Jeffreelancer

I have a 2005 DCI finals DVD listed on eBay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/141142386111?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

In California there were 90 theaters showing prelims. Using your number of 71 viewers per theater that equals 6,390 people. The average California show probably has a few thousand attending with Stanford being the only show that may have a similar number attending. We all know that there are many people that go to multiple shows so the actual number of unique viewers is much lower than the total attendanxe for all the California shows. Taking into account people attending finals, corps members friends/family only attending local shows to see them live and the challenge of making it to the theater show on a Thursday afternoon at 3pm I would say the California numbers are pretty representative of the fan base.

There are plenty of alternatives to the overprices under armor brand. Ultra running and adventure sports suppliers already have clothing like this. A corps could have custom designs made for whatever apparel they need.

Silver Star was a startup junior corps in the Reno area a few years ago. Many of the staff and board members were also part of River City Regiment in Sacramento. With the fallout from when RCR folded I would guess Silver Star was left with little if any staff and board members and subsequently folded as well. There was another organization in the area that was trying to start a drum corps, but I don't recall their name. The only current endeavor that I know of in Nevada is Las Vegas Blvd (formerly Silverado).

This makes sense, but I wonder if DCI could use that 45 minutes to show something else in the theater. They could go the route of the classic countdown and show 2-3 shows from the past during that break. They could justify charging a higher price for showing all the corps plus the bonus historical performances.

The Freelancers were once an all-girl corps. They have had the names Manheart Capitolaires, Capitolaires, Capital Freelancers and Sacramento Freelancers. I don't know the history behind why these names were chosen.

I agree with Brian and Sam to a point. The other part of this was the lack of rehearsal time to ensure the corps was prepared for the show. Even with 11 brass we did okay when playing at a standstill, but the lack of scheduled rehearsals led to the corps not being confident with the drill so overall the show suffered. We did not have the power needed to pull off the music as intended, but I don't think the skill level was the primary reason for the poor performance. I believe the 2006 show is a good example of what can be done effectively with a small line.

When River City Regiment folded in 2007 many of the members started down the path to form a new Sacramento DCA corps. To my knowledge it has not gone anywhere and probably won't since the Freelancers are gaining momentum. The new corps was going to be named Delta Heat.

Maybe it's just me, but this comparison doesn't make much sense to me. Anyone that follows drum corps has a pretty good idea of what to expect at a show today. I agree with many on here that the top 5-6 shows are amazing and all offer something different. Do you really believe that drum corps would even exist today if had stayed the same as it was 30 years ago? One thing that seems to be missing from most of these discussions is what attracts the performers to do the activity. People really have to want to do the activity and believe in it to put out the time and money it takes to be in a DCI corps today. I doubt many young people today would be interested in doing a show from 30 years ago. Kids today grow up surrounded by electronics. Is it any surprise that most have no problem with what equipment is being used today? I don't like every change that has happened since I marched, but I do like the direction DCI is going today and many of the shows this season can only be described as incredible. Narration is settling in as an effect and is not center stage anymore. Amps will probably do the same to some degree. These changes are like new toys that the corps learn how to play with and as they get better at it they become less obtrusive. I would never tell anyone to go away if they don't like it, but look at it this way. The fanbase of legacy fans is constantly shrinking while the new fanbase is constantly growing from new members, ageouts, family, etc. Which fanbase do you think will have the biggest impact on corps in the future?

Anyone remember 1975? Scout's scrapped their entire show midseason and came back to win finals. I'm not saying that will happen this year, but late season changes can be good. If you have ever heard the early season shows from 1975 you will know why they changed everything.

I respect anybody that has been in a corps. The people I respect the most are the ones that stick with a corps regardless of the odds against them (Jester for example). Also, the members that go to a second or third choice corps when they are cut regardless of division or classification (open class, DCA, Alumni, etc).

He'll be there. Carl is one of the driving forces that got the Alumni going.

Sad, but smart decision on Dream's part. If you have anyone that wants to do the mini-corps, but would put you over the limit they could always jump in with the Freelancers. We are tentatively planning to send a mini-corps and would love to have anyone from Dream join us.

A perfect example of this is River City Regiment. We had a lot of talent and we were consistently trading spots with Dream anytime we competed at the same show. We even managed to beat the Renegades at one show. The circimstances were just right for that one show, but we still stayed close to them for most of the season. The problem the corps had was no solid financial base. If RCR had managed to get to DCA we would have probably been very competitive, but it didn't happen because the money was not there. If a corps has a solid business plan and a steady revenue stream they will get the numbers they need at some point.

I have a question about alumni corps in general. I don't mean to stir up anything so please take this as just a question that some people may not think about when discussing an alumni corps. How do you define what is suitable for an alumni corps and what would be considered as still being "current" drum corps? Every year we have more corps members joining the ranks of being an alumni. To them the music they play is what is meaningful to their experience in the activity even if someone else does not believe it is real drum corps. My point is every former member probably feels the music they played is just as valid as music that was played decades ago since it is now part of the corps history. I believe one of the biggest differences between today's drum corps and older drum corps is the fact the corps used to play the same music multiple years and that music became signature pieces for those corps. Today a corps seldom plays the same music more than once so there is no opportunity for a signature piece to develop. Is there a current day Bottle Dance or Danny Boy? Just a few thoughts since someday today's music will be the stuff of alumni corps (if they are still around).