Tim K Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 4 hours ago, TheDoctoress said: Compared to the Midwest groups, this show feels like everyone is 2 points lower than they should have been. Sad that it has implications for San Antonio I was surprised with the scores which I said in other posts, but looking at the three shows this evening, I wasn’t surprised Bloo was first with BAC and BD right behind. I expected Crown to be 4th and Phantom 5th which is where, at least at this point, expect Phantom to be in Indy. SCV and Mandarins surprised me a bit. The others are where I expected them to be. That being said, this time next week we may find all sorts of surprises. Match ups I’ll be watching other than the top four will be Blue Knights v. Crossmen and where we’ll find Spirit and Pacific Crest. Madison and Music City could be interesting as well and word is Jersey Surf had a great first run. They will be competing first since they were not in a Midwest show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keystone3ply Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 7 hours ago, saxfreq1128 said: Granted I didn’t have a great view because my cat was attacking the screen all night but the scores seem fair to me. Strong runs all around but a little rough! I can relate. We have an indoor cat that does the same with me. She's a real drum corps fan. 😁 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keystone3ply Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 My first Flo show of the season. The sound mix is much better but the multicam production was like watching the Blair Witch Project. I'll be taking Dramamine for the next show. 😂 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TexasPRfan Posted July 14 Popular Post Share Posted July 14 (edited) *** Finished*** Had the pleasure of being at DATR live with two great friends, both of which are relatively novice fans. Was a great evening with a lot of very solid performances. Cascades - a nice step forward for them. Upper brass need work. Cute nautical show with a nice touch at the end with the lighthouse pivoting into a telescope. Not fair for these kids to have to follow Vanguard, but I get why. Genesis - felt they should have been a bit higher than Cascades than they were. Solid, powerful horn line. But, one dynamic way too much of the show - all out blasting a little crass. Layering in dynamics and getting more warmth into the line will help. Show theme didn’t really come across. Academy - really great step forward in show design and engagement of the audience this year, as well as particularly the brass section. Thought they were a little underscored in brass. A leap forward from Genesis with a maturity, warmth and control to their playing. I hope the guard can clean, clean, clean. Some nice percussion moments too. This show has some legs, with a lot of cleaning opportunities - especially in guard. Pacific Crest - saw this corps down low from right in front of the pit ground level, so purely a music reaction here. Not sure this theme is as effective as last years, but terrific performance levels, and a more mature sound. The pit is terrific. Someone please work with those kids on showmanship. Brass line is a leap forward this year from last. Just not sure the vehicle can carry the corps into top 12. Not enough emotion coming across yet to really pull you in. I’m sure that will improve over the next month. Blue Knights - what a step forward musically, bravo BK. Visually, this show is not working for me. The guard is already smaller (though I love the huge horn line), and so much use of the sticks while only half are on ensemble flags is a mistake. There’s simply not much visual punch on this show, and the bland horn and drum line costumes don’t help. This is a much better corps, with a more engaging music book than last year but I don’t know that they will fare any better competitively. Pulling for them for sure. Full size, talented corps. Deserved a much better visual package, IMO. Troopers - back up in my seats near the 45, 9th row upper deck. Wow, wow, wow. Third year in a row of a powerhouse, fan favorite, show. Easily the most visceral crowd response of the night through the closing moments. Thought they were a tad underscored, especially one particular judge. A ton of room to grow in all captions. That low bras section is fire. This show will be a huge fan favorite in Indy. It’s going to be special there. Mandarins - a lot of great stuff here, starting with movement, guard and brass . Great portrayal of the show theme. Ballad is a highlight, as are the opening moments. I do think this show has a ceiling. I’d like to see more drill and demand visually and with the brass book - and percussion is going to trail a bit as of now. Clearly the most talented they’ve ever been. Just not sure the show has enough demand in it to get to 5th. More than others, their performance sub captions in many places are closer to the content sub captions. That’s a yellow caution flag, but they do have time to layer in more. Great job Mandarins. Vanguard - so terrific to see them back. Some surprisingly great performance levels. Expected for percussion but brass and guard are better than I thought they’d be this year. Show design is the challenge with Vanguard. The music book rarely pulls you in and the drill design and awful blue costumes all combine to make the show feel small and a bit sterile. Will see how far performance levels can take them. Still, what a great re-entry year for Vanguard. And there is time to address some of the above. Blue Devils - just a freakin machine. Performance levels off the charts already. Crazy demand, performance and showmanship. The show feels less engaging than last year though, it’s missing the heart that came through last year at this point. Wow that guard is amazing and BD’s effective use of color is unmatched, like the guard bursting out in the opening moments from all the black from rest of the corps . As usual, their visual design is stellar. I do think this show is vulnerable to Bluecoats though. On to Denton & San Antonio this week! Harvey Edited July 16 by TexasPRfan grammar clean up 7 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 2 hours ago, keystone3ply said: My first Flo show of the season. The sound mix is much better but the multicam production was like watching the Blair Witch Project. I'll be taking Dramamine for the next show. 😂 I don’t drink anymore but I’m told that it helps. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post WarriorWay Posted July 14 Popular Post Share Posted July 14 (edited) Alrighty! Here is my abridged review on the corps last night! The Battalion - Sorry I was getting a white claw and a water; it was so hot! SCV - So I don't know what vagabond means, but there really isn't anything much to dislike about this show. Guard is good, brass is good, percussion... well haha. There really aren't any super memorable moments and the quality overall is not quite what 2022 was. Evan does a good job writing so I think they'll be okay going forward. Gaines obviously has some nice drill here - no complaints there. They def ran out of steam with the new ending (honestly, I think that part goes on for too long). Mandarins comparisons in their portion. Cascades - Solid show! Lots of dirt and I wish they connected the lighthouse/ looking glass concept earlier in the show, say in the ballad. Their field coverage actually is pretty good, even if the corps is pretty condensed throughout. Genesis - Another good show! Although someone said they're over playing and I def agree. I think ind. visual is a standout here. I also really liked they played a Christopher Tin piece; I like that one better than Baba Yetu from BK! Academy - Really nice show!! They have great sound that is cleaner than genesis IMO. This show (and even the drill/ staging) is very reminiscent of Ayala 2008 - Opportunity. It is so similar I wonder if there is a connection. Drill a little less impressive than the sound, but it is one of those shows where the props are moved so effortlessly you hardly notice them moving. I really liked it!! PC - I do not know the backstory of the concept for PC, so as an audience member I really didn't get it. But this show certainly has an outside chance at finals - you can see the fire in the performers they really want to execute. I honestly think the concept might hold them back bc it wasn't too clear to me! Troopers - Having seen the Troopers for many years and competed with them directly, I always found their themes hokey - not this year. There is a real sophistication to this show that was missing in the past. The devil theme is so clear even grandma can understand - which I love!! Brass is great, visual I really liked and some of those curvilinear forms are actually super clean. Super entertaining and a solid finals lock. Mandarins - The production value is just off the charts. So much musical variety, high level of execution, and artistry - and a theme everyone understands. Especially love the characters. The members are just having so much fun performing it too. I was a little surprised on the brass score but some of the exposed high brass moments sound pretty thin - but they are clean. One thing I only noticed seeing it live, is that this show was BUILT for the Lucas Oil dome environment. There are so many moments where the dome will help them when the brass is playing in different directions and such. Also, how the stages are just setup on the field. I do think they will ultimately beat SCV in the end, their ceiling is just a step or two higher. BD - I already wrote in the BD thread last night on this, but I had some doubts going into this show that this particular show was too inaccessible to the audience, drill unimaginative, music a little dull. Yeah folks... I was so wrong. Absolutely amazing. Guard is really standout - the best BD guard I've ever seen. Musical variety, absolute precision, finishing phrases - it was all on show!! You could literally feel the space between notes on the high brass features throughout the stadium - just impeccable. The ballad actually made me tear up a little - something you can't get on Flo! Wasn't expecting to like that ballad as much as I did. These performers just play so many characters in 10 minutes it's crazy that maturity all while being great at their job's - that is what I think will ultimately separate them from Bluecoats/ Boston. If I'm being picky: the drill still isn't my absolute favorite, the props could maybe do more, wish maybe the last musical selection was a bit more catchy - but it does the job! BK - I thought this run was miles cleaner than their run in Ogden! The busk theme is honestly kind of weird - I don't personally connect to it, and it feels like a catch all in concept with little depth. With that said the playing is really good and the music flows well - better than last year. Jay picked up most of Wando 2023 in their musical selections so nice to hear some familiar tunes. Guard is a problem yes, we all know - I think the part when they hold the long poles does them no favors. I think they're still in double digits this year, but finals is probably in the cards again. Edited July 14 by WarriorWay 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacewill Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, WarriorWay said: Alrighty! Here is my abridged review on the corps last night! The Battalion - Sorry I was getting a white claw and a water; it was so hot! SCV - So I don't know what vagabond means, but there really isn't anything much to dislike about this show. Guard is good, brass is good, percussion... well haha. There really aren't any super memorable moments and the quality overall is not quite what 2022 was. Evan does a good job writing so I think they'll be okay going forward. Gaines obviously has some nice drill here - no complaints there. They def ran out of steam with the new ending (honestly, I think that part goes on for too long). Mandarins comparisons in their portion. Cascades - Solid show! Lots of dirt and I wish they connected the lighthouse/ looking glass concept earlier in the show, say in the ballad. Their field coverage actually is pretty good, even if the corps is pretty condensed throughout. Genesis - Another good show! Although someone said they're over playing and I def agree. I think ind. visual is a standout here. I also really liked they played a Christopher Tin piece; I like that one better than Baba Yetu from BK! Academy - Really nice show!! They have great sound that is cleaner than genesis IMO. This show (and even the drill/ staging) is very reminiscent of Ayala 2008 - Opportunity. It is so similar I wonder if there is a connection. Drill a little less impressive than the sound, but it is one of those shows where the props are moved so effortlessly you hardly notice them moving. I really liked it!! PC - I do not know the backstory of the concept for PC, so as an audience member I really didn't get it. But this show certainly has an outside chance at finals - you can see the fire in the performers they really want to execute. I honestly think the concept might hold them back bc it wasn't too clear to me! Troopers - Having seen the Troopers for many years and competed with them directly, I always found their themes hokey - not this year. There is a real sophistication to this show that was missing in the past. The devil theme is so clear even grandma can understand - which I love!! Brass is great, visual I really liked and some of those curvilinear forms are actually super clean. Super entertaining and a solid finals lock. Mandarins - The production value is just off the charts. So much musically variety, high level of execution, and artistry - and a theme everyone understands. Especially love the characters. The members are just having so much fun performing it too. I was a little surprised on the brass score but some of the exposed high brass moments sound pretty thin - but they are clean. One thing I only noticed seeing it live, is that this show was BUILT for the Lucas Oil dome environment. There are so many moments where the dome will help them when the brass is playing in different directions and such. Also, how the stages are just setup on the field. I do think they will ultimately beat SCV in the end, their ceiling is just a step or two higher. BD - I already wrote in the BD thread last night on this, but I had some doubts going into this show that this particular show was too inaccessible to the audience, drill unimaginative, music a little dull. Yeah folks... I was so wrong. Absolutely amazing. Guard is really standout - the best BD guard I've ever seen. Musical variety, absolute precision, finishing phrases - it was all on show!! You could literally feel the space between notes on the high brass features throughout the stadium - just impeccable. The ballad actually made me tear up a little - something you can't get on Flo! Wasn't expecting to like that ballad as much as I did. These performers just play so many characters in 10 minutes it's crazy that maturity all while being great at their job's - that is what I think will ultimately separate them from Bluecoats/ Boston. If I'm being picky: the drill still isn't my absolute favorite, the props could maybe do more, wish maybe the last musical selection was a bit more catchy - but it does the job! BK - I thought this run was miles cleaner than their run in Ogden! The busk theme is honestly kind of weird - I don't personally connect to it, and it feels like a catch all in concept with little depth. With that said the playing is really good and the music flows well - better than last year. Jay picked up most of Wando 2023 in their musical selections so nice to hear some familiar tunes. Guard is a problem yes, we all know - I think the part when they hold the long poles does them no favors. I think they're still in double digits this year, but finals is probably in the cards again. Thanks for the honest assessment. I feel the PC show will ring a lot more clear by Indy, especially as people see it the first time and don't really get what "Broken Column" Refers to and then read a little about it at the different sites (Life of Frida Khalo). Below are a couple quick descriptions of the show. I would believe by the time the judges see it in Finals that they would have already seen it once and get the theme, but good point that more visually might have to be done to really make it more clear. The vehicle is less clear unless you know the back story of Frida, but it has way more legs than last years Goddess. At the end what the corp has to do no matter what is march and play clean and bring emotion through the visuals and music. I am in no way trying to convince you to change any opinion you had, but if you read the links and re-watch it would be interesting to see if it connects at that point. https://dci.org/news/pacific-crest-honors-artists-work-with-the-broken-column?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0yy_YuB2tQQNhjjKxh7D1M0m65Jjuih4UO3ki1VXIuTOmwQmIjpfyG_UQ_aem_u_hIozt_Szlr5hK_eXWqNg Page 7 has a nice write up here: https://7b63075d.flowpaper.com/July12Vol53No6/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2m8cSm1S_oiG2-ZHB5YAwXFqmOM7S4g77yB9s9Uv1HpA8xj6LgKOAG5zo_aem_PkBnSrTPdmvXoQfBp055DA#page=6 Edited July 14 by spacewill 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorWay Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 29 minutes ago, spacewill said: Thanks for the honest assessment. I feel the PC show will ring a lot more clear by Indy, especially as people see it the first time and don't really get what "Broken Column" Refers to and then read a little about it at the different sites (Life of Frida Khalo). Below are a couple quick descriptions of the show. I would believe by the time the judges see it in Finals that they would have already seen it once and get the theme, but good point that more visually might have to be done to really make it more clear. The vehicle is less clear unless you know the back story of Frida, but it has way more legs than last years Goddess. At the end what the corp has to do no matter what is march and play clean and bring emotion through the visuals and music. I am in no way trying to convince you to change any opinion you had, but if you read the links and re-watch it would be interesting to see if it connects at that point. https://dci.org/news/pacific-crest-honors-artists-work-with-the-broken-column?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0yy_YuB2tQQNhjjKxh7D1M0m65Jjuih4UO3ki1VXIuTOmwQmIjpfyG_UQ_aem_u_hIozt_Szlr5hK_eXWqNg Page 7 has a nice write up here: https://7b63075d.flowpaper.com/July12Vol53No6/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2m8cSm1S_oiG2-ZHB5YAwXFqmOM7S4g77yB9s9Uv1HpA8xj6LgKOAG5zo_aem_PkBnSrTPdmvXoQfBp055DA#page=6 Awesome! Glad I now know!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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