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Not everyone is a DCP addict with 10 years of reading and memorizing all posts. I have been around for a few years, but only a once every few days or weeks and I dont read every post. I personally found this thread to be pretty interesting. Its also nice to see a thread that contains some talk about an actual event that happened rather than a "my corps is better than your corps" or "the judges hate my corps" or "i hate electronics". In addition, once you saw the thread, you had the option to keep right on walking by! Thats like going to see a movie you know for a fact you dont want to see and then complaining about having to see it.

I know we're kind of off the road here and plowing merrily along through the Forest of OT, but I have to stop and ... defend BD's 2010 show. I understand how it's not everyone's cup of tea - in fact, until this summer, it wasn't mine either. But I spent some time listening / watching, and I don't think it's nearly as random and stabby as the group mind views it. There is the part (much like 2009, actually) where the show kind of falls off a cliff musically (in 2010, the 2 minutes between the La Suerte intro and the full corps refrain from Laura), but once it gets back on the rails it actually has a flow and logic to it. It's definitely not the prettiest music in the world, but it's faithful to the original, and it fits within fairly conventional drum corps structure (ballad, feature, closer). I know... it's that "not the prettiest music" that's the hangup. --- Anyways, I think the "hate" for BD really is the twofold results of their competitive successes as well as their veer in show programming from 2008-2010. Honestly, everyone loves a winner, until they keep winning. In the time I've been online and in the various forums, this happened to BD in the mid 90's, Cadets in the late 90's, Cavaliers in the early 2000's, very much Cadets in the mid 2000's, and now BD in the new decade. I really don't think it's any deeper than that. Mike

shocking....

Very eloquent, Plan. You greased that pan very nicely. But I must admit, this is not the first time you've emoted this...conviction... of yours. I felt the same way in some of our earlier exchanges. Those of us who, even after multiple listens, still don't get that gripping emotion from BD's recent shows don't have our "receptors" closed (necessarily, I should only speak for myself). We try because you say we should. We don't get it, even though we'd love to because nobody wants to be "inferior". And, sometimes, that's the central theme of the point you make. Love you, you know that. But just saying... We're allowed, ya' know?

My parents made me wait until I was 15. I never forgave them. You should have made up your mind before you let him audition. To take it away from him now is just plain nasty.

I started when I was 11 and it was the best thing that I ever did. I became much more confidant, independent and outgoing and since drum corps was contingent on getting good grades - I made sure that I studied hard too. Even today - I can see how drum corps changed my life and and that I wouldn't be where I am today or have the career that I have without it. So that would be a BIG "YES" from me. Later, Mike

Blasphemy!

Scouts Alumni, and friends may wanna check out

I don't read every post on here. In fact, there are some that I purposely avoid.

I started marching corps when I was 15. Was I ready? No. Did I work as hard as the people who were up to 7 years older than me? Nope. Was I a completely different person after that first summer? You bet your ### I was. And now, sitting here 7 years later and probably 50 years wiser, I can confidently say that it was completely worth it! :)

The best thing you can do is talk to the corps director and your son's prospective caption head. Also, you would be well-served by doing some independent research on the corps. Just be careful to not take rumor as fact. If your son is fully bought in on the hard work it is going to take, he will have a great summer (which will hopefully lead to a long, rewarding drum corps career). Just be sure he knows what he is getting into.

I don't think this topic has gotten much airplay on DCP. A casual search turned up 4 whole messages in the entire db (which is why I posted the RAMD link). Danielray is mistaken.

This is what I don't get about rabid BD fans. You are insinuating that someone who doesn't find a BD show appealing or engaging is somehow not watching it correctly or is blocking themselves from liking it just out of sheer will to not like BD for no reason (other than the fact that they place high consistently)? So if I don't care for what BD do, It's somehow my fault and something is wrong with me? There have been shows they have done that I like and many more that I don't. If there are some I like, am I just selecting those to "allow myself to get on" while shutting others out subconsciously? I don't find any of the recent BD productions to be emotional rollercoasters. I have never once gotten chills or shed a tear while watching one in the last 10 years-- and I sure have wanted to. When I watch/listen to some Cadets, Phantom Regiment, SCV or many others I do find emotional ranges. I guess I'm just defective and a hater.

I was on the drum staff of the 27th Lancers and we did indeed participate at both the opening and closing ceremonies. Tommy Walker - a Disney employee was hired by the LPOC for the entertainment portion of the Olympics. He attended the 1979 DCI Finals in Birmingham and fell in love with 27th. I remember practicing with the corps in Dec 1979 - the focus was to teach an entire show. I remember too thinking - this whole thing is going to fall apart - they'll never have a drum corps open the Olympic games. Even when we were boarding the bus, I was still waiting for someone to call and say - sorry. We stayed at a school about a half hour away. There were about 150 performing members including many alumni. I did not perform - letting younger members have their fun. Some other drum instructors did march. It was cold - it was really freaking cold. The valve oil was freezing up with the warm air blowing through the horns, and we started using anti-freeze. It worked !!! Mylar drums heads were shattering like glass into fragmented pieces. The opening ceremonies were almost a let down. One huge exception was - the Olympic Committee needed a group to carry in the HUGE Olympic Flag. A dozen Lancers were selected and proudly carried that flag into the stadium. Of course - the Lancer color guard was featured and the flags were most note worthy and colorful. There were people in the audience, but nothing like what we see on television the last few games. The security was somewhat lax - you needed a paper pass to have access to different parts of the arenas - which the Lancers were given. We mingled around in town among athletes and spectators alike. For the closing ceremonies - we left on Friday evening when the USA was playing the Soviets in hockey. Needless to say, we were consuming mass quantities of beverages and listening to the game on a transistor radio - when we could pick up some reception. On Saturday morning, we had a practice with a choreographer at the Sonja Henie rink. Immediately following us, the Russian hockey team came out to skate and after that the US hockey team came out. What a contradiction of styles. The Russians were like skilled surgeons, perfect passes, disciplined, razor sharp. The US team - Herb Brooks was blowing his whistle so hard I thought his head would burst. The US team was fooling around, sliding their sticks across the ice, complete chaos. But it worked. On Sunday evening, we had the closing ceremonies. We had taped sandpaper to the bottoms of the navy oxfords to prevent slipping. It worked well, until you did a pivot on the ice. After we marched off, it looked like a dozen turds on the ice - which were sand paper. When we left Lake Placid, we started a pool - pitching in a $1 each. The goal was to guess what time we would get back to Revere on Monday morning. People were all over the place guessing times. The actual winner was - George B's daughter Denise. She nailed the time within a few minutes. I asked her how the heck she was able to get it so close? She told me that since George B was driving - and a school teacher - he needed to be in his classroom that morning. Fans did recognize us throughout the entire 1980 season for our Olympic performance, and we proudly carried the Olympic Flag beside the American Flag. Ironically, about half of the people that went to Lake Placid left the corps before the season began and we literally taught the show again to a whole new group of young people. Although Cadets did a great job with their performance in Atlanta, it was no where near the same experience that we had with the many days we spent in Lake Placid.

I presume this is the response to my question to which you refer? First off, I asked you to trot out a corps (any corps) that was anti-whatever you accused BD of being ("robotic", etc).....and you didn't....nor did JJ. I understand your criticisms, I do....I just don't see em'. In fact, I asked that question because I knew you couldn't answer it. You gave a stab at it, but as so often happens on here, posters make statements that sound good if they were true...but then wander around looking for the evidence....."ramming for ramming sake?" really? you're going to go with that? If BD was all the things you accuse them of, then you should have a frame of reference of who does it correctly (or at least in a way that doesn't stimulate your ire). I love those old selections of BD, just as much as you do, but I also understand what they are doing now. I accept the story they are telling and how they are telling it. The way in BD 2010 at the closer, with the hint of Laura in the big finish that resolves back into pandamonium,,,,it was beautiful....they stole the climax and resolve away from us right before our eyes on purpose! La suerte de los tontos in the beginning where everyone was waiting to wander down memory lane and then they put a mirror at the end of the first turn.....wow! These are genuine emotions and many movie producers change their endings because they bow to the wishes/expectations of the viewing audience...who need to leave with closure...or resolve. Many endings are butchered for that reason. I applaud anyone who is willing to twist our expectations...and in my view we need more of it! A lot more of it! So, if what you want is 21 corps "doing what you like in various forms"...I feel sorry for you (not being judgemental here, just sad really). That you've limited you viewing and listening boundries to a structure that drives everything into a standard defined by expectation. The truth is Jeff, that I suspect (as I have said before) that if BD would have not dominated with their recent productions...the responses on here would be quite different. IMO....It's the outcome that drives the criticism...otherwise why would it matter that one corps tried to do something different? And then we are left with the usual DCP rationales...."they are very talented, flawless performers" and took a piece of crap production and won with it!

BD placed 3rd in 2000, they don't give rings for 3rd place finishes.

1988 Madison Scouts. It never gets old. Although....The Cadets 2003 rendition was alright, too.

If the staff wanted to take a stand, there was plenty of time to do it. They could've sent him home, or they could've kicked him off the field finals night. "Too close to the start of the show and in the hunt for the championship" is BS. If it's the right thing to do, it's the right thing whether or not you are in 1st or 12th. Obviously they were willing to compromise somewhat. And it worked, didn't it? BD got a ring that year, and that's what BD strives for. There is no reason to feel sorry for Gibbs or anyone else on the staff. I'm also pretty confident that the rest of the drum line, or at least the basses, were in on this plan. As someone else said, they were a team since December, busted their ##### all year, and they wanted to be their together for the last show. I don't think this is a secret.

The Rocketeers are back for 2012. This year we are focusing building on a top notch mini corps. Do you have what it takes? If you are a percussionist or horn player in the North Alabama / Southern Tennessee area and looking for a corps to call home The Rocketeers have a place for you. The Rocketeers on Sunday afternoons at Grace Presbyterian Church in Madison, AL. Rehearsals will start Feb 26. The Rocketeers are a year round corps and don't stop at the end of the "season". We will participate in regional competitions, DCA finals in August and community events throughout the year. For more information or contact rocketeersdbc@earthlink.net Tentative Rehearsal Schedule 2012: Feb 26 Mar 18 April 15 May 6 May 27 Jun 10 Jun 24 July 8 July 22 Aug 5 Aug 12 Aug 19 Aug 26 Aug 30-Sep 2 - DCA

Anyone remember Bobby Beck teaching them late 70's? He marched 1974 with PR (timp)and marched triples with us in the Royal Coachmen.

Y'all should perform at some of the DCA South shows!

Marge and Betty enjoying the Blue Devils 2011 Virtural Roller Coaster of a show

It is all about personal taste... I have really enjoyed the shows BD has put on for the past 4 years... I did not enjoy 2007 Winged Victory. That being said... I find it hard to sit in the stands and listen to classical music as I DO NOT ENJOY IT... So while everyone else in the stands are singing along with the likes of PR, SCV, ETC... I am politely clapping at the end of each show until I get to hear some jazz or at least something that works for me. Yet... I do not come onto DCP and tell you folks that I find your corps of choice, sterile or boring but rest assurred... I am bored when your corps is on the field and I am thinking about hot dogs... Perhaps that is why I am unable to enjoy the shows, because I am just plain DISINTERESTED... The one thing that you can count on in MY post here is that I am being genuine with you all here... Can you do the same back with me? So to re-cap... I do not allow myself to become emotionally interested in your corps, because before they hit the field, I know they are not my cup o tea, so I politely clap and move on with my life...

One of my old instructors at Marquis, Lulu Barrueco (Kaliher) and her family will be featured on an episode of House Hunters on HGTV tonight (Thursday 1/5/12) at 10pm. Apparently she works at Temple University and is looking for a shorter commute from Newark DE...so they are relocating to Wilmington. I want to say Lulu marched in 93 and 94 with Bones. ...and I know she marched some DCA but I don't recall which. Check it out.

Oh, I'm not allowing myself to get on. How does this work? Do I need candles? Any special kind of equipment? I have the Blue Devils app on my phone, will I need that? I'm kind of scared, cause I've been on an emotional rollercoaster and didn't like it. Is a virtual one pleasurable? They should put some information in the show program, cause I wasn't aware that I was not enjoying the shows properly. Thanks

Rabid, huh! I like to think "determined"! And BTW, I have enormous respect for Jeff Ream, and I love to engage him, it's always a learning experience for me. I am not accusing those who are critics of BD of not having emotions......only suggesting that there are many more emotions than the ones that put us in tears during a Vanguard or Madison company front playing "simple gifts"....some less chilling, some more angst filled...but none the less, emotions. I'm also not suggesting the you are "not experienced" ($1 to Jimi) because you lose interest while viewing BD's recent productions...just suggesting that there may be more to it than you are allowing in....and it's just a suggestion, not an accusation. As some have written on DCP, that were harshly critical of the music score of BD10 throughout the summer, through finals, then months later, gave the music another hearing and they connected...big time! When music fans went to hear John Coltrane wander into musical acerage that was completely new ground...they had choices: listen and try to hear what he was hearing or just let it flow by and appreciate the world he was in that produced what he was blowing (I mean the music, not the substance). Still others might walk out of the jazz club and say, "Man what a bunch of crap that was, he sure ain't Basie, where's the melody, where's the form?" That's what I'm talking about. I just think it's all good and we need to open our receptors to what's different. NOTE: Not gonna hear me call anyone a hater, I just think that word shuts down the conversation and is mostly unmeasurable anyway!

Would that be the "Borrowed" part of their show? Wait, wrong corps...

Always seems like the 2 places corps always need people is low brass and front ensemble... I guess myself (baritone/tuba) and my wife (marimba player) are a perfect match for drum corps!

2002 Magic of Orlando (The Wind and the Lion)

27th did the opening ceremony and closing ceremony of 1980 Winter games at Lake Placid. THEY WERE NOT PAID A DIME beyond actual fuel, a per diem for meals, and a gym floor to sleep on. According to his daughter Denise Bonfiglio, George B felt it would enhance the national image and would broaden the world-wide exposure to drum corps - 180 million viewers. So, funding was solicited from sponsors and the balance paid by the participants themselves. Fanfare: The 27th Lancers Olympic experience by Michael Boo The story of the 27th Lancers at the 1980 Winter Olympics Excerpt republished from Drum Corps International Magazine, Winter, 2010 edition

Convalescence is proud to announce its 2012 Cast!!!

From the folks I talked to that marched there over the years, "reefer madness" is still a big part of the Blue Devils' "bad boy" image and culture; they even seem pretty proud of it.

For what it’s worth, I’m not some sadist out to enforce the rules just to demean and to dehumanize the unfortunate kids who commit the occasional misdemeanor. Nor am I insensitive to the sympathy some have shown. What’s torqued me off is the fundamental unfairness of the situation. One member got to write his own chart. He got to smoke his weed even though it was against the rules. He got to march even though he’d been banned. We can argue until forever – and we probably will – about whether marijuana should be illegal, but that’s beside the point. Smoking weed wasn’t allowed on tour just as making your own travel arrangements weren’t allowed. Maybe he could handle a joint now and then. Maybe he could outplay the whole line. Doesn’t matter; he still has to follow the charts. That’s how we play. What lesson did the youngest, most impressionable Blue Devil learn from this? Perhaps that if you break the rules close to finals, you’ll still get to play the big show? Gibbs can make a fuss, but your corpsmates will turn a blind eye so you can do what you please? Please. No harm? No foul? Suppose it had turned out differently. Suppose Gibbs had noticed in time, dashed across the field and sent one drummer packing. Can you imagine how that would have played in the stands? There would have been a lot of questions. There would have been some misplaced sympathy on the part of those who thought maybe the kid was injured. There might well have been some bad publicity – maybe even some back at the school where BD stayed with all the potential harm that implies. What if some other member of the corps, one who wasn’t in on the plot, noticed and confronted the now non-member fearing that this bass drummer sought revenge rather than vindication? What if he tried to hustle the bass drummer off the field only to be yanked in another direction altogether by another member who knew the plan? How ugly would that have looked on the field? What if this bass drummer had accidentally tripped during the show and taken a rank out with him? He didn’t mean it. But who would believe that from someone who wasn’t supposed to be there at all? We spend a summer teaching – learning – discipline and sacrifice. If discipline and sacrifice were the right thing all summer, they were still right on finals night. The problem is one undisciplined drummer asked his corpsmates to sacrifice not for the unit, just for him – not just to play their parts but to play his too. Wrong. HH

He should have been sent home IMMEDIATELY!!!! Greyhound bus

88 Madison Scouts... just powerful. I wish I was alive to see the show live.

Probably picked it because that was Garfield's The Cadets first championship. Made sense to me.

Dunno. I couldn't do what they do.

I'll just leave it at that.

You know; I could never understand why the guys on my corps bus could never get into caring about Frank Lloyd Wright's groundbreaking use of cantilevers. It seemed such a logical topic to explore as we drove outside of Pittsburgh, just an hour or two away from Fallingwater.

Boring

I think if one takes a large enough sample, one will notice things like this. It's not weird...it's just that patterns will show up and we can assign whatever meaning we want to them; whether there is any meaning or not. Lord knows I often do that when I look for numerically interesting results in my DCI.org recap analyses. President Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. President Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln.

Gee who could this be? Marv, Tommy Wein, Carl T.??? It has to be someone from the early 70's when Charlie was with us......soprano? Mike Plachta, Keith Colkitt, Dave Newman, Bill Fahning,Babo????

Suggesting that BD dominance is a function of the level of performer they get is shortsighted. Is it a component? Of course. But they are consistent because of uniform excellence in design. They keep their design team together, reward them for their efforts and are fortunate enough to have those that feel organizational goals outweigh personal interest. There's no "one person" magic bullet as PR09 can attest to...it's a design staff that works together and is open to others input. It's the best kind of creative environment, built on multiple sources of talent. Some years, it's this designer and next year is that designer, some years the music is the center of gravity, some years the visual...in either case they get behind the concept and work together to wring out every idea. And perhaps most importantly...are willing (as a group) to change or remove components of the design that don't work (and they do this early). As I have said, I have personally witnessed a member on the field (literally on the field) present an idea and seen it worked in and kept. But yes, Brasso....they are bleeding talent from other corps...this is true..but that's NOT the only reason for their consistency.

Rumor has it that, Chris Komnick left his facebook on his laptop while George Hopkin's so cleverly hacked on, and posted the false information, so the Cadets wouldn't be the only corps to announce one show, then totally change their minds. :) lol I kid. I kid.

Also, keep in mind that Pictures at an Exhibition has 10 movements (I believe), so there is a lot of music to draw from besides the well known Promenade and Great Gate of Kiev. So I don't feel that they necessarily have to bring in other music to make it an awesome show.

They are so gonna rock this show!

Who is this? Which street beat? Louie, Louie? Snot nosed? LOL

It's about the experience not the score. well said.

As someone who actually brings kids to drum corps shows, talks to them about drum corps, etc. (unlike most of the people on here and elsewhere who presume to speak for "the kids"), I'd say you're underestimating them a bit. A good many of the kids I work with today know about and love Star of Indiana and the old Velvet Knights. Not that they love them more than current corps . . . not by a long shot . . . but saying they wouldn't go for a Bridgemen alumni performance is presumptuous. Assuming that alumni performance is well done. That's beside the point though. High school kids don't really make up much of the audience on Friday night at semis. It's typically a bit older. You won't even find that many recent ageouts. The crowd you typically find there would go ape for a Bridgemen alumni corps.