MikeRapp Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Just now, Spatzzz said: I'd say SCV this year is championship level design. It may not win but you can't argue it isn't championship level and you sure as heck can't argue with the credentials of the design staff. If you think that tarp is going to make this a gold medal show then I will bet my house and all my kids lives and wait to see who is right. If anything it will push them out of the medals. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamahoNow Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Just now, Spatzzz said: I'd say SCV this year is championship level design. It may not win but you can't argue it isn't championship level and you sure as heck can't argue with the credentials of the design staff. I might want to argue that it's a top 3 design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamahoNow Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Just now, MikeRapp said: If you think that tarp is going to make this a gold medal show then I will bet my house and all my kids lives and wait to see who is right. If anything it will push them out of the medals. I just can't see who can catch them. Each meeting with Cavies, extends SCV lead over them. Don't see the momentum, as you might see with BD catching Bloo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRapp Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 5 minutes ago, PamahoNow said: I just can't see who can catch them. Each meeting with Cavies, extends SCV lead over them. Don't see the momentum, as you might see with BD catching Bloo. Their drums and brass execution is so so high. May be just too good to be caught by Crown, Boston or Cavies. Cavies actually have the chops but not the show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Terri Schehr Posted July 21, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 21, 2019 58 minutes ago, Spatzzz said: And your championship level design credentials are what exactly? Please list the years you have put a gold medal winning design on the stage in DCI or WGI. We will all wait. Not trying to be argumentative but people with zero cred making blanket statements like this is pretty dumb. So now we have to have rings to have an opinion? What a load of crap. 15 3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrumManTx Posted July 21, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) Some very quick thoughts, I'll do a more extensive review when I get back Tuesday after seeing some shows a 2nd time in Mesquite up high. For reference I was row 6 112, so blast zone right on the 50. I'll keep my quick thoughts more positive. I thought everyone was fantastic. There was not a show I didn't enjoy in some way. Sorry if these are a little......disjointed. Pretty wiped today. Like deceased. Dead. Think of these as my gut reactions. I've gone to this show just about every year since 2011 and this is far and away the best one top to bottom I've been to. - Compass was a nice surprise, some powerful sounds and a fun show they obviously love performing. - Aresenal was a little more mature all around, tons of potential there! Some great teaching going on there all around. - Seattle Cascades first hit SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. They had some huge power in the front half of the show, some great music moments in there. - Jersey Surf is so so so much better this year than I've seen them in awhile. The show looks so great and they are really solid across all sections. Aurora Awakes was probably my favorite part of the show. Even if the scores don't show it, this is a hugely improved corps this year. - Music City sounds really really really solid, they have a great brass line and I love the Imagine closer. Maybe a little bit on the cheesy side for me, but we need some of those shows. Fun! - Genesis has a HARD show this year, tons of field coverage and exposed musical moments. The props have some great usage in the show, and the ballad is probably the highlight for me. - Troopers play SO well, that opening Persichetti solo is phenomenal. I think they achieve the space theme pretty well musically. To The Stars is a very pretty ballad. - Madison Scouts have some INCREDIBLY athletic moments, and even if the show isn't scoring super high it was probably the first to get the crowd REALLY going. Jazzy Young Persons Guide is fun. Made me kind of sad in ways, just in that we are seeing the end of an era. - PACIFIC CREST. HELLO. This reminds me of how I felt about Spirit in 2017. A huge step forward in design and performance for them. So many captivating musical moments in there. And seeing this live down low really brought it to life, those members really embody the various characters and moods so well. This was one of my favorites of the day. Bravo. - Colts sound great, they do the ANGRY fire section so so so well, that intensity is awesome. Percussion and guard really stood out in this tier to me, especially the guard in the closer. Love those icy blue silks flying through the air. - The Academy's visual aesthetic is so pleasing to look at, I love shows that coordinate like this. And bravo to that very exposed flugel soloist in the ballad. - Spirit of Atlanta is super fun, I really like the distinct changes in the uniform throughout the show, but especially the white. That whole ballad is just MONEY. Will it push them into finals? I'm not sure it's their year. It's SO CLOSE to being there, but I'm just not sure how they would do it looking at the recap. I wouldn't mind if they did it though. - Phantom Regiment. I didn't give you the grief a lot of other posters did in June, but I did have some big question marks. I love being proven wrong. It's not my favorite show from them but it doesn't leave me devoid of emotion like last year did. It's got some rough spots in there (mainly design related), but wow those kids sell this thing. O Fortuna was the signal that we were in finalist territory. Drums are fantastic as well. They've made some great changes to the show, and while I still have some personal quips design wise, I don' think they're missing this year. Honestly I think they're going to start putting pressure above rather than receiving it from below. - One of my friends said it best last night, this show is a freaking rock concert on the field AND I LOVED IT. I liked this online, but LOVED it in person. Every single person on that field buys into that show. That head drum major especially is a BAD ###! And they've still got some points to squeak out across the board too. I can't believe this show is sitting in 11th, but I think that's a testament to how good of a year this is. Loved the new ending with the guitars just shredding. SHRED IT BRO! - Mandarins also buy into their show on every single level. GEEZ, this is an intense show. Online the guard was good but seemed a bit.......sterile? Especially the flags. But in person. 😳There is so much nuance and characterization there you don't get online, they grab you by the throat and don't let go for twelve minutes. I do think musically they need another year to keep building. I love the ambition there musically and they sound great, I just think that's the weakest spot. But as a production. WOAH. - The Cadets. I hate to see them this low because those members are performing their collective ##### off. As a performance, I really enjoyed this show. Brass didn't sound like a 13th place brass line, even with some issues. I just think that's how the book is designed bleeding into performance captions. I won't harp on what has already been said. I'll end with HOLY MOTHER OF GOD DRUMLINE. They can have my keys and wallet. They were worth the price of admission. Incredible performance from them. - Blue Stars play SO MUCH Better live! I liked this show online, LOVED it in person. Musically there are so many little flurries and nuances, in the Copland especially, that are so impressive beyond the typical loud technical stuff. Them and two other hornlines really blew me away with their phrasing and shaping of musical lines. They have developed an incredible brass sound. Online I kinda thought they could fully commit more to the theme, but in person I got it. And yeah, they're hauling ###. Fantastic job. - Blue Knights are on the cusp of something incredible, and I think they're there in many regards. My biggest take away is oh my GOD they're athletic. If you think marching and playing demand is dead, look no further. They are running and playing constantly in Liquid and in the closer. Bocook and Jackson and Crew create such an ethereal experience musically. One second they're brushing their hand across your cheek, and the next second they're decking you and giving you a black eye. I love how they can turn the tone of a show in a split second. It's hard to put into words that show, but it's something. I'll elaborate more later. - Cava-freaking-liers. WOAH. This was either my favorite or second favorite show of the night. I'm going to talk brass for a minute. No one last night shaped and phrased like they did to my ear. And they did it on freaking technical passages like it was nothing. Pacing crescendos and decrescendos like that or doing terraced dynamics that evenly on both fast and slow passages is NOT easy. Bums Rush especially was incredible. 4th in brass was VERY well deserved, there were a lot of lines that PLAYED LOUD AND FAST THE WHOLE SHOW and did it well, but not not much else. Bravo to Cavaliers and a few others on that. Now, the ballad. Dear GOD. That was probably my favorite moment last night. As soon as they face forward......they hit you like a freight train. And it made the show make sense. It's one of those things where I can't put my finger on how to say what they're conveying, but I got it. Well deseved mid show standing O. That's gonna be a riot on finals. Also, colorguard and drums are fantastic too. Cavaliers guard does athletic tricks like no one else out there, they're wildly entertaining to watch. Drumline is fantastic, and I love seeing another really cool split marimba feature. Of 4-5-6......this show felt the most complete to me. They very well might end up 6th and if they do it's because the five ahead of them are just so good. But they're creeping up. And I don't think that's going to stop. I'd love this show in 4th. - Boston Crusaders are LOUD. Geez. They really push your hair back. I'll get the obvious out of the way, the guard is incredible. As an ensemble and as solo performers they are so captivating and portray the theme very well throughout. I love the front half of the show, some of the best drum corps out there this year. Back half I enjoyed but I do have some thoughts which I'll share later. Percussion was the sore spot on the recap, but I think that's mainly due to how deep that caption is. They're playing well, just needs to cross into that next level of clarity. - Carolina Crown's first note is WOAH HOLY CRAP. I wasn't ready for that, even knowing how good their brass is. That note alone is worth seeing them for. This show is non stop energy and excitement from top to bottom. Drums are very solid again this year and I was pleasantly surprised by the colorguard. As a production it's still not really doing it for me, but as a performance. Wow. Top notch. - Santa Clara Vanguard has a championship tier corps. Brass sounds amazing, drums are still insanely good, colorguard is phenomenal, and they perform so incredibly well. Musically, I bought this more live. It's incredibly quirky and agressive, and then the closer just SOARS triumphantly over all of that. Like Carolina Crown it's not really for me as a production, but as a performance I'd totally watch it again. Don't really have any thoughts on the tarps, was too low. - Blue Devils.......I thought they were going to do it last night. That show is so fun, so entertaining, and so expertly crafted by both the performers and staff. I totally get it live, it's a ghosts of performances past coming out to play. I have known all season that is what the theme is, but tonight I got it in context for sure. There is something both scary and downright fun about their colorguard. At the beginning of the show the ones depicting the Zeus type stuff just slowly turn their heads around to the crowd with these CREEPY masks on and just pulled me right in. That's an example to me of the kind of individual performance of even the smallest detail that makes BD what they are. Just a slow about face made me shooketh. Katchaturian is ALMOST there, and when it does holy crap. The ballad is INCREDIBLE. The exposure and clarity there is just mouthwatering. Closer isn't done, I can tell they've got more planned. The prop usage in this show is incredible, the amount of variety they get out of them is mindboggling. This show just sets a mood so well and keeps at it the whole show. Brass was a little loose, that's my only slightly critical observation. But other than that, bravo. Can't wait to see where it goes next. - Bluecoats. Blue.Coats. Maybe a little of a loose run last night (which I thought well before scores were announced so don't come @ me), but WOW. No one else this year has a show that is so top to bottom seamless and knows what it is at every waking moment. Dean Westman said it best on opening night, this is a Beatles concert that never happened. That's how it feels, it's a concert that just embodies what the Beatles were and are today. The build to the opening hit, all of Elanor Rigby, the brass licks, BLACKBIRD, Come Together, etc. I can just name moment after moment in this show. And they perform on an individual level like no one else. They PERFORM, if that makes sense. Brass is incredible this year, with a cleaner run they can win brass. Percussion was great too, I think the score last night was a pretty good representation. COLORGUARD! They are great this year, the individual characters throughout each section are so great, and as an ensemble they have so much chemistry. I've seen words like synthetic, choppy, etc. thrown around about this show. And if you don't like it, hey! That's great. Not everyone is going to like every show. But those are the farthest words from what I'd use to describe this show. It just feels so.......authentic. They know what this show is and believe in it every second they perform. Again.....sorry if that's a little bit of word vomit. I'll do a combined one when I get back home mid week. Every show had something great in there, and again, those kids and staff doing this are incredible people bringing something incredible to a football field. If I didn't have drum corps to follow, I'm not sure what I'd be passionate about. Love this activity. Edited July 21, 2019 by DrumManTx 25 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 The pendulum swings wildly in this activity, I must say. You can have zero drum corps championships and poof you’re designing shows. OTOH, unless you have rings, you are not allowed to have an opinion. Okay, I got it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minimaster Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 1 minute ago, Terri Schehr said: So now we have to have rings to have an opinion? What a load of crap. Ugh, it really is hard to believe that Michael Gaines actually thought the tarps would work under the lights, or that that drill is somehow made better by them. Early 2000's me is extra disappointed in him. Frankly all I can think is that those tarps really need some Preparation H... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWise Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 1 hour ago, ShortAndFast said: I have read/watched literally 0 of BD's info about their show but ... a "ghostlight" is the light the last person to leave a theater puts on stage. The ghostlight is turned on at the beginning (when the field is seemingly empty) and the show is what the ghosts do while the light is on. That's why we hear a bunch of Shakespeare quotes, and snippets from past BD shows and such. I thought it was reasonably clear as BD themes go. The real head-scratchers for me theme-wise in the top 6 are SCV (I couldn't tell you a single way in which a "voice of destruction" is depicted in their show) and Crown. If you say Ghostlight is clear ok .. but I’m guessing most people do not have your intimate knowledge of the actions in and around a ghost light 💡.. Agree on SCV and CC .. Crown is my favorite but for me they’ve struggled in many shows to make a clear statement on the show concept .. idk just me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post skevinp Posted July 21, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 21, 2019 13 minutes ago, DrumManTx said: Some very quick thoughts, I'll do a more extensive review when I get back Tuesday after seeing some shows a 2nd time in Mesquite up high. For reference I was row 6 112, so blast zone right on the 50. I'll keep my quick thoughts more positive. I thought everyone was fantastic. There was not a show I didn't enjoy in some way. Sorry if these are a little......disjointed. Pretty wiped today. Like deceased. Dead. Think of these as my gut reactions. I've gone to this show just about every year since 2011 and this is far and away the best one top to bottom I've been to. - Compass was a nice surprise, some powerful sounds and a fun show they obviously love performing. - Aresenal was a little more mature all around, tons of potential there! Some great teaching going on there all around. - Seattle Cascades first hit SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. They had some huge power in the front half of the show, some great music moments in there. - Jersey Surf is so so so much better this year than I've seen them in awhile. The show looks so great and they are really solid across all sections. Aurora Awakes was probably my favorite part of the show. Even if the scores don't show it, this is a hugely improved corps this year. - Music City sounds really really really solid, they have a great brass line and I love the Imagine closer. Maybe a little bit on the cheesy side for me, but we need some of those shows. Fun! - Genesis has a HARD show this year, tons of field coverage and exposed musical moments. The props have some great usage in the show, and the ballad is probably the highlight for me. - Troopers play SO well, that opening Persichetti solo is phenomenal. I think they achieve the space theme pretty well musically. To The Stars is a very pretty ballad. - Madison Scouts have some INCREDIBLY athletic moments, and even if the show isn't scoring super high it was probably the first to get the crowd REALLY going. Jazzy Young Persons Guide is fun. Made me kind of sad in ways, just in that we are seeing the end of an era. - PACIFIC CREST. HELLO. This reminds me of how I felt about Spirit in 2017. A huge step forward in design and performance for them. So many captivating musical moments in there. And seeing this live down low really brought it to life, those members really embody the various characters and moods so well. This was one of my favorites of the day. Bravo. - Colts sound great, they do the ANGRY fire section so so so well, that intensity is awesome. Percussion and guard really stood out in this tier to me, especially the guard in the closer. Love those icy blue silks flying through the air. - The Academy's visual aesthetic is so pleasing to look at, I love shows that coordinate like this. And bravo to that very exposed flugel soloist in the ballad. - Spirit of Atlanta is super fun, I really like the distinct changes in the uniform throughout the show, but especially the white. That whole ballad is just MONEY. Will it push them into finals? I'm not sure it's their year. It's SO CLOSE to being there, but I'm just not sure how they would do it looking at the recap. I wouldn't mind if they did it though. - Phantom Regiment. I didn't give you the grief a lot of other posters did in June, but I did have some big question marks. I love being proven wrong. It's not my favorite show from them but it doesn't leave me devoid of emotion like last year did. It's got some rough spots in there (mainly design related), but wow those kids sell this thing. O Fortuna was the signal that we were in finalist territory. Drums are fantastic as well. They've made some great changes to the show, and while I still have some personal quips design wise, I don' think they're missing this year. Honestly I think they're going to start putting pressure above rather than receiving it from below. - One of my friends said it best last night, this show is a freaking rock concert on the field AND I LOVED IT. I liked this online, but LOVED it in person. Every single person on that field buys into that show. That head drum major especially is a BAD ###! And they've still got some points to squeak out across the board too. I can't believe this show is sitting in 11th, but I think that's a testament to how good of a year this is. Loved the new ending with the guitars just shredding. SHRED IT BRO! - Mandarins also buy into their show on every single level. GEEZ, this is an intense show. Online the guard was good but seemed a bit.......sterile? Especially the flags. But in person. 😳There is so much nuance and characterization there you don't get online, they grab you by the throat and don't let go for twelve minutes. I do think musically they need another year to keep building. I love the ambition there musically and they sound great, I just think that's the weakest spot. But as a production. WOAH. - The Cadets. I hate to see them this low because those members are performing their collective ##### off. As a performance, I really enjoyed this show. Brass didn't sound like a 13th place brass line, even with some issues. I just think that's how the book is designed bleeding into performance captions. I won't harp on what has already been said. I'll end with HOLY MOTHER OF GOD DRUMLINE. They can have my keys and wallet. They were worth the price of admission. Incredible performance from them. - Blue Stars play SO MUCH Better live! I liked this show online, LOVED it in person. Musically there are so many little flurries and nuances, in the Copland especially, that are so impressive beyond the typical loud technical stuff. Them and two other hornlines really blew me away with their phrasing and shaping of musical lines. They have developed an incredible brass sound. Online I kinda thought they could fully commit more to the theme, but in person I got it. And yeah, they're hauling ###. Fantastic job. - Blue Knights are on the cusp of something incredible, and I think they're there in many regards. My biggest take away is oh my GOD they're athletic. If you think marching and playing demand is dead, look no further. They are running and playing constantly in Liquid and in the closer. Bocook and Jackson and Crew create such an ethereal experience musically. One second they're brushing their hand across your cheek, and the next second they're decking you and giving you a black eye. I love how they can turn the tone of a show in a split second. It's hard to put into words that show, but it's something. I'll elaborate more later. - Cava-freaking-liers. WOAH. This was either my favorite or second favorite show of the night. I'm going to talk brass for a minute. No one last night shaped and phrased like they did to my ear. And they did it on freaking technical passages like it was nothing. Pacing crescendos and decrescendos like that or doing terraced dynamics that evenly on both fast and slow passages is NOT easy. Bums Rush especially was incredible. 4th in brass was VERY well deserved, there were a lot of lines that PLAYED LOUD AND FAST THE WHOLE SHOW and did it well, but not not much else. Bravo to Cavaliers and a few others on that. Now, the ballad. Dear GOD. That was probably my favorite moment last night. As soon as they face forward......they hit you like a freight train. And it made the show make sense. It's one of those things where I can't put my finger on how to say what they're conveying, but I got it. Well deseved mid show standing O. That's gonna be a riot on finals. Also, colorguard and drums are fantastic too. Cavaliers guard does athletic tricks like no one else out there, they're wildly entertaining to watch. Drumline is fantastic, and I love seeing another really cool split marimba feature. Of 4-5-6......this show felt the most complete to me. They very well might end up 6th and if they do it's because the five ahead of them are just so good. But they're creeping up. And I don't think that's going to stop. I'd love this show in 4th. - Boston Crusaders are LOUD. Geez. They really push your hair back. I'll get the obvious out of the way, the guard is incredible. As an ensemble and as solo performers they are so captivating and portray the theme very well throughout. I love the front half of the show, some of the best drum corps out there this year. Back half I enjoyed but I do have some thoughts which I'll share later. Percussion was the sore spot on the recap, but I think that's mainly due to how deep that caption is. They're playing well, just needs to cross into that next level of clarity. - Carolina Crown's first note is WOAH HOLY CRAP. I wasn't ready for that, even knowing how good their brass is. That note alone is worth seeing them for. This show is non stop energy and excitement from top to bottom. Drums are very solid again this year and I was pleasantly surprised by the colorguard. As a production it's still not really doing it for me, but as a performance. Wow. Top notch. - Santa Clara Vanguard has a championship tier corps. Brass sounds amazing, drums are still insanely good, colorguard is phenomenal, and they perform so incredibly well. Musically, I bought this more live. It's incredibly quirky and agressive, and then the closer just SOARS triumphantly over all of that. Like Carolina Crown it's not really for me as a production, but as a performance I'd totally watch it again. Don't really have any thoughts on the tarps, was too low. - Blue Devils.......I thought they were going to do it last night. That show is so fun, so entertaining, and so expertly crafted by both the performers and staff. I totally get it live, it's a ghosts of performances past coming out to play. I have known all season that is what the theme is, but tonight I got it in context for sure. There is something both scary and downright fun about their colorguard. At the beginning of the show the ones depicting the Zeus type stuff just slowly turn their heads around to the crowd with these CREEPY masks on and just pulled me right in. That's an example to me of the kind of individual performance of even the smallest detail that makes BD what they are. Just a slow about face made me shooketh. Katchaturian is ALMOST there, and when it does holy crap. The ballad is INCREDIBLE. The exposure and clarity there is just mouthwatering. Closer isn't done, I can tell they've got more planned. This show just sets a mood so well and keeps at it the whole show. Brass was a little loose, that's my only slightly critical observation. But other than that, bravo. Can't wait to see where it goes next. - Bluecoats. Blue.Coats. Maybe a little of a loose run last night (which I thought well before scores were announced so don't come @ me), but WOW. No one else this year has a show that is so top to bottom seamless and knows what it is at every waking moment. Dean Westman said it best on opening night, this is a Beatles concert that never happened. That's how it feels, it's a concert that just embodies what the Beatles were and are today. The build to the opening hit, all of Elanor Rigby, the brass licks, BLACKBIRD, Come Together, etc. I can just name moment after moment in this show. And they perform on an individual level like no one else. They PERFORM, if that makes sense. Brass is incredible this year, with a cleaner run they can win brass. Percussion was great too, I think the score last night was a pretty good representation. COLORGUARD! They are great this year, the individual characters throughout each section are so great, and as an ensemble they have so much chemistry. I've seen words like synthetic, choppy, etc. thrown around about this show. And if you don't like it, hey! That's great. Not everyone is going to like every show. But those are the farthest words from what I'd use to describe this show. It just feels so.......authentic. They know what this show is and believe in it every second they perform. Again.....sorry if that's a little bit of word vomit. I'll do a combined one when I get back home mid week. Every show had something great in there, and again, those kids and staff doing this are incredible people bringing something incredible to a football field. If I didn't have drum corps to follow, I'm not sure what I'd be passionate about. Love this activity. You win the Michael Boo award for most comprehensive, positive and thoughtful review on DCP. 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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