DaBOX 96' Snare
1st Stack Drum2Drum ever
:rolly: That Saturday morning from the hotel through the time we marched into the Georgia Dome field was very chaotic for us......there was a series of events that we didn't expect to happen:rolly:
Detailed "Prunalysis" of the Honda Battle of Bands No. 1
- Thread starter Prunejuice
- Start date
:rolly: That Saturday morning from the hotel through the time we marched into the Georgia Dome field was very chaotic for us......there was a series of events that we didn't expect to happen:rolly:
Prunejuice
New Member
Like???
The Prunester...Inquiring minds want to know.
DaBOX 96' Snare
1st Stack Drum2Drum ever
:smh: Like, I didn't expect to almost get left at the hotel because of the thousands of band members boarding the elevators at one time to head to the Dome:smh:
Prunejuice
New Member
76 Views and only 2 replies. That doesn't work for me. Ya'll gotta get the hang of this. I post it you respond. I didn't write all this just for you to print out and take it to the bathroom to read.
The Prunester...Come with it now.
The Prunester...Come with it now.
Prunejuice
New Member
Honda Prunalysis III Alabama St., Tenn. St., Prairie View, Bethune, & FAMU
Here are the final five bands from the Honda BOTB!
First Band Up!
Alabama St. University
The Marching Hornets (You know the ones that Fat Albert used to watch on T.V.)
The crowd was still going from the excitement of the in-between bands D.J. when Bamas drum major walked on to the field.
The drum majors did several ripples (sequences, flashes) in total silence (if you exclude the crowd noise) and looked very impressive here. The best thing about it was that at one point the Drum Majors bent backwards to touch the ground with their heads, and the rest of the band did the same. Remember this was all being done without any audio commands from anyone in the band or the announcer. Very nice. This however would have worked a lot better if Bama's announcer had quieted the crowd down.
Next the band entered the field. They "doubletimed/rattled" onto the field the same way that Clark had done earlier. There was one exception though. Alabama had very little of the energy that Clark had had earlier. In response, the audience gave them less applause that Clark had gotten earlier.
More to come...
Here are the final five bands from the Honda BOTB!
First Band Up!
Alabama St. University
The Marching Hornets (You know the ones that Fat Albert used to watch on T.V.)
The crowd was still going from the excitement of the in-between bands D.J. when Bamas drum major walked on to the field.
The drum majors did several ripples (sequences, flashes) in total silence (if you exclude the crowd noise) and looked very impressive here. The best thing about it was that at one point the Drum Majors bent backwards to touch the ground with their heads, and the rest of the band did the same. Remember this was all being done without any audio commands from anyone in the band or the announcer. Very nice. This however would have worked a lot better if Bama's announcer had quieted the crowd down.
Next the band entered the field. They "doubletimed/rattled" onto the field the same way that Clark had done earlier. There was one exception though. Alabama had very little of the energy that Clark had had earlier. In response, the audience gave them less applause that Clark had gotten earlier.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of the Marching Hornets show
I do not remember what the drill song for A' Bama St. was but I do remember that the band was blowing. Pound for pound, Alabama St. was the loudest thing in the stadium.
There of course is a negative to every positive comment. Although the band was quite powerful. The band was also equally out of balance. The tuba section was producing huge amounts of sound while the trombones and baritones were not far behind. The trumpets however were oftentimes hard to even hear.
During the drill the band created an "ASU" formation. They then proceeded to march it up the field. The special catch was not only did they march forward they also marched backwards, and did an excellent job of holding the formation together. I noticed that the trumpets were doing some great marching both forwards and backwards.
Problems arose however as the band began a rotation drill. The circles they made expanded, but as they grew larger they lost shape.
One of the cirlces almost became a square.
The band ended the drill in a concert shell.
Feature Tune
"Step In The Name of Love"
The band brought out the band staff and their significant others for this one. The band staff did the "Love Slide" as the band played the song. The band staff however did not seem very excited about the dance and made several mistakes while doing it. I don't think that this had the effect that the band had hoped.
More to come...
I do not remember what the drill song for A' Bama St. was but I do remember that the band was blowing. Pound for pound, Alabama St. was the loudest thing in the stadium.
There of course is a negative to every positive comment. Although the band was quite powerful. The band was also equally out of balance. The tuba section was producing huge amounts of sound while the trombones and baritones were not far behind. The trumpets however were oftentimes hard to even hear.
During the drill the band created an "ASU" formation. They then proceeded to march it up the field. The special catch was not only did they march forward they also marched backwards, and did an excellent job of holding the formation together. I noticed that the trumpets were doing some great marching both forwards and backwards.
Problems arose however as the band began a rotation drill. The circles they made expanded, but as they grew larger they lost shape.
One of the cirlces almost became a square.
The band ended the drill in a concert shell.
Feature Tune
"Step In The Name of Love"
The band brought out the band staff and their significant others for this one. The band staff did the "Love Slide" as the band played the song. The band staff however did not seem very excited about the dance and made several mistakes while doing it. I don't think that this had the effect that the band had hoped.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
The Stingettes of Alabama St performed next to...
"Crazy In Love"
Featured Dancer Tune
I have very little to say about the song I do have something to say however about
Alabama State?s dance girls
What shall I say, what shall I say?
As any man I would say that I truly loved these girls? outfits. I would?ve said that a few years ago though. Now, however I was quite troubled. I really think these girls had no clothes on.
I truly belief that in order to be taken seriously for our artform, there are certain limits that we should not pass. If we are going to have dancers, the emphasis really should be on their ability to dance. Their appearance and figure should count as a prerequisite, but not the sum total reason for their existence with the band. To me personally the outfits were a little too revealing.
I also belief that there are some things that dancers should not do regardless of what they?re wearing. To me dancers should not pump, especially not directly at the audience. Dancers should maintain a look of elegance.
One last comment, I?ve have seen several bands where the dancers have done the ?Crazy In Love? dance move. Every dance squad that I have ever seen did the ?Crazy In Love? move going to the side. The Stingettes for some reason turned all the way away from the crowd to do the move. I did not appreciate them doing that, particularly in the outfits that they had on.
People may not agree with words. But I?m just
Prunejuice?and I?m going to tell it like it is.
"Crazy In Love"
Featured Dancer Tune
I have very little to say about the song I do have something to say however about
Alabama State?s dance girls
What shall I say, what shall I say?
As any man I would say that I truly loved these girls? outfits. I would?ve said that a few years ago though. Now, however I was quite troubled. I really think these girls had no clothes on.
I truly belief that in order to be taken seriously for our artform, there are certain limits that we should not pass. If we are going to have dancers, the emphasis really should be on their ability to dance. Their appearance and figure should count as a prerequisite, but not the sum total reason for their existence with the band. To me personally the outfits were a little too revealing.
I also belief that there are some things that dancers should not do regardless of what they?re wearing. To me dancers should not pump, especially not directly at the audience. Dancers should maintain a look of elegance.
One last comment, I?ve have seen several bands where the dancers have done the ?Crazy In Love? dance move. Every dance squad that I have ever seen did the ?Crazy In Love? move going to the side. The Stingettes for some reason turned all the way away from the crowd to do the move. I did not appreciate them doing that, particularly in the outfits that they had on.
People may not agree with words. But I?m just
Prunejuice?and I?m going to tell it like it is.
Prunejuice
New Member
More of Alabama State's show
Dance Routine
Bama State's routine started with the Ludacris song "Stand Up". It has now been several days since I've seen it, so I don't remember what they did. I do remember that I liked the way that they did it.
One thing that I did not understand about Ala St.'s routine though was when they beat their fists on the ground. What was that about?
Alabama St's dance routine was one of the most exciting of the day. That was due to the work of a hype dance routine announcer, and the ridiculous power of State's tuba section. Lord Have Mercy!
Overview of Alabama State's Show
I have already mentioned how powerful the band was. Balance was a major issue. The band did a good show, they however were out entertained by some of the smaller bands of the day.
The Dirty Opinion
The trombones on the 2nd row on the right [at the end of the dance] were not crunk at all during the dance routine and that took away from the whole band.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Dance Routine
Bama State's routine started with the Ludacris song "Stand Up". It has now been several days since I've seen it, so I don't remember what they did. I do remember that I liked the way that they did it.
One thing that I did not understand about Ala St.'s routine though was when they beat their fists on the ground. What was that about?
Alabama St's dance routine was one of the most exciting of the day. That was due to the work of a hype dance routine announcer, and the ridiculous power of State's tuba section. Lord Have Mercy!
Overview of Alabama State's Show
I have already mentioned how powerful the band was. Balance was a major issue. The band did a good show, they however were out entertained by some of the smaller bands of the day.
The Dirty Opinion
The trombones on the 2nd row on the right [at the end of the dance] were not crunk at all during the dance routine and that took away from the whole band.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Prunejuice
New Member
Band No. 7
Tennessee State University
The Aristocrat of Bands (Sarcastic comment forthcoming)
Tennessee State's show started without pomp and circumstance[/B}. The announcer was talking and the next thing you know the band was playing. They came on the field playing. Unfortunately they had no stopping point after they came on the field so that the crowd good appreciate them. They just went on about their merry way.
"Step In The Name of Love"
Drill Song
The band went immediately into "Step In The Name of Love" by R. Kelly. Here they made some very interesting formations. In the center of the field the band made steps. On either side of the steps were a heart and an eighth note. The eighth note was very creative. I like that (and yes I already know the story about it starting as an accident).
The steps then stayed were they were and the heart and the eighth note changed into a person and an arrow[/B[ which moved in-between the home side and the away side.
The band then started playing "Get On My Level". The crowd really enjoyed this.
The band continued their drill with the next selection.
"You Don't Know My Name"
Drill Song
The band made this formation while playing the song.
"????"
I'm not saying that I don't know what they made, I'm saying that actually made four question marks while playing the song. Brilliant!
The band then transitioned to yet another song and went on to another drill.
This time they made two sets of the letters TSU at the same time. One was facing the home side, and the other facing the TSU. While doing this they played the Cameo song "Back & Forth." Let me point out that I could hear the piccolos very well during this.
More to come...
Tennessee State University
The Aristocrat of Bands (Sarcastic comment forthcoming)
Tennessee State's show started without pomp and circumstance[/B}. The announcer was talking and the next thing you know the band was playing. They came on the field playing. Unfortunately they had no stopping point after they came on the field so that the crowd good appreciate them. They just went on about their merry way.
"Step In The Name of Love"
Drill Song
The band went immediately into "Step In The Name of Love" by R. Kelly. Here they made some very interesting formations. In the center of the field the band made steps. On either side of the steps were a heart and an eighth note. The eighth note was very creative. I like that (and yes I already know the story about it starting as an accident).
The steps then stayed were they were and the heart and the eighth note changed into a person and an arrow[/B[ which moved in-between the home side and the away side.
The band then started playing "Get On My Level". The crowd really enjoyed this.
The band continued their drill with the next selection.
"You Don't Know My Name"
Drill Song
The band made this formation while playing the song.
"????"
I'm not saying that I don't know what they made, I'm saying that actually made four question marks while playing the song. Brilliant!
The band then transitioned to yet another song and went on to another drill.
This time they made two sets of the letters TSU at the same time. One was facing the home side, and the other facing the TSU. While doing this they played the Cameo song "Back & Forth." Let me point out that I could hear the piccolos very well during this.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of Tenn. State's show...
"Rhythm is Gonna Getcha"
Featured Dancer Tune
1. I may not have been correct before when I said that Virginia State University was the only band that showed off their playing ability.
Tenn. State's trumpets really played the runs in this song.
2. I also liked the short drum feature in the middle of the song.
3. The drum majors however were very boring to watch while they conducted this song.
Dance Routine
The dance was pretty good, but the announcer was way too laid back while it was going on for it to be effective.
As you would expect Tennessee State made the cursive letters TSU one last time before the show ended. I did not like that the formation did not come together all at once. There were still several band members moving into position well after almost the entire group had gotten there.
Overview of Tenn. State's show
It's kind of hard to explain this. I will try my best though. Tenn. State's show just kind of happened. If you were not paying attention at the beginning you would not have known Tenn. St. was on the field. Then the next thing that you know, the show was over. What I'm saying has nothing to do with Tenn. States volume, it just that the show really had no high or low points. The show really just rolled along from one song to the next like more dance routines do.
On a positive note though, Tenn. St. was definently the best "marching" band there. The formations that they made and the way that they got to them were all high quality.
The Dirty Opinion
The energy during the dance went down a little but not too much. The formations that Tenn. St. made really made you think.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
"Rhythm is Gonna Getcha"
Featured Dancer Tune
1. I may not have been correct before when I said that Virginia State University was the only band that showed off their playing ability.
Tenn. State's trumpets really played the runs in this song.
2. I also liked the short drum feature in the middle of the song.
3. The drum majors however were very boring to watch while they conducted this song.
Dance Routine
The dance was pretty good, but the announcer was way too laid back while it was going on for it to be effective.
As you would expect Tennessee State made the cursive letters TSU one last time before the show ended. I did not like that the formation did not come together all at once. There were still several band members moving into position well after almost the entire group had gotten there.
Overview of Tenn. State's show
It's kind of hard to explain this. I will try my best though. Tenn. State's show just kind of happened. If you were not paying attention at the beginning you would not have known Tenn. St. was on the field. Then the next thing that you know, the show was over. What I'm saying has nothing to do with Tenn. States volume, it just that the show really had no high or low points. The show really just rolled along from one song to the next like more dance routines do.
On a positive note though, Tenn. St. was definently the best "marching" band there. The formations that they made and the way that they got to them were all high quality.
The Dirty Opinion
The energy during the dance went down a little but not too much. The formations that Tenn. St. made really made you think.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Prunejuice
New Member
Band No. 8
Prairie View A&M University
"The Marching Storm" aka The McChicken Wing BOX and Company!
Prairie View Drum Majors entered the field dancing and really woke the audience up. One problem though. The tubas were not clear at all in their articulation. Therefore no one could really tell what they were playing. What does that mean? It means that although PVAM's drum majors were extremely exciting to watch they got very little love from the audience after it was over (except for the PV section in the corner).
After the drum major entrance, Prairie View's Band spread the field and made a giant "PVU". Although there were some problems with the alignment of the left side of the "V" the crowd really loved the energy PV used to get to this formation. They also loved the "Entertainment Tonight Fanfare" that the band used to get there.
Drill Song
"You Make Me So High"
The band got props from me by bringing back this 1996 classic by Toni Braxton. One of my all time favorite songs.
The trumpet players in this band can really march. PV uses a few corpstyle technique like marching backwards. It was great to see that the trumpets look just as good marching backwards as well.
Very nice drill.
There was a section of the drill were the band opened to reveal the drum majors who were on the 50 yard line. Let me tell you something, they were really killin' it (in a good way). It was so neat to see how the drum majors suddenly appeared. This really kept the energy going.
If this wasn't enough for you, a few seconds later the cymbals players seemed to magically appear behind the drum majors as well, and although doing different moves, they were equally killin' it.
More to come...
Prairie View A&M University
"The Marching Storm" aka The McChicken Wing BOX and Company!
Prairie View Drum Majors entered the field dancing and really woke the audience up. One problem though. The tubas were not clear at all in their articulation. Therefore no one could really tell what they were playing. What does that mean? It means that although PVAM's drum majors were extremely exciting to watch they got very little love from the audience after it was over (except for the PV section in the corner).
After the drum major entrance, Prairie View's Band spread the field and made a giant "PVU". Although there were some problems with the alignment of the left side of the "V" the crowd really loved the energy PV used to get to this formation. They also loved the "Entertainment Tonight Fanfare" that the band used to get there.
Drill Song
"You Make Me So High"
The band got props from me by bringing back this 1996 classic by Toni Braxton. One of my all time favorite songs.
The trumpet players in this band can really march. PV uses a few corpstyle technique like marching backwards. It was great to see that the trumpets look just as good marching backwards as well.
Very nice drill.
There was a section of the drill were the band opened to reveal the drum majors who were on the 50 yard line. Let me tell you something, they were really killin' it (in a good way). It was so neat to see how the drum majors suddenly appeared. This really kept the energy going.
If this wasn't enough for you, a few seconds later the cymbals players seemed to magically appear behind the drum majors as well, and although doing different moves, they were equally killin' it.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of PVA&MU's show
The band then went into there percussion feature.
The feature started with the cymbal players rolling there cymbals along the ground.
Then the tenors did some cheerleader like stunts with their instruments on that really got people paying attention (I don't that they were playing here, and I feel that it would have been immensely better if they were).
The snare drums started playing on each other drums. We've all seen that before but there was one difference. The 8 snares were grouped in sets of two. Their bodies were facing each other but their heads were facing the audience. This made it 10 times more exciting to look at than when all the snares are in a line. (To be perfectly honest though, the solo was very dirty).
Next the tenors laid on the ground and did the snake with their instruments still on. This was the beginning of the part when the crowd started going crazy.
Then the cymbals started twirling while throwing chalk. The excitement level went up even more.
After this, four of the snares laid on the ground. The other four laid over on top of them. On all of the snares was one letter. The letters put together formed the word.
FUNK
BOX
The snares then continued to play on each others drums.
The crowd went absolutely crazy here, and Prairie View received the only standing ovation of the evening. The snare drums marched to their next position with their legs higher than ever.
More to come...
The band then went into there percussion feature.
The feature started with the cymbal players rolling there cymbals along the ground.
Then the tenors did some cheerleader like stunts with their instruments on that really got people paying attention (I don't that they were playing here, and I feel that it would have been immensely better if they were).
The snare drums started playing on each other drums. We've all seen that before but there was one difference. The 8 snares were grouped in sets of two. Their bodies were facing each other but their heads were facing the audience. This made it 10 times more exciting to look at than when all the snares are in a line. (To be perfectly honest though, the solo was very dirty).
Next the tenors laid on the ground and did the snake with their instruments still on. This was the beginning of the part when the crowd started going crazy.
Then the cymbals started twirling while throwing chalk. The excitement level went up even more.
After this, four of the snares laid on the ground. The other four laid over on top of them. On all of the snares was one letter. The letters put together formed the word.
FUNK
BOX
The snares then continued to play on each others drums.
The crowd went absolutely crazy here, and Prairie View received the only standing ovation of the evening. The snare drums marched to their next position with their legs higher than ever.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of PVA&MU's show
"Boogie Wonderland"
Feature Dancer Tune
1. The band sounded good, but like Alabama St. before them there were some balance issues. This time it was in the low brass. The trumpets had plenty of power, but the trombones & baritones were comparatively weak.
2. I really loved enjoyed watching the cymbal players as they performed routines to this song. It looked really good.
3. The audience really enjoyed the "Black Foxes" (dance squad). They were a great follow-up to the intensity of McChicken B.O.X. Now me personally, I don't like the Can-Can moves where they grab arms and do kicks or grab arms, and bend over. Apparently though, the audience loves it.
"Can You Stop The Rain"
Feature Tune
Although the song sounded very good it still suffered from the same balance problems as "Boogie Wonderland."
More to come...
"Boogie Wonderland"
Feature Dancer Tune
1. The band sounded good, but like Alabama St. before them there were some balance issues. This time it was in the low brass. The trumpets had plenty of power, but the trombones & baritones were comparatively weak.
2. I really loved enjoyed watching the cymbal players as they performed routines to this song. It looked really good.
3. The audience really enjoyed the "Black Foxes" (dance squad). They were a great follow-up to the intensity of McChicken B.O.X. Now me personally, I don't like the Can-Can moves where they grab arms and do kicks or grab arms, and bend over. Apparently though, the audience loves it.
"Can You Stop The Rain"
Feature Tune
Although the song sounded very good it still suffered from the same balance problems as "Boogie Wonderland."
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of Praivie View A&M's show
Dance Routine
I can't remember what they did but the head movements PV did at the beginning of their dance routine was kinda cool.
During the song "Rubberband Man", I loved the harmony between the tubas. This sounded gorgeous.
Other than that however the tuba section was really not putting out a lot of power. In addition, like in the drum major introduction, the tubas were not very clean in their articulations.
Further taking away from PV's routine was the lack of announcing during the routine. I can't honestly remember any announcing during the dance routine at all. The band really needed the assistance of "The Spoken Word" here.
The band however kept their energy going all the way to the end of the show. What particularly caught my attention was the tenor drummers "quasi-stepping" during the kick-down. You could tell that they were truly feeling the energy from the show.
After the show ended, the crowd went crazy for Prairie View. The crowd had determined their champion for the moment and it was going hard for the two final bands to prove them wrong.
More to come...
Dance Routine
I can't remember what they did but the head movements PV did at the beginning of their dance routine was kinda cool.
During the song "Rubberband Man", I loved the harmony between the tubas. This sounded gorgeous.
Other than that however the tuba section was really not putting out a lot of power. In addition, like in the drum major introduction, the tubas were not very clean in their articulations.
Further taking away from PV's routine was the lack of announcing during the routine. I can't honestly remember any announcing during the dance routine at all. The band really needed the assistance of "The Spoken Word" here.
The band however kept their energy going all the way to the end of the show. What particularly caught my attention was the tenor drummers "quasi-stepping" during the kick-down. You could tell that they were truly feeling the energy from the show.
After the show ended, the crowd went crazy for Prairie View. The crowd had determined their champion for the moment and it was going hard for the two final bands to prove them wrong.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
Overview of Prairie View's show
To be perfectly honest the percussion section won the show for the band. After the standing ovation that the drumline received, all the rest of the band had to do was not mess up. It sincerely helped that the crowd also really liked the dancers the followed the feature, and the drum majors that proceeded it.
As I said before, the feature was exciting. I have some issues with the cleanliness of the snares and the fact that the tenors did more stunts than playing, so I cannot give them the best playing section award. It was a fantastic show though.
For the instrumentalists, balance issues in the low brass section and cleanliness in the tuba section were some of the few flaws to an otherwise very good show.
The crowd really thoroughly enjoyed this band. I know that the reaction of the crowd had to have an oeverwhelming effect upon the band. You cannot tell me that some members of the band did not cry after the show was over.
The Dirty Opinion
Prairie View blew us all away. They set the standard. I don't think that FAMU & BCC will be able to top it.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
To be perfectly honest the percussion section won the show for the band. After the standing ovation that the drumline received, all the rest of the band had to do was not mess up. It sincerely helped that the crowd also really liked the dancers the followed the feature, and the drum majors that proceeded it.
As I said before, the feature was exciting. I have some issues with the cleanliness of the snares and the fact that the tenors did more stunts than playing, so I cannot give them the best playing section award. It was a fantastic show though.
For the instrumentalists, balance issues in the low brass section and cleanliness in the tuba section were some of the few flaws to an otherwise very good show.
The crowd really thoroughly enjoyed this band. I know that the reaction of the crowd had to have an oeverwhelming effect upon the band. You cannot tell me that some members of the band did not cry after the show was over.
The Dirty Opinion
Prairie View blew us all away. They set the standard. I don't think that FAMU & BCC will be able to top it.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Prunejuice
New Member
Band No. 9
Bethune-Cookman
"The Marching Wildcats" Thundercats, Ho!
The drum major entrance
Bethune's drum majors did a good job on their entrance.
They were the only drum majors that I can remember from the whole day that attempeted to touch their heads to the gorund and actually succeeded.
The only negative to this. "Sudden Impact" BCC's percussion section played pretty dirty during the entrance.
Drill Song
"In The Stone"/"Step In The Name of Love"
When Bethune played this song even though they were facing away from me I could tell that they were the loudest band there. No, I am not contradicting myself. Earlier I said that Alabama St. was pound for pound the loudest band in the stadium. Translation, their overall indivudual band members put out more sound than any other band's overall individual band members. As far as total sound for the whole day though, BCC had that on lock.
For their drill, Bethune made a set of steps, and made the word "LOVE". In addition they made the words move up and down the steps diagonally. This had to be one of the most original drill formations I saw all day.
One problem though, that was the only thing that happened in the drill. Every other band that did make formations in their drill did several formations. BCC did one very good formation and then spent the rest of the drill getting to concert shell. Compared to the other bands we had seen, this was actually boring.
More to come...
Bethune-Cookman
"The Marching Wildcats" Thundercats, Ho!
The drum major entrance
Bethune's drum majors did a good job on their entrance.
They were the only drum majors that I can remember from the whole day that attempeted to touch their heads to the gorund and actually succeeded.
The only negative to this. "Sudden Impact" BCC's percussion section played pretty dirty during the entrance.
Drill Song
"In The Stone"/"Step In The Name of Love"
When Bethune played this song even though they were facing away from me I could tell that they were the loudest band there. No, I am not contradicting myself. Earlier I said that Alabama St. was pound for pound the loudest band in the stadium. Translation, their overall indivudual band members put out more sound than any other band's overall individual band members. As far as total sound for the whole day though, BCC had that on lock.
For their drill, Bethune made a set of steps, and made the word "LOVE". In addition they made the words move up and down the steps diagonally. This had to be one of the most original drill formations I saw all day.
One problem though, that was the only thing that happened in the drill. Every other band that did make formations in their drill did several formations. BCC did one very good formation and then spent the rest of the drill getting to concert shell. Compared to the other bands we had seen, this was actually boring.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
"Shame"
Featured Dancer Tune
The dancers worked hard during this song (of course they were pumping like I complained about before). The negative about this song. Once again Bethune was one-uped by the bands that did shorther selections. Bethune sounded good playing, but before they ended the selection they had lost the crowd's attention.
"What Kind of a Man"
Feature Tune
Bethune got attention back from the crowd again here. The audience started singing the song with them. I really noticed how strong the low brass section was here.
I really liked the moves that the dancers were doing to this song.
One saxophone player took away from the show by moving during the song. (caught another one).
Dance Routine
Bethune (as usual) looked very identical during their routine dance. They did some type of head bob, and a kick to the side that caught my attention.
The drumline got the crowd going with the beat to "Pass the Dutch" by Missy.
Towards the close of the show, The Wildcat Band went into "Get On Our Level" playing it while standing on the sidelines. The announcer and the band worked together to create a nice effect here. At one point the band stopped playing and dipped in sections. At this time the announcer made some related comments about the performance. Good timing.
More to come...
Featured Dancer Tune
The dancers worked hard during this song (of course they were pumping like I complained about before). The negative about this song. Once again Bethune was one-uped by the bands that did shorther selections. Bethune sounded good playing, but before they ended the selection they had lost the crowd's attention.
"What Kind of a Man"
Feature Tune
Bethune got attention back from the crowd again here. The audience started singing the song with them. I really noticed how strong the low brass section was here.
I really liked the moves that the dancers were doing to this song.
One saxophone player took away from the show by moving during the song. (caught another one).
Dance Routine
Bethune (as usual) looked very identical during their routine dance. They did some type of head bob, and a kick to the side that caught my attention.
The drumline got the crowd going with the beat to "Pass the Dutch" by Missy.
Towards the close of the show, The Wildcat Band went into "Get On Our Level" playing it while standing on the sidelines. The announcer and the band worked together to create a nice effect here. At one point the band stopped playing and dipped in sections. At this time the announcer made some related comments about the performance. Good timing.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
Overview of Mary McLeod Bethune Cookman College Marching Wildcats/Pride show
Two things shot BCC in the foot at the Honda.
No. 1
The announcer
BCC's announcer made some good comments such as "Someone once said to save the best for last" [FAMU was going to be the last to perform]..."But, the devil is a liar!"
Most of his comments made Bethune come off not looking too good.
"We'll only need 8 minutes to show you that we are the ONLY band in the WORLD!"
"We're too good to be number one."
These comments had two effects on the crowd.
First of all, the same crowd that went crazy just to hear the name of BCC suddenly got turned off because Bethune's band seemed arrogant.
Secondly, this raised people's standards of BCC. After the announcers comments Bethune was going to have fly through space to get a reaction out of the crowd.
More to come...
Two things shot BCC in the foot at the Honda.
No. 1
The announcer
BCC's announcer made some good comments such as "Someone once said to save the best for last" [FAMU was going to be the last to perform]..."But, the devil is a liar!"
Most of his comments made Bethune come off not looking too good.
"We'll only need 8 minutes to show you that we are the ONLY band in the WORLD!"
"We're too good to be number one."
These comments had two effects on the crowd.
First of all, the same crowd that went crazy just to hear the name of BCC suddenly got turned off because Bethune's band seemed arrogant.
Secondly, this raised people's standards of BCC. After the announcers comments Bethune was going to have fly through space to get a reaction out of the crowd.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
No. 2 shot in the foot
Technically speaking, Bethune did one of the best shows there.
Bethune however was out entertained by bands like Clark and Virginia St. that kept the energy constantly moving. Each of these bands made several formations and played several songs. This made the large BCC band seem like a dinosaur in comparison. Perhaps if Bethune had done the show where they make the spirals, BCC, and YEAH all in the same drill.
The Dirty Opinion
BCC was a lot of talk. I expected them to take Prairie View off of my mind. The whole 8 minute angle didn't work for them.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Technically speaking, Bethune did one of the best shows there.
Bethune however was out entertained by bands like Clark and Virginia St. that kept the energy constantly moving. Each of these bands made several formations and played several songs. This made the large BCC band seem like a dinosaur in comparison. Perhaps if Bethune had done the show where they make the spirals, BCC, and YEAH all in the same drill.
The Dirty Opinion
BCC was a lot of talk. I expected them to take Prairie View off of my mind. The whole 8 minute angle didn't work for them.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Prunejuice
New Member
Band No. 10
Florida A&M University
"The Marching 100" minutes in every show.
FAMU's drum majors walked unto the field for at least 2-3 minutes. During this time the DJ was still talking to the crowd.
When the DJ finally announced FAMU's band the crowd went wild. FAMU was obviously the most recognized band of the day.The battle rattled on to the field. Each band member started out facing the 50 yard-line and then turned to face the audience. I do not like how every member of FAM's band seems to be able to turn anyway they like. This completely ruins the uniformity of the band.
After a major build up by the announcer and the percussion section, FAMU hit the crowd with the "Twentieth Century Fanfare".
After the first note, I looked at the crowd to see if they had the same disappointed look that I had. They did.
The sound of FAMU's trumpets was uncharacteristically thin, and the overall volume of the band was very low. FAM actually sounded much louder playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America, the Beautiful" than they did playing the first note of their own show.
This started FAMU's show on a low point, and lost some of their audience.
The band then started to go into their drill selection.
More to come...
Florida A&M University
"The Marching 100" minutes in every show.
FAMU's drum majors walked unto the field for at least 2-3 minutes. During this time the DJ was still talking to the crowd.
When the DJ finally announced FAMU's band the crowd went wild. FAMU was obviously the most recognized band of the day.The battle rattled on to the field. Each band member started out facing the 50 yard-line and then turned to face the audience. I do not like how every member of FAM's band seems to be able to turn anyway they like. This completely ruins the uniformity of the band.
After a major build up by the announcer and the percussion section, FAMU hit the crowd with the "Twentieth Century Fanfare".
After the first note, I looked at the crowd to see if they had the same disappointed look that I had. They did.
The sound of FAMU's trumpets was uncharacteristically thin, and the overall volume of the band was very low. FAM actually sounded much louder playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "America, the Beautiful" than they did playing the first note of their own show.
This started FAMU's show on a low point, and lost some of their audience.
The band then started to go into their drill selection.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
"Set It Off (by Monica)"/"Step In The Name of Love"/"I Like The Way"/"Rain On Me (by Monica)"
Drill Song
The introduction was messed up when one lone trumpet player came in very early.
The drill for "Step" was pretty good. The band made a pair of boots, one facing either in-zone and then made a heart composed of the tuba section in the middle.
My only problem with this. The tuba section. Of the tuba players that were in the heart some of them were really producing sound. Some of them were barely producing. There must be more balance between players in this section.
The full band then assembled on the away side of the field while playing either "I Like The Way You Move" or just "I Like The Way" (can't remember which).
The band assembled to form a semi-circle on the other side of the field. This semi-circle was not symmetrical, and was truly one of the worst looking formations I had seen all day.
FAMU's band started playing "Rain On Me" by Monica. At this point several members of the band left the semi-circle and started doing "follow-the-man drills" towards the home side. It took a while for the audience to understand what in the world the band was doing, but before long it was seen that the band was making a thunderstorm complete with lightning, and rain. Great work FAM. This was very creative.
More to come...
Drill Song
The introduction was messed up when one lone trumpet player came in very early.
The drill for "Step" was pretty good. The band made a pair of boots, one facing either in-zone and then made a heart composed of the tuba section in the middle.
My only problem with this. The tuba section. Of the tuba players that were in the heart some of them were really producing sound. Some of them were barely producing. There must be more balance between players in this section.
The full band then assembled on the away side of the field while playing either "I Like The Way You Move" or just "I Like The Way" (can't remember which).
The band assembled to form a semi-circle on the other side of the field. This semi-circle was not symmetrical, and was truly one of the worst looking formations I had seen all day.
FAMU's band started playing "Rain On Me" by Monica. At this point several members of the band left the semi-circle and started doing "follow-the-man drills" towards the home side. It took a while for the audience to understand what in the world the band was doing, but before long it was seen that the band was making a thunderstorm complete with lightning, and rain. Great work FAM. This was very creative.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More on FAMU's show...
The "100" then Rattled into concert shell. Some of the piccolo players on the front row were really shaming here. (They were to Stan's left).
One of the trumpet players missed the horns up at the beginning of the song. Shame on you! This was the only time I noticed this happening all day.
"Praise Is What I Do"
Feature Tune
1. The introduction of this song was much more powerful than "Twentieth Century Fanfare". Someone please tell me how you let the middle of your show have more presence than your first impression.
2. FAMU's band showed excellent musical balance here. Every instrument could not only be heard but was featured in the arrangement. Great job![/B[
3. I love the trombone sound in this song.
4. The snare drums looked good doing their flashes.
The band then "rattled" to their next formation. I noticed how very uniform everyone instruments looked doing the rattler. Once again, great work!.
More to come...
The "100" then Rattled into concert shell. Some of the piccolo players on the front row were really shaming here. (They were to Stan's left).
One of the trumpet players missed the horns up at the beginning of the song. Shame on you! This was the only time I noticed this happening all day.
"Praise Is What I Do"
Feature Tune
1. The introduction of this song was much more powerful than "Twentieth Century Fanfare". Someone please tell me how you let the middle of your show have more presence than your first impression.
2. FAMU's band showed excellent musical balance here. Every instrument could not only be heard but was featured in the arrangement. Great job![/B[
3. I love the trombone sound in this song.
4. The snare drums looked good doing their flashes.
The band then "rattled" to their next formation. I noticed how very uniform everyone instruments looked doing the rattler. Once again, great work!.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
More of FAMU's show...
Dance Routine
The dance routine started with the song "Stand Up"
. FAMU's tubas need to clean up the articulation.
The band certainly did not seem very crunk doing the moves to this part of the routine.
Later though the band played "Slow Jam". Even though I had heard the song numerous times, this was by far the best version of the song. The band did get very crunk for this.
FAMU then went into forming a vehicle as part of their routine. I can't remember what song they played. I do know that they tried to put "spinners" on the vehicle. This did not work. One of the spinners had three pokes, and the other had four. Another problem. Part of the car ran into the right wheel. FAMU definently lost some points here.
Next up was the song "Hey Ya". FAMU then turned their band into a camera. I noticed a group of trombones players that really did not know where they were going and actually put their instruments down to talk about it.
Apparently the band pulled out some polaroids, but I don't think the audience saw it. (The only reason I knew they were out there was because I could see them on the ground after the band left the field).
"Rubberband Man"
Like before with "Step In The Name of Love" some of the tubas were blowing on this song. Some of them were not.
More to come...
Dance Routine
The dance routine started with the song "Stand Up"
. FAMU's tubas need to clean up the articulation.
The band certainly did not seem very crunk doing the moves to this part of the routine.
Later though the band played "Slow Jam". Even though I had heard the song numerous times, this was by far the best version of the song. The band did get very crunk for this.
FAMU then went into forming a vehicle as part of their routine. I can't remember what song they played. I do know that they tried to put "spinners" on the vehicle. This did not work. One of the spinners had three pokes, and the other had four. Another problem. Part of the car ran into the right wheel. FAMU definently lost some points here.
Next up was the song "Hey Ya". FAMU then turned their band into a camera. I noticed a group of trombones players that really did not know where they were going and actually put their instruments down to talk about it.
Apparently the band pulled out some polaroids, but I don't think the audience saw it. (The only reason I knew they were out there was because I could see them on the ground after the band left the field).
"Rubberband Man"
Like before with "Step In The Name of Love" some of the tubas were blowing on this song. Some of them were not.
More to come...
Prunejuice
New Member
Overview of FAMU's show...
FAMU's show was ok. Although they sounded very good on the feature tune the overall show however lacked energy, and was filled with mistakes.
1. Soft introduction on "Twentieth Century".
2. Trumpet player coming in early.
3. Ugly beginning for the "Rain On Me" drill.
4. Trumpet player missing horns up.
5. The messed up "spinners" during the dance routine.
In addition, I must add this. FAMU was extremely disrespectul when it came to the time of their show. If FAM's show had been 12 minutes long, that might have been ok. FAM' show however was at least 18 minutes long. By the time the alloted 10 minutes had run out FAM had not even finished their feature tune. I do not understand how a band program accidentally lets that happen. That was not fair to anyone involved.
The Dirty Opinion
I liked "Praise Is What I Do", this really went over with the crowd. I however disregarded everything that happened after the time ran out.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Next up, my rankings of the bands.
FAMU's show was ok. Although they sounded very good on the feature tune the overall show however lacked energy, and was filled with mistakes.
1. Soft introduction on "Twentieth Century".
2. Trumpet player coming in early.
3. Ugly beginning for the "Rain On Me" drill.
4. Trumpet player missing horns up.
5. The messed up "spinners" during the dance routine.
In addition, I must add this. FAMU was extremely disrespectul when it came to the time of their show. If FAM's show had been 12 minutes long, that might have been ok. FAM' show however was at least 18 minutes long. By the time the alloted 10 minutes had run out FAM had not even finished their feature tune. I do not understand how a band program accidentally lets that happen. That was not fair to anyone involved.
The Dirty Opinion
I liked "Praise Is What I Do", this really went over with the crowd. I however disregarded everything that happened after the time ran out.
The Prunester...Telling it like it is.
Next up, my rankings of the bands.