WaxDCIFan

Jets!

Long time no see there @Rileydog. I see you’re still sporting home team colors 🙂

I was there - was a high school sophomore at the time. Started harassing my parents about marching after seeing this. Beginning of a life long infatuation. My corps folded so I never got to tour, but was able to enjoy the activity for about 5 years as my own kids marched. It all tracks back to the 1984 season and this show.

I saw Phantom play this live in Normal, IL early that year (first show?). Can hear it in my head like it was yesterday.

It’s probably about time for Pioneer to announce their show for 2020.

Sad face.

Having paid the bills for 2 MMs in different WC drum corps for the past 5 years, I think it’s safe to say that these numbers still unreport the actual cost. Add in camp fees, required lot gear, air fare, etc and I think you could reasonably raise these numbers by another $1500 - $2000 per member.

My daughter’s school just recalled all international students & staff and cancelled all planned study abroad programs indefinitely. Huge deal... https://blog.smu.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/2020/03/02/smu-suspends-all-university-related-international-travel/

My sources tell me nothing this year. They are still rebuilding in the $$ front, and might jump back in as a sound sport unit in a year or so.

Isn’t it also reasonable to assume they might fall further? There are plenty of corps behind them with aspirations of grandeur.

https://ascendperformingarts.org/helwerda-named-bkdbc-director/

This was really my point with the OP. Even without WWs, the activity has drifted so far from its DCI roots that it seems silly to call it DCI. For the individual units, the label “drum & bugle corps” is even less relevant. All snark aside, the activity could really use some more intentional branding.

What a goofball thing to say. When DCI was formed all of these things were already on the field. My contra had one valve and one rotor.

I think it’s ironic that embedded within this DCP page has is an ad for “Musical Saws for Sale.” Why not.

I hope you are right. But it is possible that a decision such as this could be a turning point for the activity. I’ve been involved most of my adult life as a leader in the Boy Scouts activity, and decisions made by that organization are threatening their continued existence (irregardless of all the lawsuits). I hate to see DCI make a direction change that makes them irrelevant and unattractive to donors.

Broken Arrow.

This is the “slow boiling frog” problem. DCI has allowed its identity to be whittled away ever so slightly each year. DCI wandered so far from the roots of activity that there’s almost no recognizable “ground truth.” Synthesizers should never have been allowed, nor should electric guitars or things that weren’t uniquely drum and bugle corps instruments. Now there’s so many exceptions that have been allowed there just isn’t any identity to the activity anymore.

I wonder if DCI has consulted some of their more loyal donors such as Friends of DCI. I used to run a pretty large alumni program for a big land-grant university, and it wasn’t unusual at all for us to float important policy changes or planned expenditures through our donor base to see where they were on big issues and solicit support. The university didn’t want to surprise our supporters or worse yet alienate the high $$ donor alumni with a policy change and have it backfire on them. Any Friends of DCI people on here? Have you been separately consulted about any of these proposals to see if you would bail out?

As a former contra player, plugged in bass is stupid. Nothing beats a walking baseline played by a great contra section. Very little skill is required to do this on an amplified guitar. If this is what drum corps is to become, why bother going on the field at all?

Black Hills is awesome. Custer State Park is really neat, roaming buffalo herds, big caves, etc. If you go that far, check out Fort Robinson in western Nebraska. Old army indian fort, really a neat experience. Horseback trails / cowboy breakfast up in the hills, etc.

Yes, except that the patient is still alive and can't see that he/she is dying.

Same here. I saw my first drum corps show in Normal, IL when I was a high school sophomore in 1984 (as a tuba player, sitting on the 50 yard line hearing PR's contra line playing 1812 overture was absolute nirvana). I was hooked because it was different & amazing. I marched the next year and have pumped my kids and $$ into the activity ever since. Now that drum corps = marching band, DCI is forgoing the only thing that made them unique from noise of the marching band activity. And they are doing it for little gain. The WW players who want to be part of DCI are already there, marching on horns, spinning flags, etc and having a great time. I doubt many people will pay exorbitant sums of money for summer marching band when they can get it for free at home.

What a great idea. At least one true drum & bugle corps circuit will survive. See you on the DCA side.

Well that would be exceptionally bad business. If my health holds, I could be a drum corps fan / participant for another 25-30 years. Current value of future cash stream is way more than $75K. Any businessman worth a nickel would not forgoe a future cash stream for a short term gain. Bad business decision by DCI to alienate loyal customer base for a quick buck. Bad business model -> loss of market share -> irrelevance.

Watched the interview with Kathy Black. Clearly the decision to go "any instrument" was based on increasing revenue for DCI. How about this - if DCI goes "any instrument," I won't spend another red cent on DCI tickets, DVDs, member fees, etc. In the past decade with two marching members, attending shows, buying overpriced T shirts, etc etc I would say I have easily spent close to $75,000 supporting this activity and it's member units. I would rather support our local high school marching band than a bunch of over-inflated international marching bands. Call it a $75K revenue loss for my part. As far as the "incomprehensible" policy of allowing electric guitars and violins versus acoustic, DCI is paying the price for bargaining away it's soul piecemeal. Electric guitars and violins should never have been allowed in the first place, and you wouldn't be facing this problem. They added little or nothing to the performance. Just served to water down your brand a little bit at a time. Now DCI is forgoing it's venerable identity en masse. Nice knowing you DCI. In Navy radio-telephone speak, "AR" (over, out)