aka_MrStarsFan

I'm about to hit the road from North Dallas to Denton for tonight's show, and I had to watch the video I took of SCV's run-through last night one last time.

The show in Denton tonight is presented/sponsored by the Cavaliers.

First, I live only about 2.5 miles from that stadium, and I have no problem hearing that band on Friday nights. Second, the Allen band has a march-a-thon in mid August where they march through the neighborhoods collecting donations. The first time I heard it after I moved to the city, I wondered which of my neighbors liked music so much that they'd play marching music so loud that the entire neighborhood could hear it. It is quite impressive to hear the volume.

How does one go about finding out who judges are for a particular show? I was in Florida on vacation with the family in early June, and saw a guy wearing a DCI shirt and hat. Naturally, I stopped to talk to him, and it turns out he is a GE judge.

SCV is a McKinney HS Cadets are at Stayley MS in Frisco Cavaliers are at Denton HS Carolina Crown is at Lake Dallas HS

There were still moments in their show that annoyed me, as the electronics "noise" somewhat overshadowed the corps proper. I hope that isn't the norm tonight. As I said previously, I hope this isn't one of those instances where you can't remember why you quit frequenting a specific restaurant, so you go there, and immediately remember why you quit going there to begin with.

I lost interest in DCI for years since the introduction of electronics. I saw my first show in 1978 in Dallas, and marched in the early 80's, so I'm definitely "old school." SCV was a mere 10 minutes from my house last night, so I naturally had to go give a listen/watch. It was my first live experience since the Cavaliers (my alma mater) were 2 miles from my house 3 years ago for a rehearsal. Man, I didn't have half the talent that these kids do these days. While the guard sill has a lot of trouble with some work in the middle of the show last night, which was surprising to me, the horn line blew me away (yeah, pun intended). Even though I haven't watched a show in quite some time, I could definitely tell where the "VANGUARD" yell belongs in this show. I'm looking forward to seeing my first show in 6 years tonight in Denton.

I'll be there. The Vanguard is in town today rehearsing close to me in McKinney. I'll be there tonight.

I saw my first show in 1978, went to the Dallas show yearly, marched in 1984, traveled to finals from 1985-1993 and went to the San Antonio show a few times in the late 90's-early 2000's. I lost complete interest after I first started hearing the electronics and what was once described as "electronic goo." I could no longer hear the music over the synthesizers and electronics. That's when I quit attending shows and buying souvenirs and DVD's/CD's. For the life of me, I can't remember the last live show I attended. I think it was 2010. I've gone to a few of the shows in the theater over the years, but that wasn't the same. I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but I'm attending my first show in I can't tell you how long this week in Denton. I hope this isn't one of those instances where you can't remember why you quit going to a specific restaurant, go the restaurant, and then suddenly remember why you quit going in the first place.

After not keeping track of much of anything dci this summer, I went to the theater for tonight's show. On the positive side: 1. ####, there is a helluva lot of talent on the field these days, top to bottom. 2. There were several shows where I found myself thinking, "Is that show already over?" On the negative side: 1. I still despise the amplification and electronics. I especially despise the need to amplify a solo. 2. exactly how much money are these corps spending on props? Way too much. 3. I don't find much of a purpose for pre-recordings. On the "I'm scratching my head" side: 1. Did my eyes deceive me, or did I have a moment where I thought the narrator for the Cadets was lip syncing. 2. Why do people clap in theaters after a performance? 3. Boston Crusaders show, for me, was the farthest departure from their norm for any corps. That's neither good nor bad. 4. There were several shows where I'm sure I swallowed a few flies, as my mouth was agape from trying to figure out what the heck I was watching, i.e. BAC, halfway through Phantom. That's neither good nor bad.

Oops. I stand corrected. THIRD most profitable.....

I already started the above a few years ago. Also, the fact that I was unaware of the new rule changes illustrates how much (or little) I follow the activity anymore. I might check various DCI websites (even DCP) every few weeks to give a cursory glance. According to the DCI website announcement on the annual meeting, 2013 was the most profitable year in its history. My absence hasn't hurt DCI. edited to add color.

50 Saw my first show in '78 Marched my one and only year my age out year in '84 with The Cavaliers.

I must be showing my age here, but do today's shows really have to tell the viewer something? Does there have to be a "story" or a "message" or a "theme" behind a show?

RE: Boston - with all of the other crap on the field these days, I can't believe they get a 1 point penalty for pouring baby powder on their heads. RE: Blue Devils - I suppose I understand their placement, as they do a really good job of moving those poles around the field and throwing guard equipment onto the field to nobody in particular on the 3 occasions (flags, rifles and those red balls) that I saw. :huh:/>

My introduction to DCI was the Bridgemen opening fanfare in 1978. I was hooked.

YES! That's the one I was trying to remember. I refused to buy CD's that year for that very reason, as it completely ruined my enjoyment of SCV's show. There was another corps that same year with the same issue, but can't remember who it was. On an unrelated note, TerriTroop, I was also in Nighthawks for part of 1983.

No. Cavaliers are at Allen HS in Allen. They've been there since yesterday.

You've noticed it being full or noticed it NOT being full? I don't want to drive 40 miles just to find out that there are lousy general admission tickets available.

I'm in the same boat. As late as Sunday, there were several tickets available in the reserved ticket area. Once I decided that I wanted to go, the option of choosing anything other than general admission has disappeared. I can't find a phone number to call.

I can't answer the question about whether I'd feel different if my kid were in a corps, as it'll never happen. I suspect I'd enjoy what his corps was playing, but would have a totally different feeling than I do for a corps in general, even my alma mater, the Cavaliers. Speaking of the Cavaliers, they are staying and rehearsing 2 miles from my house these next 2 nights, so I went to the stadium to watch them rehearse. (See, I'm TRYING to still give it a chance.) There was a passage they were working on that had a mellophone feature. The pit was covered with tarps due to a light rain. The instructor wanted the rest of the horn line to lay back so the mellophone feature could clearly be heard. It sounded great. During the run through, the tarps came off the pit and the microphones came on. I could barely hear that mellophone feature over the amplified pit during the run through. THAT'S what annoys me.

The shows, in general, bore me to tears. I've lost so much interest over the past few years that I couldn't begin to tell you the cause of the changes. I despise all electronics I've heard in the shows. I've really tried to give it a chance. I eagerly await each year (like I have every year since 1978) to see who is playing what only to be let down by all the electronic "crap" I hear. Why should one have to research a show to understand what they're doing? I don't go to shows any more and I don't buy CD's, DVD's or tshirts. I start every year with anticipation, thinking "maybe this year's the year it'll change." To ME, it's almost insanity on my part - you know - repeating the same thing hoping for a different outcome. It's disappointing.

I have two encounters: 1. I was on a caribbean cruise with my family several years ago somewhere in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, and I saw a guy across the pool deck wearing a sign that read, "SPLOOIE." Knowing exactly what it meant, I walked up to the guy and told him that I'd be willing to bet that the majority of people on that ship had no idea what it meant, or even that it had a connection with a drum corps. He got a huge grin on his face, and we reminisced for about 20 minutes about shared acquaintances within the Cavaliers as former members. 2. About a month ago, I was again on vacation with my family driving through the southeast while wearing a Cavaliers shirt. We stopped at a hotel for the night in the middle of Mississippi, and while I was checking in, the front desk guy mentioned my shirt and told me that he had marched with the Boston Crusaders just a few years ago.

I'm on here so infrequently and a much less of a DCI fan after 34 years for that very reason. The power of the pure sound made by drums and bugles is now being drowned out by electronics. It's a shame that it's getting even worse. On the bright side, I've saved a lot of money and time not buying tickets or traveling to shows, or buying t-shirts, CD's or DVD's, etc. Heck, I've even saved a significant amount of time not being on this site for hours on end, because I'm not interested in hearing about my favorite corps ruining their shows, and therefore won't be disappointed when I see/read/hear what they've done!

This story isn't about the year I marched, but rather on a year when cell phones were not allowed by my alma mater corps. I knew how important it was to be able to call home while on the road, so I did the following: 1. Scoured the member listing and found members who were rookies and who lived in my general area. 2. Went to Walmart and bought $25 phone cards for each of those members. 3. Wrote a brief note to each of the members and inserted the phone card. 4. At my hometown show that summer, I tracked down the director after the show, who then called each individual kid over where I introduced myself and gave them the envelope with the note and the card.