Drum Corps Is Now a Bust

I'm sure they will. Ironic you would say get off my high horse considering you are a fan of an activity that is growing more pompous, arrogant, and snobby every year. By the way, you have to believe them that they will be listening to this show for years to come. Trust me. There is much better in the history of drum corps than this show. I'll be sure to let people know when I want a line from the TV commercial stuck in my head. I can't believe that I'm witnessing people that think a show that revolves around a TV commercial line is called a good show concept.

I am sincerely not trying to pick on you, but every drum corps including Crown has weaknesses and their show concepts are hit or miss depending on the year. Corps don't typically try to sound like each other. It is well known that Crown are known as brass innovators and rely heavily on their brass to be competitive. In my opinion, it will take more than tweaking for Crown to be positively consistent in show concept and design. But, I haven't enjoyed a Crown show since 2016.

There are some championship caliber corps that could learn from Phantom's philosophy.

Now here is a winning show concept. Crown could do another space show entitled "Houston, we have a problem." Or "To infinity...and beyond!" Crown's show concept people can try to illicit the crowd to yell back these popular phrases in years to come.

By the way, there are a lot of just "only" in every year of drum corps. Do you honestly believe that when someone looks back on the activity historically, they are going to hold this show up as something to highlight???

Well....good for them. Dumb show concept. Next year they can entitle a show "Just Do It." The old Nike commercial line and hope the crowd screams that out as well.

People can opinionize as they wish. The concept of the 2022 show was not good. It was pandering and desperate for audience participation.

Is this a statement of observation or a statement that supports the false narrative that more money equals more success?

Staff Merri-go-Round. Translation: Where can I go to get more money.

In the DCP forum, monolithic thought is king. Diversity of thought (e.g., critiquing) is marginally tolerated. I'm going to posit some explanations as to why that seem to apply to many DCP posters: (1) Many DCP posters perceive the activity through the lens of sentimentality and nostalgia. These presuppositions are projected upon all commentators, meaning that they expect everyone to perceive the activity (DCI and the individual corps) the same as they do. (2) Many poster take a "projection of divine perfection" approach to the activity. Unless something someone does is really egregious, DCI and the individual corps directors and staffs do no wrong. If they do any "wrong," their actions must be minimized to mere inconvenience at best to where the "wrong" isn't really anything worth discussing. Thus, it projects an activity where everyone has the greatest of intentions and are the best people ever. These two major presuppositions most posters would rarely translate to other consumable entertainment for which they pay their money, but in this forum we should all conform to "the good ship lollipop" disposition, otherwise just don't post at all.

There are a couple of things interesting about your reply. (1) You seem to be getting overly upset about a comment that didn't even address you personally. If I had wanted to address directly, I would have referenced a comment. I'm not sure what that's about. I guess I just hit a nerve with you for some reason. (2) You are making a faulty assumption about an outcome that rarely if ever happens on this platform, namely that if I present the right evidence and interpret such evidence in the right way, that a lot of people will agree with me. This simply is not the case and rarely will be because evidence to subject to interpretation and many people on this platform don't want to examine evidence that just want to consume drum corps for entertainment purposes. (3) This is related to the second point. Don't assume what someone else will do. You stated: "I think most of us would concede your point." In other words, you speak for yourself but not others. I actually not trying to be offensive here, but to present a situation where my points may be conceded if I simply provide evidence is a far stretch because interpretation isn't that simple and neither are the conclusions reached from such evidence.

No one who understands the scoring and the judging sheets would claim that percussion alone is the make or break of placement. This is an extreme interpretative position of the point. Using Crown 2013 to try to demonstrate or de-emphasize the importance of having a consistent championship contending percussion sections is disingenuous. This win represents a marginal example and does not highlight the center of championship winning or contention in the activity overall.

So, you are using an exception to the rule. A marginal example to flippant when you and I both know this not the norm. Good for you and well thought out. Here is another truth you may find a marginal example for: When one subcaption is significantly weak, it forces other subcaptions into a place of being almost perfect in order to contend for a championship. But don't marginal examples, that low hanging fruit and you know it.

A lot of people in the world work hard. That doesn't equate with them working smart nor does it equate with success. CrownBariDad, you and I see this activity differently in most ways. I don't approach DCI from sentimental or nostalgic perspective even though I could. All you have to do is look at the Music Caption area on the sheets historically to see that Crown's percussion does not help this drum corps be a championship contender. It is a weakness for this corps and has been for years. This is a statement of fact. It is a statement of attack. Defend them all you wish, but it doesn't change the historically or presently for Crown and it never will until it becomes a priority of their focus. You, of course, can choose to continue your absolute defense of an organization you love subjectively. BUT, just because you do does not require me to do the same.

Agreed...the percussion talent needed to be a championship contender has alluded Crown for many a year.

Sorry to hear that Terri. Just one more reason DCI no longer gets my money like so many other forms of entertainment.

Haven't you seen the trend in other forms of entertainment? Fans no longer matter. Just be glad the DCI, unlike other entertainment companies, hasn't started directly attacking fans for disliking their product.

And you're better off continuing to state fallacies. If I'm 11 and you're not, why do you feel the need to personally attack me which is the low hanging fruit from 11 year old mind???

You know what they say about assumptions . . . ad hominem.

Yeah, Mr. Rapp, Crown has had this type of problem before. I'm thinking of 2014 where the design just seems immutable or they didn't know how effectively change it. In that show, the trampolines just seemed too of an obstacle to do good drill/design changes. Maybe that me, but I agree with you, they need to allow their music choices and design draw the audience in. They did a wonderful job of this in 2015. Very few bells and whistle but the music did the talking and it was wonderful symphonic classical music from the brass.

Look. You're attempts to intimidate people by using the CAPS does nothing to me. If Jeff wishes to engage me in dialogue, he can. Why do YOU feel the need to interject yourself here???

You forgot to mention a percussion line that stunk in 2014. They need better percussion scores than the get from year to year to compete for championships.

You clearly don't know enough about me to make this statement and simply don't understand the philosophical context of my discussion with Mr. Rapp.

Cappy, they care about winning. Most of them simply will never have the financial resources to do it.

You and I have found agreement here, Mr. Rapp. By the way, thank you for the continued dialogue and willingness to go beyond the mostly superficial nature of this forum.