Ryan H. Turner Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 Visually--obviously clean the errors. Design wise--I don't think there's much more to do. Music GE...there's a WHOLE 'NOTHER level that PC's horn line can go. I bet ya THAT would close the gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsreed Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Also disappointing was the small crowd and the lack of the Blue Devils. (One show in CA before going to Europe and then onto 2nd season tour?! Not fair to those of us living on the West Coast with no plans to travel east this summer! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I use to go to all So Cal shows to support the activity, even during the period I could not stand drum corps. This year I am going to two shows. If one were not within a mile of my house, it would have been one. I am tired of not having enough quality corps to watch, and sometimes what the quality corps perform is simply not entertaining. BD - C is cute, but I am not going to sit in two hours of traffic, pay $100 for four tickets to see them. Moreover, the shows, as a package, simply are not very entertaining to me. I only continue to go and watch the one or two corps that I really want to see. I will probably go to DCI if it comes to the West Coast, but BD taking off to Europe, Japan, Russia, or any other destinations they decide to go means they do not come to So Cal. They should decide if they are going to be in DCI or if they are going pro like Star. Also, every other year they take SCV or BD up on a Washington swing and we do not get to see them down here. I am probably not the only person that has decided to decrease the number of So Cal shows I go to every year. The dinosaurs that buy tickets are dying of boredom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdaddy Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Is Academy playing Shostakovich's second piano concerto exclusively? I don't see them listed on corpsreps, but I heard some soundclips from their website, and I only hear that concerto... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BariEuph Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 yes, that is the only music in the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkmusic Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I was very unhappy with the corps warming up right outside the stadium on both ends of the field. There were several times that the warmups overpowered the corps on the field. And it went on almost non stop from the first corps till PC. And when I pay almost $100 for a family to go to the show, I would like to hear the show! I can hear the warm-ups for free! Were the corps just unwilling to walk further to warm up or were these spots their only options. If these were the only spots for warm-ups, they need to find a different stadium for the show. Cerritos College was a good stadium. Never heard the warm-ups, only the performance. I have been going to shows for a long time and almost always attend all of the SoCal shows. But as stated above, with the price of the shows, I need to feel I am getting my entertainment money's worth. And unfortunately I left the Long Beach show feeling overall disappointed and board. I have decided to skip the Riverside and Moorpark show, save my money and take a trip to San Jose next week to see Phantom and Seattle. Hopefully those corps will raise the level a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Also, every other year they take SCV or BD up on a Washington swing and we do not get to see them down here. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Living in WA, I think most years I have to drive a lot further to see good competitions than people in CA ever have. We usually get 1 top ten corps per year in the whole state. Last year was a fluke when we got BD and SCV. I think CA gets that at least once every year, plus a lot more. Anyway, I'm hoping SCV gets their program together. I won't get to see them or any other top 12 corps, except Phantom, until the quarterfinal theater broadcast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Ryan, you nailed your review. A lot of folks who hadn't been to a live show in decades had the same opinion as people that saw the June 18th show. One overheard comment was: "I just saw six different corps....and they were all the same." I expressed the same opinion about sending younger corps out unprepared and with a book way over their heads just because"...that's what the big drum corps are doing... " Scaling back the charts would have been easier....or again, create something "different." I also get tired of cliche "staccato and flam" music. Overheard comment: '.....there's no beginnings....no middle....and no end....the only way you can tell the show is over is when they march off the field...." And about those acoustics.....is drum corps only playing about two 'f's' now or what? Are they using orchestra hall db levels? It doesn't work outside if that's the call.....outside you have to exaggerate things more, same with articulation....sure was a lot of muddy runs last night......more like bad fingering exercises in a practice room than what one would play in a performance...and you have to stand still to play them? Oh well..... I often wonder what Gabrieli or Bartolino would say if they could come back and see drum corps over the last 35 years and relate it to their own brass ensemble days. Would they be blown away or disgusted? Overheard comment: ".....Wow, there sure are a lot of Kingsmen jackets here tonight!" I think also with the lack of bigger names, SCV notwithstanding, and being all SoCal this show felt like the old neighborhood drum corps days without Monterey Park, The Senoritas, Kingsmen, Diplomats, VK, LA Chinese, etc....and without the excitement. Still, I'm glad I went. It was the best excuse to see old friends, go to the Kingsmen Alumni Luncheon....and to hang out with The Kingsmen Rifles the night before......those women are still Goddesses, folks! And still spin cleaner than most of the talent I saw on the field. Overheard comment re: Mystikal. "......I wish them luck. It's taken over 40 years to get a drum corps from north of LA. Wonder why the San Fernando Valley has gone untapped for so long?" RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socalcontra Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I use to go to all So Cal shows to support the activity, even during the period I could not stand drum corps. This year I am going to two shows....I am probably not the only person that has decided to decrease the number of So Cal shows I go to every year. The dinosaurs that buy tickets are dying of boredom. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I can't say it even better. The two shows I'll be at will be Walnut and the theatercast of Quarterfinals. There was a time I'd go to practically every show in so cal and buy my tickets the first day they are on sale. I don't even have my Walnut tickets yet because I feel the same way. Only ONE top 12 corps in attendance and no one else from back east. Not going to the show and reading Ryan's review only tells me what "fun" is instore in a few weeks when I'll be at Walnut. I'm glad I wasn't there at Long Beach or going to Riverside on Saturday night-my family would take the brunt of my frustration. I said the same thing last year, people are doing WAY to hard of shows and/or putting the audience to sleep. Anyone ever heard of accesable music? Save the artsy stuff to the "uber"corps. You know, I sit home every summer and do practically nothing now that I'm not judging DCI any more.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H. Turner Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 Thanks for the review. Can you provide more detail on SCV's guard uniforms? The only pictures I've seen, they were wearing all black leotards, yeah they looked blah but not offensive. Are these their show uniforms? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I missed this question earlier, and sorry if I came across that I was ignoring your question. Yes, they are in black leotards. I find that personally a gigantic step down the class meter for an organization like SCV. That had BETTER NOT be their "costume" for the summer. I highly doubt it is, but it sure better not be. I can only assume whatever they're wearing wasn't ready. Which, again, to me goes to the "class" comment. SCV's guard in the past would NEVER have come out in black leotards (and they weren't all uniform BTW). It just looked horrible. Shockingly horrible to these observer's eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE-Driving Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 From what I understand, their guard uniforms aren't in yet. But Ryan, I agree with you, yes! I am a BIG SCV fan, and I've been waiting for months to see this show. And man, I was disappointed. Musically I thought it was very solid and they actually sound a bit better than last year. But sadly I don't think this show has what it takes to make Top 5, muchless win. I loved a lot of the little things they did, like the 1917 to CCCP to USSR, but at the same time, in the back of my mind I thought to myself "That doesn't look like something a Top 5 corps would do." Also if you noticed, when Russian X-Mas Music was played in the end, they played basically the same arrangement as the 1987 version, even with some of the visuals from 87 as well! I really hope they can pull through and make the Top 5 again, but if this show doesn't get better (and if those guard uniforms don't come in), I have a feeling it'll be the first time SCV falls out of the Top 5 in 10 years. :( BTW, another superb job with the announcing Ryan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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