New Photos: Rock Band Live

http://www.pointbuzz.com/Photos/Gallery.aspx?id=646

Looks like some of the cast members could be screamsters come time for HWeekends. Creepy.

So how was the show?

They had a tournament today for the opening of the new Rock Band Live show.

My friends and I won it! Also in the band was Adam and DVO whom both post on this site.

We got Beatles Rock Band, a $25 gift card to hard rock cafe, a ticket good for any day at the park (We gave the tickets to the runner ups ... since we all have season passes), and a 4 hour VIP tour for a day of our choosing this year... which we are allowed to bring one guest too.

A few photos here... we will have more once our friend whom watched the show can post his... (probably not till Sunday night).

http://picasaweb.google.com/alan.dillon/RockBandLive

The show is...okay.

It might have been first day hiccups but the sound mix was all over the place with mics dropping out frequently. The audience member players don't seem to do a whole lot and it's difficult to tell if they're actually even playing on-stage. They're essentially walking props that their family and friends can cheer for. The musical numbers and choreography don't have the precision and energy that distinguished Cedar Point Live E in the past (which makes sense because the show wasn't produced by CP's Live E). The dialogue and muddled "story" elements tend to bog down the already slow pace. Considering how the other new shows at the park, at the Palace and the Red Garter, are relative improvements over previous years, Rock Band Live just isn't that good. Hopefully the performers will tighten up a bit as the season progresses but they can only do so much with the material they are given.

We were playing on stage. And personally from my view on the stage I thought they were doing a superb job. It is the first day for the show... so it is not bound to be amazing, espically since they are using a outsourced script. I am sure they will improve on the script as time goes by.

As well... my girlfriend whom was in the crowd enjoyed it greatly. Of course she also loves Rock Band. The characters in the show were depicting actual characters you can play in the game itself.

It does help to know that the characters are from the game, but I would think the majority of CP guests that see Live E shows won't be familiar with where it's all coming from. The show doesn't do a lot to inform "outsiders" as to how Rock Band works or what the characters and story are. I can appreciate the attempt to make a show that appeals to a younger demographic but it might alienate the audience that typically sees the shows.

If the whole thing works out, more power to them. It's just kind of a bummer to lose a Cedar Point venue to show not produced by Cedar Point's Live E (which is kind of ironic considering it's named after a man who championed live entertainment at the parks).

TimChat2 said:
I can appreciate the attempt to make a show that appeals to a younger demographic but it might alienate the audience that typically sees the shows.

And this is why I think the show will really fail this year. The target audience for this show is what, 8 to 17 year olds? That particular demographic is not the kind to even look at a Live E guide let alone see a show. Those kids are all going to be riding rides all day and won't think twice about going to see a "musical show".

It's just kind of a bummer to lose a Cedar Point venue to show not produced by Cedar Point's Live E (which is kind of ironic considering it's named after a man who championed live entertainment at the parks).

Agreed. They must have had some really pretty girls trying to sell this show at IAAPA. It is one big advertisement for the game and I for one did not like it. Not the kind of thing Id like to see in a theater at Cedar Point which normally has some pretty outstanding shows. I really hope the contract is only for one year and is not renewed. The park needs to get back into producing their own shows and stop outsourcing to companies who are better fitted for a park the size of Wild Adventures.

The odd thing is that you really don't get "educated" in the Rock Band game, so I'm not sure if it succeeds even as a piece of marketing. Nothing is really explained for those who might not know what's going on. If it weren't for the announcement at the beginning one might not even know that the show is based on a video game.

So what's the set list? or are they orginal songs made for the show itself?

They are existing songs. Here's the set list.

Kyurthich said:
They had a tournament today for the opening of the new Rock Band Live show.

My friends and I won it! Also in the band was Adam and DVO whom both post on this site.

We got Beatles Rock Band, a $25 gift card to hard rock cafe, a ticket good for any day at the park (We gave the tickets to the runner ups ... since we all have season passes), and a 4 hour VIP tour for a day of our choosing this year... which we are allowed to bring one guest too.

That is really, really cool. How good are you guys at the game? I can gold star around 40% of the songs and 5 star about 95% of them. I figured everyone playing is some super pro.

I myself am a hard/expert player. But today they went for a mix of showmanship and difficulty. I believe they were leaning more torwards showmanship for the actual picking process.

Yeah, it was a BLAST. I was in the show with Alan (Kyurthich), and I thought it was really fun. I can see how some families may not enjoy it, as it really tries to stay with the theme of the actual game. But dressing up in those ridiculous outfits, and going crazy on stage with some members of CP's Live E crew was something I'll never forget. Not to mention the whole auditioning process.

Of course the prizes don't hurt either.. ;)

99er said:
The park needs to get back into producing their own shows and stop outsourcing to companies who are better fitted for a park the size of Wild Adventures.

I agree. While the outsourcing may be necessary for things like the ice show and All Wheels Extreme, I definitely prefer the "classic" Cedar Point Live E shows.

I could tell from audience reaction that my opinion was in the minority, but I didn't really care for the show. With a couple of exceptions, most of the singers sounded like they were way out of their comfort zones on those songs. It's not that they were bad singers, they just didn't have the voice needed for that type of music. Also, it seemed like they intentionally turned the cheese factor up to 11, which for me ended up just being annoying. Somehow, the guests on stage playing plastic instruments ended up being one of the better parts of the show.

I might give it a try again in a few weeks to see if anything changes, but it won't be on the top of my priority list.

99er said:

TimChat2 said:
I can appreciate the attempt to make a show that appeals to a younger demographic but it might alienate the audience that typically sees the shows.

And this is why I think the show will really fail this year. The target audience for this show is what, 8 to 17 year olds?

Though I've only played and/or watched Rock Band/Guitar Hero a few times, never was it with anyone under the age of 27. Furthermore, I've heard countless people "my age" (say, 25-40) go on and on about the game. I've not heard the same from younger folk, though I don't hang around many whipper snappers these days.

Ugh. Those pictures/costumes look like rock and roll filtered through the perception of a stuffy corporate person who hasn't seen real rock and roll in ages.

That is the way the constumes and sets are in game. I am happy these aspects are staying true to how they are in game. It makes the expierence that much more enjoyable.

I have not seen the show yet. I will say that Rock Band and Guitar Hero are very popular with kids. I know some my son's friends have had those games for a couple of those years and they are 11 now. It's cool to watch them play many of the songs on that set list. They seem to like 70's-early 80's rock the most. At least from the few times I've watched them.