NightBEAT 34 - July 30th, 2023

[MarchMello10]

1 minute ago, gjramsey said:

Sorry, i don't feel like I need to do research to enjoy a show or movements in a show.   And most fans only seeing one show during the year, would not care to dig deep into the meaning.   This goes for any and all corps.   

Don’t be so dismissive, if you don’t care to do research then clearly the theme bears no meaning to you anyway, so just enjoy the horns and drums and flags 

[Daave]

7 minutes ago, Rylan said:

At first this part annoyed me too until I looked into it some more. That was the speech Charles de Gaulle gave when surrendering the French army during WWII. This part of the show is supposed to be chaotic with sounds of sirens, bombs, and with the battery playing sounds of artillery. This was a moment in Matisse’s life where he had a lot of internal conflict, not only with France’s surrender, as he was very patriotic, but also his decreasing ability to create art the way he always had due to his illness. This segues into the ballad “Both Sides Now” which is staged so that there are two sides to his life at this point - his old life of being a famous painter in peaceful France versus his new life of being a bed-ridden artist in wartime France. 

With all those things considered, I think BD does an absolutely beautiful job of representing this through both of those movements. After doing the research, the Charles de Gaulle speech/battery feature has now become one of my favorite parts of the show! 

Some might say that if the creators and the consumers of a product that goes that deep to convey the message makes it harder to appreciate the product on many levels.  As opposed to say... Troopers who stated up front, 'Hey by finals week, we're gonna lasso that MF'er.'

[MarchMello10]

2 hours ago, NakedEye said:

I've thought all season that the drill is too controlled and measured, while the music can be very bombastic and menacing at times. If they "broke it" in places during the really intense parts, by just having some of the horn players fall out of the form, doing body work, as it moves, then reconnect with as it keeps moving, it would add a pulsating energy that might help. The drill doesn't have to be re-charted, just add some life to it. It moves very carefully from Point A to Point B a lot, which can be a bit of a disservice to the more dynamic parts of the music. 

I like this explaination. You notice a lot of ensemble moves in giant long curves and those long curves just sort of keep moving until eventually the musical phrase reaches its crescendo and form just sortof stops in a big long curve or big long jagged line. The exception to this being the moment with the sword form which is only really a counter example because the sword form is recognizable and impactful 

[DWW11]

Knowing what the shows “mean” should certainly add appreciation for what the corps are doing, but i would enjoy these shows even if I didn’t know the deeper significances. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by DWW11

[MarchMello10]

1 minute ago, Daave said:

Some might say that if the creators and the consumers of a product that goes that deep to convey the message makes it harder to appreciate the product on many levels.  As opposed to say... Troopers who stated up front, 'Hey by finals week, we're gonna lasso that MF'er.'

I disagree, on the surface level, “the cut-outs” can be understood as a show about cut out shapes. It doesn’t require the audience to understand the deeper context behind it unless they choose to seek it. The only concession I’ll make to this is the voiceover in the percussion feature, because yes that does lack context if you’re going in blind.

[denverjohn]

2 hours ago, dci76 said:

Other than the flowered costumes, what about the show reminds you of the 60’s? I feel the flowers are more of a reference to the “garden”. Otherwise, I see nothing overtly “hippie” or “60’s” about the show. 

Disdain for religion, perhaps? (Not the only corps with this messaging IMO)

[gjramsey]

20 minutes ago, MarchMello10 said:

Don’t be so dismissive, if you don’t care to do research then clearly the theme bears no meaning to you anyway, so just enjoy the horns and drums and flags 

I will be very dismissive if I please, thank you very much.  An 11-13 minute show should not require a deep dive into history to get the deep meaning of a 1-2 minute section of a show.   What a freaking joke

[skevinp]

15 minutes ago, Daave said:

Some might say that if the creators and the consumers of a product that goes that deep to convey the message makes it harder to appreciate the product on many levels.  As opposed to say... Troopers who stated up front, 'Hey by finals week, we're gonna lasso that MF'er.'

I appreciated it the first time I saw it because I like the music and the performance level is phenomenal.  

I appreciated it even more upon learning more about the subject matter and the references and ways it is portrayed.

I think they do a great job of entertaining both the casual fan and the more curious fan.  

[MarchMello10]

3 minutes ago, gjramsey said:

I will be very dismissive if I please, thank you very much.  An 11-13 minute show should not require a deep dive into history to get the deep meaning of a 1-2 minute section of a show.   What a freaking joke

But does it require it? Last i checked you could just as easily enjoy the music and movement without context, no?

[skevinp]

2 minutes ago, MarchMello10 said:

Last i checked you could just as easily enjoy the music and movement without context, no?

That would be a yes for me, and apparently a lot of other people judging by the crowd reactions, not to mention an early season thread in which they were very competitive as people’s favorite corps.  

I don’t understand being angry just because one show isn’t your cup of tea.  I don’t get into every show every year, but I’m glad there are others that do.