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mace

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    Menomonie Ticket Info - Save NOW!

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Dec. 31 is the last day for best prices on June 21 Drums Along the Red Cedar 09 Tickets!

    Promoters are paying the CrownTICKETS.com convenience fees through today, Dec. 31 ONLY.

    After that, on-line prices are still 20% less than gate prices

    Many of the best VIP reserved seats are already sold, so act promptly for the best deal.

    HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

    www.darc.us

    Remember Menomonie Show - It's back

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Drums Along the Red Cedar (DARC) will be returning to Don and Nona Williams Stadium at UW-Stout in Menomonie, WI on Sunday, June 21, 2009. This show was not held in 2008 due to a stadium turf replacement project.

    Headlining the 2009 event are 2008 world champions, Phantom Regiment from Rockford, IL. Appearing for the first time will be Spirit from Jacksonville. AL and the Racine Scouts from Racine, WI. Also competing will be perennial favorites Madison Scouts from Madison, WI, Blue Stars from LaCrosse, WI, Pioneer from Milwaukee, WI, Minnesota Brass from St. Paul, MN, and Chops, Inc. from Minneapolis, MN.

    Tickets for the event go on sale December 18, 2008, in time for Holiday giving. All advance sale tickets are discounted 20 percent from show-day prices of $25, $20, and $15. Additional fee discounts for phone and on-line ticket buyers are available through December 31 only. Show information and links for purchasing DARC'09 tickets on-line may be found on the event web site: www.darc.us. The toll-free ticket order phone number is: 1-(888) 547-6478. The event web site is: www.darc.us

    Bloomington, we have a problem

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Just imagine. If electronics were legal for this year, the entire field would be in an underground river on its way to Louisville.

    And this time I didn't forget the :)

    Just a precursor - I understand that the field at Lucas Oil Stadium IS, INTENTIONALLY, two stories under ground.

    We should all be praying for the IU and DCI folks who must work this out - its not really funny.

    www.darc.us

    Your Prayers Are Needed.....Please

    in DCA - All-Age Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place our worries in your hands. We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us. Amen.

    God Bless

    Tricia

    From Red Cedar country and the Heart of the Upper Midwest - we Second that emotion. Having been through our own recent trials, we know what comfort the support of even those unknown, far away DC colleagues can bring.

    We're ALL suckers...

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    DUUUHHHHH! YOU THINK?

    Where have you folks been? Mars? DCI has been playing the "build suspense, sell tickets" game for many years! Remember 1978? How many times has Phantom Regiment taken it on the chin "for the good of the activity"? Could DCI really let the Blue Devils and Sata Clara Vanguard have clear, unchallenged dominance over the rest of the field? Someone had to be a legitimate contender for the title! How about 1981 or 1984? Who could predict a winner in those years? Was 1993 really the year the best corps on the field won? Many people wanted to see Star of Indiana get beat, so DCI arranged it, with a lot of suspense! To get people to go to Jackson, Mississippi, they had to play the game! Let's take a look at the many years we had ties at the top for the title? Ties going into 1/2 finals and even FINALS? Many ties for 12th place have taken place over the years. Regional favorites have been admitted to Finals under somewhat suspect circumstances too! Bridgemen got DQ'ed, Garfield made finals as a 13th corps, and lots more happened in 1978! It all served to BUILD SUSPENSE and thusly, SELL TICKETS! I am sure that many people can give additional examples of how suspense was built during the season and during Finals week to get more people into the stadium.

    DCI is a business, an ENTERTAINMENT business. DCI is smart. They will do "whatever" to get our butts into the seats, PERIOD.

    The best drum corps marketing strategy is to build suspense at the local and regional shows so that the bigger regional and national shows will have bigger crouds! It is also part of the reason we have seen a HUGE jump in ticket prices since 1992!

    This was not meant to be offensive, just a little funny.

    Yours in drum corps,

    I find no problem with smart marketing of the activity through management of the tour and lineups.

    However, surely one cannot believe that the any significant number of DCI judges would collude in such a scheme. Many of them are educators and adjudicate for numerous other musical organizations. Yes - they may apply their personal biases to judging - when has that not been the case? But to assume that any significant percentage of them would be ethically disposed (or stupid enough) to collude in such an "excitement scheme" is definitely in the "foil hat" league of thinking.

    And the "huge jump in ticket prices" is not inconsistent with costs for other types of events - driven largely by fuel and venue cost.

    What say we just enjoy the excitement and unpredictability?

    I can guarantee you that the Indianapolis tourism folks are already LOVING IT!

    Bluecoats Win! Biggest Upset in Drum Corps History

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    It would be an upset if they weren't all that good this year, which having seen them in Kalamazoo, is clearly not the case. Bluecoats are very real, and while it's a banner date in their corps history, it's not an upset, IMHO.

    Upset or not, the "NEW ORDER" can be nothing but good for the activity, IMHO.

    The fans at Stillwater (most of whom are one-show-per-year folks) were certainly shocked when the Scouts came out 5th in a field of 5 DIs, one of which was their "spin-off" Southwind. Upsets are generally a matter of personal perspective - particularly in the first half of the season.

    The more statistics are accumulated and the more judging differences, etc. are averaged out of the mix, then the more agreement there is likely to be on what is or is not an upset.

    But perhaps the BEST thing about this, for the overall health of the activity, is that it will most certainly get more folks interested in GOING WEST for finals!

    How did the crowd react to the placings?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    The boos really surprised me when Crown's name came up. Not that I disagree with those booing, just was surprised that it happened. I was happy about the standing ovation Crown got...

    From where we were - HH in the upper deck -- I felt the reaction to Crown's placing was mostly a combination of "COOL", "OOO", "AAHH" and "WOW". Not really that many boos.

    Even so, when everyone figured out what it sounded like, it turned to a Standing O - Drum Corps Fans are still the GREATEST!

    DCI is moving to Indy

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Am I the only one who thinks this is a HORRIBLE idea?

    Among those with a business sense of the activity ... YEH, maybe.

    What difference does the "WORLD Standing" of the city make? They have proved they can get er' done and save both DCI and -- on average -- the corps a lot of cost AND deliver fans.

    Tour planning will be easier, helping corps who may have financial down periods to stay in the mix during years when a coast-to-coast tour could shut them down.

    DCI has already introduced bigger and better regionals in major metro areas some distance from Indy, which should help those fans who just cannot find a way to get to Indy. More of these may be on the way.

    My Indy Recap

    in DCI (All) Corps Show & Event Reviews

    Posted

    ...

    So anyway, that’s my review. ...

    Nice review, but sorry, this "mush bag" dome is NOT a drum corps venue ... I prefer to hear the music the WAY IT IS PLAYED!

    Thank goodness the new stadium will have a retractible roof instead of a BALLOON.

    Sympathies to all who must play there ..., and particularly to the Band kids who come away with the idea that this is what music SHOULD sound like.

    How Long Will Drum Corps Last?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    ... I am very fearful that as more Div II and III corps go away ... The Div I corps have always had many of their members come from Div II and III corps. This will, I believe, not be an option for them in the near future, sorry to say. With two active Div III corps left in the Midwest I am very concerned. I know many corps have "taken the year off", but history will show us that unfortunately most of these corps will never be seen again. The Div II and III corps have always been the foundation of the activity. I guess you could argue this point, but the smaller corps were a great way for young people to join without the heavy commitments (time, talent and money) of the bigger corps. When this resource dries up, and again, I believe it will, even the "big corps" will be forced to find new ways to find enough members to fill their ranks. This will lead to a decline in the number of "big corps". Hence my earlier post of ending up with just a hand full (5-6) of corps surviving. I am not sure how the decline in the number of units and participants can be viewed as a positive step for the activity. I believe the senior corps have a much more healthy, reasonable approach to maintaining this thing called drum corps. Although they have, in the past, made some decisions that have brought them in jeapardy of extinction as well.

    I believe I saw DCI refer to itself recently as "The Major League of Marching Music." That DOES raise the questions:

    Who will look out for the "Minor leagues" and:

    How can a supportive/interdependent relationship best be maintained between the two?

    I don't have the answers, but getting the answers to these questions RIGHT seems to be essential to the future of the activity AT ALL LEVELS.

    Can we start planning for next year ?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    While it sure would be nice to know FAR in advance when and where your show will be, it in reality just doesn't happen as often as anybody would like it. Being both a corps and a show sponsor for many years, there are always glitches that happen in the most detailed and meticulous plans that simply are out of anyone's control. ...

    All very true ... Folks who run shows, whether DCI, a Corps, or an independent "Tour Event Partner," find that, to be effective, they must walk a fine line between being an absolute pest to the Housing sites, the stadium sites AND the particpating corps, OR being unprepared.

    Theoretically, you need a "backup" for EVERYTHING - a backup show site, backup housing sites, backup corps, weather emergency shelters, volunteers, etc. etc. etc.

    and you need to be unafraid to ask ALL of these folks questions they haven't asked themselves yet: "are you going to re-do the field?" ... "are you going to refinish the gym floor?" ... "is that access road going to be closed for resurfacing?" "do you realize the show is on Father's Day?" OF COURSE, none of us have a crystal ball to know ALL potentially critical questions in advance... so we must carefully "WHAT IF" the more likey ones ...

    There will always be a balance between the activity being "Stuck in a rut" and innovating or moving forward too fast. But we're all in this together, so how about we just learn from each other and keep on keeping on.

    BLESSINGS TO ALL FROM MENOMONIE!

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