Armchair Program Coordinator 2024
First Impressions - Part One
After DCI Finals last year, I embarked on what was probably my favorite project I’ve worked on with GEM. I called it “Armchair Program Coordinator” because I'd like to see more fair discussions of the art of show design. I gave notes on what I liked about each finalist corps’ product while also offering thoughts on where they could be improved.
This year, we are expanding the project to include a First Reaction to each corps’ premiere. It will be fun to see what changes a corps makes throughout the season, how right (or wrong) I was, and use all that information for the post-season review.
Before we get into it, I’d like to remind everyone that these are just my opinions as a fan with no actual design experience. I am just having fun pretending and want to see every corps succeed at the highest level.
Let’s get into the five corps who performed at the first DCI show of the 2024 season, the Midwest Premier in Rockford, MI, on June 26th.
Blue Stars - Universal
The first World Class corps of the night was the Blue Stars, and following a 2023 season with the corps finishing in a disappointing 11th, they looked and sounded much improved, which was a great way to start the night. Their show, Universal, seems like it’ll be just another space show, but much to the relief of fans everywhere, Gustav Holst’s The Planets is absent. The first thing that stuck out to me was how excellent the staging in the opener, something I was delighted to see remaining the case for the entire show. You are never left confused about where the focus should be, and the staging showcases their fantastic-as-always color guard. Additionally, despite the prop’s large sizes, they never feel “in the way.”
The uniforms had me skeptical, having only seen them up close, but seeing them from the high-cam while the corps is in formation to highlight the gradients, they really are quite effective. Musically, it is also very strong, with excellent pacing throughout, though there are a handful of awkward moments. Particularly, the transition with the voice sample leading into the ballad hit, given the quick jumping between very different musical styles, is awkward.
Overall, the Blue Stars team’s product is focused and tightly designed. My only major critique is that the show’s theme is a bit safe and surface-level. However, that seems to be an intentional choice following last year’s more esoteric design. You can really tell the members enjoy performing this show.
Phantom Regiment - mynd
The second corps of the night was Phantom Regiment, which finished a strong 7th last year with a fan-favorite product that, while I enjoyed, I was probably more mixed than most because I thought their ballad wasn’t as effective as it could have been.
Their show this year is called mynd and is a commentary on the never-stopping and all-encompassing nature of human imagination. Last year’s show felt very visually reminiscent of the late 2010s Santa Clara Vanguard, and that trend continues this year, and I’ve gotta say, they absolutely nail the design style.
With such an emphasis on staging, it’s easy to use a limited part of the field (which was one of my complaints with last year’s show); however, this year they take advantage of the entire field and are sure not to let the props box them in… well, other than the moment where they literally get boxed in by the props (very cool effect, but you know what I mean…). My favorite example of this is during the ballad. Most corps would have the hornline perform the hit at the front of the field, but the design team at Phantom made the bold choice of staging them all the way in the back, which paid off in spades.
What I think needs to be changed is a moment after the ballad in the groovy breakdown session: the electronic distortion effects on the trombone and euphonium. These effects feel unnecessary, and I feel that section would be just as effective, if not more if we could hear the pure tones of the performers. Alternatively, the effects may not be right yet, and a different effect on the mics might change my feeling.
The show ends on a high note with what is already one of my favorite closers in DCI history; the mellophones steal the show, performing a classic mello sustain but moving up in pitch gradually in a chromatic zigzag. Its impact is astounding (while also delivering a finale of the ongoing Moonlight Sonata motif, combined with the late Cadets’ iconic Z-Pull in the drill). This was easily my favorite show of the night, and I can’t wait to see the show in person at the Texas Tour.
Colts - On Fields
The Colts had a historic 2023 season, tying their highest placement in finals at 9th and breaking the 90-point barrier for the first time. This year’s show, On Fields, takes the audience on a journey through the various concepts of fields, whether it be fields of corn from the corps’ home state of Iowa or the battlefield where people have sacrificed their lives for a greater cause.
Last year’s costumes felt too monochromatic; this year’s feels like an overcorrection. They are very busy, particularly in the legs, which makes the drill hard to read while simultaneously making foot timing and choreography inconsistencies stick out like a sore thumb. I think that if they kept the tops as is and made the pants legs just two or even one color, this would fix the readability issues quite well.
I thought the MacArthur Park arrangement lacked musical direction, leaving me wanting more. Perhaps delivering on the motif later in the show with a more up-tempo rendition of the melody closer to the original would make it feel more satisfying.
The ballad starts well, showcasing a talented euphonium soloist after my own euphonium-playing heart. Still, the solo feels overwritten with too many notes when I’d rather enjoy the performer’s sound and emotion in the long notes. Following the soloist, it feels like the movement has three separate endings. I think there’s room to tighten up the pacing here by ending after the first or second big moments. The closer opens up with what I feel is a very well-written and executed percussion break, but after that, it feels like an entire show in and of itself. I get the idea of bringing everything back together, and it did tie the whole show together, but there may be opportunities to do that more succinctly.
Overall, it’s not a bad product, but I can’t say I’ve fallen in love with it just yet.
The Cavaliers - Beneath the Armor
Last year, The Cavaliers celebrated their 75th anniversary with a show highlighting their identity, referencing some of the most famous moments from throughout their history that both alumni and fans loved. It seems that the team wanted to further highlight their identity with a deconstruction of masculinity and the emotion that men tend to hide Beneath the Armor.
From early on in the show, it’s difficult for me to follow what is going on from both a musical and visual standpoint, as there doesn’t seem to be much momentum from idea to idea on either front. This leaves me confused about what the larger picture is supposed to be. I think a reexamination of the transitional elements of the writing would be necessary to help make this product feel whole.
My favorite parts of the show are when the drumline is staged front and center. The percussion writing is impeccable, and the members execute it to a very high level for this early in the season. I also quite enjoy the uniform change during the ballad, as the corps literally removes their armor to show what is hidden underneath.
My final complaint is pretty trivial, but the faces on the backdrops just look creepy to me, though I understand the intent.
All in all, I can’t say this show has grabbed me quite yet, but I’ve gone into a season not quite clicking with a show and coming out the other side loving it, and I fully believe that The Cavaliers have the staff and talent to take this show to the next level.
Boston Crusaders - Glitch
The final corps of the night was the Boston Crusaders, the fourth-place finisher from 2023. They had a strong showing at the premiere and are poised to maintain or improve on their finish from last year.
Their 2024 show Glitch is delightful and accessible, with a pleasing color palette in the hornline uniforms that evoke the image of color test bars on a TV when it’s “glitching.” However, the percussion wearing all black is too stark a difference from the bright tones of the hornline costumes, and I wish they could at least be wearing another neutral color like white or a light gray/silver. The musical arrangement of the opener and how the colorful corps collect gradually for the show’s initial impact works really well.
The percussion feature that starts the second movement feels a little long, but what follows next is an exciting collage of various tunes that are recognizable to the audience and organized in a glitchy and disordered fashion. While I think this is an excellent way to capture the show’s theme, it makes it a bit hard for me to follow and stay invested as all the momentum is constantly stopping and restarting. The glue between these sections is turntable scratches accompanying the rest of the percussion. It feels a little repetitive after the first couple of transitional sections, so perhaps varying the glitchy sound effects would help with the pacing here.
The drill for most of the show feels very clustered and tends not to want to spread out across the field, a very jarring effect for what is a mostly propless field. I’d love to see the corps take up more of the field, especially in significant moments like the end of the second movement.
I’m a huge fan of the way the glitch theme is reflected in the closer, but it feels unfinished. I am confident that there is more to come, and I’m excited to see what changes they make to elevate the product to its potential.
I greatly enjoyed this first show of the year, and it has only made me more excited than I already was for everything to kick into gear. To reiterate, these are my personal opinions as someone who is merely a fan who likes to share their opinion online (I know, unheard of). I aim not to tear down the work of the membership of every corps, merely to drive further discussion and drum up more excitement for this activity I deeply love. I will see y’all again following tonight’s shows, when I will discuss my initial reactions to Carolina Crown, Santa Clara Vanguard, Mandarins, Blue Devils, and Pacific Crest.
Do you agree with me? Do you think these takes are absolutely ridiculous? Tell me below!
Aaron Blackley is one of the original contributors for General Effect Media. He has a vast knowledge and passion for the marching arts and has worked alongside the likes of HornRank as a ranker and moderator as well as the TxBands.com liveblog team since summer 2021. Aaron currently works front of house at Interstellar BBQ in North Austin. He can be found on Twitter as @GEMAaronB.
I simply don’t understand the tone of toxic positivity in this activity. There’s no need to be a cheerleader for designers. They’re being paid thousands of dollars to do a professional task, and work on shows for months or years to get them to a professional level by the time the season starts. Your critiques should be honest, firm, and without unnecessary tiptoeing. Trust me, hand-holding doesn’t happen in professional design and production development meetings.
The Cavaliers show is gasp-inducingly shallow and underdeveloped, and someone has to give them the bad news. Both the designers and the professional staff are afraid to say the central thematic word, gay. Just say it. Avoiding the word gives the entire show a feeling of shame and fear, the opposite of the intended outcome.
The Cavaliers have no subject matter expert or counselor on staff to manage the content of the show and its impact on the marching members, much less create audience-facing public statements on the subject of young adults “revealing who they are underneath”. Everybody knows what truth they are talking about. They’re not talking about their secret genius IQ, or that they killed their identical twin, or that they’re secretly a championship baker. No. Don’t be ridiculous. We all know what they mean.
The faces on the scrims make no sense. Any second rate designer or theater director., or student film director would immediately second-guess such vague photos, and take them through a focus group, and then cut the photos, post haste. Without some context or explanation on or off the field, the photos add more confusion than clarity. The removing of the armor and replacing it with flowing smocks should be intentional and visible. Not something that’s done behind the scrim, or something to be ashamed of. This show is an amateurish, vague, coy, evasive, and dare I say fraudulent offering, deserving of unmasking.