stifled4mallettechnique

I'm sure George doesn't appreciate you spoiling his 2008 surprise like that! ^0^

I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with virtually everything in your post. This probably isn't the best place to debate it, but if you'd like to do so in PM's I'm willing. Please start with the context for your evaluation of good and evil.

I don't know... there was a whole show glorifying criminals.... Oh wait. That made the use of rifles in a modern show relevant. Forget I brought it up!

You've got to be F'in kidding. Why don't we ban minors from DCI so it doesn't get blamed for influencing children in any way? Get the MPAA to rate the videos too. I don't care if an "entertainment troupe" wants to try new things (and we may as well eliminate judging, since there never seems to be a standard put in place to reasonably evaluate "new" techniques and equipment, plus losing might make somebody feel bad), but what possible useful purpose is there in banning anything and everything that isn't trendy enough for you artsy types? If a corps can recruit enough members to do something with even a hint of tradition, why not leave them alone and let them do it their way? If they choose to alienate corporate sponsors by using "weapons", it's up to them, right? Let's eliminate movement too, as somebody might pull their groin trying to jazz run, and the quadruplegics already have enough grief with not being able to do so much that most of us take for granted. Plus, we surely don't want any violin playing significant others to not understand our beloved activity instinctively. BTW, don't they use BOWS??? Sounds dangerous to me! ^0^ Any child that kills him/her/himher/herhim self (My apologies if the order is offensive, I'm not in the loop on how those things are properly phrased now, and any other combination I have overlooked is unintentional) from trying to spin a real firearm after seeing a drum corps show is doing the gene pool a favor. The parents/legal guardians of said minor bear the sole responsibility. Odd that you aren't pushing for the banning of beer sales at the events...

Indeed... great corps, cool uniforms, (hot lesbians...) I wish I lived close enough to join!

Good points! I love Laurie! I'd love to hear something on the field like, "Que is mas macho? Marching Band or Drum Corps?" (Yeah... dunno how to do accents on my spanish typing... sorry.)

Thank you to those that responded to my questions. I genuinely appreciate the feedback. To the rest of you, I apologize for the brief interruption in your battle between those that want to have George's babies and those that thinks he'll just eat their soft, tiny heads anyway. ^0^ For the record, I enjoyed the Bluecoats' use of voice, and loved many of the Cadets' nonvocal show elements. Just my personal preference.

Sorry, Mike... I've seen ya dance, and I'm afraid I'd just disappoint you and embarrass myself! :P

... Next year the official PA suppliers of DCI will post in like manner, I'm sure...

Finally, a show that could use some narration! :P

For those of you in support of the Cadets' narration, I have two questions. Please, those that are anti-narration need not respond. I know how you feel. 1) Did you like it? I'm not asking if you appreciated the "innovation" or the right of the corps to do it, or who is a Cadets fan. I mean, did you like the actual narration? Did you think it was done well? Did you find the content uplifting or entertaining? There are no right or wrong answers... I just want to hear your personal opinions. 2) If you were judging narration, how would you do it? I'm not asking you to guess how DCI is doing it, or how you think they should. I want to hear how you would do it, and how your judging would have affected the scores. I ask that nobody attack any sincere response to these questions (but I know the chances of that...). I honestly want to understand the feelings from both sides of the debate.

Not only was the encore great, but I was able to move to a better seat for it!

Can I buy ya a beer? I was a bit sheltered in my old corps days, and aside from the occaisonal snickers about certain all male corps having couples busses, I didn't really think about such things. Now that I'm older and wiser (and have a wife that's a former "hag") I know most of the time, but just don't care.

Well, I'm back from Pasadena. I had such a great time that I don't remember what I was going to say! This thread has died anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. I will admit that "Drop your weapons!" was one of the highlights of Div I for me. I would have at least liked to see corps MEMBERS running the PA, but I digress. (BTW if the KAC pit could play unplugged with nearly 150 horns and about 40 marching percussion, why can't a regulation sized corps?) Anyway, no point in arguing anymore. Corps that go too far for the audience will get tired of being booed (yeah, there was that other misunderstanding too, overblown and mishandled by all parties, but whatever...), and it will all work out in the end.

Ahhh.... back from Pasadena! What an overall wonderful time it was. Div II/III (and don't forget international!) finals was great, and if you were in town and missed it, it was definitely your loss. But thanks for making my parking so easy! :P Div I semis and finals were great too, but that's not the topic here. There is good stuff going on in the "lower" divisions. Help them keep it going, and throw then a little support!

Hmmmm.... well, if the Cadets felt comfortable shoving their narration down the crowd's throat, perhaps they deserved some feedback. I have great respect for the talent of the corps, but come on. The narration was horrible. It was on the verge of all out parody. It was like the Mormon kids from South Park. It distracted the crowds. It literally (and I mean literally LITERALLY, not in the current usage) made my 1 1/2 month old niece cry at semifinals, something which no other corps did. It pandered to anyone who got (or is still getting) picked on for being a band geek. Unless somebody can honestly tell me that the Cadets didn't know about the narration until they had invested too much time and money into the season to bail out, I think they deserved the lesson in consequences that only the crowd was up to giving them.

I see Tom's points. I'm not sure why so many think he's bashing the div II/III kids. That's not how I read it at all. I do disagree with his assessment that the div II/III corps are not DCI's concern, although I may have misinterpreted it. IMHO, as long as DCI has AUTHORITY over them, they have RESPONSIBILITY to them. It's supposed to be a nonprofit organization, as I understand things. Soooo... is the implication that DCI will fall into financial ruin if they put a little more effort into the corps that make them less money? Does that mean that DCI itself is on the verge of irrelevance? Is that why the member corps keep turning drum corps into something else, in a desperate attempt to find a niche that will pull in more bodies and keep them afloat? I could go on, but it might drift to the edge of the topic, and possibly fall off. I certainly don't mean to imply that the board members want to keep most of the income going to their own corps... I'm sure deep down they want the best for all young performers. I can tell you this though. The Kingsmen Alumni had an exhibition show last night with Impulse, Pioneer, and the Nicholson Pipe Band. Aside from the I&E (and the PB&J) it was the only show going on in the area that I know of. The crowd was great, but there was certainly room for more. I'm sure if any of the top 6 had been there, it would have been standing room only. (I won't go OT and review it. I'm sure Ryan will do a fabulous job of that later, as he always does. I will say that I had a wonderful time. Consider earplugs at semis! ) In a nutshell, I think that many (and I certainly don't mean all) fans will continue to think of the div II/III corps as "Marching Music's MINOR league" as long as DCI thinks of them that way. I can't really offer any practical solutions that haven't been addressed already (I know, I know... so why am I wasting 30 seconds of your life with this?). I don't think the fighting (as opposed to civil disagreement after thoughtful consideration someone's statements) between people with such similar goals is going to help, though.

Ahhhh... so we're about the same age then, depending on in which state you had your fist legal cold one. (Yes, kiddies... there used to be different drinking ages!) I had a long response, but it didn't come out like I wanted. I'll try again after enjoying some activities around town! Thanks for the tone of the last response. And no, I didn't mean YOUR booty! Just send over some of those models you use in the FHM ads.... although they tend to be a little on the slender side usually....

I'm sorry, I must be having a senior moment. Did I post my age somewhere? Do your forum settings not include smilies, or are you just humorless? Or are you just SO offended by anyone that doesn't care for your artsy-fartsy way of life that you look for any excuse to belittle them instead of seriously discussing the topic? Dude, please tell me you're going to be at finals! We can chat over a beer and try to understand each other, between shows, of course. You are old enough to drink, right? (see, I didn't assume! :P ) But seriously, I could stand to see some good (but of legal age) bootyshaking. And no, that's not what the beer invite is about...

I guess I'll have to accept getting thrown in with the crowd that hates everything after VFW, just because I don't think ALL "innovation" is good. That's not me, but I don't mind if you categorize me to suit your needs. But let me ask you this.... Isn't it just a bit lazy and UNcreative when you have to change so many fundamentals of an activity just to do something new? Have we really run out of new ways to do drill, guard, brass, and percussion? Do we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater to improve the sport? (And by the way, since this is a sport, when does the random drug testing begin? It would have ruined a lot of great corps "back in the day" LOL. I suspect that's part of where some of the new ideas are coming from now... but I digress) I am, however, looking forward to the day when high GE will go to the rap corps with the hottest bootyshakers. I hope senior corps get there too, so I can enjoy it without feeling dirty! b**bs

Blank DVDs aren't that expensive, and there's plenty of material available without them having to hire extra crews, so why not add features and keep the price the same (or lower it for that matter!)

Basically, it's a society thing. No need to go further than that. Hmmm.... DCA and Alumni... not exactly what I meant, but ok. I was thinking it would be nice for a junior corps to have a snowball's chance of winning without Philip Glass, James Earl Jones, and those people you mentioned above. IMHO when a judge tells a corps that they would would have scored higher if the hornline had put their instruments down and danced, it's a bit much. I'm waiting for tales of a judge taking away GE points because the guard didn't pick up horns... maybe I just need to search the forum more carefully. I don't remember ever saying I felt abandoned, but I suppose that most people who don't care for some of the "innovations" do, so I accept your generalization. Unless, of course, the statement was purely strategic in nature... :P BTW, the weather's great here in Cali. I hope you all make it to the shows!

Wow. That will have a serious impact on a lot of outdoor activities. It'll sure make the Superbowl halftime more interesting. To that company, I can only say....

Ya know... if the spotlight idea were ever to be voted in, they may as well take the next step. Make the fields white, so they can be used as projection screens! Just imagine the creative possibilities of having any background on the field to set drill to. Once you put lighting into the hands of the individual corps, almost anything is possible! Of course, this is coming from a guy that doesn't even care for amplification, but hey... why fight it? ^0^

danielray, that's not quite what I meant (you knew that), but it is a valid point. It's also related to my implication, of course. And there you have it. How can DCI survive without constant innovation in a world with the attention span of... OOH SHINY! It is what it is. As is society. BUT.... I'm gonna go pack up my bags and hit the road for Cali, so maybe I'll see you guys there. I'll be the one at the concession stand during "Up With People"! Oh, and in the context of MikeD's post, sometimes good innovations go unrewarded.