zig zig ZAG Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 OK, so the Cadets were an hour away from Iowa City the last two days, so the family and I made the drive to Monticello. I made a few mistakes in my cursory summary of changes to the show yesterday. (It turns out that I only saw an incomplete run through yesterday, as they were not doing it with full equipment). Tonight they did. The drum feature on the pink platform is still there, for example, but blocked better, and the last 25 seconds of the closer are very similar musically to last year. Still, even the reprises, the air drumming, the tiny quotes and motifs woven in from last year in the closer don't sound like repititions, but haunting, unsettling, and devilshly clever references to an earlier, unreal world. Everything else is brand, spankin, cutting edge new. Brass pedal tones that seem to resonate from the center of the earth, and overtones that end in heaven. A drumline and percussion with unlimited abilities. A color guard that soars. I could go on - and I'm gushing because I just got home after three hours watching every set done and redone a dozen times - but that's not my main point. As I said in the earlier thread about Monticello's rehearsals, I've seen scores of corps practice over the last 20 years, and the Cadets many times. I have NEVER seen the intensity from either staff or marching members as this year. They run - I mean run - to every set. They run to get water. They run back from breaks. No one even tries to look tired, even though they must be exhausted five times over. They're frickin having fun even after 11 frickin hours of rehearsal in Iowa sun and humidity. If there's a lull for more than ten seconds, individual members on their own rehearse and re-rehearse difficult passages. There is endless energy everywhere, cheers, smiles, and a swagger that's phenomenal and palpable. It was nothing short of humbling and inspiring for me and my family to witness. The members love, absolutely love, this show, and it's starting to really click, just like it started to last year in mid July, and I think it's that realization that's giving the members a second wind, and a third, and a fourth... I talked to a few of the members. They've heard that the show is being heavily criticized from family members and friends, though most of the Cadets don't seem to have time to check message boards. They're out there sweating all day and evening. For the fans. And even for the critics and skeptics and nay-sayers and outright haters. All the bashing and negativity for the Cadets is the DCI equivalent of football bulletin board material. The more many of you criticize, the harder they work, the better they throw it down. So if you want them to break 99.15, which they very well can, keep slinging mud. Really. In the stands this evening were about a hundred folks from Monticello who hosted the Cadets for two days. Not DCI fans by any means, but curious folks, some band people, several retired couples from down the block who heard music, etc. The people I talked to loved what they saw. They didn't overanalyze it or say it is breaking "tradition" or that the amplification was "the worst thing I've ever seen on a football field." They had fun. They shook their heads and made comment after comment about the musicianship and marching and olympian intensity. They watched for about 2 hours while the Cadets practiced. Just watching them practice was enough to keep them there for the evening. The Cadets have a lot of work to do. In the last week there have been a number of big changes, cuts, new drill, music, etc., and these should be more clear in Lincoln NE tomorrow. The show is dirty, in places, quite dirty. It has huge potential for growth, and looks like it will peak at the right time, when it counts. This, folks, is a championship show. It's a beautiful show. Truly masterful. The ballad is nothing short of astounding, maybe the best I've heard. I think the whole show is art at an extremely high level. It might be loved and hated, but it will change anyone who experiences it. Art is impossible to ignore. Which is why there have been a hundred threads about this show, more than all the other top 12 shows combined. Will it win gold? If they maintain this unprecedented level of intensity and energy, they will be very, very hard to beat. I have never seen a corps more challenged or more committed to meet those challenges. My advice to DCI fans - do not miss this show. For two evenings, I was in awe. I take my hat off to the staff and members. 2006 Cadets - Uber-ZAG! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Weauxf-tastic. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afd Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 another Cadets topic..ENOUGH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlamInvert122 Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I started to read this, but stopped after realizing it was multiple paragraphs long... enough already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentleman Marcher Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I approve of this topic. I'm glad to have a friend who's part of this group, and for the first time this year, I can say I wouldn't mind at all if the Cadets win, no matter how I feel about their show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom&Phitch Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 I started to read this, but stopped after realizing it was multiple paragraphs long... enough already. i concur... give us the sparknotes version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCImonkey Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Brass pedal tones that seem to resonate from the center of the earth, and overtones that end in heaven. That is probably the best metaphor I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 i concur... give us the sparknotes version Here ya go: Cadets work hard. Show is good. Stop complaining. Gonna win. "Art". See it. The end. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS0527 Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Here ya go:Cadets work hard. Show is good. Stop complaining. Gonna win. "Art". See it. The end. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
announcerguydrew Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Here ya go:Cadets work hard. Show is good. Stop complaining. Gonna win. "Art". See it. The end. :) That was simple and to the point Ms.Bawker :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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