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My son calls it a cult. At a corps event all the alumni sang the corps song and he turned to my wife and said "see, it IS a cult". I guess it kinda is.

Literally 100% of my close friends have no idea what drum corps is. When I go away for a drum corps weekend, they ask if I’m going to watch “that band stuff”. 😂

My adult children know how to push my buttons. When the subject of Drum Corps comes up they roll their eyes and cough *bandgeek* I cough back *reverse-mortgage* and that shuts them up quick.

Good point. Plus, they have a built-in audience on every game day. Several of the bands, a lot of fans stay in their seats for the halftime show. I know that's the case at West Chester U. That band is fantastic.

More likely, 95% of the population are totally unaware that the drum corps activity exists. How could they have an opinion on the issue?

and the general person on the street could give two #####

And now we have the case for an on field percussion judge to check technique.

Oh, the flash and shower of sparks? Yeah, that was a nice surprise after the Concert number, wasn't it? We were all freezing, too. At least for the Halifax, PA parade Rook made me a good turban out of my blue and white striped towel which helped a little and made me look dashing.

It kind of is. Like those clogging followers. I was at a hotel with clogging competitors and their parents many years back and I thought they were even more nutty and obsessed than we are.

At DCA Prelims, the mother of a Carolina Gold member sitting behind me kept referring to the groups as "bands". But she was quite enthusiastic about the activity, so I didn't bother correcting her.

the general public sees bands like USC or Ohio State or (insert favorite college team's band here) as the big time. And to be honest, other than their band, they don't care. I mean how ####### stupid is it in 2019 that we are still hashing out the band is better than corps or corps is better than band arguments? I realize it's the offseason and there's not a plethora of topics to choose from, but Christ Almighty, isn't it time for this argument to die like those complaining about electronics etc? Drum corps isn't going back to (insert year here). it's going to keep changing into whatever those in power want it to be. Ergo, you have to options.......watch it and look for stuff you enjoy, or quit wasting bandwidth on ####### arguments from 1972

Bpt PAL was typical of a Jr Corps born in the late 50's and lasting for a decade or so ... no less than 12 couples hitched up and got married, with the majority still together ... the Legion Post was a big part of our social scene ... can't go wrong with a built on bar, pool table, shuffleboard and roast beef sandwiches ...

It’s hard enough for me to get used to color guard dudes in bright tights and purple eyeshadow but woodwinds.....!!?? That’s my line in the sand. If it does that will be the real day the music dies.

I hit back with "How much money did you ask for?"

Wow... almost forgot about the Renegades thing, in 2004!!! Frontier Field in 1996.... as bad a venue as that was for a drum corps show, with the field a mile away from the stands... that was, hands down, the best PA system I've ever worked with. So the second-place announcement was loud and clear, I'm sure.

and i'm pretty sure i am right there with you on woodwinds. I deal with them in HS marching band because i'm paid to deal with them. no $$ no me at a band show until my kid decides to join one

I would not say it looks nothing like it did 14 years ago. Looks alot like it did when I was there. Definite face lift. As hilarious as the Brown Shirts were the last year about Not coming in and out they were really clueless that you could virtually walk in from the back side and other exits they were not "guarding" . I laughed so hard at one of them that would not let me back in with my ticket..went around the back side and then waved to him later on from the inside. He just looked at me with this glazed over look like what just happened?? LOL

As several have said before, it's like a right of passage for drum corps people to complain about stuff. I latched on to props pretty hard last year. But I think we could all sit down together and have some beers and it would be a great time.

That would, indeed, be frightening. It could be funny as well though. Makes me want to go back and watch Hot Fuzz again.

It’s all good. We all came in in different eras but we’re all still fans of drum corps. (until woodwinds are introduced)

I can absolutely understand that. I think a few of the things that I've done to keep myself excited about DCI and DCA is that I: 1. Limit the number of shows I go to 2. Don't follow the scores at ALL until just before Prelims. I watch the corps but I just don't care about the scores. 3. Introduce new people to drum corps. I don't have kids. But I've gotten my girlfriend involved and she LOVES drum corps. I think it's natural that if you marched and then had kids that marched (plus the volunteer work,) you just get burned out on it. I'm going to try to do some volunteer work this summer with a corps. It's been almost 9 years since I was anything but a fan.

At the risk of getting back on topic, I share a lot of feelings as the OP. As a MM and a fan from an early age, I was excited when my own my own kids demonstrated an interest in DCI. After 5 years watching them perform in multiple corps, I can say that I have spent an embarrassing amount of $$ on tuition, tickets, T-shirt’s, and spent most of my company vacations for the past 5 years driving food trucks and prop vans, etc. But it looks like both my MMs are moving on to other life things (jobs, study abroad, etc). Given the state of the activity with mike’d horn players hanging from trapeze on the field, and that any real competition and parity long ago died away, I can’t see spending any more time or money watching the same 2 or 3 corps win every year. It’s just not that interesting anymore.

Similar experience for me in 2013 at prelims in Annapolis. A friend from Skyliners Alumni and I were watching the show right next to a lady whose son was a rookie horn player with Gold. She liked our sense of humor. We kept it quite PC. LOL. Also appreciated the fact that we gave a shout-out to her son, who had a solo that year... told her he had to be a pretty good player, because rookies often don't get solos. (He was a very good player.) And she liked our compliments about Gold's great guard that year. We didn't care whether she referred to Gold as a band or a corps. Didn't matter. We all were enjoying the show.

How stupid is it in 2019 that we still have people wading into a discussion group to tell others not to discuss something.

ditto

Heh.... I would usually take Thursday and Friday off before DCA's on Labor Day weekend... and when I was heading out on Wednesday I'd tell my co-workers I was off to "drum corps fantasy camp."

Oh yeah, when I did Alumni type parades I’d just say “I march in a music group and I play horn”. Probably more info then they cared to hear anyway.

Actually,they now do both flat and "tilted" Their snares are flat for most halftimes. But they still march with the traditional "tilt' for things like the Skull Session,pregame and parades.

It was always a pleasure to perform for us in the band. Though I will say it's a huge machine to move around. Definitely different than my drum corps experience. Although I still have to say that Legion Field was AWFUL to march in when we had to go there for college or for DCI South.

Thx. I was finding attendance for the golf Honda Classic.

Does anyone know what the attendance figures are for “the Honda” I believe it’s called. People like bands, but I think we’ve gone too artsy for general appeal. I was in a Best Buy a few years ago and they were playing the Drumline battle scene at full volume in the home theater section. Everyone in the store went back to watch it. There is huge growth h potential if you play for more than the guys / gals with the clipboards. I guess they’re iPads now. You now what I mean.

Got that right, Fran! On several occasions, I’ve enjoyed Alabama’s Million Dollar Band on their Tuscaloosa campus. Before games they play on the steps of the library building across from the stadium. Wow! What an experience. Enormous brass and percussion sound, perfectly played and familiar fight songs. Yes, all the other traditional band instruments are there, but it all sounds like a massive, in-your-face, DCI Finalist. . . . and those stunningly attractive twirlers out front !

Yep and college bands don’t have to worry about competing so they can stay the same or change as they see fit. I try to catch the College MB show from Allentown on Flo and all types of sizes and styles. Makes it more interesting that way imo.

Those are the people who see a corps in a parade and ask “what band is that?”. Then give a blank expression when they hear the words “drum corps”. Then there are people who know both but think what differences there are or used to be are too small to consider.

When the question came to me, "What is drum corps?" I answered, "It's like marching band only better!"

You already said otherwise, in this very sentence. Is drum corps marching band? Or is it different instrumentation from marching band, and therefore NOT marching band? I understand your confusion. No one has ever really defined what "drum corps" is. It has been left to common understanding, much like how that Supreme Court justice dodged the task of defining pornography with the infamous assertion, "I know it when I see it". Nonetheless, the people who created drum corps (the military) had marching bands too, yet established drum corps and marching bands as two separate, distinct things. The people who created the competitive drum corps activity (the veterans organizations) created both drum corps and marching band divisions from inception, because they were two separate, distinct things. To claim, infer or pretend they never were two separate, distinct things would be in total denial and ignorance of history.

The key to college bands is that they’re there for entertainment whether it’s PSU, Ohio, Western Carolina, A&M, they just have a a unique style that hasn’t evolved much from their formula.

.......uhhh what I did I miss? Kung Fu fighting? Dogs and Cats living together......MASS HYSTERIA!!! *runs away.......accidentally trips over a PA cord*

to the majority of the planet drum corps was the minor leagues

Crown used to have a home show at the very beginning of the season. I wish they kept it but I totally understand why they can’t make that timeframe work anymore. I might be in the minority here but I wish they’d move their SC show back to Irmo HS. I get it, River Bluff is the shiny new toy. But Irmo is easier to get to for a greater number of people. Especially for people coming from out of town.

finals ticket prices are not going to draw in the uninitiated. i said it with Winston Salem and I was right. I don't care how many local tv spots you run, especially as more and more people cut the cord, or how many newspaper ads you take out, as more and more papers cut the number of days they print. dislike of the stadium grows. i heard people say this year to let them know when it moves elsewhere. group ticket deals for bands are key, and you're going to have to branch out to schools that are past an hour away, because the number of competing bands within an hours drive isn't good. Plus, traditionally, Penn State has a home game Labor Day weekend, and I know 20 people that chose the Penn State game over finals this year after their experience last year. granted, that would require a marketing plan and well.......you get what you don't pay for.

I roll my eyes at the “that ain’t drum corps” crowd as heard it first in 1975. I walked away before (for 10 years) and can do it again. And for the record I read the first post in this thread as someone not liking use of amps and not a call to go back to ......

Dan Spalding was the drum caption head Spirit's inaugural season in 1977. Float didn't come on board until '78.

I'm not even this guy's age, but I have to grab on to the toilet when I step out of the shower.

First, neither Fran (if I may speak for you, sir) or myself consider ourselves dinos. We're well-seasoned drum corps enthusiasts of long standing life experiences. Second, social media as means of most social sharing? What a hoot that must be. Excuse me while I get a beer while I'm social media socializing. Joking aside, I get it, Xan. It ain't the 70s and drum corps bonding or whatever term is used, is in a whole new world.

a rather interesting strategy is posting for the first time to say "goodbye" take care! Things change, it's called life. I preferred the acoustic activity in G - loud as crap and FANTASTIC, but we haven't had that since 1999 for me the core (pun intended) of the activity has always been about the member experience and life lessons learned by the mm - it's not really about "us" IMO