West Coast "Fans"

[euponitone]

Is perception reality?

Decades of 2 D-I corps at shows have taught west coast fans to arrive late and cheer for red/blue team. So, perhaps it is better to blame lazy corps directors who fail to make true national tours every year.

No, that would be silly.

Yes, it would be silly. Why would behave the same way for a completely different experience, especially if you are hoping to enjoy said experience in the future. Actually, seems more than silly to me

It couldn't be that the large volume of camp followers and drum corps enthusiasts from distal time zones had any effect on the color of the crowd, could it? From my perseption this was the palest and most overweight crowd I've seen on the west coast. Could be that all those knees were going out and it made it hard to execute 12 standing "O"s. Then again, I counted more than that, so what to I know?

Of course people were from all over...and are you somehow implying that people in california are just naturally all tan and in shape, while the rest of the country is pale and overweight? You really lose me here, as I saw more spontaneous ovations at almost every show i went to with the fat and lazy east coasters. The only corps to get a true spontaneous ovation at all at finals was crown, everything else was reluctant and/or forced.

Edited August 15, 2007 by euponitone

[thecadet20012001]

I don't think it is that it is Cali fans are rude or ignorant it is just a little different out there when it comes to marching band. East Coast is said to have the most tuft drum corps fans and they do because East Coast fans don't cheer unless you do something. They sit there with there hands crossed and i'm not talking about at finals. i'm talking about some of the small shows like Bristol RI or in Rome NY and New Jersey and Boston.

Cali fans have not seen as much drum corps as East coast or midwest fans. I have another comparison. My cousin marched iN the U OF M marching band and he told me that the USC marching band acted really arogant and almost like they were going to play football against the U OF M band. They acted like it was a battle. I told him thats how BD acts in Drum corps and I think thats how just alot of West Coast marching band Drum corps fans are. Its just a different culture and it might suck but some might think its cool. I mean midwest fans cheer knowmatter what, but its almost to bando like. East Coast fans don't say nothing until you do something for them and West Coast fans BOO like its a sporting event if you suck. As far as respecting the Marine corps. Hello were in California like the most liberal state. I wonder sometimes if they even celabrate the 4th of JUly there.

It was home Show for BD and SCV that was obvious because if that show is not in Cali and on the East coast or even midwest Cadets win by a point and not to say that is right either.

i'm out

[13-on-deck]

Really?? So the Blue Devils got boos and catcalls for their continuous use of narration from the east coast folks? I dont think so. And we all know that everyone loved scv in 05. Yeah, I get it - not everyone in pasedena was from the west coast...like me obviously. Still, I have never seen an atmosphere that poor in the dozen or so drum corps events i have attended in my life.

Based on my extremely advanced age, I feel confident in saying I've attended hundreds more drum corps events in MY life than you. :P

And though I don't take anything away from your opinion (that the crowd sucked and lacked class...I agree! even though I wasn't there!), I will say that I've seen the same stupid boorish behaviour from DCI crowds East, South, North, Canada, Mid-West, and West...so many times it makes me sick.

I'm sorry, but the bulk of that bunch are simply DCI fans who TRAVEL to finals every year, no matter where it might be. MOST of them weren't from SoCal, of that I'm fairly sure...and DCI fans are horrible.

Frankly, and I don't know why, but the DCI finals crowd is just SO different from the generally friendly, upbeat crowds you encounter the whole season long. You get to nats and, suddenly, it's a big wall of judgemental non-supporters somehow (unless you happen to be the fan-favorite, which you as a Cadet and me as a Devil have not often been! B) ).

I truly HATE DCI crowds, they are just about the worst bunch of sourpusses to perform for on the PLANET. I've seen it in Boston in 94 (hey, let's THROW stuff at the Vanguard cause it's raining and they dare to leave the field without performing), I've seen it in Madison (Star SUUUUUUCKS!!!! We HATE STAAAAAAAR! Go Cavaliers!)...I've seen it over and over.

So, I'm sorry but I can't say it's the West Coasts fault cause I just don't buy it. And it's particularly tragic for me what happened in Boston cause I happen to LOVE the Vanguard, and it was my hometown (and it's not really fair I was embarrassed either, cause most of those morons weren't from Boston).

[VKMello84]

To address the entering during performance:

Not only were the event staff told to push people to their seats during the first few minutes of a corps performance but the Pasadena Police also got involved. We were standing at the end of the tunnel waiting for the corps to finish so we could go to our seats and a police officer came in with a large crowd of people - loud- and told us we were to move to our seats now. When I addressed him that we would go as soon as the corps finished, the police officer told me I could leave the venue if I didn't want to move to my seat. I just wanted to tell him that this was not a football game and we respect the players here but I did not want to get thrown out of the stadium. The non music affiliated public does not understand the meaning of respect for the player, whether it is on the field or in a concert hall. This is their ignorance, not the folks coming to their seats. (I cannot address those leaving during perfomance as that is ignorance!)

Football game or no, there is still a fire code on the books.

[Chronos]

Based on my extremely advanced age

Sorry to threadjack, but the way you put it made me chuckle! =)

[scottgordon]

I'm from the west, been attending DCI all over the country for some 20+ years. It was a different feeling, hearing the west coast corps getting the larger cheers and the east/midwest corps getting the polite applause. I've never heard that before (even in the early shows, whenever we have visiting corps they get huge appreciative applause). But I think that just falls under the "shoe is on the other foot" category... that is, you folks don't realize that the reverse has been the norm. I've been to lots of shows where people don't clap for BD (or leave, or worse). And I can remember hearing jeering for Star'93 all over the country. As far as this year's booing, I only remember one incident, and we all know when that was - and whether or not it was justified (it wasn't), you have to admit it was an unprecedented act that precipitated it - I can't think of anything remotely similar ever happening before. And, I think it unfortunately would have probably drawn boos anywhere outside of New Jersey.

Now, I will say that the stadium itself was awful for drumcorps (I'm from the west, so it pains me to say it). Poor sight lines, very poor sound, the field didn't look good, buzzing lights, inconvenient access, expensive parking, no re-entry(!), rude stadium staff, inconsistent rules about what you could bring in... the only good things I can say about it are that lodging was close and plentiful. And, the food was good -- anyone remember the concession stands at Dallas? Those were the worst imaginable - I missed TWO corps waiting in a line of only 5 people for a shriveled up burger. At least in the Rose Bowl there were some decent options, albeit pricey ones.

Now, if we could bring finals to Stanford, that would really be a nice venue. But it's doubtful that we'll ever see another west coast finals again... I fear certain people didn't enjoy the shoe being on the other foot.

[Renegade_fireman]

Of course people were from all over...and are you somehow implying that people in california are just naturally all tan and in shape, while the rest of the country is pale and overweight? You really lose me here, as I saw more spontaneous ovations at almost every show i went to with the fat and lazy east coasters. The only corps to get a true spontaneous ovation at all at finals was crown, everything else was reluctant and/or forced.

um there were prob less standing o's because the shows were very "meh" this year.

The only corps I honestly really enjoyed were Crown, Coats, and SCV.

im a HUGE devs fan, and I still really didnt like this show after the 4 min mark.

There werent any shows this year like previous winners that just made you go crazy.

And please please please dont say you californians when it is clearly a nationwide/worldwide attended event. Its really not fair.

[ContraRich77]

I have to say I was completely unimpressed.

Here's a small list of why:

1. Entering and leaving DURING performances

2. Talking on cell phones

3. Did not applaud or stand for many of the corps - good portion of crowd

4. Shouting rude things during corps

5. Extreme bias toward "their" corps (funny - SCV & BD were always treated warmly on the East coast)

6. Over-drinking

7. Very little applause during songs, after solos, between songs

8. Late arrivers to stadium

9. Where was all this "West Coast Class" I kept hearing about - geez

10. Half of the crowd didn't even applaud the Marines - I could not believe that. Folks sitting and talking during the ovation for our MARINES!!! Ugh.

I could go on but you get the point.

Boo hiss! If finals go out west ever again I will not attend.

Crowd was a huge negative IMO

For this they earn my WORST AUDIENCE EVER award. (and I've attended finals since 1982)

George, are you sure that some of this can't be attributed to a poorly run event in a substandard venue getting on everyone's nerves? I'm sure that played SOME part in this.

[13-on-deck]

One of the reasons i think this year was so bad, is that the cadets were a threat. In 2005, the blue devils were done (no offense intended). I enjoyed the show a bit, but it was pretty solidly 4th, so i think people werent worried about it. It was kind of a quaint, weird little show, ala the cadets jethro tull show the year before. This year however, the cadets were on BD's heels all year, and actually passed them the last 2 shows before finals. There was a genuine animosity in that stadium, and people were genuinely pulling for them to fail, so bd could have their 12th. If the Cadets had been in 4th or 5th like last year coming in, I have a feeling that this issue would have been nearly nonexistent.

This is a fair enough point, I think, but you could just chalk it up to "home court advantage" if there really is such a thing on the west coast.

Do you really think it would be any different if it were Madison in first place at Camp Randall?

Or you guys in first on the East Coast somewhere (with BD or some other corps in 2nd place but with some lame element that made them easy to dislike?)?

[VKMello84]

Frankly, and I don't know why, but the DCI finals crowd is just SO different from the generally friendly, upbeat crowds you encounter the whole season long. You get to nats and, suddenly, it's a big wall of judgemental non-supporters somehow (unless you happen to be the fan-favorite, which you as a Cadet and me as a Devil have not often been! B) ).

The finals crowd is made up of a lot of people who spend thousands of dollars to travel to and watch the show. When they get there, they almost always find things that are not to their liking. The shows are long, and the weather is almost always unfomfortatble. Using the bathroom is difficult, and one cannot even bring water into the stadium. Other than the corps on the field, there is typically little to be happy about.