2008 DCI Dallas Discussion

[the terminator]

oh ok, I was about to say they scored like what the second best score in July

 

although I for one, am rooting for Crown

Edited July 18, 2008 by the terminator

[dmbalash]

  Danpod said:

Haha. Huge error on DCI.org. No need to worry. 88.70 is more like it.

 

or 89.7.

[ftwdrummer]

Since I'm one of those poor heathens who hasn't gotten an iPhone, or any other phone with 'Net access...here's my full-blown review in one shot (minus Frontier, because I got sent ahead to hit Will Call for people, and couldn't get in before they started).

 

Mandarins really impressed me with their sound. I was not expecting that big of a sound from them (having been relatively unimpressed with them last year), but they did quite well. Visual was somewhat off, but an impressive step by Mandarins.

 

Next up was Pioneer. Alas...much as I wanted to like their show (our former percussion director is their snare tech this year)...I didn't. It's nothing personally against the corps; the show just...wasn't that good. Using Lincolnshire was pretty cool, but...traditional Irish music just doesn't really work for me. Sorry, Pioneer. Their percussion section was pretty good, though.

 

Crossmen. I was going to cheer these guys wildly whether they were good, bad, or dreck, as my ancestors from the old country would have put it. Fortunately for my credibility, they were excellent. Not using their pre-show (as per the .midi file on Guidry's Web site), they simply started with a BANG! full-force into Jupiter...it was awesome to hear. Their performance of "What a Wonderful World" was absolutely perfect. All in all, an excellent effort by the XMen.

 

The Madison Scouts got dang lucky that the color of artificial turf at the stadium was just enough off from their uniforms that they were visible. It still astounds me that the best Latin-music corps around is from...Wisconsin, but they performed it beautifully. Unfortunately, I missed their fleur-de-lis set (or it wasn't in there), but the pit playing four-mallet style with the left while playing shaker with the right was quite impressive.

 

I was all set to enjoy Pacific Crest. The surprise story of the year, I enjoy corps that come out of nowhere to impress. Unfortunately...the show just felt...flat. It tried to reach for me...I felt the front side of its fingers grasping at me...but it never caught me.

 

The Blue Knights were...the Blue Knights. Definitely a darker show (as they are wont to do), the show also tried to grab me. It also failed, as well. I was always watching (couldn't take my eyes away from the astounding visual package)...but it never caught me well.

 

After seeing tonight's show, I have no doubt that the Blue Devils won't just tie the Frameworks high-score record...they'll shatter it. In all senses of the concept "absurd," this show was it: absurdly unique, absurdly well-played...absurdly amazing. The only issue I had was that the closer felt a bit off from the rest of the show; it felt too bright, too...major, as opposed to the show, which felt minor. The music felt a bit too...happy, I guess is a good word, for "spreadeagled over the empty air of existence." Still an amazing performance.

 

SCV's show had brilliant drill. The uniforms were sharp...the corps as a whole looked impeccable. But...while the music fit, I felt that it was somewhat lacking. Probably my personal bias against Key Poulan talking, but it just...wasn't there for me. More's the pity. The Vanguard yell was totally unexpected (I was really ticked that I missed aiding it, actually)...needs a little more warning for the world.

 

As a Phantom phan, I was ready to love Spartacus. And it delivered. In every sense of the word, this corps Performed their show. From the head drum major riding in on his slave-driven chariot, to the "live or die" killing at the end of the first movement (I personally think they need to mic the drum major for that, because I wanted to shout "Die," but couldn't hear my cue to), to the murder of Phrygia at the end of the love ballad, to Spartacus being honored by the Romans who killed him at the end of the show, this show was Performed beautifully. The music fit quite well, the new uniforms (a gold band hanging over the back of the right shoulder, and connecting right shoulder to left, instead of the traditional black sash over the right) were excellent...the pith helmets worked well...all in all, a fantastic Show, in the L.D. Bell sense of Show.

Edited July 18, 2008 by ftwdrummer