Enkil,
Couldn't have said it better myself. As Paul said, "familiarity changes ones perception." This is partially true, in my case. The very first Panzera finale I've seen was in 1990, but the one I saw in 1997 or 1995, whichever, it was spectacular. Typically, all Panzera finales are exciting, which is true, so I know everyone of those 500, 000+ people expect and experience the same thing and I know that everyone screams their lungs out when it's intense, as it always is, but the one in either 1995 or 1997 was thunderous and frightening, as I recall it. This is also true for many of the other finales in the 90's. For some reason, back then I seemed to get more excited and frantic when the finale presented itself. Once again, it's the perception of familiarity, in my case. This is the way I've perceived it.
Please don't get me wrong about this year's finale! I rank this to be one of the best Panzera finales, even better than last year's, since it was longer and louder along with a lot of color! It's a shame that many of us saw it gobbled up in smoke! Last year's was about 1:33, and this year's is about a minute more!
As for Enkil's final comment, this is also my personal opinion. Since it has nothing to do with the competition, they should work on the the finale much more, but keep the same thing with the whole concept. I'm thinking a 5 minute finale! Kinda like the one we've experience with Atlas (U.S.A) in 1995 or like Caballer or IPON of this year! Both killer finales and definitely to give the large crowd of Montreal something to remember and make them look more foward to the following year's competition.
Once again, my personal opinion on the matter.
Best regards,
Trav.
