13-on-deck

Wow, only 3 posts before we find a negative comment on a positive thread. Must be a record. <**> Personally...I thought BD ROCKED!! (of course, I usually love the Devs...but I'll call a spade a spade as well and there have been a few years I didn't like the show that much...this year was NOT one of them! b**bs )

I would assume Madison and Cavies had more tolerance back then. NOT a slight on those two corps, but just based on the fact that when you get 30-40 male dancers together the odds are that there might be a few gay dudes in the bunch. Now that guards are more mixed (and no, I'm not saying that "only guard guys are gay", or anything like that...wow, touchy subject huh? lol), more corps have gay members I should think. (hey, I work for Disney...I wouldn't have a job very long if I weren't tolerant :))

The average DCI fan sure is!

Like KG said, your litteral answer to a very good question only serves to deflect the question. Do you actually HAVE an opinion (a real one?), or are you too busy shuffling threads and topics around and shutting down real conversation?

Word.

DCI crowds, in general, suck. In fact, as a professional performer for some 15 years now, if I had to perform for DCI crowds all the time I would QUIT MUSIC. No joke. If you are not one of the people being a jerk, no need to take offense (I've been there, on the field, and when there is booing it sounds like EVERYONE is booing, believe me ).

This is a fair enough point, I think, but you could just chalk it up to "home court advantage" if there really is such a thing on the west coast. Do you really think it would be any different if it were Madison in first place at Camp Randall? Or you guys in first on the East Coast somewhere (with BD or some other corps in 2nd place but with some lame element that made them easy to dislike?)?

Based on my extremely advanced age, I feel confident in saying I've attended hundreds more drum corps events in MY life than you. :P And though I don't take anything away from your opinion (that the crowd sucked and lacked class...I agree! even though I wasn't there!), I will say that I've seen the same stupid boorish behaviour from DCI crowds East, South, North, Canada, Mid-West, and West...so many times it makes me sick. I'm sorry, but the bulk of that bunch are simply DCI fans who TRAVEL to finals every year, no matter where it might be. MOST of them weren't from SoCal, of that I'm fairly sure...and DCI fans are horrible. Frankly, and I don't know why, but the DCI finals crowd is just SO different from the generally friendly, upbeat crowds you encounter the whole season long. You get to nats and, suddenly, it's a big wall of judgemental non-supporters somehow (unless you happen to be the fan-favorite, which you as a Cadet and me as a Devil have not often been! B) ). I truly HATE DCI crowds, they are just about the worst bunch of sourpusses to perform for on the PLANET. I've seen it in Boston in 94 (hey, let's THROW stuff at the Vanguard cause it's raining and they dare to leave the field without performing), I've seen it in Madison (Star SUUUUUUCKS!!!! We HATE STAAAAAAAR! Go Cavaliers!)...I've seen it over and over. So, I'm sorry but I can't say it's the West Coasts fault cause I just don't buy it. And it's particularly tragic for me what happened in Boston cause I happen to LOVE the Vanguard, and it was my hometown (and it's not really fair I was embarrassed either, cause most of those morons weren't from Boston).

Sardomus and NeutralNovice, excellent posts! Thanks, guys, for the excellent support of the Cadets and "class", in general. I'd like to talk to whoever wrote this... I've been to literally hundreds (thousands if you count all my gigs) of performances, classical, jazz, rock, theater, pro/semi-pro/amateur and everything in between (I've probably seen the Boston Symphony Orchestra at LEAST a hundred times over the years, just to name one). And I have *NEVER* heard a single boo at almost every single event. In fact, except for drum corps, the only booing I've ever heard is at a rock concert, where occasionally the crowd will boo the opening act. So, that kinda shows you the level of class of DCI "fans"... And again, to the Cadets, it totally sucks you went through that and you do NOT deserve it (in fact, I believe your director didn't deserve it either, even if it was "aimed" at him...and I do believe I'll send him an email of support soon). Would love to hear from more of you guys...and you don't have to stick only to the finals week, how'd the summer go? Was it cool to beat all those corps all those times? What were some highlights? Do tell! :)

I have many, I play music for a living...my corps days are WAY behind me (I still teach corps now and then though).

Awsome insight, dude...thanks so much!! :) I am VERY sorry to hear what an awful experience Thursday night was for you guys, as a former BD member I know how if feels to get that kinda treatment (mostly in the mid-west for us)...and it was very wrong. I was kinda crusading the net complaining about it to anyone who would listen, and believe me when I tell you if I'd been there you might have seen a couple fights break out up there in the stands (maybe that would have helped, who knows? :P ). As for the rest, great to hear the insight and I did get the impression that your director was doing a "spur of the moment" thing, and it's cool that he told you all that and it must have sucked for him too having to listen to those jerks boo and catcall (they are NO fans of drum corps, believe me!). So, glad to hear Friday and Saturday went much better for you guys! Sure has been a lot of contraversy this summer over the narration or whatever but the fact that you guys were awsome performers was never in question! We BD alums were sweating it out pretty good after Friday man! Congrats on an excellent and very successful season, and on your many years with the corps (are you out now, or not done yet?). And thank you for chiming in. This is exactly the stuff I was curious about, and you explained the inner details perfectly and with a ton of class (a lot different from those so called "fans" huh?). Cadets 07...

It's called the "professional gig" corps.

I don't even know what that means... Drum Corps already IS a boring game of "copy the leader"...so I'd just as soon everyone look and sound like BD than look and sound like Garfield or Cavies *yawn*. There used to be a ton of unique styles out there, but not anymore.

Fixed it. Now it's a perfect statement. Agreed 100% Einstein, you are one smart lil kid! B)

BD Fan, agreed 100%! B)