DCI & DCA the best and not so best from the stands

[wishbonecav]

A view from the stands at DCI and DCA.

In a non-scientific observation of a group of 8,000 drum corps fans in Pasadena (DCI Quarterfinals) and a group of 8,000 drum corps fans in Rochester (DCA Finals), I was able to draw the following conclusions when it comes to delivery of product and audience response...

AND given the assumption that someone standing while clapping, cheering, whistling or yelling is a person who has just seen something worth standing, clapping, cheering, whistling or yelling about;

Here's what I came up with:

The most dramatic, positive and prolonged reactions from the audience were granted to performances by:

1. Blue Devils (off the chart)

2. The Cadets (off the chart)

3. Madison Scouts (two standing o's during the performance, just about throwing babies at the end, bigger response than Cavies)

4. Cavaliers

5. Carolina Crown

6. Regiment

7. Troopers (yes, more than Vanguard, et al)

8. Academy (yes, more than the other 7-12 Finalists)

1. Empire Statesmen (off the chart, almost ridiculous)

2. Buccaneers (off the chart, appreciation of excellence)

3. Caballeros

4. Renegades

5. Crusaders (watch the dvd and listen for the response, standing o Saturday & Sunday)

6. Music City Legend (proving that when you perform effect, it gets the desired result)

Even if the corps was already "slotted", it appeared that the audience members wanted to root for the corps that were listed. In Madison's case, the underdog role played into the emotion. Same with Music City Legend.

For the Troopers and Caballeros, the flavors of tradition may have added to the connection.

For Academy, the throwback style of programming may have been the catalyst. Or, maybe, they were embraced because they were new (though newbies in DCI have often met with the opposite treatment).

For Renegades, it was that horn line!

For Empire , it was Empire.

Cavies, Crown, Regiment and Buccaneers, it was excellence.

For BD and Garfield it was excellence bordering on the absurd.

The corps that generated a response NOTEWORTHY in its indifference:

1. Crossmen (an extreme example)

2. Seattle Cascades

3. Brigadiers

4. Mandarins (big show, big corps, written beyond capability to generate response, imo)

5. Kilts

...the corps getting the least response played the shows that were least musically accessible.

Crossmen and Brigadiers had almost the SAME show CONCEPT...kind of a "greatest hits" deal.

Now, I like Crossmen. I have their 90's CD in my car. I can name the tunes without looking them up on corpsreps. And I heard them ALL in the medley that took up the first 4 1/2 minutes of the show. But it seemed the staff wrote the show for only CROSSMEN people at the exclusion of everyone else.

Well you just "DIDN'T GET IT." Didn't get what? This show was shocking to me, mostly for the amount of reaction it DIDN'T receive.

Same with Brigadiers. Shocking in the lack of response at the end. When the Brigs played to emotion, THEY GOT IT! The ballad worked! But the balance of the show...the bookends...the invitation (opener) and the culmination (uh...the closer)...left it so very flat, flat, flat. Not my OPINION, my OBSERVATION.

Cascades. What if I brought a rookie to a drum corps show and could ONLY show them ONE CORPS? Seeing Seattle, they might say "...that was 'nice'", or "...it was 'interesting'", but they'd probably take a pass if I ever invited them again. Would it hurt to play a melody?

So what conclusions can I draw? As a fan? As a critic? As a customer?

The fact that there were 14 standout, off the chain, get-up-and-dance corps in the top-tier 2007 offering means that alot of people are doing alot of things right.

I like that.

Out of 34 open-class corps, the audience went just about ballistic nearly half of the time. And there were only a few bombs. And, the neat part about DRUM CORPS is that the corps that kinda bombed are corps that have CHAMPIONSHIP RESUME'S...which means they'll be back.

I like that, too.

So, now that 2007 is over, I get to look forward to next season.

So do you!!!

[toddschultz]

I like you analyzing of things, great post!

[oldbandguy]

I think you need to move Crown up a few notches on the fan reaction meter. At the end of the night if you had taken a vote of which show do you want to see again Crown takes it over everyone but BD.

[liebot]

1. Crossmen (an extreme example)

Crossmen and Brigadiers had almost the SAME show CONCEPT...kind of a "greatest hits" deal.

Now, I like Crossmen. I have their 90's CD in my car. I can name the tunes without looking them up on corpsreps. And I heard them ALL in the medley that took up the first 4 1/2 minutes of the show. But it seemed the staff wrote the show for only CROSSMEN people at the exclusion of everyone else.

Well you just "DIDN'T GET IT." Didn't get what? This show was shocking to me, mostly for the amount of reaction it DIDN'T receive.

That seems pretty true. It made me laugh, though.

[Triple Forte]

I think you need to move Crown up a few notches on the fan reaction meter. At the end of the night if you had taken a vote of which show do you want to see again Crown takes it over everyone but BD.

I agree as well regarding Crown. I would also put Phantom Regiment higher on the list.

[MikeySaysWoof]

Ditto about Crown.

They had such an amazing response from the crowd - and finals was on the other side of the country from their home base and don't have a strong/huge alumni base because of their youth. You can even here it on the ESPN broadcast. And the announcer dude (can't remember his name) even said "This corps has connected with the crowd again tonight" and "the crown has connected emotionally with the audiences across the country this season perhaps like no other corps"

[atlvalet]

I think you need to move Crown up a few notches on the fan reaction meter. At the end of the night if you had taken a vote of which show do you want to see again Crown takes it over everyone but BD.

I think the Crown at quarters is ranked correctly. I think the Crown at finals took it up a few notches (like we're used to seeing from Cadets).

[Pinwiz]

Maybe it's my anti-Madison bias, but Madison had a larger crowd response than Crown? I don't think so.

[corps-mudgeon]

Maybe it's my anti-Madison bias, but Madison had a larger crowd response than Crown? I don't think so.

Madison had a larger crowd response than some near them, but not more than the top 6.

[toddschultz]

Madison had a larger crowd response than some near them, but not more than the top 6.

Let's not forget that these statements are peoples own hearing/opinion and that what I hear, or what you hear, is going to be different from ALL others.

Not to mention, for those of us who were not at the events that the original poster commented on, we do not really have a basis for comparison. Now for those of you that were there, give your opinion, but that is all the OP was doing.