Ryan H. Turner Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 There's an old adage, probably from the Big Book of Motherly Advice, that says something along the lines of, "If you can't say anything nice, don't post on DCP." So, I'm going to follow that rule. There were MANY, MANY, MANY things that really bothered me on Saturday night not only about individual corps and their particular performances, but MORE importantly, on decisions being made about shows and what not that nearly sent me over the edge. I figure its best to bite my tongue. All is not lost though--I will give some quick highlights. Quick. Ryan quick at typing? Well, it may just be a first. Highlights worth talking about-- So Cal Dream--the best So Cal Dream since they were formed. PERIOD. They had some goofy mistakes visually but musically, about as solid a 22 man hornline you'll ever hear. Especially at the end of First Contact with the company front. HOLY COW. Gold--Can't say enough about them. They are now officially on the right track, and will be making a major run at Division III finals and even possibly Top 3 at Pasadena. VERY impressed. Stamina, impact from the horns, and the normal early season visual goofs aside, my crystal ball is flashing gold right now. VERY good job!! Impulse--what a drum line!! The Academy--Top 12 for sure...I may even say Top 10. Some of the hardest music out on the field. WICKED runs coming from the hornline. Visual package is FAR stronger than last year with some interesting moments in the drill, which is (finally) nice to say. Guard is big and good! Music is The Academy's strength. Bar none. Unbelievable sound!!! SCV--for 75% of the show, I was in awe. The last 25% is newest and weakest, but still, you can see what's going to be coming, and man, I've said this in past reviews over the years, but they may TRULY be the dark horse this season. I was SO unbelievably impressed. Sound, drill, concept...BRILLIANT. Loved it. Thanks...that's all I can say for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeWee Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Thanks Ryan. But...it's so...short! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdkappasig Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 bd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeWee Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 bd? I'm assuming that was part of the tongue-biting, but I could be wrong. I was wondering about that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H. Turner Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 "That's all I can say for now" should speak volumes considering my reputation for reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 "That's all I can say for now" should speak volumes considering my reputation for reviews. So.....from an announcer's perspective, what do you think of the new intro scripting? From what I heard at P West and Stockton...I can't STAND it! someone at BD alum rehearsal yesterday thought it was for apd recording....but at every show??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H. Turner Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 (edited) I guess this may cost me to say this, but it's truly one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Someone came up to me at a break and said, "Hey, what's with all of your mistakes tonight." You see, when you have a reputation of talking about a corps show BEFORE they perform, it educates the audience a bit. I was forbidden from doing so. Apparently this all ties in with the 5-min warm up rule. I won't spill the beans who said this to me, but needless to say, someone "important", who referred to this script set up very sardonically as the "Hopkins Rule". I don't know if he asked for it at the Rules Congress or whatever, but truly, it's dumb. If DCI were to have maybe asked the professional announcers out there how to do this to make it a TAD more professional sounding, I would have suggested they can keep the 3-min rule of saying "And now entering the field..." 3 mins prior to the scheduled step off time. But instead of asking the DM if the corps is ready at the one minute mark and then WAITING AN ADDITIONAL MINUTE for the "DCI is proud to present..." (where I was "making my mistake"...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...IT WAS THE SCRIPT!!), you wait until 30 seconds, ask the DM if they're ready, and then IMMEDIATELY say "DCI is proud to present...". Sigh. That way, the audience isn't sitting there in abject silence uncomfortably waiting for the corps to start after the DM has saluted and acknowledged the announcement. It's very awkward feeling in terms of timing. I am all for not saying "Are the judges ready?" because really, they've never been NOT ready. So that's cool. But the timing of the whole asking the DM if the corps is ready and starting the show is very awkward. Uncomfortable. Once the DM salutes, then that's it. That's when the announcement "Drum Corps International is proud to present, from__________, the ________________". NOW I SAID MORE THAN I WANTED AND I'M NOT BITING MY TONGUE. ###### SAM!!!!! But yes...I believe they need to rethink the script part. I don't give a care about the 5 min whatever. Not one corps needed it. Strike that...one did. Hence...my non-review. Edited June 25, 2007 by Ryan H. Turner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 SnipSo Cal Dream--the best So Cal Dream since they were formed. PERIOD. They had some goofy mistakes visually but musically, about as solid a 22 man hornline you'll ever hear. Especially at the end of First Contact with the company front. HOLY COW. Snip Ryan thanks for the words, we actually had a nice(read...set to set for 6 hours) rehearsal on Sunday and corrected some of those "goofy" mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCIHasBeen Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 But yes...I believe they need to rethink the script part. I don't give a care about the 5 min whatever. Not one corps needed it. Strike that...one did. Hence...my non-review. In addition, I'm sick of hearing "Drum Corp International is proud to present ..." before every corps. Someone in DCI must have read something about brand reinforcement and now they are determined to shove the DCI name up our butts whenever possible. Aside from being annoyingly repetitious, Drum Corps International proidly presents NOTHING! DCI is neither the backing organization or production team for these corps. DCI is a facilitator for these shows and nothing more. The people who have they right to proudly present these corps are the booster clubs and organizations that run the corps, raise money for the corps, and put the corps on the field ... to say nothing about moving them all around the country all summer. Frankly, not only is the announcement irritating, it's an insult to every corps and the organizations that run them. There, I said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganhill Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 (edited) Wow! I had no idea the Academy had made such terrific strides during the winter months. Top 12 or top 10, seriously? More power to them!! (I should make a serious attempt to attend some local shows prior to DCI Championships.) Edited June 25, 2007 by morganhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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