Hrothgar15 Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 (edited) You hear it every year. Corps X's show in year Y wasn't all too well received by audiences throughout the season, but years later, it's regarded as one of the best. This isn't surprising, really, and just proves my point that you have to "know" a show to love a show. I honestly have never liked a show on a first hearing or viewing. It's only after I've become acclimated with the show, knowing every note and melody and feature and climax and dynamic level, that I can go out, see this show that I've come to know and love, performed live, that I'm able to cheer my heart out. There are many shows this year that especially fall into this scenario, in which a show isn't well received until years after. Primarily, Boston Crusaders, Blue Knights, and Carolina Crown are among these. The first time I saw Boston early season? When I first listened to Crown and Blue Knights' APDs? But now, I know these shows, after listening to the APDs repeatedly, watching the live streams, and viewing every clip on Season Pass. And what happened when I saw them in Atlanta? b**bs Think about it. Would you rather pay $50+ for finals tickets knowing that there are some shows you won't be able to enjoy until years from now...or spend about $8 for APDs of corps you haven't seen yet or whose shows with which you're unfamiliar so you can enjoy them right now? The choice is yours. Not just with the three corps mentioned above, but with all Division I corps, I keep seeing reviews that say, "Good performance, but I couldn't really get into them." Well of course not! If I were seeing a corps for the very first time hearing none of the music and knowing nothing about the show, I wouldn't be that "into" them either. 2006 will go down in history as one of the best DCI years ever. Nearly every top 12 corps this year has a show that is just plain AMAZING. Boston is amazing. Blue Knights are amazing. Crown, Vanguard, Cavies, Blue Devils, Spirit, Bluecoats, Glassmen, Madison Scouts, and Phantom Regiment are all AMAZING. Did I think that when I first heard their music, or first saw a clip of them, or if my first exposure to them was at a live show? Not at all. So get those iPods ready, fire up the Season Pass video library, and get ready for one of the greatest DCI finals in history. Edited August 8, 2006 by Hrothgar15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeBob Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 (edited) Countdown to reprisal from 1970s in 3... 2... Edited August 8, 2006 by MikeBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Here's the thing, IMO. Shows SHOULD be designed to be able to be thoroughly enjoyed on a first viewing. Why? On a national tour, who is our biggest market? The band kids and their parents, and people from the community that hear a "band" show is in town. The are people that are not going to buy, APDs, CDs or DVDs. They get ONE SHOT to hear the show. Therefore, why would I want to design something that takes you 12-15 viewings to enjoy? That almost seems like enjoyment by repitition. You listen to something so much and are so immersed in it you can't help but like it. Comes from the you know what you like, you like what you know theory. If a corps director were smart, a easily understandble show would allow people to jump out of their seats at the end, put a smile on the audience's faces, make them think about more $ouvies, and increase the buzz and goodwill (soft capital) for the corps name. The next year at the show, maybe they stop in and get even more souvies for that corps and cheer harder for that one that they made a connection with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris ncsu Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I've thought before about whether or not I'd want to be pretty familiar with a corps' music (i.e. through APDs) before I see them live... I'm usually under sensory overload if I see a show live with no real idea what to expect...usually if I know the music beforehand I can at least concentrate more on the visual offerings...but then, there isn't much surprise, not many 'holy cow, didn't see that coming' moments...*sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Drum corps is a genre of immediacy. A drum corps show -- unlike a symphony, concerto, cantata, rock song, or many other musical genres -- is created to be performed for a limited number of times during a single season. It is not necessarily designed with longevity in mind; it will not likely be revived in coming years. Yes, it is possible to preserve the performances and to review them over and over again but, since they are designed for, performed and judged in real time, I feel they should be appreciated in real time. In other words, I should be able to appreciate and enjoy a show upon first hearing/viewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Oz Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I believe it was Branford Marsalis in Ken Burns’s TV documentary on Jazz who, when discussing the opinion of one avant-garde jazz musician (it might have been Ornette Coleman) who had suggested that those who did not appreciate his music might be more entertained if they listened to a few albums before coming to the theater (sorry about the run-on sentence structure), said something like, “Bull. I’m not going to take one hundred grounders before I go to see a baseball game.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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