Tim K

There are lots of folks who have speculated that if they did not have so many bus problems that cost rehearsal time, 1986 could have been a different season for 27th and perhaps history.

If you want it to be true New England, they better know it’s pronounced “frap” and not “frap-pay.” 😊 Also, American chop suey always hits the spot, especially if you’ve worked up an appetite.

I remember Pete Emmons being the drum corps authority when Gene Rayburn and his wife Helen hosted the PBS broadcasts. Pete was with Santa Clara at the time. The broadcast was live at the time so I would imagine Pete had to be on his toes since on game shows you never knew what would come out of the former Match Game’s host’s mouth though to be fair, Gebe Rayburn did not treat DCI like a game show. Pete seemed genuinely surprised when SCV won in 1978. Rest in Peace

That showed up on my Facebook feed yesterday. I think a friend saw it originally and shared it. In 1995 I knew who some of the major players were by name but that’s it, so I can’t say I recall hearing scuttlebutt that the former director of the Cadets nearly became the CEO of DCI and can’t say much about its accuracy. That being said, with all the controversy he caused prior to his departure from the activity, I think we would have heard of his almost becoming CEO of DCI from both his supporters and detractors years ago. His name may have been thrown around, but I don’t think it was a serious consideration or as close to happening as his article claimed.

I’d add HR speak from an HR team that may have been caught off guard.

You’re 100% correct about drum corps being a hard sell to corporate and business entities. I know in education (elementary through high school), whether public, charter (those that raise funds in addition to what they receive from cities and the state), or private (usually Catholic schools that serve lower and middle income families), you have to be able to show the need is essential and the funds will help a deserving group. For non profit youth organizations, bang for the buck and low income are key. I worked in inner city neighborhoods at one time and raising funds for a basketball program and a sets and costumes for a theater program required little effort. The funds stayed in the neighborhood and in some cases the businesses were not looking for acknowledgment. I do know there are some large corporate donors to specific drum corps. I believe these corps usually have a parent, board member, or volunteer who holds significant positions in these businesses. I know there are deserving young people who march drum corps and many more who can’t afford it, but for a business, $6,000 to be a part of an organization with a seven figure budget that can be secretive about how the money is spent is not what businesses are looking for in charitable contributions.

I just looked on DCI’s website and it’s not mentioned there. Reddit is usually less cautious than DCP and there’s no mention of it either.

The shows won’t be back. Cadets are no more. Bristol’s stadium was too small and the Cranston location did not have the charm of the sea coast town where July 4th was first celebrated. BAC took over Beanpot but when the season was cut back, both shows were gone. The August BAC show has great attendance, and I’m glad it is still held in Lawrence, MA. Lawrence has its challenges and events like East Coast Classic are viewed positively.

I found this video interesting and agreed with many points. It was the first time I heard someone his age criticize the uniforms pointing out why today’s uniforms are practical but often lack anything that connects the corps to its heritage. We “dinosaurs” or as I like to refer to myself as “old school at heart” critique them all the time, but younger people generally do not. However, the point he made about designers creating shows they want without considering if the young people on the field want to perform it I believe is spot on. I’m not talking about plateauing here, but I have noticed with some corps the energy level, or perhaps the better word is enthusiasm, decreases a bit between Allentown and Indy. The show may be technically a better performance at prelims and semi’s, but is missing something. I know this is just a personal hunch, and sometimes it may be due to a discouraging season that has nothing to do with design, but there are times you hear of kids disliking a show and growing tired of it, and often it’s a show with a bizarre concept.

My understanding is that Crown enjoyed coming to Boston when there were more shows in the early season. There would be a Cadets show as they were heading to Boston, then to the Boston area for Beanpot, Bristol, and one of the BAC shows, a Cadets show after. There would be July 4th parades, Bristol and sometimes Wakefield, a free day in Boston, and where there was not a great distance from the housing site to the shows, lots of rehearsal time. It’s understandable that cost is a factor, but that’s the reality. It’s too bad. In the past Crown has been a crowd favorite.

I just looked at the lineup and it is impressive. I noticed both Blue Devils and Blue Saints are listed. It’s great Blue Daintsare back but I think it is humorous when Blue Devils and Blue Saints are in the same show even though they are not competing with each other. When Blue Saints competed in Open Class, they were often the first corps at prelims and the last would be Blue Devils, so we started with saints and left with devils.

First of all, I want to say Blue Stars was a class act that day in 2012 or at least you were when I was talking to some of your staff and volunteers after the parade. i enjoyed the parade and would love to see it return but that’s not likely to happen. In 2013 SoundSport and DrumLINE Battle were introduced. Though SoundSport had drawbacks that year due more to the location (the front steps of Lucas Oil on a hot day with no relief from the sun), DrumLINE Battle at the downtown mall had an enthusiastic crowd. I believe a big reason both events were added in place of the parade was so corps, particularly Open Class corps, could head home.

I’ve been attending Indy regularly since 2012 with a few years off not counting Covid cancelling 2020. Overall I find Indy and LOS a good place for finals. There have been a few LOS glitches and the variety of concessions is minimal but in general it works well. I will say while I enjoy myself and am always surprised by the shows, there is also a feeling it’s the same thing every year. A different venue might fix that, but I’d wonder if DCI has the personnel to promote new venues every year. If the date for finals is not set in stone with Lucas Oil, if Indy and Houston alternated, one year the early regional was in either Indy or Houston and finals be in the other city, that might work. It would change the tour a bit but it might be interesting. The only problem I could think of is the West Coast contests. They would still have to be early season and heading east rather than to Texas might be costly.

I believe Les Stentors still uses a school bus or at least they did until recently, but let’s face it folks from Quebec are a bit more rugged than most of us! 🙂

I think the writing was on the wall of a Boston Crusaders/Bluecoats rivalry in 2021 in the celebration shows. I heard some of the shows before Indy were secretly judged and I’d love to know scores. Though 2024 was clearly Bloo’s year, BAC was nipping at their heals. I thought the finals performance for BAC in 2025 had a real confidence that couldn’t be denied and after the performance you knew you just witnessed a championship show. Still Bloo did not give away the title. Boston Crusaders deserved to win but Bloo had an incredible show too. I think the goal being not just to beat Blue Devils is good for the activity. I’d like to see BD and Crown stronger and I like SCV being a threat. For a hot take, I have a feeling Spartans are going to be stronger than some predict, near or in the top 15. I know of a young man who looked into the corps and when he shared his experiences, it sounded like they are pretty ambitious. Could be interesting.