oswego review

[manlybandman]

After getting done with work early on Friday, we decided to make the 5 hour drive to Oswego to catch our son's first show of the year. Got there in time to eat with the corps (even sat on the curb) and surprised our son who was not expecting us.

Got to the stadium in plenty of time. Bought tickets in the 'low' section....row 15...but all the way on the south end. We sat about 6 rows higher 2 years ago when we came to Oswego the first time and thought it would still be pretty good seats. Unfortunately, with the new ticket, concession, restroom building right below us.....souvy stands right across from them....and the wind blowing from the south......we had a lot of extra noise to contend with during the show. We'll remember that the nxt time.

Capitol Sound. A very nice, controlled sound for the most part. Ragged releases at times and some phasing problems. Nice soprano and bari solos in the show. The show just sort of ended and left me hanging. I'll assume that there will be more coming in the future.

Pioneer. The corps is taking on some challenges this year, musically and drill-wise. (and they are amplifying the pit....). The music will get stronger as the year goes on and they become more comfortable with the drill. The music gives you just brief hints of the 'Irish-ness' of the corps (there's even a short hint of their trade-mark marching tune 'Garry Owen' in the closer). The ballad, with its tune "Slane" (Be Thou My Vision) riding over the pit's latin-cuban-african rhythms will be a high point as kids become comfortable with the drill. tonight the music just seemed to 'lay' there.......it didn't grab me. Maybe it was where we were sitting (see above), or the fact that I had heard the music in concert before (it will be super if they work on it).......I know it can be a super show. The drill is greatly expanded over the past couple years, using much more of the field.

Southwind. Yes....opposite uniforms. Sopranos and Mellos in white with black accents (even white 'sharkos') and baris and contras in black with white accents (black 'sharkos'). This created some very striking visual moments in the show. I remember one particular 'pass-through' that I just went 'wow'. Music is coming along nicely...but like all shows tonight, there were a few ragged releases, balance problems etc.

But the most striking part of the show was when the colorguard slipped out of their gray and blue uniforms to expose brilliant orange lycra underneath....whoa....that just woke your eyes right up. Enough said.....hard to take your eyes off of orange lycra.

Glassmen. This is going to be show that people will love this season. Music of Beethoven and what else to start with than the 5th. Movement one uses themes from several of his symphonies and has you wondering "where have I heard that before". The second movement is vaguely reminiscent of Moonlight Sonata. The third movement has the ladies of the colorguard dressed in pink dresses (my wife commented after Southwind how there are some colors you just don't see on the field.....pink being one of them....and then Glassmen show up with pink), which they 'strip' out of as the music becomes more bousterous and baudy. This part of the show is definitely PG-13 as they portray the rowdiness of tavern life in Vienna (probably a tribute to Beethoven's father, a notorious drunk). The final movements is based on Ode to Joy which is immediately recognized and then starts drifting in dissonances and finally silence as the music portays his descent into deafness......

Cavaliers. Machine. I love their use of original music. I know that some thought it was a tragedy when they left their 'roots' of performing quality wind-band literature.......I thought it was a tragedy when they left original music to do James Bond!!!!!!. Right now the music is the highlight of this show for me. The drill incorporates a lot of 'Cavalier-esque' moves and even some set-points that I remember seeing in the past. There are a lot of 'machine'-'robot' kind of moves in colorguard and horns MAY get a little annoying as the season progresses (think of Micheal Jackson break-dancing). One short theme in the third movement had me thinking of something from Jesus Christ Superstar.......

I'm not sure that I saw the whole show though.......it just seemed to 'end'....and my immediate thought was 'that can't be the end'. Maybe I'm wrong and that's the effect they want. I hope that it changes.

Anyway......that's all for now. A word to anyone traveling south on I-90 into Illinois....avoid the first toll booth in Northern Illinois if at all possible....major construction and we were backed up about 2 miles when we went through Friday afternoon. Northbound traffic was backed up a good 10 miles........take it at your own risk.....and allow yourself plenty of extra time.

[kiotad]

Thanks for the review.

Nice signature tag too.

gil

<preparing to explain to the umpteenth band staff he will be working with this summer that the music drives the visual, not the other way around>

[SNModdison]

""Cavaliers. Machine. Right now the music is the highlight of this show for me. .

I'm not sure that I saw the whole show though.......it just seemed to 'end'....and my immediate thought was 'that can't be the end'. Maybe I'm wrong and that's the effect they want. I hope that it changes.""

For me, it's the music that is holding me back from enjoying it. I just need music: melodies. I need something that gets me interested. I know that Cavies always have a huge visual focus to the designs of their shows, but... I can't really "root" for the Green Team until they play some good music. I guess I just don't like their musical "style" of Original Compositions...oh well.

I do definatly agree that their show just ENDS. I'm sure they'll fix that though. However, I thought they'd fix that problem with their show last year, and they didn't.

[billj]

""Cavaliers. Machine. Right now the music is the highlight of this show for me. .

I'm not sure that I saw the whole show though.......it just seemed to 'end'....and my immediate thought was 'that can't be the end'. Maybe I'm wrong and that's the effect they want. I hope that it changes.""

For me, it's the music that is holding me back from enjoying it. I just need music: melodies. I need something that gets me interested. I know that Cavies always have a huge visual focus to the designs of their shows, but... I can't really "root" for the Green Team until they play some good music. I guess I just don't like their musical "style" of Original Compositions...oh well.

I do definatly agree that their show just ENDS. I'm sure they'll fix that though. However, I thought they'd fix that problem with their show last year, and they didn't.

As I mentioned in another thread:

"They did a fake ending (stopped early & played some ending chords), which they pretty much do every year at the beginning of the season. I don't like that, but they have a formula for success, and they probably have a lot more drill sets than anyone else, who am I to argue?"

They do this every year. The other thing that they do every year is leave out some of their big visual impacts (usually during a percussion feature, with the winds doing some choreography and the guard either doing choreography or throwing rifles), and add them in later in the season. I kinda feel cheated when I see them at the beginning of each season, but then again, I feel that way when some of the other top 12 don't have 1/3 or more of their guard work, guard uniforms, or real show flags out on the field. I don't know if the corps think that they get more credit from the judges as the the judges see more things added to the show during the season, or if there's another explanation for the uniforms and flags not being ready for the first shows of the season.