What's wrong with shows today?

[Iplaytimpani]

No- your response was purely meant to start another argument - Singing (miked at least) has no place in drum corps and you know it. Run along now.

No actually if you wanna talk about it, my response was to politely point out that you had no idea what you were actually talking about, refering to the music as a song which would involve lyrics. So thanks for playing, and how'd that go... oh, run along now. You should probably stay on the end of that "big snare line" where you don't have to put in your opinion but just do what the guy next to you is doing. You would look a lot better not doing any thinking or talking on your own.

thank god the arbiter of all-that-is-and-is-not-drum-corps was here to settle that matter.

what would we ever do without you omniscience.

:)

Edited November 18, 2007 by Iplaytimpani

[PhantomR]

No- your response was purely meant to start another argument - Singing (miked at least) has no place in drum corps and you know it. Run along now.

Really? You get to decide that?

And here I was thinking that there was a board of directors for such a thing. How silly of me.

~>conner

[CaviesFan1]

This obviously isn't going anywhere productive. Opinions, opinions...

[CuriousMe]

After a couple of attempts at discussion with that individual, I've found ignoring his posts to be the best course of action. He has this crazy idea that his wants and reality have some relation to each other....so all of us should take notice of those wants. The "Ignore this user" option has been wonderful; now I only see his posts if someone quotes him.

Back on topic: I don't find anything wrong with today's shows. Sure, they're different from shows in the '70's, 80's and 90's...but I consider that to be a positive....shows in the 80's were different from shows in the 70's, and shows in the 90's different from both the previous decades. All art forms change as time goes on, why wouldn't drum corps?

Peace,

CuriousMe

Edited November 18, 2007 by CuriousMe

[dsaeger]

Probably because they're selfish enough to make threads like this. Not only that, but they're completely unaware that what they're saying is a kick in the face for all the hard work put into the shows now... that or they just don't care enough to at least censor their overly blatent opinions.

Sorry, that's all there is to it. People who still go to shows and don't enjoy themselves, and then post on DCP about how much better it was back in the day are not doing anyone a favor, but themselves. Save your ticket money and buy your 1976 dvds.

~>conner

That's not it! (said in sing-song voice)

While there has been a lot of great things in recent drum corps, I can also understand what these old timers are saying.

I say that while also acknowledging that today while I was riding my motorcycle the 2007 Blue Knights were mostly on playback (inside of my helmet), followed by some Steely Dan and then Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen. It was a great ride.

There were things wrong with past music and there are things wrong with todays esoteric and obscure music. If you can't acknowledge current music problems, then that just shows you have a compromised ear. Take Cavies 07 for example, what happened?! It was the music of Billy Joel for God's sake! I should have completely rocked the house!

And I'm not calling for a return to the music of old (that ain't it), it comes down to music selection and arrangement. If you ain't got that on an accessable point, you're going to have a whole bunch of people going.. huh?... And that shouldn't be.

Huh, equals another year gone by with much of corps music forgotten by the next season.

The crumbs, our payback for all of this is the marvelous, wonderful, miraculous, Crown 2007 show. Phantom missed, Vanguard missed, Cadets hit (but missed for all of that #### talking), Boston too was close, but missed, PC (was close to having fun music, but missed due to arrangments), Mandarins were just way off, Blue Stars missed, Crossmen missed, Spirit missed, even Blue Devils missed (in the second half of their show).

This is all about music selection and arrangements.

Dan

[silvertrombone]

Funny...I heard quite a bit of melody from Regiment, Crown, and 'Coats...

Admittedly, I came away from 2006 thinking the same things...not much melody. 2007 was MUCH improved, as sop states. I wasn't taken aback either year, though, because as OP's quote states, I was so taken aback by the QUALITY. Again, 07 even moreso than 06, and 06 was pretty danged incredible!

I'm predicting a backlash, of sorts, in 08--more music! Corps have heard the audiences revolt (in general) at the "Cadet effect." I look for a return to music...as in melody, for all of you who are sure to reply with calling Cadets 05-07 and Cavaliers pre 07 music. Yes, they played music, but to the average listener's ear, it might as well have been Philip Glass or John Cage. To the right set of ears, yes, music. To others, it will put you to sleep even during a top-8 DCI performance. Happened. I'll believe them.

But I look for 08 to be magical! We have taken a VERY impressive leap forward the last couple of years...anybody remember 2004 now?? Quality, I mean. I dare say that below the top 3 of 04 nobody else would be competing with AT LEAST the top 7, most likely 9, possibly 12-14! Incredible. Music, melody, and entertainment are the keys now. Everybody is good. And at every strata of the activity "really good" has taken on a whole new meaning! So you can't just throw out some gobbledy-gook and hope to place top-3, or wherever--now we have to take into consideration the audience reaction.

For example, as much as I blasted PR's choice of repeating Spartacus again, is there ANYBODY who doesn't think it will be a fan favorite right out of the gate? If they do the ballad from Spartacus, we already know that is one aspect of the show that will rate at or near the top of everybody's lists all season. And EVERY other corps knows it!

Personally, and I know this sounds hypocritical to the wrong set of eyes taking it the wrong way, if I'm a corps director of ANY other big corps, I instantly consider pulling something equally revered out of the closet. Or at the very least, doing something of higher entertainment value than otherwise might have been considered.

That's exciting to me! Having every corps, already performing at CRAZY levels of ability, kicking it up three notches going into our first year in Indy?? Yowza!!

Entertainment. Music. You heard it here first!

[dsaeger]

Seeing that I am a "newbie" to dci, never having played and only a season of appreciation under my belt, i hate this idea. Yes, dci needs new fans but i do not sit through shows to hear top 40's as interpreted by various corps. Maybe i am in the minority, but the music was not what first attracted me to drum corps. it was the dedication to the art form that really impressed me. To me, that is what distinguishes it from hight school band.

By chance did you see the Marine drum and bugle corps this year? They played "Your beautiful" by James Blunt. I hate that song!! But you know what? They did a pretty good job of it! Top 40, imagine that.

Dan

[silvertrombone]

All art forms change as time goes on, why wouldn't drum corps?

You know, that's a great point. It would be interesting to see the world of art music had Bach, Mozart and Beethoven been the 70's, 80's and 90's and the Internet been around rolling into the whole Verdi/Wagner spat...or perhaps the European and Russian musical differences. Good God, can you imagine the things the French would be saying against the Russian 5 in favor of Les Six? Would love to have been a fly on the virtual wall of that contrived alternate reality.

Another thought, not really connected. DCI is most associated with music more than any other aspect. Any disagreement on that assertion?

Drum and Bugle Corps? No mention of other captions, etc. Drum Corps for short.

Videos and audio both contain...music!

But until relatively recently, that music (and still is) has been an arrangement of somebody else's music from another genre, be that Fat Bottomed Girls, Porgy and Bess, or Blue Light Red Light. Not much 'original' music written specifically for DC, by comparison.

Here's my point...in that regard, we're not exactly all that original of an activity/art form/genre in the first place. So it's kind of funny, from that perspective, to have ANY bashing of anybody for what they perform. Geez, play original music and get beat down for it? Hmph. Guess I'll just go play some Beethoven, you know?

Just a thought.

[Triple Forte]

Yeah, some fans of today's shows could devote threads to the particulars of what they don't like about 70s/80s/90s drum corps. Musical selctions, marching pace, drill design, sound quality...you name it, and I guarantee there are plenty of people who could be critical about drum corps of the past about it. Thank goodness they don't, though.

Here is an interesting thought. I think the 80's was the best decade for great and consistent musical choices. That is my opinion. I can compare the 80's to today......because I was there then and I am here now. How can someone who was born in 1990 possibly comment on the activity from the 80's? They have tapes/dvd's as examples.....but is no way they can make an accurate comparison with tapes/dvd's alone....IMO. So I think this is one of the reasons you don't see many posts from newer fans complaining about the older days of DCI.

To answer the original question I think today's DCI version of drum corps is ok, but lacks the moderation of the older version of DCI. I always use jazz as an example. It is all but gone in DCI today. To me that is not a good thing. I think a lot shows are programmed in a "safe" fashion and are way to generic. Some corps identities have shifted and this is something else that has changed what we see and hear.

2007 Corps Music I liked (No particular order)

Crown

Cavaliers

Colts

Pacific Crest

Troopers

Pioneer

Boston Crusaders

Madison Scouts

Phantom

Edited November 18, 2007 by Triple Forte

[TerriTroop]

Getting back to the OP's question:

This is an entirely subjective thread. I admit it saddens me when people come away from shows disappointed with current shows, but today's drum corps isn't the problem. There are plenty of corps out there giving the fans what they want, and doing it well - in OC corps, WC corps and DCA corps. That's because "the fan" is anyone from a 15-year old who wants to march Cavies someday to someone in their golden years of retirement, and everyone in between. Not everyone is going to like every corps.

There are design elements that I, personally, just do not like. Since I don't get to go to more than one show most years (maybe 2 if I'm lucky), I have made it a point to sit there and watch for the things I DO like. I also make it a point to see every corps at the show and give the early OTL corps some love.