jasgre2000

The ECONOMY is the problem, and has been for a while.

I didn't realize the PC police were going to be out in force tonight. Substitute the word "dislike" for "hate" if that makes you feel better. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

So as to not turn this into another "bash the Blue Devils thread," I would request that people not name the shows that they dislike [edited]. I have been thinking about, and I can say that there is only really one show that I strongly dislike [edited] this year, and only one other that I have some reservations about. I think that is a pretty good track record. There are a lot of amazing shows amongst World Class Corps this year (I haven't seen many Open Class corps). Do people generally agree?

Public discourse in general has deteriorated significantly over the last decade or so.

While I like a lot of themed shows, I think they can be used as a crutch sometimes to create faux "general effect." I am always much more impressed with the shows that are amazingly clean and amazingly well performed then with a themed show. I find the story-telling to be a little bit of a gimmick at times, to be honest with you. P.S. Air Academy was a big rival of ours while I was in high school, so I may be a little biased against them in this scenario.

I really don't think BD is trying to make a point with this show. They are just celebrating an era in music/art history. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about a genre of art I had never heard of before.

Here's an article on the pros and cons of single-sex education: http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/1139-single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons.gs?page=all Some of the same arguments could apply to all-male corps.

There are several valid reasons why a corps might want to stay all-male. The reasons are similar to the reasons why many people prefer single sex schools. Studies have actually shown that people that go to al lmale or all female schools (and yes, they are legal ... even if they are public) often perform better than they do in mixed-gender schools. Why is this? I don't know if it is entirely known, but I can make a couple guesses. First, having a single gender group elminates a lot of sexual tension that can often be distracting and hurt productivity. While the all male corps don't exclude homosexual members, I would imagine homosexual members of the corps are a significant minority. While some might scoff at this, I think there is no doubt that adding the prospect of romance to drum corps can complicate things. Not to mention, that with an all male corps, it is easier for supervisors to make sure there isn't any inappropriate behavior going on between corps members. The other advantage I can see is that it can foster a more unified corps. As much as people like to pretend that there are no differences bewteen boys and girls, but there clearly are. Especially at this age level. Boys and girls mature at different rates. That is a scientific fact. They think differently and have different hormones. An all male corps might have an easier time having total corps unity just based on the fact that they just think the same way. This may all just be B.S., and the disadvantages of having a coed corps are obviously not insurmountable. Just thought I would give some "non-tradition, non-legal" arguments for people to think about. These arguments would apply to an all female corps too. If there is an argument for lost opportunity for women, it is that there are no all-female corps for them to participate in.

I felt the same way the first time I saw it live.

This one cracks me up. Nice job!

I think you hit the nail on the head re: the Bluecoats for me. I think they are really good, and if you played any 1:30 to 2:00 segment of their show, I would love it. But, the show does seem kind of stagnant for some reason without a lot of forward momentum. I have been trying to figure out why their show just doesn't stick out to me, despite my enjoyment of Masquerade, and I think this is why.

I agree with that. There were several things wrong with BD's show.

I guess I didn't totally understand what you meant then. Oops. We'll just have to agree to disagree about BD. I think everything fits together quite nicely.

That would be awesome. I always root for the Cavies.

You can't spend money you don't have though.

Why this won't happen => money

This just isn't true. Phantom jumped over Cadets from last week. Boston and Madison passed the Cavies.

I think BK has a top 3 level show, but just aren't performing it at a top 3 level. They never will perform it at that level, but hopefully they can do it better than they are doing it now by finals. I totally understand what you are talking about with the JABOM/M thing. I always got frustrated by that in high school, because our band rarely just stopped and played. We played a lot while we marched, which was pretty fun.

I agree. I think they might be my favorite overall show if they just polish up the closer a bit and add a little bit more power. I would love to see them medal.

Is it humid in Indiana?

Amen!

At least Lucas Oil Stadium has a big retractable roof, and big window wall that can be opened. Do they let DCI open it during the competition (when the weather is nice, of course)?

General effect has nothing to do with crowd appeal. And while you are "booing the judges" you are also expressing your opinion that the kids that worked their butts off to get First Place didn't deserve to get First Place. But if being rude makes you feel better about yourself, go right ahead.

No, I said the kind of hate that is exhibited towards the Blue Devils would be. And I didn't mean that to be limited to the Blue Devils. There is far too much hostility towards anyone that wants to do anything out of the ordinary these days, which makes the activity stale and unattractive to new audiences.

I agree completely.