Trumpet of Doom Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 So, I got my finals DVD in the mail yesterday (YAY!) I watched the whole thing through, after watching L.D. Bells performance, I really cannot understand why they received first. For about 1/4 of their show they all hid under those white bubble things and all that was going on was some little girl singing and piano, I was about ready to fall asleep. Can someone PLEASE point out to me what is so great about L.D. Bell! I DO NOT WANT REPLIES TELLING ME HOW STUPID MY OPINION IS! I want some good reasons so I can think about this more.
Trumpet of Doom Posted March 29, 2008 Author Posted March 29, 2008 Or maybe i'm just not into that kind of thing.
Danpod Posted March 29, 2008 Posted March 29, 2008 Trumpet of Doom said: So, I got my finals DVD in the mail yesterday (YAY!) I watched the whole thing through, after watching L.D. Bells performance, I really cannot understand why they received first. For about 1/4 of their show they all hid under those white bubble things and all that was going on was some little girl singing and piano, I was about ready to fall asleep. Can someone PLEASE point out to me what is so great about L.D. Bell! I DO NOT WANT REPLIES TELLING ME HOW STUPID MY OPINION IS! I want some good reasons so I can think about this more. Here are a few reasons why they won: 1) Music became the difference. L.D. Bell has a .7 margin in music above Overall 2nd Place Avon. A Texas band winning Music???? No way... 2) Complex drill package that covered the field very well. 3) Great visual and musical dynamics (Creating a variety of emotions) Should you have to watch Pan's Labyrinth to understand the show in its entirety? You might have to. However, should you have to watch Pan's Labyrinth to appreciate what they are doing on the field? Absolutely not. My boys in the stands will not hesitate to tell you that this show's effect will not come off on a recording, even if you watch it on Blu-Ray with 7.1 Surround Sound. It's just one of those things where the experience and the journey you witness live goes beyond any placement given out. At the same token, that's exactly why they won.
Fata1 Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Yeah Danpod covered it for me. I'd just like to mention that the whole being under the silk sheets for such a long time doesn't make much of a difference. If you cut out the part of the show that they hid under the sheets and didn't seem to be playing (although I've heard that they were playing but you couldn't hear on a recording) then they still would have played and marched an amazing show that was just as hard and just as long as any of the other top bands at the contest. L.D. Bell just pushed it to extra lengths to give their show some extreme emotions to please the judges but also the crowd. This doesn't mean you have to enjoy their show. That is purely opinion. You should, however, acknowledge the fact that their music and drill was very challenging and they executed their show better than any of the other bands. Because of this, they won.
b_sax_agent Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 to me, there is a difference in enjoying the show and if it is really good. I don't enjoy Marcus's show, but they are probably the best marching band in Texas. I like excitement and energy, and Ld Bell is a marching band that I don't enjoy, but I will still say they were the best band there. At least visually. Parkwoodmom 1
Trumpet of Doom Posted March 30, 2008 Author Posted March 30, 2008 Okay thanks for the feedback, I was seriously expecting some hate posts but thanks for listening. I agree with sax, I have seen Pan's Labrynth and enjoyed it quite a bit. L.D. is an extremely good band, i'm just glad that a Texas band won. After all, the individual music definently showed where the best players come from. :-)
b_sax_agent Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 I don't hate people for their opinions. some people don't like somethings, and it's rude to say that someone sucks because they say Bell wasn't their favorite show. We are all musicians here, so in all, it doesn't matter where we come from if we have a common interest.
mbui Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Trumpet of Doom said: So, I got my finals DVD in the mail yesterday (YAY!) I watched the whole thing through, after watching L.D. Bells performance, I really cannot understand why they received first. For about 1/4 of their show they all hid under those white bubble things and all that was going on was some little girl singing and piano, I was about ready to fall asleep. Can someone PLEASE point out to me what is so great about L.D. Bell! I DO NOT WANT REPLIES TELLING ME HOW STUPID MY OPINION IS! I want some good reasons so I can think about this more. You'll need to watch their previous shows in order to get why they do what they do. The white bubble fabric represent clouds. Their 2007 show was part of a trilogy which ties in with the 2005 (Ascension: Light of Gold) and 2006 (The Remaining) shows. Watch the ending of the 2006 show with the cloud fabric and it will all make sense. The little girl in the '07 show represents Ofelia (the girl) from the Pan's Labyrinth movie. If you're a regular band parent or a first timer watching their show, you're not going to get it. To keep it short and simple, the 2005 show was about ascending into heaven, and 2006 was about evil and rapture and those the remained in the end, hence the show title "The Remaining." (2005) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KevSuusEWsk (2006) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay2k9mX0dXE L.D. Bell's music performance and entire show program was impeccable. As great as Avon was, L.D. Bell had the dynamics, the sound, the clarity, and the total package. That's the type of show that wins a championship. Watching L.D. Bell live....there's something different in the air. It's not a knock on other bands. It's just that when it comes L.D. Bell.....it's much more than watching a marching band show. It's a production. It's a story. It's emotional. It's art. And more importabtly, it grabs everyones attention. That's the vibe and swagger that they give out when they step on to the field. I saw L.D. Bell a total of five times this past year at the BOA San Antonio Super Regional and at BOA Grand Nationals. People gasped, cried, and shivered while watching their show. That's type of emotion that they bring out in you when you watch them in person. Just my $.02.
Trumpet of Doom Posted March 30, 2008 Author Posted March 30, 2008 I really appreciate that post mbui, I have seen their show live. I've thought about the trilogy like crazy, mostly how each one tied together. The Remaining, in my opinion, was a much more 1st place deserving show. It just didn't turn out that way.
bluebellbrass07 Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 Trumpet of Doom said: I really appreciate that post mbui, I have seen their show live. I've thought about the trilogy like crazy, mostly how each one tied together. The Remaining, in my opinion, was a much more 1st place deserving show. It just didn't turn out that way. As much as I agree, 07 was miles cleaner drill wise than 06. They just performed the heck out the show this year. When I get chills while watching a band through a semi okay quality webcast, you know they're doing something right
Xenon Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 bluebellbrass07 said: As much as I agree, 07 was miles cleaner drill wise than 06. Agreed, the uncharateristic lack of cleanliness (relative) in the drill in 2006 was the real lacking in that show. It was actually really cool to see that show evolve and the things they came up with to hide or draw attention away from those flaws. I went to a few LD Bell practices in both 2006 and 2007, and you could just feel in the air that they REALLY wanted it and were a complete cohesive unit in 2007. The feeling was there in 2006 too, but much more so in 2007.
Trumpet of Doom Posted March 30, 2008 Author Posted March 30, 2008 Hmm, never thought of that. I suppose all bands can have that sort of air if they REALLY want 1st place.
treblemaker Posted March 30, 2008 Posted March 30, 2008 I saw the show in person both at San Antonio and Grand Nationals and what they pulled off at GN most definitly deserved 1st place. I sat in the audience and was almost in awe the entire show even though I had just seen it 2 weeks earlier. You could feel the atmosphere around the crowd and their reactions to the ending of the show in particular is something I wont ever forget. I knew when they finished they had took first place. I guess you just had to be there to really feel the show.
Trumpet of Doom Posted March 30, 2008 Author Posted March 30, 2008 (edited) Sadly, I couldn't be there. I was in the back warming up. Edited March 30, 2008 by Trumpet of Doom
b_sax_agent Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 but in all and all, it's up to the judges to decide. My mom talked to one of the band directors at U Mass., and he said Richland had the most exciteing show; we just couldn't preform our show at the level LD Bell could. And the judges knew that, and therefore, we got ninth.
bluebellbrass07 Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 nothing against anyone, but it seems like every year there are multiple people that think that band that won shouldn't. Thats just part of marching band being such a subjective activity.
radchad Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 One of the coolest parts about the 07 marching season is the fact that I was lucky enough to see this show evolve. The first time I saw it was at the BOA Arlington Regional. I was in shock because it was so different from 'The Remaining' but I really wanted to see more of what they had. In total, I think I saw this show 8 times throughout the season(not including the performances at GN). The last time I saw it was at their send off performance and my heart melted when they played. The sound was so distinct.. so crisp and rich. It's very interesting to see the different interpretations of what a marching show should be. You never really know what to expect at marching competitions because some bands focus more on music while others focus primarily on crazy drill that excites the audience. Of course, this includes everything in between. But I have to say, any band that can give me chills.. even when I am watching them online, have to be a band that deserves something. After watching all the performances, I must say that I think they got most of the placings dead on. A lot of people were upset that Avon did not win, but it just came down to music this year. You just never know what to expect. LD Bell had(when it comes to final placings) a good lead in the music caption over Avon. Something I noticed when I saw them in their send off performance was that they WERE playing some while under the sheets. I also believe the whole band sang at some point, but I am not for certain on that. Another thing I do hear quite a bit is that their show was 'boring' and that they barely did anything. Well, last year there were parts where the band wasn't playing, yet people never said anything about that. The show was slower paced, but it was all about the performance.. what the show means. The music/drill represented the idea behind the show. In my opinion, whoever wrote their drill did a great job at covering the field with drill and using it to a really big extent. The drill was way cleaner in this year's finals performance compared to last year's, too. My only beef with the show was that I think they should have given the little girl an earpiece mic or something. Her holding the microphone kinda took away from the effect a little, but overall the show was just great. Haha, sorry for rambling.
Xenon Posted March 31, 2008 Posted March 31, 2008 radchad said: In my opinion, whoever wrote their drill did a great job at covering the field with drill and using it to a really big extent. Brian Youngblood. He also writes drill for Duncanville, Leander, and many other well known bands including his own TCU Hornfrog marching band.
Trumpet of Doom Posted April 9, 2008 Author Posted April 9, 2008 Man and us at The Woodlands have a Blast dude writing for us, nonetheless good job L.D. Bell and good luck at 2008 GN I hope you keep the eagle in Texas!
mbui Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 Trumpet of Doom said: Man and us at The Woodlands have a Blast dude writing for us, nonetheless good job L.D. Bell and good luck at 2008 GN I hope you keep the eagle in Texas! His name is Jon Vanderkolf. And, I hope you guys at The Woodlands keep him for a LONG time. I have certainly enjoyed The Woodlands the past couple of years.
b_sax_agent Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 I like the woodlands show last year. Hide and seek was too propish for me. but what am I to say with 7 giant Ipods?
bluebellbrass07 Posted April 9, 2008 Posted April 9, 2008 mbui said: His name is Jon Vanderkolf. And, I hope you guys at The Woodlands keep him for a LONG time. I have certainly enjoyed The Woodlands the past couple of years. I saw him in blast a few days ago! That was of the greatest musical experiences of my life! : )
WestCoastCorpsFan Posted April 10, 2008 Posted April 10, 2008 Anyone heard their concert bands... thats all I have to say...
thetransfer Posted April 10, 2008 Posted April 10, 2008 WestCoastCorpsFan said: Anyone heard their concert bands... thats all I have to say... All of their concert bands sound pretty amazing. Like not one sounds bad. Bad being uncharacteristic sounds and tuning problems. They all play very well. I'm transferring there next year so I'm really excited for that!
bluebellbrass07 Posted April 10, 2008 Posted April 10, 2008 WestCoastCorpsFan said: Anyone heard their concert bands... thats all I have to say... Lucky for Bell they won a marching band competition
Recommended Posts