DCI 2014: first and very judgemental impressions of a few shows
I'll write about my trip soon, but i wanted to jot this out there while i had the opportunity before i thrust myself back into work.
yesterday i took a peek at a few of the 2014 drum corps shows out there, and this is the impression i had of the ones that i saw:
1. Blue Devils. Not nearly as good as their 2013 show. Couldn't watch to the end, appreciated how well they performed. Moving those platforms from a single platform into "lanes" for the corps to march through is a huge mistake - it's impossible to make that look good without big picture guidance, and it stuck out as a visual eyesore until they moved it to a new form.
2. Cadets. There have been years where I could get over my personal bias against the Cadets, say, "yeah i don't like them, but their show was pretty great." This show was kind of the antithesis of that. I was done after about two minutes, but stuck it out for another two before i had to shut it off. The hornline clearly had a bad night that night or they're just not that great. But more than that, the show design was dull dull dull. It felt like it was trapped in its own brand and didn't know how to get out. The concept, the horn arranging, the overall show design felt antiquated and didn't feel anything different from the Cadets ten years ago.
3. Crown. Very compelling show. That metal drum solo thing was awesome, reminded me a lot of what David Lang would do if he were to write for drums. Horn line was pretty outstanding, although the mellophone writing was a little show-offy for my taste. Overall show design both visually and musically was pretty great, except for the closer - the drill was awesome, but the music felt out of character from the rest of the show.
4. Cavaliers. I like the show design overall, although I can't say that it was a superior show design to Devils or Cadets, it was just more to my taste. The hornline must be super young because it was clear that by the end of the show they were tired as their intonation went to shite. The marimba solo thing was pretty hokey, but it was unique and effective, so i appreciate it even though it wasn't exactly my sort of thing.
Probably this weekend i'll take the time to watch a bunch of shows in full length, maybe even grudge my way through the Cadets show even though i know i'll just hate it more, but we'll see. I have a lot of stuff to take care of, and i'm on a huge momentum kick right now, so i want to keep that going while i have a chance.
yesterday i took a peek at a few of the 2014 drum corps shows out there, and this is the impression i had of the ones that i saw:
1. Blue Devils. Not nearly as good as their 2013 show. Couldn't watch to the end, appreciated how well they performed. Moving those platforms from a single platform into "lanes" for the corps to march through is a huge mistake - it's impossible to make that look good without big picture guidance, and it stuck out as a visual eyesore until they moved it to a new form.
2. Cadets. There have been years where I could get over my personal bias against the Cadets, say, "yeah i don't like them, but their show was pretty great." This show was kind of the antithesis of that. I was done after about two minutes, but stuck it out for another two before i had to shut it off. The hornline clearly had a bad night that night or they're just not that great. But more than that, the show design was dull dull dull. It felt like it was trapped in its own brand and didn't know how to get out. The concept, the horn arranging, the overall show design felt antiquated and didn't feel anything different from the Cadets ten years ago.
3. Crown. Very compelling show. That metal drum solo thing was awesome, reminded me a lot of what David Lang would do if he were to write for drums. Horn line was pretty outstanding, although the mellophone writing was a little show-offy for my taste. Overall show design both visually and musically was pretty great, except for the closer - the drill was awesome, but the music felt out of character from the rest of the show.
4. Cavaliers. I like the show design overall, although I can't say that it was a superior show design to Devils or Cadets, it was just more to my taste. The hornline must be super young because it was clear that by the end of the show they were tired as their intonation went to shite. The marimba solo thing was pretty hokey, but it was unique and effective, so i appreciate it even though it wasn't exactly my sort of thing.
Probably this weekend i'll take the time to watch a bunch of shows in full length, maybe even grudge my way through the Cadets show even though i know i'll just hate it more, but we'll see. I have a lot of stuff to take care of, and i'm on a huge momentum kick right now, so i want to keep that going while i have a chance.