For Dinosaurs Only

[barigirl78]

As for trying to repeal electronics, might as well tell men to return to wearing fedoras. Mandating acoustic drum corps is like trying to legislate fashion. What looked (sounded) good once isn't relevant.

HH

Fedoras are the current fashion among male hipsters.

DCI could easily repeal the electronics rules if they wanted to.

The rules are relatively recent and I don't think returning to that sound would be all that jarring. Many corps have used minimal electronics to begin with.

[glory]

so we're better off with less corps?

I didn't say any such thing. I will say we're better off with sustainable corps than we are with selective, inflated memory of a drum corps past.

HH

[Grandpa]

I didn't say any such thing. I will say we're better off with sustainable corps than we are with selective, inflated memory of a drum corps past.

HH

I certainly agree with the sustainable part. Unfortunately tour costs are not sustainable for many organizations. Three of them found out the hard way this year.

Memory can be selective - absolutely. But so can the view of the present.

[glory]

Fedoras are the current fashion among male hipsters.

DCI could easily repeal the electronics rules if they wanted to.

The rules are relatively recent and I don't think returning to that sound would be all that jarring. Many corps have used minimal electronics to begin with.

Clearly you're missing the (valid) point. Returning to all-acoustic drum corps is as likely today as most male audience members wearing fedoras to shows. And the reason is drum corps has moved into a new era. While fedoras might sometime adorn the average head again and while acoustics might once again prevail, expecting either at this time is denying the changing realty in which such decisions are taken.

HH

[MikeD]

DCI could easily repeal the electronics rules if they wanted to.

The rules are relatively recent and I don't think returning to that sound would be all that jarring. Many corps have used minimal electronics to begin with.

But why EVER would they want to? The instructors caucus had been asking for A&E for a decade before they were legalized.

Items that are not particularly popular fade away or are not used to any great extent...e.g. amplified singing. Just hasn't caught on. Nor has extensive spoken dialogue. It isn't running rampant through DCI. They don't have to be made illegal.

[c mor]

...We did perform in the Pontiac Silverdome once, for DCI North 1976. At least we pretended to do so...the inside of that place had such a bad echo I suspect part of our show was performed to the resonating beats of the corps before us. As far as having real experiences; that is one I'd love to forget.

Mr. Boo - I was there - Did you not play Firebird that year? That was glorious, the reverb just sustaining the chords. I loved it.

Funny thing about Pointiac....when you win they give you a hubcap....how many times would you have to come back in order to get the rest of the car?....

[Grandpa]

But why EVER would they want to?

If the audience backlash was such that it was having a measurable impact to the bottom line. I'm not sure DCI does market analysis to that level of granularity. I'm also not sure that audience members are vocal anywhere other than DCP etc.

So far - electronics have mostly operated in two modes: I can't hear them so I don't care - I can hear them and don't like them. Either way, my vote would be for them to disappear.

[perc2100]

I decided to ask a question of those of us who were around when the stands were full. What could we do to bring back corps fans and alumni who have driven away by the current direction of drum corps which I believe is more about technological achievement as opposed to entertainment or talent.

<div><br></div><div><font size="3">My apology for use of the term "real experience"<br></font></div>

I aged-out 15 years ago this coming season (i.e. I marched with acoustic pits, G-brass, 128 members, Open Class & Div. 2/3 classification, etc). I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with current drum corps: in fact, I'm more entertained by more drum corps shows the last few seasons that I was when I marched in the late 90's. I would recommend if you are unhappy with the activity perhaps you can check out DCA, as I hear they have classifications that are geared more towards nostalgia-minded folks how would prefer to hear corps performances & designs that are more like what designs were 'back in the day.'

Thank you for your interest in the activity, and I hope that you can find a way to participate and enjoy yourself

[perc2100]

Translation: Drum corps was better when I marched and I spend every night crying in my soup because I can't like the activity for what it is today. Instead, I'll #### and moan and gripe about what drum corps should be like instead of taking my thumb out of my mouth and realizing that the kids on the field today are doing some incredibly hard stuff really freakin well. I know that there are a lot of other factors that contribute to slightly lower attendance than when I marched but I'll ignore them. Because I swear, we had 250,000 people in the stands at finals when I marched.

Get over yourself, dude.

This really is probably the best response to the drivel spouted by the OP

[glory]

...Memory can be selective - absolutely. But so can the view of the present.

If you're referring to this anachronistic obession with the fact that corps are plugged in today, you're right. People need to get over that just as they got over the grounding of the pit, the advent of the modern guard, assymetric drill, etc.

As for the financial troubles that beset some corps this summer, that seems to me more an indication of how much things stay the same. Corps sadly continue to disappear. It's too bad we lost so many in the 70s and 80s. Who know where we'd be in the Bb/Electronic era if drum corps had arrived with more of its base intact?

HH