chaddyt

I, too, am pushing the five-oh and got introduced to DCI when they actually aired the finals broadcast on PBS (think it was around the Thanksgiving time-frame). A little '93 Cadets and I was hooked. Now, unless you watch FloMarching live (or maybe the day after), your only other option will be to travel to one of the dwindling locations that hosts a show, pray it doesn't rain, and commit it to memory. I get that there are similarities to BOA and WGI, but as you said... they have the scholastic source as a feeder. I can't help but feel like this will end up hurting the activity in the long run.

Agreed. Boston's first championship and no way to relive it. I'm not sure how you sustain a viable performing art medium that can only ever be experienced at a live performance.

Well. This sucks. https://www.dci.org/news/marching-music-downloads-store-to-be-retired-after-december-31-2025/

Crown's synth mix is a borderline felony. I don't recall it being nearly that bad during the Flo broadcasts throughout the season. I felt like it was 2009 again.

You should do us all a favor and post your planned shows for the season so we can save ourselves the heartache 😉

Agreed. I get why they're worn. And if this was some early season show with 5 corps at some podunk high school, I'd expect those conditions. This is a signature DCI event with every competing corps (and then some) making an appearance and DCI charges as such. The stadium should at minimum have seating clearly marked for everyone.

And I have no problem squishing if I know that I and those around me are in the seats they paid for. There is no way to know that in some parts of that stadium, though.

I wish I had the resources to spend double the premium ticket prices so I could maybe be comfortable at a DCI show.

I'm glad you were able to find your seat clearly marked. It should be that way for all attendees. The only thing clear for my crew were the section letters. As you got down towards the field, the row numbers in G began to significantly fade. And the seat numbers were completely non-existent. Like you-couldn't-even-tell-there-used-to-be-a-sticker-there worn. This frustrates fans and puts undue pressure on the poor ushers who have to try and mediate disputes in between performances. We bought 6 tickets and barely had room for the 5 who actually made it. I know it's generally a tight fit there, but it's obvious folks were sitting where they shouldn't have been.

The frustrating thing is that it shouldn't be inadequate. It doesn't need some massive overhaul. It just needs some updates and general maintenance. It's owned by the 4th largest school district in the state, with an almost $400M budget. I'm sure sees some of the revenue from DCI for hosting Friday and Saturday. And three HS football teams play there. You'll have a hard time convincing me there simply isn't any money to freshen up the place.

I'm pretty sure J. Birney Crum is capable of seeing a few upgrades. At the very least, seating numbers should be clearly marked on all bleachers, right? If DCI (hell, *any* event being held there) is asking me to pay money for a specific seat, I expect to be able to know where that seat is located. Crazy, I know... No where did I suggest the event needed to be moved. I simply stated that JBC, in its current no-seat-number-faded-row-marking-1970s-PA-system-state is an embarrassment for a 2-night, world class DCI event.

My first post in a few years to weigh in on my first live show in just as long. To say I missed live drum corps would be an understatement. While theater broadcasts and FloMarching help scratch the itch during the season, they really don't do the shows any justice. This activity is simply meant to be taken in live. Bucs - Somewhat biased since we have a student in the bass line, but I thought they could more than hang with many of the later corps. Genesis - Most surprising corps of the night for me. Thoroughly enjoyed the concept and thought they'd be much closer to PC. Surf - Not my cup of tea, but fun. I'm usually leery of a ton of pop tunes but they pulled it off. Pacific Crest - Loved the concept. Loved the call backs. Liked the show. Scouts - Remember watching them and being in awe of how they're not even close to making finals. Really, really dug their show. Troopers - Hands down the show I most enjoyed. Concept fully fleshed out and just really, really well done. Hope to see them continue this trend and get back into the Top 12. Bones - Unfortunately had to pee, but they sounded great from the endzone. Cavies - First hornline of the evening that put me on notice. A little kitschy at times, but enjoyable. Blue Stars - Holy crap has this corps come a long way. A little over-designed IMO, but very well executed. Cadets - Are and always will be my corps, and while the concept isn't something that naturally pulls me in, their performance did. Sound issues were unfortunate, but I feel like they're getting some swagger back. Vanguard - Feel this is a show best seen from up high, so felt like i was missing out on some stuff, but man... they're just good. Would love to see them make a move on Bloo going into finals. Crown - Classic Crown. Ears hurt at the end, but in a good way. The app thing is gimmicky as hell and doesn't bring anything to the experience but the overall show was just... classic Crown. J. Birney Crum Stadium - This venue is officially getting by on nostalgia alone. The PA system is flat-out terrible. Make sure you get a program, because that's the only way you'll know who's coming on the field and what their show is. Don't bother sticking around for scores, because you'll barely hear them. Seating in the lower premium section (at least in G) is a free for all. Bleachers have no seat numbers, so folks are (rightfully) getting ###### that there isn't room where the ushers think their seats *should* be. You're essentially paying top dollar for the show and then have to play the Southwest Airlines game of checking in early to get the best spot. We bought 6 tickets. One person had to back out last minute and it was probably for the best because we barely had room for the 5 that did go. This is a 2-night, regional event. DCI should be embarrassed.

From an organizational standpoint, I think this announcement is about as good as it could get for the Cadets. They were in desperate need of some 'names' and stability and April, Jay, and Jeff certainly provide that. Add in what appear to be some heavier hitters from other corps and I think the 2020 members can go into next season a bit more reassured. From a competitive standpoint, I think we'll have to wait and see. Design is name of the game now, and that is something many of these folks excelled in... back in the 90s. And while I would love to see a return to that type of drum corps, 9th place groups don't get to dictate the course of the activity. They're going to need to do more than just zag to get back into medal contention. All that said.... I'm excited to see them 2020 and a bit more content knowing some of these folks have "come home".

Please show your work.

Which I think most people understand. However, it doesn't explain Flo's suggested "fix" during the broadcast to try and watch using a browser instead of the app since the same ISP is supplying both.