jthomas666 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 (edited) Keep in mind that Spirit's new uni design will amplify any drill errors. But as the drill gets cleaned and polished, those unis will show off the strengths. Really, those unis are like wearing white shoes w/ black pants. Edited June 19, 2007 by jthomas666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I thought Glassmen had a little bit more defined show then Spirit; honestly, though, I was hoping for more from both. I'm sure they'll be on more secure footing come the Benson show this week. However...just like the over-used themes of "Colors" and "Dark and Light", the concept of "Genesis/Rebirth" is one that has seen a lot of play over the past few years. Other corps in their general scoring tier might have a little more wiggle room in fleshing out their themes with some definition...G-Men have a lot they can add to the Spanish theme they have going, Colts have come on strong out in the Midwest with a remix of their 1993 "Four Seasons" idea, and so on. I realize this is all about a "new" Spirit, of course....the uniforms, the switch to symphonic music. This has been done before, with varying degrees of success...the Interstellar/Petrouchka years, the Gaines drill/Cavalier-esque "Mindscape" year, etc. I just worry, that in this race to "redefine" themselves...we seem them left with no definition at all, other than just another corps that pulls out the usual tricks (wind ensemble opener, pop music reference, show title/theme that tries to overcompensate ) to try to get to Finals. Yeah, and before you start...I'm not advocating a return to just baby blue and honking out "Georgia" every year. Nor is it a plea to just play Southern/blues music. It's more of an idea to move the definition we have now of Spirit into the new millenium without totally leaving it behind. Really, tell me it can't be done: There's tons of undiscovered composers out there (BAC did well by little used Higdon last year) that Spirit can make use of...and yes, many of them are probably Southern, too. What about using some of the music department folks at JSU to create a entirely new piece for the field? What about a "Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil" show? Plenty Southern, no need to use all Johnny Mercer tunes like the movie, though...flesh it out with some guard actors (Spirit's guard's in the 80's were always over-the top, right?)...even have one as "Lady Chablis". :P Being "Southern", as it were, isn't an inherent limitation to a corps identity...anymore than playing classical music, having a West Point uniform or other things are "limitations". End of Ye Old Pharte musings; back to your regular DCP thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I thought Glassmen had a little bit more defined show then Spirit; honestly, though, I was hoping for more from both. I'm sure they'll be on more secure footing come the Benson show this week. I really enjoyed Glassmen's show as well. They are cleaner and the theme comes across well. I enjoyed the music, it's fan freindly and all. I an concerned if it has the content and demand they'll need to stay competative as the season progresses. The drill really didn't do anything much, except show case the guard. But the drill itself didn't have any wow moments or add impact and punch to the music. I know that they can add drill and visual moments easier then adding in new music but I'm still concerned they don't have enough content. I see the potential for them to do well at the beginning, but falter later in the season as others clean their shows and make things click. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 As usual, Bawker, you are a voice of reason. Maybe that's why I almost always agree with you. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsoprano Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I see Spirit out of Finals this year with Crossmen moving into finals. I hear a lot of talk about how difficult the show is. Reading through this, I also see that they are struggling with the difficulty. I'm also not hearing many positive things about the guard.I know it's one viewing and things can change over the course of the season, but when you start the season 6 points out of 12th, it's a lot of ground to make up. Sorry to sit on your kitten, but I don't see Spirit making finals this year. Amazing that someone who wrote something as beautiful and poignant as your recent post thanking your dad for introducing you to the activity (which I must admit brought a tear or two to my eyes as I'm sure it did to many eyes) could use such a total lack of tact as you've shown in this post. Tom, you may be 100 percent correct, but then again, you could be 100 percent wrong. Either way, I'm sure there could have been better ways of making your opinion known, if you felt it absolutely necessary to comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Amazing that someone who wrote something as beautiful and poignant as your recent post thanking your dad for introducing you to the activity (which I must admit brought a tear or two to my eyes as I'm sure it did to many eyes) could use such a total lack of tact as you've shown in this post.Tom, you may be 100 percent correct, but then again, you could be 100 percent wrong. Either way, I'm sure there could have been better ways of making your opinion known, if you felt it absolutely necessary to comment. Sorry if I offend. It doesn't change my opinion. And I thought the "sit on your kitten" line was funny, but hey, risk not, gain little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedEye Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I thought Glassmen had a little bit more defined show then Spirit; honestly, though, I was hoping for more from both. I'm sure they'll be on more secure footing come the Benson show this week.However...just like the over-used themes of "Colors" and "Dark and Light", the concept of "Genesis/Rebirth" is one that has seen a lot of play over the past few years. Other corps in their general scoring tier might have a little more wiggle room in fleshing out their themes with some definition...G-Men have a lot they can add to the Spanish theme they have going, Colts have come on strong out in the Midwest with a remix of their 1993 "Four Seasons" idea, and so on. I realize this is all about a "new" Spirit, of course....the uniforms, the switch to symphonic music. This has been done before, with varying degrees of success...the Interstellar/Petrouchka years, the Gaines drill/Cavalier-esque "Mindscape" year, etc. I just worry, that in this race to "redefine" themselves...we seem them left with no definition at all, other than just another corps that pulls out the usual tricks (wind ensemble opener, pop music reference, show title/theme that tries to overcompensate ) to try to get to Finals. Yeah, and before you start...I'm not advocating a return to just baby blue and honking out "Georgia" every year. Nor is it a plea to just play Southern/blues music. It's more of an idea to move the definition we have now of Spirit into the new millenium without totally leaving it behind. Really, tell me it can't be done: There's tons of undiscovered composers out there (BAC did well by little used Higdon last year) that Spirit can make use of...and yes, many of them are probably Southern, too. What about using some of the music department folks at JSU to create a entirely new piece for the field? What about a "Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil" show? Plenty Southern, no need to use all Johnny Mercer tunes like the movie, though...flesh it out with some guard actors (Spirit's guard's in the 80's were always over-the top, right?)...even have one as "Lady Chablis". :P Being "Southern", as it were, isn't an inherent limitation to a corps identity...anymore than playing classical music, having a West Point uniform or other things are "limitations". End of Ye Old Pharte musings; back to your regular DCP thread. I agree with this, and I'm not sure why they run so much from "old Spirit." It is much better to have an actual identity than to try to find/create one. The trick is keeping it fresh. When is the last time they have done anything that could be confused with their shows from the 80's? Many fans (including me) have not even seen much of that, other than some jumpy video. Instead there has been Broadway, "Cavies-lite" and assorted other nebulous themes that have sometimes come off as disjointed pieces instead of a complete idea. The new uniform seems a personification of that - four different elements that are not necessarily working together. Having an identity is a blessing. Have fun and be daring in it's variations, but embrace it! Who could do a better job with something moving about New Orleans? Genesis? That's an off-the-shelf idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRSINKSPIRIT Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 I see Spirit out of Finals this year with Crossmen moving into finals. I hear a lot of talk about how difficult the show is. Reading through this, I also see that they are struggling with the difficulty. I'm also not hearing many positive things about the guard.I know it's one viewing and things can change over the course of the season, but when you start the season 6 points out of 12th, it's a lot of ground to make up. Sorry to sit on your kitten, but I don't see Spirit making finals this year. So, you are telling me that on the first show of the year that the corps is struggling with the difficulty... hhmmm.... If everyone was great the first show out, why would there be a season. It looked like every corps had trouble with the difficulty of their show. Oh, and we all know that putting scores together from other shows means nothing until the corps are at the same show, so 6 points out of 12th is not really correct. I haven't seen this much potential in a Spirit show since I got into the activity. And they made finals 4 out of the last 5 years, don't be surprised when they are there again. More importantly the kids love the show, so either way, it is going to be a great season for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 (edited) Having an identity is a blessing. Have fun and be daring in it's variations, but embrace it! Who could do a better job with something moving about New Orleans? Home run. Other than Magic 97/98...which was more of an overarch of "blues"....this is largely unexplored territory. Added depth with, say.... with an original ballad that commemorates the Katrina tragedy (think a variation on the Cavaliers Chicago fire 2005 deal), would be easy to do. Frame that around some of the more modern jazz coming from the area and there ya go. :) Edited June 19, 2007 by bawker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 What about a "Midnight In The Garden Of Good and Evil" show? Plenty Southern, no need to use all Johnny Mercer tunes like the movie, though...flesh it out with some guard actors (Spirit's guard's in the 80's were always over-the top, right?)...even have one as "Lady Chablis". :P My favorite book ever. I would love this idea. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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