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Indianapolis IN review


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I have heard NOTHING good about this DOME, is this the same place that DCI is thinking about putting Nationals in??????????

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Fair warning- if you're a die-hard Cadets fan, you might as well go read another thread now because you're not going to like what I have to say about your corps.

Speaking of Cadets, it's that time where half the people reading this thread are going to start sending me hate mail. Again, this is As I Saw It. They still have the same backward uniforms as last season, keeping the whole "Zone" theme going. However, while last year's show was exciting and driving, this show was NOT. They start off with the last minute of drill from last year's show, with no music accompanying, then they move on to a soft opening statement. You expect to hear some kind of strong musical impact, but they don't bring it out at this point, and the opener seems flat and downright boring as a result. I think they also spin around some floral screens at this point (I guess we're "through the looking glass" now) that look cute, but don't really add all that much. The drum line is pretty good again this year- in fact, they probably have more material than the horns, who again go silent for most of this segment. There's a lot of high-powererd drumming while the guard characters prance around and ask "Where are we?" (to which I responded, "On a football field!"). I could go on, but my main criticism is this: this show is suffering from a bad case of sequal-itis, and it's not going to win no matter what they do with it, because the show is focused too much on the characters and not on the actual performance. It's like a lot of hollywood sequels that emphasize spectacle and high-cost visual effects (speaking of which, I'd wager they probably need a 3rd semi to haul around all the props) rather than things like plot and acting. I'll end on a positive note- the ballad is pretty, and the vocal soloist there is a nice addition to it (when she's not getting washed by the dome). There- I said something nice about the Cadets- you can stop yelling now :P

actually I am a HUGE Cadets fan and I have to say thank you---thank you for being fair. What you said in places has a lot of merit. I do realize that your missing some HUGE awesome points of the show too--but I can't disagree with most of what you said AND its not all a complaint fest about amplification--you actually had to STATE what it is you didnt like instead of sounding like some robot mouthing off everything you have heard as to why you should hate amplification. I am not big on sequels in movies, nor am I in drum corps so I was disspaointed with the direction as well. It COULD win--but your right, I am not betting money on it at this point! I am going for Blue--either one of them would make me happy!

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I have heard NOTHING good about this DOME, is this the same place that DCI is thinking about putting Nationals in??????????

No, that would be the new retractable roof stadium going in next door, due to open in 2008

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Excellent review Matt. You are so lucky that you got to be there. So, are you saying all the vocals didnt go over well, or clear enough in the dome ??Thats a shame.

Yes, that is what I'm saying. Inside the dome, the vocals were TOTALLY unintelligible from every corps that used them- amplified or not.

Let that be a warning to future show designers- you want to put vocals in your shows, keep in mind that your corps WILL be performing inside of these acoustic monsters a few times each year, and that is going to have a big effect on how the stuff carries over.

Edited by Galen
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Matt, the Blue Devils would have to take a contract out on the Cavies AND pull off a miracle of significant proportion to take #13....mainly because they haven't won #12 :P

Also of note: The amplified voice came through loud and clear through Season Pass...

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Sitting on row 14 all the vocals were clear except Capital Regiment's little singing group, couldn't make out a word of it. Blue Stars mic cut out a few times but since the vocals were completly unneeded I didn't care if I could hear them or not.

Crossmen on the other hand showed me how effective narration can be. I loved the radio portion of the show (I know it has been done before by other WGI and BOA groups, we don't need to go in to that again) This will be one of my most watched shows when the DVD's come out.

Now can anybody explain to me why the Madison Scouts colorguard started their show as roadkill.

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snip<<Sitting on row 14 all the vocals were clear except Capital Regiment's little singing group, couldn't make out a word of it. >>

That may be because the vocals in Capital's show are not in English. I believe the song is influenced by indiginous Central/South American melodies and rhythms, so they are singing something from one of those cultures. Just take it as music – the way we do opera in languages other than English. If anyone out there knows more specifics about where the music quoted in the Philip Glass piece comes from, please chime in.

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Just take it as music – the way we do opera in languages other than English.

:rock: ermm... opera in languages other than english has a context.. and the words DO matter (and in fact, their meaning is usually pretty clearly conveyed through the action onstage.. even if you don't understand the actual words)..

(.. says the resident opera singer..)

The first time I saw CapReg this year, the mic's weren't working for anybody.. I didn't even know there had been singing til after the show was over and some people in front of us pointed out the mic's and that they hadn't worked. I remember asking "where would there have been a space for signing??.. and I thought the section where they were singing (I found out where that was during my 2nd viewing) was far more impactful and well received (at least around where I was sitting both times) as a mellophone section highlight alone.

I do think some clue what it's about can be drawn from the textual section of the show it occurs in. ("work" "rest" or "play") -- just a thought.

Stef

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:rock: ermm... opera in languages other than english has a context.. and the words DO matter (and in fact, their meaning is usually pretty clearly conveyed through the action onstage.. even if you don't understand the actual words)..

(.. says the resident opera singer..)

The first time I saw CapReg this year, the mic's weren't working for anybody.. I didn't even know there had been singing til after the show was over and some people in front of us pointed out the mic's and that they hadn't worked. I remember asking "where would there have been a space for signing??.. and I thought the section where they were singing (I found out where that was during my 2nd viewing) was far more impactful and well received (at least around where I was sitting both times) as a mellophone section highlight alone.

I do think some clue what it's about can be drawn from the textual section of the show it occurs in. ("work" "rest" or "play") -- just a thought.

Stef

Good point. What I was saying was in no way meant to be a slight on opera or opera singers. I was just acknowledging that many times (especially for American audiences – who are barely monolingual) understanding the exact meaning of the words is not neccessary, due to the context, as you pointed out, and therefore is appreciated as music first, and text second. I am also the last person in the world to put voice before brass in drum corps. I am one who would prefer that only pit instruments be allowed to be amplified, if we have amps at all. Capital's use of vocals in this brief segment, however, feels more like Bluecoats vocals from last year – simply there to provide a little texture and ethnic musical context – so it is not as troublesome to me as some other examples.

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