Carolina Crown 2024 -- "Promethean"

[N.E. Brigand]

Only watched "Promethean" (aka "On the Slab" [Harlan Ellison, 1981]). The torch should light up, and they need to find some way to make the eagle legitimately scary.

I was today years old when I learned that Angry Candy won the World Science Fiction award for best short story collection in 1989. It was assigned reading for all freshmen in the "scholars" program the next fall, my first year at college. Ellison wrote us an ingratiating letter -- I remember my English professor relating a colleague's remark about us students: "They're not going to fall for that, are they?" -- and he spoke to a packed auditorium near the end of the semester. It was a very entertaining speech.

Anyway, here's a thread to talk about Carolina Crown's show, which seems to be getting very mixed responses.

[marimba11]

Not to be a negative Nancy, but being two points behind Boston and Devils whereas Coats are another point beyond - that is not the place you want to be if you are Crown. Now I realize so many corps would kill to be in their position, but that isn't really the dilemma here. The dilemma is year after year (since 2017 basically - the Rick Subel days) Crown's shows have just not kept up design wise with their counterparts. From drill, to music design, to staging. And when the performance captions are in medalist position, but your design is day in 5th, that's when you have a problem - especially when it has been a pattern of really 6 seasons now.  

Answering Yayband's question to elaborate on Crown this year from the BD thread:


First, there is huge lack of variety in the drill. The drill right before the last set of the John Mackey is downright ugly (I know it is a placeholder but still). Musically except from the opening hit of the "run" piece there are some major design issues in the music that bumping the tempo will not fix. Much like 2022 and 23 the show loses steam after the odd drum break where they play the Wall-e music. It needs to seriously be cut down as the runs are impressive but do nothing for effect. Ballad is beautiful, but it is too long and visually there is nothing memorable about the drill or any real excitement at all visually. The Mackey piece has mixed reviews, I think there are pretty parts to it, but overall he needs some training on how to write for a drum corps. Right now, as it is, it's pretty underwhelming - starts big and goes really nowhere. 

Compared to everything Coats, Boston, BD are doing in a 11 min show - I think Crown will be in grave trouble soon and 4th might be their best placement all season (against everyone). There's only so much being clean can do to add to effect when your show just doesn't have enough of it in the first place. 

Btw this is my opinion and I have no stake in the race, but I think these marching members seriously deserve better. 

[N.E. Brigand]

Good stuff, there. Much to contemplate and I look forward to engaging with what you wrote.

But not just at the moment. And this takes away nothing from your analysis, but I was curious about your reference to an "11 minute show," so using that as an excuse, and using the most recent videos I can find on Youtube, I checked show lengths, from the "DCI is proud to present" announcement to the show's conclusion, for the top six corps at Broken Arrow:

12 min. 29 sec. -- Bluecoats
11 min. 32 sec. -- Blue Devils
11 min. 38 sec. -- Boston Crusaders
12 min. 10 sec. -- Carolina Crown
11 min. 14 sec. -- Phantom Regiment
11 min. 13 sec. -- Mandarins

Crusaders and Mandarins both have a little activity before the announcement that is not included in the time I list. I'm also not sure how long the judged show is for each group, because the camera often isn't showing the judge who signals that.

[crowncrawler]

Jul 17, 2024 17:18:58 GMT -6 marimba11 said:

First, there is huge lack of variety in the drill. The drill right before the last set of the John Mackey is downright ugly (I know it is a placeholder but still). Musically except from the opening hit of the "run" piece there are some major design issues in the music that bumping the tempo will not fix. Much like 2022 and 23 the show loses steam after the odd drum break where they play the Wall-e music. It needs to seriously be cut down as the runs are impressive but do nothing for effect. Ballad is beautiful, but it is too long and visually there is nothing memorable about the drill or any real excitement at all visually. The Mackey piece has mixed reviews, I think there are pretty parts to it, but overall he needs some training on how to write for a drum corps. Right now, as it is, it's pretty underwhelming - starts big and goes really nowhere.

Compared to everything Coats, Boston, BD are doing in a 11 min show - I think Crown will be in grave trouble soon and 4th might be their best placement all season (against everyone). There's only so much being clean can do to add to effect when your show just doesn't have enough of it in the first place.

Btw this is my opinion and I have no stake in the race, but I think these marching members seriously deserve better.

Hard agree on pretty much everything you said, especially regarding the drill

[N.E. Brigand]

This is about Carolina Crown but not about this year. Eric Carr, who marched Crown's 2010 show, A Second Chance, has a new video out today about that experience, and he mentions something I hadn't heard before: the corps swapped out two movements of their show after their five-week spring camp, apparently due to copyright reasons:



Does anyone know what music got cut?

He also notes that in their efforts to help the hornline member who infamously broke his ankle during Finals, the staff... well, watch the video to find out the rest.

[N.E. Brigand]

The new ending though predictable is helpful, and they may yet regain fourth place, but as I may have said before, this show reminds me of Cavaliers' 2009 show, "The Great Divide": technically proficient but flat and rote.