I hate the way DCI is being defined by the top 3 corps every year.... There are tons of drum corps doing great things every single year.
This discution started with someone saying that Hopkins did great things for DCI..... I wholeheartedly dissagre. When you talk about the great drum corps show of the past 7 years what made them great? The moments people get goosebumps from every year do not come from stupid sound bites or having a narrator read you a story. The drum corps moments that people remember are when a Corps playes great music perfectly.
You were talking about how people will lose interest... Do you think cadets showes in 06, 07, 08 were things people would enjoy? Do you think if I showed that to people who had never scene drum corps befor they would want to go to a show? I think people would rather come watch DCI if corps focus there showes on playing music well. SCV, PR, Crown, Bluecoats. I am not saying that anyone making DCI finals does not play music well. but I see too many showes designed to make it story time. Let music speak for itself. If you are the person who needs to have people talking and telling you what happens the whole time than you dont get what this activity is about. Hopkins has not made the activity better..... there are fewer and fewer differences between DCI and BOA..... This is not supposed to be high school band part 2.
In my opinion DCI neds to reward the showes that are focused on great players playing great music. Not how abstract and "artistic" the showes are. When the corps that comes out on top is playing a show that people who have never scene DCI befor enjoy aaannnddd the people who have been around it for years also enjoy then DCI will grow. Pushing the envelope is not the problem..... some corps are pushing it the wrong direction.