Season Recap, part 3

[Matt_S]

Inspired by the threads that were asking for our final thoughts, two corps at a time. Well, with the CDs coming out and having had a couple weeks to let the competitive juices ebb, let's hear what you think. Vote your enjoyment of each show, on a scale of one to five, and give us your final thoughts for each corps.

[Orpheus]

The mods ought to pin these to the top for a day or two.

[bawker]

Probably for the best to do that, with so many threads on each group, the lower placing corps threads might get buried in the process.

[bawker]

Blue Knights: This show = hate. This is a good thing. Too many corps have decided to have a faux jazz 2nd movement, too many have decided to follow someone elses lead. Not BK. From the step-off to the visual, they do things their way. The swirling ball of evil with the Sword Sorceress is a great moment, as is the opening statement. This show is intense, and yes, that's not for everyone...however, we complain about cookie cutter shows so much that this is nicely done. The body work that the horn line does is a staple that we've come to expect from them in recent years. I like this show a lot, and hope BK decides to keep it "dark" for a few more years.

Carolina Crown: Horn line is like a rich Pinot Noir...velvety smooth. The attacks and releases are top-notch, as is the Danielpour book. While the drum line was their weak point this year, the book is still pretty darn musical. Guard was their usual amazing self, and the visual took a big ol' step up. Any other year, this show would be in the Top 6 (IMO). This was a nice design evolution from 2005. Continue ramping it up, and maybe one of those years in Indiana, you'll be taking home the gold. Right behind Phantom for my favorite book of the year.

Madison Scouts: Oh, how I tried to get into this book. APD listen after listen...and watching the show over and over during the season. At first blush, it really does seem like SCV and BD had a child with the 06 Scouts production. What I feel is the Scouts "identity" is neither here nor there, but I do think you run a risk of seeming like an also-ran when you try to incorporate too much of what the Jones' (or is that JONZ? :P ) are doing just to try to keep up with 'em. Ballad was a high point here for me, but I couldn't find much else to grab onto. I do respect what kind of effort was put into this show. I just can't get into it at all. Next year, whoever is director, will be interesting to say the least. Visual will be good to see on the DVD's again.

[Lance]

Exactly what I thought for BK. More than for any other corps, the number of people who loved it is very close to the number of people who hated it.

[chris ncsu]

I didn't care one way or the other about my one BK viewing at finals. Probably a mix of corps-fatigue (I think it was approaching intermission at that point), and such a dark and hard-to-relate-to show that left me 'eh' about it. I want to watch it on DVD though, because I do want to give it more of a chance.

Crown was fantastic. Enough has been gushed about them on another thread...so happy for Crown this year.

Madison played really really well, horns and drums. I didn't much care for the SCV-esque drill from their new drill writer, but I didn't get bored with it the two times I saw it, though it's probably their weakest show offering (not weakest performed though) in a few years.

[84skyrydr]

Blue Knights --- my first couple of viewings of them left me lost, now that I have the cd, I AM IN LOVE with this show. This music is heavily layered and a work of art. This takes me back to Star of Indiana. It takes you a long time to fully comprehend what you heard and saw. This approach can be troublesome as it was for Star and I think that the audience reaction to the placements prove that. When pepople finally have the dvds and can rewatch and hear what they are missing the show will grow on them also. Carolina..... Excellent show with superb sound. Don't know what else to say here. Scouts. I WANT A CYMBAL LINE. You have been known for this forever. An extra 4 people in different spots does NOT give you as much GE as a superb cymbal line. It isn't always about the crashes, it is about the flares, the movements, the zooming around etc etc. Picture SCV's show ending without the V---- not a pleasant thought. Now on to the show. Fairly boring from a design standpoint. I saw this show about 9 times and was never wowed by it. Go back a step and remember who you were not who you are trying to be. Don't turn a fan favorite into a goat. To the members. You floored me with how much you cleaned and changed that show in an attempt to make it better, but the style didn't help you guys. You are still awesome performers. This is in NO WAY critical of the members. You can only do with what you are given, and you all maxed it out.

[johnweldy]

BK

This is the show that made me realize that while Season Pass live streaming is great, there is NO COMPARISON to being there live. I was very uninterested in this show on the Atlanta stream. At semis and finals, I LOVED IT! The raw power and emotion they portray is incredible. There is so much angst and tension in the music and the drill is perfectly married to it. Love the design of the uni backs and how they used them, love the color guard unis, love the minimalist use of equipment...love, love, love.

I was completely enthralled by the sword sorceress' pit break...quite possibly the best choreographed moment on the field this year. And their show was the very first to get play on my CDs and the one to have gotten the most play. I cannot get enough of that haunting ballad. So gorgeous!

Crown

Loved this show from the first viewing and only grew to love it more. I think it's great that the crowd really got into this corps...I love hearing the huge reactions on the CDs. As a whole package, probably the best designed visual program on the field this year.

Didn't buy their APD because while I loved the show, I felt the music only really served the visual. Now that I have my CDs I see how wrong that assumption was. The music is amazing standing on it's own and they play the heck out of it.

Madison

Loved them in 2005 (except that the ending never came), in 2006 not so much. There are some brilliant moments in the visual program -- the tigerskin-clad guard right at the beginning, the sunburst facing backfield to the right corner, and the connecting segments -- but overall, the show left me flat. It just seemed like they were trying too hard, and trying to be someone other than Madison.

Last year really felt to me that they found the right mix of old and new. This year, they forgot it.

[drumcorpsguardmom]

BK

Love the design of the uni backs and how they used them, love the color guard unis, love the minimalist use of equipment...love, love, love.

I really wanted to like BK's show but I'm afraid that the minimalist use of equipemnt by the guard really got in the way for me. I just kept wondering when they were going to quit dancing and show me some great equipment work. I probably didn't pay enough attention to the music, so I think that I'll go play my CD now.

[FrankA]

I liked BK and Crown. Crown has an awesome hornline. But the only part of Madisons show I could enjoy was the opener.