Tim K

I think corps use announcements about shows and repertoire as they see fit and that’s fine. In an age with instant internet access and social media being such a part of our lives, having to wait may be bothersome, but some corps keeping shows under wraps and other making announcements is not new. I can remember coming home from school during the off season and being excited when “Drum Corps News” or “Drum Corps World” arrived. Some corps made announcements of what their show would include musically, for others it was top secret. In both cases they wanted to create excitement for the upcoming summer. Corps that announced shows created anticipation, corps that didn’t created intrigue. Either way it’s define with me.

If they did something from the anthem days, I’d love it to be “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” which is still my favorite Cavies moment.

We can agree to disagree, though I will say I was not thinking of DCP posters when I made the comment. Circling the wagons is fine, but you need to be careful the wagons are going in the direction you want. You could get some positive results with a Hall of Fame dinner, but you run the greater risk of a disaster. Hall of Fame ceremonies in general are attended by an older crowd. Inductees are usually a bit older. The reason: they are likely to donate and as someone who had been on committees organizing Hall of Fame dinners, I know that’s a huge factor. You need to have certainty that there will be a corps on the field next year if you want alums and donors to give even a cent. We will probably know more after Indy about SCV fielding a corps next year, but right now not too many folks are holding their breath. Attendees often remember the good old days, which should be a plus but it’s also where it gets dangerous. In the case of SCV, you get folks reminiscing and you’re reminded that one of the most loved and respected corps who never missed finals is not fielding a corps this year. if the problems are not solved, the discussion then moves to Gail Royer rolling in his grave about what has happened. A corps that was a leader and innovative is reduced to nothing follows. Then it spirals. You also run the risk of the media getting wind of the event. involving the alumni in the corps’ future is a good idea, I’m not sure that a Hall of Game dinner is the way to do it at this time.

Personally, I think it’s doubtful that we’ll see Santa Clara return. I hope I’m wrong and I’d be more than willing to eat crow if we see a new and managerially improved SCV next year. That being said, the last thing you do is celebrate while the organization is engulfed in scandal. It may very well be the case that those who attend would be angrier and more disappointed than the average fan, but the perception of a celebration is that the financial issues, the safety issues, and other issues that have surfaced don’t matter. If you want to gather alums, have the purpose be to get things moving in the right direction. When a plan is in place, then celebrate. This shows you understand and it builds up good faith and trust.

Yes Santa Clara had a glorious past and I’m sure there are many folks who deserve to be honored, but this year is not the year to be inducting anyone in Vanguard’s Hall of Fame. Even if it could raise funds to pay off past debts, celebrating right now would be a slap in the face to many and from a public relations point of view, a terrible optic.

For DCI, domed stadiums ensure we’ll have finals. As someone who remembers well 1994 Foxboro where there was a deluge at quarterfinals that cancelled half the show, rivaled only by the pounding rains of 2018 Allentown, domed stadiums are appreciated. However when it comes to football and domed stadiums in places like Buffalo or Foxboro: the worse the weather, the better they do. Some of Tom Brady and the Patriots greatest games were in subzero temperatures and blizzards. The Bills have had some great foul weather games. New York and Chicago fans like inclement weather too. ⚡️❄️🌪️💨🌨️

Even without other events, hotel rooms book fast. I usually book my hotel room as soon as possible which is usually shortly after Labor Day. I stay at the Fairfield which is a ten minute walk from LOS. In September it is about $225 a night, by January it’s about $300, by February it’s sold out. I just checked the Marriott website. If I were to go to Indy today, it would be $135 for the night. I’m assuming there are blocks rented. I always seem to meet Crossmen parents and on Saturday and Sunday morning folks associated with Avon High School.

I’m seeing on Facebook there will be a York-Conn-Penn-Jersey Circuit for all age mini corps beginning in 2024.

Yes the Boston Crusaders have my full support, but I've got to warn you, so did the Celtics last night! 🙂 Seriously though, this will be a great summer and I'm thinking August 12th will be an exciting night.

What used to be referred to as junior corps and senior corps began to see shifts at about the same time. For junior corps it was the end of feeder corps and midsized local corps. Junior corps had a solution that saved some corps. Ten years ago if I said what I am saying now, people with torches and clubs would be standing outside my door to do me harm, but whether people care to admit it or not, high school music programs with kids who wanted to take it to the next level began to fill the ranks. With senior corps, changes in society had an impact. The heyday of senior corps when the Caballeros, Skyliners, Reading Buccaneers, and Hurricanes reigned supreme was 40-50 years ago. The corps were filled with adults of all ages, many junior corps alums. This was also a time where Knights of Columbus, Masonic lodges, Elks had tons of members. Younger people are not interested in these activities, parents of school aged children don’t have time. Drum corps commitment used to begin at 10 or 11 and lasted a number of years. That’s not the case anymore so drum corps is not as engrained in alums. We still see excellent all aged shows and have for years, but I only see DCA shows about every three or four years and I often wonder how much longer they’ll hold on. Dedicated marching members who give their hearts and souls and loyal fans keep it alive, but for how long? DCA needs to rethink its mission before looking for new venues and the best ways to grow their corps and the audience. Keeping the good old days alive is great, especially where I’ve hit the big 60, but it won’t last forever.

I gave some thoughts on this in the Big, Loud, and Live thread, but my guess is poor attendance not just at last year’s show, but pre-Covid shows as well. DCI never mentioned it, but it was probably a Fathom Events decision, not DCI.

That there is no tour premiere in the theaters this year is not a huge surprise. Attendance at many theaters was sparse pre-Covid and I recall posts on this site last year saying theaters were empty. I know the theater I attended only sold about 20 seats though to be fair, this theater is still new and it hasn’t caught on with the public. Some of it may have been due to people not returning to movie theaters. Regarding Big, Loud, and Live, I know fewer theaters offered the event, but I thought I heard attendance was good. I was in Indy so I don’t know how the local theater I attended fared. For live broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera, 80% of tickets sold at an average size theater is the break even point for the theater, 90% for smaller venues. It’s also expected that most people in attendance will buy refreshments which is how theaters make most of their money. I’m assuming it’s similar for DCI events. If that’s the case, if the drum corps crowd can’t fill the theater and does not buy refreshments, it’s not worth the while for the theater to offer the show.

I’m not recommending that staff and volunteers ride in the same busses as marching members, unless monies travel on their own bus, legal adults are already traveling on the same busses as kids.

When I read the article, I wondered if the reason had less to do with amplification and more to do with making competition equitable. I do not follow BOA since the shows are not held near my home. I’m familiar with a few of the programs but only in a very limited way. However I do know a bit about high school programs in general, and athletic associations are trying to expand opportunities for a wider range of students. In my area, inner city schools may fare as well on a football field, basketball court, or baseball field as their suburban counterparts, but do they have access to hockey rinks or field houses for indoor track? Do they have the funds for gymnastics, lacrosse, rugby, or field hockey? There are public and private organizations trying to make this happen but in many cases the answer is no. From what I see, most of the bands in BOA are from public schools. There are a few Catholic high schools and there could be some private schools. For the public schools, my understanding is most are funded by booster organizations and some hail from affluent areas. Some may not have that network. Electronics and amplification can be costly. A well funded program could easily beat an equally good program musically that does not have the funds for the bells and whistles. In drum corps we can say that’s life, but drum corps is not a public school activity.

You say much of what I had planned to say. I think the Boston accent is getting fainter as time goes on. There have been huge population shifts in the Boston area which has impacted the accent. The dropped “r” is still common, the added “r” after a word that ends in a vowel (pizza is not peetzer) less common. Our parents sisters seem to be “ants “ rather than aunts. There are variations within the state. It’s easy to hear the differences between the North Shore and South Shore, though Cape Ann to the North and Cape Cod to the South are more traditional Boston accents. The South Coast (Fall River, Dartmouth, New Bedford) sounds more Rhode Island like, the Western part of the state sounds like neither Boston or New York. For Connecticut, Hartford north seems to be closer to the Boston accent and tend to root for Boston teams, Hartford South has more of a New York sound and while they may like the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins, they tend to be Yankees fans. Maine has characteristics of the Boston accent but it sounds different. New Hampshire I’m not sure. They don’t talk to you when they find out your from Massachusetts even though many are Massachusetts transplants themselves.🙂 Regarding the Kennedy accent, in particular Rose, JFK, Bobby, Teddy, and Eunice, it was an intentionally cultivated accent to sound at home in high society as well as a local watering hole. They would rehearse speeches with vocal coaches so it would sound just right. They wanted it to be unique enough to distinguish them from the establishment as well as upstarts like Tip O’Neill.

Not always. In the past ten years I loved both 2014 and 2015, thought 2017 had some amazing moments, and was surprised 2018 didn’t have more success (though most don’t consider 2nd unsuccessful), especially where “When a Man Loves a Woman” may have been the most popular musical moment of the year. I never underestimate Blue Devils or rule them out, and can imagine the debates in late August and September of whether it is a true threepeat since if it should happen it will be three consecutive wins but not in three chronological years. I do think where BAC and Bloo were evenly matched in the exhibition year with two nights of being tied in 2022, Bloo and BAC will be the two to watch this summer.

I want to see Boston win, and if not Boston Bloo, if not Bloo Crown, if not Crown Cadets, if not Cadets Phantom. If history repeats itself and you take into account there was no 2020 season and BD did not participate in Indy in 2021, 2023 will be a “threepeat” opportunity and Blue Devils haven’t “threepeated” so BD may not win. However if Blue Devils win, I am sure I will enjoy Boston’s show which I think will be intriguing and Bloo never disappoints.

Though I’m not an actor, perhaps a ham at times, but not an actor, but I am between 40-70 years old with a thick Boston accent. They should have asked me, but I suppose I don’t have the weathered look of the man in the video. 🦞⚓️🐳

As someone who still wants to call Cadets Garfield, I agree the significance of roots is important. I also think a New Jersey show sponsored by the corps is a reasonable request but getting a date for a show is not that easy. There are fewer dates available from DCI due to new policies regarding rest for marching members. I believe there were problems with Clifton itself. I seem to recall hearing of safety issues and car break ins, and most likely heard of them on this site, maybe Facebook. I can’t vouch for the accuracy. One car could have been broken into and it could be reported “every car.” I’ve lived and worked in depressed urban areas so I know things get exaggerated. Sometimes too people decide they are unsafe but the real reason is unfamiliarity (I’m being charitable). Attendance is key too. The Northeast and some Midwest shows are not well attended by DCI standards which views shows in the South as the standard bearers. We’re lucky in Boston to have back to back shows in July sponsored by Boston Crusaders, but one of the shows was going to be hosted by Cardinals Alumni. I wonder if that will be the case next year.

I think talent was more evenly distributed. You had your elites. Blue SCV, Phantom, and Madison with 27th and Spirit making occasional forays and later Cadets and Cavies making their way, but who would be in the top 4 from one year to the next was not a definite. At that time the theory was 1-4 after prelims had a shot at the title followed by 5-9 or sometimes 10 potentially trading places and two or three bumping usually 10, 11, and 12 bumping someone out to make finals. I remember in the early PBS broadcasts where some were shown live, it was always exciting to see who made finals and where they landed, especially where there was no Internet or cellphones so you did not know for certain who would place or where they’d land.

Blue Knights and Crossmen for that matter will be interesting to watch. I’m thinking Blue Knights could come roaring back. Last year’s show was too abstract, even for BK, and it fizzled as the season concluded. Sort of like Blue Stars in 2012. Crossmen had a show that was hard to follow, but it had a lot of inexperienced members, or so I was told. Though you could only get so close, when I walked past their bussing area in Glassboro, they did look pretty young. Crossmen has some talented staff members. Staff can learn from mistakes, but marching members can decide to audition elsewhere. We’ll have to see what happens.

Without SCV, there will be an open spot so no finalist from last year has to fall from finals. Madison did gain some ground last year and my understanding from last summer is there are quite a few committed young people hoping the corps will return to finals this coming year. My thought is even if they do not make finals, Madison will be stronger.

For me, the concession lines were more of an issue and and an express line for Friends of DCI would be a great perk. There are not enough that are open and staffing need not be an issue. Volunteer groups staff concession stands at major sports venues as a fundraiser for their organizations. As you probably know, Boston Crusaders volunteers used to staff concessions at Patriots games. They still could. Other than getting vaccinated I haven’t been to Gillette since 2015. In the past the band boosters from Roncalli High School in Indy used to staff the concessions for the 138-142 section which according to the mother I spoke with was lucrative for the program and they were given complimentary seats so their kids could see the show. That didn’t happen this year or at least it didn’t seem to be the case and it’s not a Covid issue because they were there in 2021.

I’ve never had to wait on Thursday. I don’t think anyone has, but I arrive early to see everyone. Friday I have had to wait but not long enough to complain. Until last year I never waited on Saturday, so the Thursday and Friday are not enough of a perk to join Friends of DCI.