TooMello

I'm not trying to be a "martyr". And I absolutely didn't like it. It was absolutely boring to me. You must like band. I never did. I couldn't care less if you respect me or not... why should I? I'm agreeing with a TON of people in the drum corps world that don't appreciate where DCI has taken Drum and Bugle Corps. Let's see, I saw some numbers... 300 or so to about 80 and finally 7. Enjoy your "golf claps".

I'm amazed at some of the comments. Automatically, if you disagree with current drum corps styles, you are a "dinosaur". I disagree. I went to be entertained. I expected to be "wowed" right out of my seat by somebody or something at some point. It was a drum and bugle corps show after all. For all the education, technique etc. that these young people are acquiring these days, I expected a lot I guess. It's suppose to be so much better than year _ _ _ _. The shows were boring. Period. I wasn't the only one who thought so, and I wasn't the first one to leave early. I'm the paying customer. You're doing this stuff for the customer, right? You're suppose to be entertaining the customer, right? I'm saying, I didn't find it entertaining. I can appreciate the hard work and effort, but it is not entertaining. Why should I feel like I have to analyze the show and what they are trying to convey to me? Why are you musically inept if you really just wanted entertainment? To call someone musically inept because they don't like the show is ignorance. Drum corps have always done somebody else's music. So why can't I recognize it anymore? I don't believe I have to be politically correct and all "warm and fuzzy." You know, if somebody keeps telling you you're wonderful, if you hear it enough, that's exactly what you will think you are... but it doesn't make it true.

Ahem... I must correct you... he most certainly did march in the 2000's.

On this thought: People don't care what the time signature is as long as they can still dance.

It's amazing that: 1. People are referring me to a man 2. People think I don't know or haven't been around drum and bugle corps 3. My distaste of what I saw means I need to go back to the '70s. I've always been a fan of Madison (boys, boys, boys ;) I've seen a youtube video of their show this year. I'm not surprised they were the corps to bring people to their feet. Someone mentioned their appreciation for subtle nuance in a drum corps show. My idea of a subtle nuance is Madison ripping your face off.

I've been involved in drum and bugle corps my whole life. Some of my family are in orchestra. I go to the orchestra to hear that genre, and I go to drum corps shows to hear drum corps music. I don't expect orchestras to entertain me like drum corps or visa versa.

I know I'm going to get blasted... and I have read over and over the discussions pertaining to this topic. Last night I went to my first DCI show in a long time and I was so excited to finally see one and I just hated it. I know the kids are working extremely hard and are putting their heart and soul into these shows... that is obvious. And to that extent, every single one of them are great! But these shows are the most boring things I've witnessed in a long time. Who ever is writing the music and the shows should be ashamed of themselves. How can you do that to those hard working kids? I was so disappointed. I couldn't tell when they were starting half of the time, and if it wasn't for a grand chord at the end and a horn pop, I wouldn't know when it was ending. One show actually put a "blip" of pit at the end so I thought, oh... maybe there is another song...nope. Once the pit was miked up so much they drowned out the drums! In all the years I've been marching and watching drum corps... that has to be a first! When has anything ever drowned out a drum line?! Props... what are they thinking? A guard was doing beautiful work, had beautiful flags and you could barely see them because they had placed them BEHIND these god-awful ugly black props! What is the point of that? I watched the kids race all over the field... AND NOT PLAY! What? All this hype over Bb horns and they aren't playing? Ok, cool visuals, but where's the music? And when they did play, it was "park and bark". I thought, probably because after running, that's all they could do.... and all it sounded like when they did what whole notes in big, esoteric sounding chords. I was extremely greatful for the very few soloists. (And I also noticed not one high note from a soprano/ trumpet. It was so "blended". As a matter of fact, I noticed the shift to featuring low brass most of the time. One corps featured the trumpet line technically at one point and it was a total of 8 counts! That's it? That's all?) Don't tell me I don't understand classical, I'm of the age where you HAD to study that in school. Stuff like that was not an option. I could recognize a piece for a couple of measures and I wasn't sure what the heck they were trying to do after that. I do NOT like the electronic talking on the field. The announcer said the corps would "troop the stands". They didn't, it was chaos on and chaos off. To me it was just a big mess. How can you applaud for the kids hard work during that? I didn't like those big black screens they hide behind. I thought it was extremely distracting. I really tried to figure out the new format for the shows. I know we went from "off the line" to "the exit", and I've watched DCA do "opener, the ballad and the closer". Honestly, after about the 4th corps, I still didn't get what the format was... assuming there is one. I know I HATE the show format. Please, pull the names out of a hat and let them go on in whatever order happens. I'm sick of them showing the corps in the order they are going to score them. Why even wait for the scores? You know by the line up who is going to win and who will not and everyone inbetween. DCA is just as guilty on that one. I left the show early. I won't go to another. I left feeling so sad for each and every kid on that field. Everyone of them is giving everything they have, and those are the worst "drum and bugle corps" shows I've ever seen. I thought, leave the orchestra music in the orchestra, get something exciting on those fields. I know, here it comes, blast me... but all this hype about how wonderful all these new changes are, I wasn't expecting shows that just about put me to sleep.

I skimmed over this topic. I was at Empire's show. Considering the attrition rate the economy has had on the activity, I think the show was a good one. DCA seems to be posting only the competing corps... but the actual show itself is very good. Empire had corps in exhibition that were every bit as entertaining as the competing corps. The same was true in Hornell. I noticed some shows have been cancelled all together. Economy... people would definately be there if they could. Corps go through cycles because it takes time for the next group of talent to "grow up." The DCA corps seem this year "younger" and "growing" as new people enter the activity. Notice at the moment the alumni corps are getting huge. (My buddies in the UK are noticing the same thing.) All that talent from a few years ago are now married and having families. Time is limited, along with monies. It seems at the moment everything is going through a "shift." I was at a parade when I noticed about 4 or 5 kids with drums and a couple of horns and parents or guardians getting them "rounded up" to "go". They had a simple uniform, but a uniform nonetheless. The snares were very proud with their vic firth stick bags hanging from the side. I didn't get a chance to ask, but all I could think of was the beginning of a "feeder" corps. Corps is not dead, just changing...... again.

"What's that you're saying, old-timer? Ninety-five percent of America's D&BCs have folded? Ah, but look at the QUALITY of what's left! You just don't get it, Gramps. Now get lost because we're in charge and we're cool and you're not, and ... hey, where'd everybody go?[/b] You're cool and we're not? Quality? Are you kidding? I can think of 5 people right now that teach brass lines in DCI that could rip your face off with a G horn right now, no valves, valve/rotor, two valve, three valve.... pike one! So exactly where do you think you got that "quality and coolness?" I know of a few people teaching drill that got there start with those 'unqualified old-timers'. You're cool? Really! You know what quality is? Really! I suppose you're an expert on talent too! And 95% of those old-timers helping you being so cool were in those 95% of D&BCs that folded (and they had a bunch of friends that were just as good too, sometimes better, but hey, what do I know?)

"Good shows" is an opinion. I find this all very sad. It tore up drum corps when DCI and the Legion were butting heads. It's going to happen again. Honestly, a good show is one where when you hear the line up you don't know before you go in to sit down who is going to win. A good show is when the scores reflect week to week how the people in the corps are actually doing. (off nights, who ever hears of that any more?) A good show is when the fans can wait to see who will do what next, when they have no idea what the corps will bring "to the table" of competition. A good show was watching people with "no talent" become phenominal entertainers with their chosen corps. I'm all for getting as many people in the activity as you can... not the "chosen few." Nobody has said the word... they want to go "pro." I'm all for the amateures. Long live drum and bugle corps!

.... and it's working!

I started with a valve/rotor. I LOVED the Yamaha Bb I got to play for awhile. It was a super nice horn. What I've noticed though, it's much more challenging to get that G horn to sound great. So if we can just get you to side with the G...lol... us "old folk" will be thrilled...lol. On another note, with all the new stuff I think they need to quit calling it drum corps. It's not drum (and bugle) corps any more... it really isn't. I'm not sure WHAT it is, but certainly not drum corps with singing and woodwinds and synths and electronics... sorry.

The Syracuse Brigadiers had their rings done by Josten when they won their championships. Josten gave them three choices, (gold, siver or bronze). The design on the rings was done with Brigadier Staff input. The corps members had to purchase their rings from Josten if they wanted one.

Two of my friends from junior corps that I hadn't seen in years attended the show and their impression was it was an awesome show. They really enjoyed PTB and Cadre. The were super impressed with Bobby Bonds conducting a song with GR. The were so awe struck by the power of St. Joe's brass line in the opening of Bully, one of them screamed with delight. Her sister reminded her she was not in an outdoor stadium. (I laughed when they told me that.) They said they just didn't expect that kind of "raw" power.