glory Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 (edited) A great drum corps show should have something for those who are viewing it for the first time, AND something for those who are viewing it for the 15th time. Yes, indeed. And the Cadets surely have that this year. The open question in my mind is whether they have too much packed into one show. Even the best design can be undermined by one frill too many. Not that I've decided the Cadets have too many. I was thrilled by their show. The question is will others have equally thrilling but more efficient vehicles to highlight their performances? As for the vocals. I loved the singing. LOVED the singing. And the spoken words were done the way they should be done. Unlike Boston in 2004, the Cadets aren't using words to lead the ensemble or the audience. Instead, the amped phrases embellish the moment. That's the way to use words in the drum corps idiom. Of course, if you don't want words in your drum corps, you're not going to like it, but that's your business. HH Typo fixed. BAC 2004, not 2003. Edited July 3, 2006 by glory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbenburton Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thank you Marsha for this post. I love the Cadets show this year, just like I loved last years show. I wish more people would do this for other corps shows, I may have a better appreciation for them cause I did miss alot of the things you mentioned in your post. Again Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 You are dead on correct in everything you said, thank you! Just expect some mindless responses to your well thought out post Are they mindless responses just because they differ from your opinion? I disagree with a lot of your posts, can I call you mindless?? B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justafan Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Oh for gods sake, all you need to appreciate the Cadets show this year is eyes and ears. You know people have such double standards some time. How many people can explain why Phantom has guys in the guard dressed like executioners, or why a girl in the guard lays on the field for half of a song ? Talk about not understanding what you're watching, but of course Phantom gets a pass on this because they are not the Cadets. Believe it or not, I have eyes and ears. For me, Phantom's use of characters adds to the show and doesn't distract from the music or show, it actually enhances it. The Faust thing isn't too hard to follow anyway. Last year, Madison made good use of a character with Carmen. That show wouldn't have been the same without her - but I still remember the music and and enjoyed the show. If fact, even with my inferior senses, I "got it" and enjoyed it the first time I saw it and the second time AND at quarters, semis and finals. And while not my favorite show last year, it was enjoyable and memorable at each showing. I enjoyed the Cadets last year and they deserved to win the title. But, this year the Cadets show, in contrast, is way over the top - the characters, especially the singer, that silly rabbit and the Red Queen, are a distraction from what may be a great show. This is my opinion. I don't care for it. Not because it is the Cadets, but because I paid money to see a drum corps show and I certainly expect to be entertained by the defending DCI champion without having to look past a bunch of distractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glory Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Last year, Madison made good use of a character with Carmen. That show wouldn't have been the same without her - but I still remember the music and and enjoyed the show....I enjoyed the Cadets last year and they deserved to win the title. But, this year the Cadets show, in contrast, is way over the top ... Half full. Half empty. You see, I thought the Carmen character was a hideous distraction in the Madison show (made worse, I thought, by some awful choreorgraphy). To my eyes, the show would have been better without that single character because the show focused too much on her over-the-top performance. Now you and I just might end up in agreement on the Cadets when all is said and done. No doubt the show has elements that might prove an unfortunate distraction. I'm not there yet though. With so much going on, I felt more overloaded than distracted. Is that over the top? Depends on the full package, which won't be full until August. HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicGuardMom Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thank you for the description as I know now where to look for my daughter at the beginning of the show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 (edited) a great post - the original you captured a lot of the layering going on in 2006 Cadets - the program is breathtaking in its design / there's a ton of things you didn't even get to but I hope the reader gets your point - its art AND its drum corps. One of my favorite parts is the reflective patterns in the drill design (the mirrored drill in the opening, etc), the "history repeating" aspect of fantastic Cadet sets from championships past (the Crown, etc) - another is how the Alice character is carried / flies / transported from platform to platform (a different way each time) across the sets of benches for left to right during the ballad. The left to right reminds me of 1987 show's journey. Cadets are winning GE because of this "art" aspect - if they win DCI it will be because of the playing, marching and spinning - it takes both these days. Last year they had both. This year in both aspects - design and execution - they are ahead of last year. The story of the rest of this season has yet to be written but for the Cadets its been a great first chapter. Edited July 3, 2006 by George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Oh for gods sake, all you need to appreciate the Cadets show this year is eyes and ears. You know people have such double standards some time. How many people can explain why Phantom has guys in the guard dressed like executioners, or why a girl in the guard lays on the field for half of a song ? Talk about not understanding what you're watching, but of course Phantom gets a pass on this because they are not the Cadets. I felt pretty thoroughly confused after watching Phantom. I had never heard of Faust before this (unless I did back when I was taking some English class or something) and really wasn't sure what was happening. Alice in Wonderland was definitely more familiar to me than an opera that I have never heard of Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical_Spinner Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thanks for the show description, it'll only help me enjoy the depth of the show more come San Antonio....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 I've only listened to it, but I really like what I heard. It's enjoyable as is, and obviously has LOTS of room to get even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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