jetman1287

Usually you can tell what's a poor autocorrect. Theres theirs will always kill me.

Exactly. The DCI events I've attended have a good mix, unlike the DCA crowds. Where was this event held in Lawrence? Maybe a more modern facility in the area instead? It seems like some shows are held in locations just because that's where they've always been. The show I went to in Glens Falls NY...like a middle school baseball field...place is not DCI quality! And will do nothing to attract NEW fans, imagine if you were to hold that event where there are HS bands in Syracuse or Albany.

I don't trust this post, right up to the poor grammar. The line that really got me was the kids who are not loyal to perform can find their own way home seems fishy. You could use that as a threat to perform but any paying kid deserves the ride back especially given the communication issues. Why wasn't the bus company completely settled before the trip to Indy? Still unanswered questions here.

Don't blame DCI. This why, in all sports:

Ah, thanks. My search for 'Madison Network Audio' didn't show anything.

The Madison closer has no audio on the fan network with a subtitle saying 'due to licensing restrictions we cannot play the audio'. Is this movement on the APD also blocked out? What is the DCI policy towards getting full rights secured before the corps steps on the field/designs their program??

Nice performances last night. These corps were definitely moving in a more fan-friendly direction, namely MELODIES that last more than 2 seconds! Spirit did well, but I wish we saw more effective vis design from most of the corps last night. I think you can throw Boston's # out the window. They just had an off night. It really had the feel of 'this is one of our first DCI events this yr'. Nasty 5 person pileup, I don't know how no one got hurt. Also for a Les Mis show I hope the music can be more effective. Very impressed with Madison. Not sure how much they can grow as the year goes on. Nice job taking a crowd friendly show with a modern design approach instead of doing a complete throwback. Crown was clearly the most talented corps. Their vis design was also the most satisfying on the night. Judges got this group right last night, though I think you will see Boston trending higher as they get settled into their tour.

THIS!!!!

A good post :) Honestly, I feel like WWs are more important than amps. The electronics are mostly there so designers have more toys to play with. How many people do they actually bring in to the activity? VS the number we could have involved (by both marching and attending shows) if they aligned with schools as mentioned in the DCW article and included WWs. A safe start would be creating a separate division. People would walk out the first year or two, complain a lot, but I don't think they'd leave for good.

What exactly happened?

Very tough to determine where the activity is at without raw numbers. Lots of people say "It was much bigger back in the day" but is that a perception? Where are the financials to support it? "Oh, there were at least 40K when I marched finals"....not enough evidence IMO. There are less corps, but that's because the traditional 18 y/o kid is marching in a HS group, not a drum corps.

I wonder how similar the poll results would be if this were asked 10 years before amps, 10 years before the switch to Bb, etc ;) There are too many positive things about the activity to remove my support bc of WWs. To me, it's actually a little selfish to think you'd stop supporting something that was of value to you when you were young...simply because you don't like the different sound. The activity is more important than a brass only sound vs. combined sound.

PR 2005 is one of my favorites from them. Also, Cadets 2006!

Below average, dull music, not very competitive. IMO :)

Doublepost

This is why it's not worth it to go to DCI Finals. Hit up Allentown or one of the earlier Indy shows and you don't need to go.

23 corps perform. Top 17 advance. The top 17 stays in exactly the same order for semis. Top 12 advance. The top 12 stays in exactly the same order for finals. I bet this isn't the first time...yawn...zero changes from top to bottom between quarters and finals! Source: http://dciscores.com/world/

Whether you think he's done a good job or not, isn't 14 years is a little too long for someone to be the head of DCI?

Do you consider 2010 part of the last decade? I know some people who do, which is crazy! The 00's were 00-09, not 01-10! Anyway, I pick the Cavaliers in each instance for what I feel changed the activity more than the Blue Devils have...although BD has definitely dominated the last 4 years.

Streaming Finals is a must for the future! This isn't like the NFL where staying at home watching on TV surpasses the gameday experience. Even with a streaming finals broadcast, I'd be well aware that viewing a show live is still better. DCI should look into providing a PPV service with the cable and satellite providers. I'd pay $20-30 to watch DCI Finals on my HDTV!!!

I was commenting on the topic at hand... It says something about the nature of this board when calling a corps a "marching band" (what 99% of the population sees us as) stirs up hatred. I'll end it there though. This'll be a fun topic to watch, don't close it!

It's amazing the amount of hate and political drama you can stir up just talking about marching bands.

eh......

I paid $20 extra for the plus subscription and only watched one show live because the Flash player they use is awful and my internet speeds are a little slow. Ah well, more for the corps I guess.

This is a great article. I can't remember reading something from an outside source that finally doesn't go "Now the halftime show is the game!" or some other cheesy marching arts reference. I'm all for the G7 and expanding ways to market the activity. IMO, corps need to be closer to the HS scene to attract more potential marching members. These are the people you can make fans for life. I would also argue that HS bands have overtaken DCI as the premier marching ensembles in the country from an involvement perspective. We all pay for high quality DCI but the large majority of people involved in the activity do HS bands and that's it. That's why there are a lot fewer corps. DCI should attempt to either get these kids marching into their college years OR attract them to a show once a summer, and I think they can do this by merging with BOA or USSBA and possibly expanding the instrumentation as they've done the past few decades. I feel DCI suffers from a lack of awareness in music ed. Many HS performers have never heard of it. These are our biggest potential fans and corps members, and ignoring those people at the expense of someone who prefers G bugles from "Back when I marched" isn't doing anything to grow the number of people involved in the activity. So while I personally may love a certain brand of show, I think the ultimate goal should be let as many people as possible be involved, even if it may offend my artistic taste. At the end of the day, my preference for a type of show is not as important as giving more kids the opportunity.