Crowding60

Has anyone seen a list of mini-corps who will be competing at DCA this year? Application deadline was August 1; I thought there would be a list by now.

I just can't resist. Wow; epic game of intellectual one-upmanship. Since everyone gets to express their opinion, here's mine: In drum corps, like elsewhere, it's adapt or die. You can complain, but drum corps is going to continue to change. It has to. Yes, I loved G bugles - and I'm apparently older than all of you (I played in 68 - 69). I love the Sr. Corps of the 50s and 60s. And the great soloists who came out of that era. G bugles sound different than B flat because they have a larger bore - and more conical, so they are inherently louder. It's like an outside instrument vs. an indoor instrument. I play a G baritone today - a Kanstul 3 valve, and boy, it is a handful to play in tune. Since I grew up playing a Besson trumpet, I feel confident expressing the opinion that G bugles are not near as easy to tune as B flats. Not to mention that we, ahem, put a whole lot of air through those Gs which makes it even more difficult to keep in tune. But it is a unique sound and I miss it dearly. Okay, the activity has moved on. I still go to shows. I love some shows, and hate others. I hate some aspects of today's corps, and love others. Some are greatly entertaining; others, meh. My mom, 83 years old, still goes to shows and still likes them. DCI is doing something right. Here's the clincher: as I see the kids exiting after their performance, marching with military bearing, absolutely focused on what they're doing, I see . . . me 40 years ago. Some things haven't changed at all. This is a great activity.

The Freelancers will be there.

"In general I agree with your points (I went to my first show around 1967 and marched from '75-'82). As a "seasoned/experienced" fan, I'm willing/look forward to learning about the shows prior to the season and, while I don't necessarily go ga-ga over all the dance/body movement embodied in today's shows, I truly appreciate the talent level and there are times that I am blown away by the performances. What today's shows do, however, is tend to diminish the appreciation/enthusiasm of the casual/walkup/non-fanatic fan for the shows versus yesteryear. Your points that I emphasized lend credence to this - you have to spend time learning/studying/viewing these shows (in many cases several times) to truly get them. This doesn't necessarily mean that someone is "unwilling to grow". For example (not a comprehensive one by any means), if you went to a show in the late 70s and saw the Blue Devils, you would likely experience a thorough "WOW!" from what they were doing. Even if that was your only show that year, you "got it". Contrast that with the past few years: going to a single show and seeing the Blue Devils would just as likely cause a "HUH?" from what you just experienced. Is this always the case? No. In general, however, I would say that the one show a year/casual fan is likely to be less entertained/drawn in to the shows than in years past. Not all of them are dinos/old-time fans that remember "how it used to be". A lot of them don't have the time or level of interest that we do to LEARN about the shows to appreciate them. The shows have become more sophisticated and thus less likely to be FULLY enjoyed on first/only viewing. I can't wait for my lone show this year in Massillon!" I understand what you are saying. But even during the last few years there have been some corps (maybe not always the BDs) that also produced "Wow" moments. Spartacus. Angels and Demons. EC=MC2. Tilt. Le Mis. Okay, I'll even add Ink. So what I'm saying is that even from the casual observer's viewpoint, there are still shows (certainly not all) that are highly entertaining, without putting in any time to understand them. I say this not from my own perspective, but through that of my wife, daughter and mother. Whether there were "more" of those in yesteryear as opposed to today I guess we could debate, but I think not (JMHO). I sat through a lot of old school shows where I just yawned.

The shows presented today require a lot more from the audience than in the "good old days". In the 60's (my generation) there were lots of "toe tapping" numbers and outstanding soloists who created entertainment from a crowd that, well, "knew what they liked". Today, you'd better read up on your Shakespeare, study the Corps' program notes, listen to recordings of the source materials, be up on your understanding of how judges score, understand current drum techniques, have an understanding of dance movement . . . need I go on? I have to study today's shows on the internet to appreciate them. Do I enjoy today's shows live as much as those of yesteryear? Well, let's get real. Yes. In 1968, for example, sitting in the stands in Detroit, the shows mostly washed over me. Yes, a few highlights stuck out, but no more or less than today. I created my treasured memories of that period by listening to Fleetwood records repeatedly, so that I could appreciate the music more fully. Sound familiar? Okay. So here's the deal. The kids love their activity just as much as we, the dinosaurs, did. They'll have the same memories and nostalgia as we do. Now as to the fans sitting in the stands (or at the computer screen), you have a choice. You can either accept that today's activity has grown more sophisticated and educate yourself accordingly or you can reject today's activity because it no longer resembles the activity you participated in. Or because it no longer "entertains you". It's your choice. But beware that your claim that drum corps just isn't as entertaining to you as before marks you as unwilling to grow. I say this to myself as much as to my fellow dinosaurs. I don't mean to sound condescending. One more anecdote. I brought my 81 year old Mom to the Rosebowl this year. She chaperoned my corps back in the 60's and has very fond memories of the corps music played in those times. Today, she can barely hear, but when I asked her whether she wanted to come to a show (as she has for the last 10 years), she emphatically said, "you bet".

I marched in the 60s. I have a music background, but not a professional music background. I was away from the activity throughout the 70 - 90s and returned in the 2000s. I have watched shows live 2005 - present. I only listen to shows recorded in the 70s - 90s. The last DCI Finals recording I liked was 1999. And yes, I have purchased CDs from several finals in subsequent years. Not worth the money, or listening to (Spartacus may be the exception, although it was chopped). It's not the marching that's the problem, it's the music selection (and my favorite music is classical music). Snippets of melody, stand -and - blast chords don't do it for me. I'm saving my money from now on by NOT attending DCI shows. Let me know if and when they go retro (haha). Too bad, DCI; I'm just the kind of fan you'd want in the stands. I loved drum corps and I can afford any reasonable ticket, and could donate to a corps I liked. This is just marching band with dancing. BD: What a waste of fantastic musicians. I think I'll watch DCA shows from now on. Did anyone catch Empire Statesmen this year?

I want to thank this player for posting his solo. It is rare to have one of the performers on this site commenting about their own show. And thank you for transposing the solo to 'G'. Now I have a request: if at all possible, can you record your solo to a metronome beat and post it (without the additional electronics)? All of us old guys/wannabes want to see just how high you've set the bar. Thanks again.

Oh Please. Talk about being defensive. BD is a great corps, great musicians and staff. But quite a few of us (have you noticed:) are less than enchanted with their program. I saw it once and passed up the chance to pay to see it again. Hmm. Wonder if that means anything. Again, great corps, great musicians, great staff. Program: Bleah. Or Bleuh.