DATR Denver Review

[2muchcoffeeman]

SCV: I don't think I breathed until the end. Too much to absorb; I felt I was always missing something amazing somewhere on the field. It has a very dense, indoor-percusison feel; they use only about half the stage, staying mostly in front of the cages that fence out about half the football field. This has the added effect of concentrating the sound.

The sound. Not really possible to describe it with words. It's just relentless; the designers have squeezed out every ounce of down time; the show is always in motion into the next thing, like the entire 12-13 minutes are one continuous thought. I mean, there's a ballad in there, but there's no obvious transition point like "okay, now it's time for the ballad."  It just happens and it feels like it's supposed to happen. That is a testament to rock-solid construction. Still, even SCV has its issues. Two guard members tossed their rifles to each other, but they clunked together in midair, sending each careening off in unintended directions, narrowly  missing a member of the horn line. For one brief moment during the powerful buildup to the close of the show there was some sticking out in the baritones -- and I'll bet it was noticeable to a drummer like me probably only because the ensemble is so dang clean otherwise. Even in a performance this good, there is opportunity to get better. This was my only live viewing of SCV this season; I think I'll always count myself lucky to have seen it in person.

Also, I think there's a hopeful lesson in SCV's show. The theme, Babylon, is a musical theme, not a stage/visual/story theme. The show weaves the musical statement throughout, and it is that musical thread that holds the show together. Visually, there's nothing particularly Babylonian going on; it's just a bunch of great movement and effective staging executed at a superior level. No bewitching female figures popping out from behind a door; no get-it? props; nobody rising from the dead. Just a solid melodic backbone. I like this kind of thinking, and hope to see more of it in DCI.

Edited July 16, 2018 by 2muchcoffeeman

[2muchcoffeeman]

Overall observation: Is it me, or is rifle work in DCI just not as good as it used to be? Lots of sloppy angles on display last night. Catches that were soft, cushioned and cradled in the arms, not many of the crisp slap of a rock-solid lock-it-on-the-horzontal catch in the hands. It was a little gusty out there, but even the non-tossing work did not have the attention to angle and uniformity us dinos grew up seeing and admiring. And all of this was just sort of a vague impression in my mind until the BK alumni corps got on the field. The alum guard members were throwing high tosses that did not stray, and their catches were crispy. Snap. Dead level. It's a different guard game out there these days, I know, but one casualty seems to be the quality of equipment work.

Overall, another great Denver show, one I hope the performers remember for a long time.

 

(apologies for the multiple posts; I was getting the internal-server error 500 when trying to post it all at once)

Edited July 16, 2018 by 2muchcoffeeman

[jwillis35]

Fantastic reviews! SCV sounds like the corps to beat.