Jeff Ream

but i wasn't alone. I remember in 2010, more people than i ever remember leaving before the victory run. Sure, BD perfofmed great. But people didn't like the show. and you're pretty cool too!

here's the thing, and it may ruffle some feathers.... BITD scores still mattered. think the Warren Cavies, the Royal Airs and Kilties in the 60's didn't go all out to win? or Garfield, Blessed Sac, Boston, St Kevins? Sure they did. but the pool they recruited from was different then. As were the shows. Few in corps back then went on to be HS or college band directors. those entities and drum corps were in very different camps. But as time went on, and the two camps started getting closer together and personel crossed back and forth, the recruiting pool changed, and the number of corps shrank for all of the litany of reasons discussed/debated/argued about on here, with both fatcs, opinion, and rose colred bifocals. and surviving until next year has long been a thing in drum corps. like since day 2. So while these are all good points to bring up in relation to this topic, it's not like these two things are only more recent developments. They've been around forever.

but from those offerings, maybe some kids find their way to drum corps. Maybe not Bloo. maybe Soundsport or All Age. Maybe Open Class.

ok so 88 and 89....hmm themes. Phantom of the Opera, New World Symphony...Les Miz. oh 90...Tommy, Bernstein, Carnival of Animals, Carmen...91...Miss Saigon, Cavalier Anthems, City of Angels...92...Songs for Planet Earth, more City of Angels... oh hell, 84...West Side Story. those were all years DCi showed part of finals live. Themes had been building for a while. i think it was 1971....when drum corps died right?

i just ignore people. i think the last time a fan got to me and i said something was some idiot...in a stadium not serving beer, aka JBC heckled teal Sound the year they had the rock band in the pit. Now i wasn't alone, but i knew who he was with ( a local legend in brass world) and stood up and the his friend to shut him up now. and you know the look i give with idiots, and they got it. he was quiet.

you wwere in Scranton. if i was an issue with 2, that guy should have looked up 4 rows by the railing at the walkway, especially by the tunnel that led to the Stadium Club.

they performed great. never said they didn't. but i hated the show.

me too. i was a huge BD fan

maybe i'm lucky.....i've never had interactions like that. well ok once.....DCA in Scranton. i walked to my seat for finals with 2 beers. guy next to me started to complain loudly about "an obnoxious drunk next to me.". then as 2 of my group showed up, i handed them their beers and shot the guy a look. Needless to say i heard not a peep, even when i eventually had a cold one myself. but seriously if you let stuff like that affect your ability to enjoy it, you need to find ways to block it out. i'm not trying to be Johnny sunshine....anyone that knows me knows i see way too much stupidity in the world around us. I just find ways to block it out. Plus now when i am at shows, i have an adorable almost 12 year old to explain stuff to!

J. Birney Crum....she don't lie

you walk that hill for a bathroom break? you'd never make it back for whoever was next!

2012 or 13. i wasn't in Indy for that. 2010 was through a glass darkly or whatever it was called. I actually remember people laughing at Dada in Allentown

the most ABBD crowd i've ever been a part of was in Indy in 2010. Literally people getting up and walking out when they performed.

hometown homerism has always been there. and always will be. i personally don't pay attention to it and focus on the field.

here's the thing, and i am sure this will rankle several: once we got away from the drills of 1960, visual has evolved and become more important in the total package. by the time Cadets zagged, scoring had to zig. fewer of the old school compulsory drill moves ( color pres, concert, exit line etc) were gone. the visual got more creative. Now in some cases, especially with props etc has it gone too far? IMO in some cases yes. but to be anything less than 50% of the score in where things are now isn't realistic.

move that bus!

dada.

i wanted to like them, but what they offered didn't allow it. they were good, but i'm not digging in the archives to watch or listen to them again

given how little press D3/A60 got it isn't a surprise.

as it's been almost 6 years since hopghazi broke, i'd imagine civil cases in PA would already have been filed by now. but given at the criminal trial one witness that planned on testifying decided not to in order to just get away from it all, i'd say the PA options are slim to none

if they win, they still have no money or assets. and it seems 23 had finances in rough shape before this exploded. So it's possible, but man the amount of things needed to make it happen is overwhelming to think of

well and part of that is because the East has always gotten West Coast corps. maybe not all of them every year til the current Allentown format went into effect...96 or 97 i can't remember. but we always got some. unfortunately the West rarely got east coast corps, so i am sure they were thrilled to see them. However being at pretty much Allentown back to the beginning, the hatred for West Coast corps is overblown. yeah the locals have had their love, but even cadets got their fair share of tepid response with some of the out there shows over the years. the YEA Borg was loud yes, but not that loud. but I've seen BD and SCV as well as others get some great reactions going back almost 50 years now. in 11 SCV rehearsed by me a few days beforre Allentown, with a show that wasn't beloved anywhere. during ensemble, the kids weren't connecting to those watching or the staff, and someone on staff told them "in Allentown if you play without passion, the fans will let you know it....with silence. They'll respect you, but they want you to give your all." And i didn't disagree with a word of it.

BD definitely on several occasions. not so much others. VK of course universally loved. but BD 08-13 was generally under loved by many fans period, and Allentown was no exception. At least as i could tell there was no serious hostility like booing ( except maybe when scores announced), but the standing at the end was people strecthing or getting up to leave, and not because the shows wowed them. Feilliniesque was like the BD reactions of years gone by ( aka 80's and 90's)

Allentown gave it a rousing ovation, at a time when the crowd there was continuously blasted as being ABBD

Penn State