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This what we did: We contacted the corps (Bluecoats in our case) and said we wanted to donate to a member who was economically underserved. They identified the member in need. It worked well for us.

IMHO it's judges allowing "taste" to color their interpretations of the sheets. It seems many want to imagine that DCI is evolving into some high art form (deep meanings, intellectual underpinnings, etc...) when it is and always will be movement, spinning, and music on a football field. But you hear many designers talk about their designs as if they were approaching "broadway productions". Sorry to deflate the egos of so many but it's just band. I though Crown's production this year was a big slap to that mindset. It was more about excellence and entertainment and far less about the pretentious "depth of design" that some would have us believe is "high art". It was REFRESHING to see a program who's intent was (1) showcase the excellence of the members (2) engage and entertain the audience. Moreover an honest read of the sheets would reveal that you can reward such a design as it's meeting all the criteria on paper. Finally the performers are given product that is just FUN to perform. Who decided drum corps should no longer be fun for both members and the audience?

No one. Two of the three medalists were crowd favorites receiving standing ovations throughout their respective shows. The third crowd favorite came in 4th place. Nothing has changed: demand and execution still matters for the gold. A fun show or an intellectual show can equally accomplish that. And to echo MikeRapp’s question, who does decide if a show is fun or not? BD was hardly a crowd favorite this year, but the members seemed to be having quite a bit of fun in the victory run video BD posted on YouTube. And they’ve been getting quite the enthusiastic reaction after Moon River and Tank throughout the season I’m totally with you on deflating the egos of the designers, however. Just read the descriptions of the shows on every corps’ website. Quite pretentious and more often than not does not actually get communicated to the audience. Props to Crown for actually communicating theirs.

Who decided the other shows aren’t also fun? I have no issues with whatever Crown does, and you may love it as the pinnacle of the activity. But to imply that Crown focuses on fun while the other corps are focusing on not fun…that’s kinda snooty Ive always thought of Crown as the marching band every high school marching band wishes it could be. Which is a great idea imo for a whole lot of reasons. But to imply that Bluecoats isn’t at least as much fun…or Phantom or SCV…hard pass. P.S. Arguably the best show Crown ever put on a field was Inferno…which is as highbrow as you can get.

Corps do have to be nonprofits, which means they are tax-exempt, and (in general terms) the tradeoff is that legally any profits made have to go back into the organization, and not paid out to shareholders etc. (Drum corps generally don't have much in the way of profits anyways, so it's normally not an issue.) Anyways, to answer your question, nonprofits still can be run like for-profit corporations, and all of the big ones tend to be. In drum corps, many/most of them now have a Board of Directors (required) who hires a CEO/Executive Director to run the overarching organization, to each performing group under them (DCI, WGI, youth symphony, what have you) having their own director that reports to the CEO/ED. So in Phantom's case, the Corps Director only has to worry about running Phantom Regiment and not all of the other things that the actual nonprofit corporation does. Mike

Very true. In our case, we purposely wanted to sponsor an individual, not a fund.

i have reached out to corps also. i have also just given money directly to the student.

If DCP had a Poster of the Month it would give us another thing to argue over.

For me, there was too much "dead air" in the show during the lengthy percussion sections (whole beginning of show and then the lengthy amount of time leading up the brass-waving-streamers). I know it wasn't actually 'dead air', but it knocked me out of the excitement. The pit/percussion music during those sections didn't seem to really "build up" or excite me.. there were a few times it was increasing in energy/volume/excitement, then it just died down again.. too many hills and valleys. I'm a brass guy though, so I find most interludes of percussion boring, and Crown's were just excessively long for me. I will say though I found it MUCH more boring on Flo than in person, but in person I definitely was wandering during those length sections.

While we might all like to see corps take more risks, we don’t have to pay their bills.

That is freaking awesome! Job well done brother. If DCP had a Poster of the Month, you would get my vote.

I’ll echo @Cappybara & @MikeRapp saying who says the other shows aren’t fun, but I’ll also underline what I mentioned a million pages back and what all of the other dissenters are getting at in this thread: why can’t it be fun and a slap in the face to bloated intellectual designs, but still be well-designed and purposeful and detailed out from top to bottom? A design where every prop and piece of source music and moment of choreography serve to clarify the intent of the show, not muddle it. That’s how Crown regains their footing as a consistent medalist corps. That is the only missing piece in my opinion. Keep a fun show; great! Just make it make sense from top to bottom. Downside Up did that. Rach Star did that. Tilt did that. RHRN did not. Have fun moving forward - just make sense out of it.

Having one person running both the business and artistic side of the operation is what led to ‘Springtime for Hitler’.

Now that’s a formula!

One must also consider "The Emperor's New Clothes" on how it relates and the explanation of said design.

Wow. You say alot but not much meaning into it. Nice try.

I lift about 250+ every morning when I get up. Carry it all day; does that count? I’ll send them an email w/Q. 😂✅

I didn’t know that. Cincinnati is the Queen City, too. In fact, there was a drum corps called the Queen City Cadets from Cincinnati that all of the Acheson brothers marched in. My husband, too, before he went to Kilties.

Absolutely lol. It's a possibility. Right now, the Fro is going to Boston or Concord, whichever one would have him. He is planning to audition for both.

DCP: no stupid questions; only stupid answers. 😂 Think they advertise them on their sites when available.

I had two extra unused seats on the aisle in sec 140-row 8. Was happy to invite corps staff members to sit there and watch their corps. Along with some corps members, over the three days. They were grateful and polite. The oldsters on this forum have forgotten that we used to do the same thing when we were marching decades ago.

hell thats the airport

this triggered my inner wicked games fangirl

There is a plethora of material in this piece ”Trinity” from Snarky Puppy written by guitarist Mark Lettieri.

FDCI Info https://dci.org/static/fdci

I’d disagree with that, but I wouldn’t want the vocals if a corps did a Rush show. Love Geddy.

It reminds me of Las Vegas hotels and how they make you walk through the casino to get to the hotel, hoping you’ll drop some cash in the slots. 😂

Also can start in the same place. As it says, email give@bluecoats.com to get information on specific needs. Then when you have a name and verified info, "If you are trying to sponsor a specific participant, please visit this link" Then you would specify the name and dollar amount in that Sponsorship section.

Thanks Mike for the balanced opinion .. which maybe I did not say well previously. I was simply trying to state if the opinion is Crown does the same thing(s) .. others are certainly near or in the same category. I still feel like this year was very different visually from anything they have done before. Musically. Ok. I’m probably convinced but I sonically like it.

That is how it should be. I understand wanting everyone to visit the Marketplace, but forcing them all through one entry point in pursuit of that objective takes two major risks: 1. Safety. It is finals. This is the largest crowd of the season, and they want to get in on time. All this focus on member safety, and no concern for spectator safety? 2. Attendance. Entry is restricted to the point of deterring people from attending. Granted, most of your audience have paid in advance... but some of them will not bother next time if the venue has an established habit of not accommodating the crowd. Are Marketplace dollars worth risking ticket dollars?

I applaud the divide and conquer approach. Many theaters, dance companies, music organizations, etc. divide and conquer this way by having an administrative leader and an artistic leader. I know it can be a hit financially, but not spreading one person so thin can hopefully allow both areas to maximize the efforts required for organizational success.

Everyone has a similar sound year to year because of who arranges for them. That will never change unless the arranger changes (i.e., BK this year). However, if I were to listen and watch a stream of Crown shows, I wouldn't really say they are the same thing year to year. 2019 and 2022 were very different in show concept. But if I were to listen to a stream of BD shows, then I would see more similarities. I very much enjoyed BD in 2016, 2018 and 2019. But some of their shows that seem repeated are the ones that I don't really like that much, such as 2017 and 2022, and that is because I can never really grasp onto what is going on. Sure there are parts of those shows that I liked and said "wow", but BD is much more formulaic than other corps, and props to them because it works. I just think that some people want to see something different from BD. Bloo finds a way to add something new every year (skin tight uniforms, keytars, massive props, etc.). Crown might sound similar but the show designs are not the same, and they always set the standard for brass features. Either way, every corps has an identity, and they rely on that year to year, it would just be nice to see something different every now and then from all corps.

Have you ever wondered how many random people went to the PAS Rhythm Discovery Center only to find out that they have no actual natural rhythm?

BD wins agains, completing their first 3-peat To most of DCP’s dismay Oh, and the Crown thread will once again be the longest thread of the season. They are the new Cadets

There are so many DCI constants that play to BD’s dominance. There just aren’t any other organizations that can afford the sort of institutional assets that BD brings to the table. Chief among them is a very well-paid, year-around staff that works well together and has an unparalleled track record. This more than anything provides a bedrock of stability that really no other organization can match. Look at the merry go round thread. Most other corps are rotating out designers and fielding interviews, while BD starts building next year’s roster and show design. They already know they will have the most capable educators and marching members. It’s all about sticking to their plan.

I could of course be wrong. Odds are not on my prediction.

I remember when drummer emoting was a 'get the h*ll out of my way - we're comin' through there' face.

I know it’s about shows being rained out and the heat. But there’s something special about going to watch a drum corps show in a crappy high school stadium. At least to me

From watching the “Blue” episode of “ The History of Art”, one of the source inspirations for the show, from a distance the blue tarps have a resemblance to the raw mined lapis lazuli stone, so that before reading your comments, that was my best guess as to what they represent - but it could be completely wrong, as the the stone is very hard, and the tarps, not. Dreams and fabric work well too.

Your collection just went up in value

1st- BD, Blue Devils, Blue Crew!!! 2-12 Boston, Bluecoats, SCV, CC, ??????

The reasons (from excellent sources) 1. Michael Boo’s passing. He was the go to guy for projects such as this and there is no one within DCI with the amount of knowledge he had who is also a gifted writer. 2. For whatever the reasons, DCI did not want to outsource the project. DCI is very careful of its image and protecting it would not be easy with someone who was not connected with DCI. There we’re people willing to help with such a project as volunteers, including someone who loves to write and can sometimes write DCP posts that are a bit long (I wonder who….). It never materialized. I know a group that wanted permission for such a project. It wasn’t granted. Declining sales of past programs may have played a part in the decision, but it could have been online. Online works for “Drum Corps World.” Overall, the 50th anniversary was a missed opportunity for DCI. With the amazing shows this year, so many corps that struggled to compete but still did so, especially in Open Class, this is a year worth remembering. Add to that a bit if nostalgia: the Anaheim Kingsmen rifle line, Bridgemen, Kilties, 27th with double flags and rifles bursting through a drum line, Garfield Cadets in 84, SCV and the Bottle Dance, Blue Devils in 94, you get the idea. This would have been the perfect opportunity for combining past and present.

I can perfectly understand how Phantom Regiment was the fan favorite show this season . No gimmicks .l. No large and obtrusive props . No narration . Just terrific music and drill presented in an interesting and appealing manner to many of us fans .( I can also understand why Phantom Regiment placed out of the top 6 too , but that’s beside the point ) . Kudos to Phantom Regiment this season for providing such an appealing and entertaining show loved by so many of us 👍

Given that, I'm surprised Inferno finished in second because Kinetic Noise was the better show. Yes I will die on this hill.

20,000+ fans and like one entrance gate, one beer tap and one poor guy making all the hotdogs! 🤣

I hope Crown goes back to the simplicity that they were best at from 2006-2016. The design team just has not had a focused idea since they joined in 2017. Crown is best when they don’t think too hard about what they’re communicating and just do. I hope they come back very strong next year

I don't think a clean sweep is necessary but I do have questions about artistic director/program coordinator Rick Subel. Michael Klesch and Jeff Sacktig both have track records of tremendous success, and they didn't create their designs in a vacuum. I don't know how long Rick has been at the helm of programming at Crown, but the 2022 program certainly felt like a "beat them over the head with everything and the kitchen sink" approach. Hoping for significantly more focus and elegance from Crown in 2023.

A lot of it could have to do with how challenging a particular set of drill is to get clean. I guess my point is I don’t think Crown made an active decision to not clean their show until the end of the season. I’m sure they were trying their best to clean it all season.

Good point and well taken.

Many corps have programs outside of just fielding a drum corps. Regiment has Drum Major camps, multiple clinics, Rockford Rhythm to name a few. A Corps Director would be hard pressed to manage all these activities. Enter Dr. Sneed. Given his background and accomplishments, I think he’ll be a great fit.