On the Propriety of Booing

[madscout96]

Booing is classless behavior, and AGAIN, you have found a way to try and justify it by saying anyone who speaks out again those who do it are just the same. Sorry, that does not fly.

"Speaking out against" it and "Name calling" are two very different things.

[HockeyDad]

OP -

You place the start of booing a corps with 1993 Star. Apparently you weren't in attendance at Camp Randall at the Preview of Champions in 1991. Never heard anything like it - before or since. It was so bad that the venerable Brandt Crocker even lost his cool for a moment and said, over the public address system, "That's uncalled for!!", after which, the booing acutally got louder. The booing was for Star beating Cavies. I wouldn't say the booing was all directed at the judges that day. I think it had a lot of anti-Star in it.

Anyway, booing is bush league. This kids aren't paid for what they do. Give it a rest.

[oldbandguy]

So, as a director, I will no longer be selling the activity to my students and recommending to my students that they march Div 1, because I will not subject any of my kids to these "symptoms of DCI's schizophrenia". Anyone who is a HS director, ask yourself this- if you were at Quarterfinals or were in a theater, would you want your kids to be on the field with The Cadets?

I think this is a bit of an over reaction. The boos were directed at George Hopkins, not the Cadets. The corps was NOT booed the next two nights. They were not booed in the 40 performances prior to Quarterfinals. I do not think there would have been booing Thursday night had "the situation" been handled better by George.

I also think it's only fair to ask "would you want your kids to be on the field with the Blue Devils?" on the field with Phantom Regiment?, on the field with Carolina Crown? or any other of the 22 D1 corps.

My answer, as a director, is...you bet I would want my kids to be on the field with them. Cadets included.

Edited August 12, 2007 by oldbandguy

[Coaster]

I won't boo in the stands because I don't want it to seem I'm booing the performers, but if there was a way I could boo George directly, I would lose my voice. You can say all you want about how he looks out for the safety of his kids...this is true. I'm just sick and tired of his smug attitude. Do you ever notice how he comes out and inspects the field hours before his corps comes on? In San Antonio and Atlanta, he's walking out on the field by himself 7 or 8 corps before his. He also did it in Charlotte, although it was because of field concerns, hence the sandbags and staff spray painting hashes. It's like he has to make an appearance so EVERYBODY sees him walking around talking on his cell phone. If you watch him closely, he'll talk for a minute, then dial another #, talk for a minute, then dial another #. Who is he talking to? The fact that he bowed to the crowd on Thursday night when they were booing proves my point. His ego is as big as his hair.

Flame away everyone.

[CoreyD]

I havent read the whole thing yet cause the first paragraph gave me tired head but I will which I will reply with passion.

But til them all I got to say is wait til Eletronics passes(probably this winter then YOU WILL HEAR THE BOO BIRDS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!

[Gold_Bond]

IMO, it all depends on when and where you are as to how "okay" booing is. At a Yankees game? Sure, it's part of the "social norm" for that activity. Drum corps? No, in my opinion.

Keep in mind that DCI wants to make drum corps more mainstream.

You appeal to the Least Common Denominator and you tend to attract a lot of "common". So expect to see more sporting event/rock concert type behavior.

[Tekneek]

Booing is classless behavior, and AGAIN, you have found a way to try and justify it by saying anyone who speaks out again those who do it are just the same. Sorry, that does not fly.

No, I specifically mentioned that calling them "all types of names" is just as bad, or worse, than what they were doing. I did not say speaking out against booing was exactly the same.

I did earlier say that people who freak out over booing aren't much better than those doing it in general, which is true. If you're dealing with people acting like children, don't you think that giving them any attention at all is more than they deserve? Getting into a shouting match with them is not demonstrating that you are any better than they are. Whining incessantly about some childish behavior that was witnessed is not a mature way to deal with it, either.

Edited August 12, 2007 by Tekneek

[X DM]

To Dan Baker...

I'm glad to see that you put some thought into your opinion, and obviously you've been around the activity for a while given your recollections of Star 93. But as someone who has also been around for a while, I want to remind you that the fans' actions have consequences.

- Are you happy that Star of Indiana dropped out of competition after 1993?

- Do you think the abuse they got at the hands of (some) fans had something to do with their decision?

- Do you feel DCI was improved, especially in the 90s, by the departure of a world champion caliber corps?

- If George Hopkins were to consider his options after this year and decide that the Cadets should pursue something different, do you think drum corps would be better off for it?

I loved Star 1990-1993. I thought their shows were fantastic, and I thought their musicianship reached a level that has not really been equaled since. No offense, but I really wish you had gotten a hot dog rather than contribute to their departure from the activity. And I would give you the same advice if you don't like the Cadets this year, or any corps next year.

I guarantee that no matter how much you dislike a show, someone sitting near you is loving it. Why spoil their enjoyment of it? Why take something away from performers who are giving their best effort? Trust me, withholding your applause or leaving the stands communicates the same thing, but still shows respect to everyone involved.

I hate to interrupt you because you were on such a roll in this post here, but the fact of the matter is, Star had already made the decision to leave DCI before the season began. And some fans engaging in booing had nothing at all to do with Star leaving DCI. And The Cadets are not about to leave DCI because of their quarterfinals reaction by some in the crowd. Booing is unfortunate. But I can't think of a single competitive event that has taken place in an outdoor stadium in the history of mankind that did not have an episode of booing at some point in that stadium. I'd be more than happy if one can point out an outdoor stadium when an outdoor competition took place and there was no booing since that stadium was constructed. My suggestion to people who go to a competitive event, drum corps or otherwise, and booing makes them uncomfortable to just..... ignore it, or bring some ready made ear plugs. As for the effort to try and prevent a booing occurance, it can't be prevented, nor should it be. People have a right to boo whether we like it or not. And we have the perfect right to express our displeasure when we hear the boos too. Now, if they are booing DURING a performance, then that's another thing entirely, and an usher or security should be called to stop them or remove that person or persons. But fans in the crowd have a right to boo before and after a performance, and even during the score announcements. I fail to see how booing in this context would effect your ability to enjoy the Corps performance any more than somebody rudely talking during a performance.

Edited August 12, 2007 by X DM

[mchromik]

If, in fact, it came as a result of the response to the '93 show, I think the decision by Star's director to drop them from DCI competition was as immature, if not even more immature than the fans' decision to boo them in '93. It was a complete act of vanity.

When a director puts together a show to please himself, he should only blame himself when it doesn't connect with the audience or judges.

Sometimes a show doesn't work out as well on the field as it did in your head.

The deal to take Star out of competition was signed and sealed before the 93' Season was over. It was all about the opportunity not what happened at DCI. The thought at the time was that at some point they would return eventually.

As for 93' connecting with the audience, the fact that there is still an incredible amount of interest in that show tells you they connected with people, both in a good way and a bad way. I've never seen a show split an audience like that one, boos and standing Os all at the same time. The judges seemed fine with it and the way it was performed as they dominated the field save for a handful shows that season. Even with hindsight I doubt that anyone on that design staff would change a thing. Experience of a lifetime for the members and an instant classic. Who cares about the score.

When Mark Sylvester used to work at Star, he used to say that if there is something in a show that makes us uncomfortable or that you don't understand, hang on to it. It is just new to you, and it just might be something really cool.

[Tekneek]

The deal to take Star out of competition was signed and sealed before the 93' Season was over. It was all about the opportunity not what happened at DCI. The thought at the time was that at some point they would return eventually.

I kept wishing that they would, and still do, although it seems it will never happen at this point.

I don't want to see another corps go away, but I sure wish The Cadets would stop forcing the kind of shows they've done the past few years upon us. Knowing the kinds of shows this corps has done in the past, it frustrates me to see them appearing to go out of their way to be unappealing. Maybe drum corps is finally reaching a point of no return with me, where I will only be able to enjoy a handful of shows (at best) from now on. I've tried to give this amplified voice thing a chance, but to this point nobody has done it in a way that doesn't seem to detract from the show. Nobody has done it in a way that is memorable, in a positive way for me, to the point that I would want to watch or listen to the shows in the future.

Edited August 12, 2007 by Tekneek