked a bit. Who knows. Probably would be the show I would want least to make it to Finals out of this tier, but the corps unquestionably has the brass, guard, & drums to do so. Won't even come close to happening unless a magic vein is found in which the front half of the show can be just as engaging as the second. Bravo :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onionhead Posted July 24, 2018 Author Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Jake W. said: Here's the problem --- I sincerely enjoy what Crossmen, The Academy, & Spirit are offering up this year. Colts & Troop as well. I really applaud Crossmen for stepping outside of their vanilla, safe box of show designs from the last few years. I wish that step outside of their comfort zone was paying off a bit more. I have to admit it (and I hate to do so), but the design isn't quite as streamlined & clear as Academy & Spirit, but holy hell are there some great moments. The Tchaik ending before REM where the hourglass is upfront and spinning is GOLDEN. It's been a long time since we've heard anything so powerful and intense from a Crossmen group. Along with the great musical moments in the opener, the front 2/3 of this show really showcases Tchaikovsky & a classical score in an unapologetic, uncut, brazen way that I absolutely love. With the hourglass, the mood of the music, the character cloaked in black, the guard in white at the end...they truly capture an ethereal, spiritual feeling for the show. The singer and the showcase of the lyrics are spot on, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, the rotating box into the closer and then the "Crown notes" are just absolutely fabulous (not to mention it's a difficult visual moment that's cleaning up well). Speaking of difficulty, all aspects of the demand placed on the corps have been sincerely ramped up, and they're just flat out not as clean yet as the last few years --- which offered up much less demand. Overall, I would much rather have seen '16 or '17 Crossmen out of the Saturday show than this unique & memorable program. The Academy has, in my opinion, the best design of these three, hands down. It's full of detail and nuance, and there isn't a down moment in the show. Everything is well thought-out and planned to seamless perfection. I'm not sure how the design team managed to make an intriguing, stirring show out of a theme based around academia, but they sure did. Those performance caption scores need to catch up a bit to vault them into the top 12, but that's a doable task. Really, the level of detail in the Academy's show from top to bottom far exceeds anyone in this tier (and some in the tier above them), and that strategy of slow growth, making sure all t's are crossed, all members are on the exact same page in terms of technique....that attention to the base line across the board could easily land the corps in the Saturday night show again, and I'd be just fine with that. This is clearly a top 12 design, just get those performance captions up there. Spirit has the weakest design of this tier, in my opinion (but still a terrific design that I'm really enjoying --- I simply mean of this tier), but clearly has their strength in the performance captions. Brass & drums play like top 12 lines, and I'm THRILLED to see that from Spirit. Although their guard is certainly no slouch either, I'd like to see that caption competing with Phantom, Xmen, etc, if we're to see them on Saturday night. There are a couple of transitions that aren't as smooth and some minor down points in the show that don't hold your attention as well as the many high points --- that's FINE, it's still a fantastic production --- the design just doesn't read quite as master-planned as the corps above them. Despite that, there's some really unique & ingenious moments, like the brass ballad on the other side of the doors (implying knocking) with the guard feature on the other side. I'm thrilled with where Spirit is at, and would have no problem hearing that sizzling hornline on Saturday night. The corps would not be out of place in the slightest. While they are longer shots, Colts, Troop, & Madison shuffle in and out of this tier as well. Colts have the best shot of this group, and there's a lot to love in this program. While memorable and uplifting, it still seems a bit safe & sterile (JUST a bit) compared to the shows ahead of them, maybe a touch too artificial and controlled with the prerecorded voices & singing? I really, really love the show, but there's just a very tiny element of rawness & emotion that is missing in comparison to the other groups ahead of them (and below them), which is odd, because it's an emotion-heavy show. Again, it's very tiny, but it's an element that's clearly missing, and, in my opinion, preventing the corps from moving higher. I wish I could explain it better, because I truly do love the show. It's a great move forward for the corps. The brass is there, the visual is there, and man that color guard is sheer perfection, both in writing & execution. I just want a little bit more...edge. Scouts could turn things around, who knows. I don't care for the show. Some have postulated that it's only a few fixes away from making sense, as long as that front half can be tweaked a bit. Who knows. Probably would be the show I would want least to make it to Finals out of this tier, but the corps unquestionably has the brass, guard, & drums to do so. Won't even come close to happening unless a magic vein is found in which the front half of the show can be just as engaging as the second. I still maintain Troop is underestimated. They traditionally clean among the best of anyone in this tier, and they finally have a well-written, flawless vehicle with which to do that. I'd love to see a late season push a la Wild Horses & Magnificent 11 from them. The magic is there, and the visual design flaws of the last two seasons have been fixed to very satisfying degrees...everything in this show just works. Maybe not top 12 at this point in the season, but at the very least, a late season push with a clean corps could threaten a fair number of the groups ahead of them. And finally, we can't forget the corps above Crossmen. Mandarins are certainly not safe yet and have to prove that they won't stagnate, although Mandarins not making the top 12 this year would absolutely break my heart. Still, they don't seem to be pushing high above 10 - 12 like we initially seemed to the first few weeks of the season (but there's still plenty of time for them to do so!!). BK is the big wild card for me --- astounding brass with a very true-to-the-paper interpretation of Rite of Spring, and a visual design that just doesn't match that glorious music book at all. A real head scratcher. Despite where they're placing now, I need to see those color guard scores raise for true safety. And it wouldn't hurt to have all 4 full-panel GE judges agree that this is a strong design --- a caption that has not been as uniformly rewarding to the corps up to this point in the season as I'd like. Some GE judges love the show, some clearly don't think it's working as well, often on the same night. Phantom, despite all the hand-wringing in the corps thread, does not appear to be in danger of phalling out of Phinals; they were the only corps in this tier that didn't pop a number outside the top 12 in any sub caption at SA. Then again, numerous 12th place sub caption finishes are nothing to be excited about at that point in the season either. Stars do not appear to be in danger of falling out either, although those percussion scores are still worrisome, not that that caption alone will cause much damage. I still don't care for the low-velocity show, but the GE judges seem to be pretty uniform in rewarding what they're doing, and the corps' sights are set on The Cadets at this point, not behind them, which is fine with me, and well-deserved. Should be a tight race for Saturday night all the way down to the finish line! I AGREE 100% ,Phantom ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 1 hour ago, tim_brandt said: I'd Swap Blue Stars and Regiment / Mandarins, but yes. Same thoughts. What I wrote on July 15th has changed a bit since that time. I do still have Mandarins in finals, probably at 11th, but I see Blue Stars as 9th, Phantom in 10th. I still have Crossmen at 12th, but a sudden surge by Academy is a possibility and though it may be a bit of a reach, Spirit could gain momentum. This weekend in Atlanta will be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27Socal Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Academy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 (edited) On 7/17/2018 at 1:56 AM, DCI-86 said: I think Academy is going to end up in 12th, Crossmen 13th and Spirit 14th. Academy has a better designed show. I think Academy will overtake Crossmen only at the end of the season. As much as it pains my Texas heart to say this...... I think you are probably right. Crossmen's show has more demand than Academy's, but it's not nearly as well designed. The show has some good points. I love the opener, but the middle of the show doesn't work. The arrangement of the Tchaikovsky fails what I consider to be a very good brass section. I've only seen The Academy on Flo, but what I've seen is pretty impressive. This is a much more mature design for the corps and they are obviously enjoying themselves. If they can get close to Crossmen on execution then they make finals for the 2nd time in their history. Edited July 24, 2018 by bluesman grammar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolCorps Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 6 hours ago, Jake W. said: Colts have the best shot of this group, and there's a lot to love in this program. While memorable and uplifting, it still seems a bit safe & sterile (JUST a bit) compared to the shows ahead of them, maybe a touch too artificial and controlled with the prerecorded voices & singing? I really, really love the show, but there's just a very tiny element of rawness & emotion that is missing in comparison to the other groups ahead of them (and below them), which is odd, because it's an emotion-heavy show. Again, it's very tiny, but it's an element that's clearly missing, and, in my opinion, preventing the corps from moving higher. I wish I could explain it better, because I truly do love the show. It's a great move forward for the corps. The brass is there, the visual is there, and man that color guard is sheer perfection, both in writing & execution. I just want a little bit more...edge. Great analysis, and totally fair! I absolutely love what they’re doing with the show, and I know more changes are coming. To see how far this show has come this season is cool! I’m very interested to see how they respond the next few shows after a rehearsal day today! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 It's looking more and more like the battle for 12th will be between Spirit, The Academy and surprisingly Crossmen. Mandarins might go as high as 10th by beating Phantom but I think they make their top 12 debut in 11th. I see Phantom and Blue Knights in 9th and 10th. Blue Stars has a lock on 8th, but a strong surge in the end might get them into 7th topping Cadets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onionhead Posted July 25, 2018 Author Share Posted July 25, 2018 4 hours ago, bluesman said: It's looking more and more like the battle for 12th will be between Spirit, The Academy and surprisingly Crossmen. Mandarins might go as high as 10th by beating Phantom but I think they make their top 12 debut in 11th. I see Phantom and Blue Knights in 9th and 10th. Blue Stars has a lock on 8th, but a strong surge in the end might get them into 7th topping Cadets. 11th to 16th is still wide open in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfrontz Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Big night in Hattiesburg with Academy and Crossmen back-to-back. Should be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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