dcpacheco

AMEN !! I have been thinking the same thing for years, and when I saw them at Stanford last year, I knew it was going to be a solid season. Love BK !!

At 11 minutes a show, there is just not enough out there to displease me. Sure SCV was not the most thrilling show in the world, but they are still awesome to see. Blue Devils took me three shows, (Stanford, Atlanta, Indy) before they got to me in a positive way. So many other fun corps to see, no one corps will cause me to stop attending DCI shows. Now if they all went out and did "Medea" or whatever Star called that show, then I think it would be safe to say that DCI would not be around at all....

The biggest impetus for change has been artistic expression. When the Cadets marched completely asymmetrical drill, and had an entirely different approach to show design in the 1980s, it was obvious they were on an entirely different level of artistic expression.... same with Star 93...... and I think these shows (among a few others) have had the most influence on the changes in the activity that subsequently occurred. You have articulated what I have been thinking for a couple of days now. Cadets and Star have influenced drum corps more than any other groups. The problem is that for every "breakthrough" show such as Cadets '87 with Appalachian Spring, you get an overshoot, such as Cadets when they did Copland Sym #3, or Star with "Medea". As a result, corps have gone further out on the ledge in search of new heights, when not many corps are technically proficient enough to sell such shows.

After attending the DCI Atlanta show, I find it truly ironic that with all the complexity of drum corps, the intricate drills, music, and colorguard, two of the loudest cheers during any corp's show were for Madison's "Fleur de Lis", and Carolina's "Crown" There must be a message there somehow.... Perhaps, "Less is More" ????

and if any of his other boasts can be believed, I think he was lead soprano for the Blue Devils....

I have the 2009 season corps going on my CD player, and while it took me almost a year to get used to the drum corps in a can quality of the sound unless the volume is way up, I have to admit, it was a very good year for drum corps. We know the top corps were all great, but between the 7-12 slots, there were some pretty impressive performances. Boston Crusaders, Blue Stars were simply amazing, and Blue Knights sound is truly wonderful. I can't wait for Atlanta to see these corps take it to the next level!

Blue Knights gave me goosebumps for the first time this season at Stanford. Carolina Crown gives me goosebumps every time I see them. Can't wait to see Blue Coats, Phantom, Madison, and everyone else on Saturday in Atlanta. Should be awesome!

Scores don't mean anything to me at any point !! 1. Did I like the show? 2. Will I play it on my CD player ten years from now? 3. Is the DVD watchable. Scores... I could care less. I don't know where Crown finished their "Triple Crown" year, but I know I love that show. Should be all that matters.

Well, I live in South Carolina, and the water is brown, my trailer and car got no air conditioning, the out house needs to be dug out again, and if it wasnt for breaking into the school library tonight, I would have no access to internet to post this silly comment! It's simply awful down here! So, for all you New Yorkers (of which I am one)midwesterners, and Florida halfbacks, stay away! Its the pits!!

Had the good fortune of being able to attend DCI West at Stanford Stadium in beautiful Palo Alto, California. Truly awesome venue, terrific weather and all pumped up for what turned out to be a great show. The only trouble was the schedule. The show was announced as a 6:30 start, but did not get going until 7:00 PM. After an hour of drum corps at 8:06 PM, time for an intermission. No worries, until they announce that it will be 45 minutes and the next corps steps off at 9:00! Two and one half hours of drum corps with only 66 minutes of actual drum corps. Cmon, DCI. I realize you want to sell tshirts and concessions, but instead of asking why people don't go to shows, perhaps picking up the pace a bit and eliminating all of these long dead periods would go a long way towards improving the fan experience. Loved all the corps, but for me Blue Knights have the most wonderful sound in the world. The Europa show has all kinds of potential, and that sound truly get the goosebumps going!! SCV and Blue Devils were very good as expected, but Blue Knights were way better than i was expecting at this point in the season. I hope they can build and work towards another great finish.

I live in Fort Mill, South Carolina, so get to go to Crown's first show tomorrow night. Then, gosh darn it, my business trip to San Francisco got extended past next weekend, and I am forced to go to DCI West at Stanford on Saturday night. Sometimes, life just aint fair !!!!

"if you see the lower tier World Class corps as really operating on the same level of performance and show design as the top tier corps, then you are generous to a fault. They're not. I wish it were different; I wish that some of those who are hanging around year after year without ever taking the steps to move into the top ranks would get a fire lit under themselves and be really ballsy from a programming standpoint, but it doesn't happe From my vantage point, though, the 8-23 corps of today are much better than the equivalent corps of the past. I certainly think that the entire activity has progressed nicely over the years.

Enough with the constant changing and morphing and trying to "step backwards" by trying to be a band...be a drum corps, the model that all bands used to want to be like. Lead the activity by returning to what works, expanding on those ideas and all else will follow, these things dont have to happen overnight, but the ceasing of the constant rules changes and proposals do ... So, whatever happened to the massive influx of band people with the switch over from G bugles?? Never happened. Stop trying to recruit 100% of band people. Doesnt anyone recall their high school band days?? Not everyone there was as pumped about band as the folks who frequent this site. The high school kids that care, already know about DCI, and drum corps. Now its time to bring back the adults in the activity with the resources (both in ticket and travel expeditures, and in donations) who can make DCI thrive.

Will some judges lean towards G7 or non G7 corps? Will some be influenced by DCI's wishes? How does all this impact them??

I seem to remember Phantom Regiment almost going under a few years back. It was big news when they defaulted on their loan, and hit newspapers, causing major embarassment. Then all of a sudden they started to receive preferential treatment from DCI, with at least 3 placements well above where they should be. DCI basically bailed out their behind, and now they want to crap on DCI. I guess I can see why they are really for the split, even though they aren't in the most recent top 7. At the same time though, you would think they would have a little more respect for the corps that don't receive special treatment, and are also close to folding, or having major financial problems. It would actually be humorous if Phantom fell out of the top 12 this year, after being inducted into the G7. I wouldn't completely rule it out either, they dropped 8 placements last year, and Glassmen and Blue Knights are both capable of top 5 finishes, and could easily knock them out. And if Madison comes storming back with the new staff and Colts or Academy would have a stellar season, they could knock Phantom out of top 12. And while it probably wouldn't happen, it is always a possibility. Which begs the question, How are judges going to be influenced by all the goings on?

Poor attendance, high overhead, and a base of more corps than the organization can support, has put the organization’s continued existence in jeopardy How can corps complain about high overhead if they are the ones who supported growing from 128 members. They hurt themselves and now they complain!!

My feelings exactly. Whenever I go to a show, I root for Raiders or Pioneer or Spirit or Cavies or whomever is on the field. I know the work involved to march with ANY corps and I appreciate the effort they are making, whether I like to corps or not.

I have never understood why CD recordings are not done in a pre stage area before Quarterfinals. It's likely the quality would go way up, and you don't miss anything other than the sound of the crowd and the announcer. It would be a nice way to pump up the corps before quarterfinals as well.

The DCI organization (BOD, CEO, Staff) have been following a business model that is 27 years old I am sorry, but I just don't understand the above statement. DCI has significantly changed the way they do business, and a good part of it, to the benefit of drum corp fans. Back in 1982, for example, there were very few ways for me to see all of the corpsin one show, the way that is possible in regionals now. Instead of finals on TV, we have Quarters in High Definition and sound we could have only dreamed about. Sure the issues mentioned in this thread are real, but its not for lack of DCI making the attempt to improve...

That roof will never be opened if there is even a hint of a sprinkle in the weather forecast. The stadium people can not risk any damage to that field/stadium. It's virtually exclusive purpose is to house the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. The three days attendance for DCI finals is less than 2% of the annual attendance at the venue. DCI is merely a tenant and I hope people realize that the management at LOS has other, much larger fish to fry....

LOS was designed for the NFL football Colts. Anything else is just icing on the cake.....

I'll tell you what....I think it's a product of our new generation of corps fans but I've been to something like 5 shows this year and with the exception of 1 that I can think of the fans this year are just horribly un-enthused compared to years past. People at least use to all stand at the end of the show even for the lower tier corps. In San Antonio it was a completely "dead" audience. I was surprised many of them even bought tickets. Even some of the best corps didn't always get appreciated. I noticed the same trend in Atlanta based on what I saw on FN. I was amazed at the lack of a buzz at Atlanta. It was totally flat and people don't even react to company fronts anymore !! I was shocked to see the lack of fire in the crowd.

Take a look at DCI Atlanta caption spreads this past weekend. How likely is it that with 24 corps performing, their respective placements per caption were so darn close?? I mean how likely is it that drumlines and horn lines would score for the most part within 2-3 slots of each other?? Can't a corp have a great horn line, and mediocre drums or colorguard?? Now it seems that horns, drums and colorguard all place within a very narrow band. The widest spread seems to be in Phantom. Everyone else is pretty much the same. When did this change?? Is this scenario even likely??

I sat in the front row, and didn't notice a thing!!