jwillis35 Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 They may be uninterested because the current participants are likewise uninterested in them. Only in this activity do the current participants throw away their history and dismiss their past. I've seen DC "fans" walk off when the Royal-Airs and USMC D&BC took the field at DC Midwest. And we've all read it here ... the current DC competitive members generally dismiss anything that doesn't have a direct connection to them personally as superfluous and immaterial. It shows a lack of soul and heart, When the retired Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig came to the ballfield to say goodbye, the fans roared their appreciation for so long the ushers had to step in to tell them to please be seated so the game could proceed. And here .... In my opinion, this is not a very good analysis of how young people are or why they are uninterested in the past. I think current marching members of drum corps are very aware of the senior corps, alumni corps, and certainly the USMC D&BC (one of my favorites and always will be). But being aware of something and wanting something to do with it are two different things. Knowing history and living it are two different things. I studied history in college. I took music classes and studied composers and music, and their compositional styles. Great for perspective, but none of that means that my own writing style will be like theirs, or that the music I like presently will only be affected by my knowledge of their output. It certainly helped to pave the way, just as older drum corps did for today's corps, but TODAY stands on its own, with undeniable influences for sure, but also with new, innovative, and progressive ideas that must and will be explored. When Beethoven wrote his first symphony, he was not looking to copy Mozart, nor Bach. And each symphony he wrote was a new extension of his talents and his thoughts. Staying the same was not an option, moving forward was critical...and achieved. Today's marchers have not dismissed their past. They recognize it, but they have moved on. Do we want the opposite? Do we wish for them to ignore current cultural offerings, styles, desires, and opportunities--as well as current methods and knowledge--just so they can travel to the past in order to please older folks who no longer comprise the largest part of this market? So they can perform a show in a manner and style that perhaps they would not enjoy? Today's participants do not ignore the history. They know it's there, and they do not dismiss it for they are able to recognize it as a precursor to what they have now. But NOW is what matters, and they are the ones marching, paying to march, and putting in the hard work. I think they have a choice and it seems to me they are using that choice. If they choose not to join alumni corps and senior corps, a lot of that may have to do with the fact that today's young people (and myself included) prefer to move on with things. There is a time and place for everything. The "been there, done that" clause that, to some extent, subliminally effects their thinking is an excellent motivator for trying new things, for moving forward in life, for exploring and seeking that which they do not know and have not done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schickmeister Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I sat right in front of Dennis Delucia (sp?). That was fun...and great to see the funny looks from the less educated in the theater... they were all like...wait? isn't that the guy on the screen? haha good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schickmeister Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 Hey, Anyone go to the Show in New Brunswick NJ.. how was the attendance there. about 50 people i'd say. quiet crowd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansize Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 I happily attended the Reno show and was glad our City was added on to the venue list. Past years have sent me 120 miles to Sacramento. Hopefully this area will see the quarterfinals program. Went to the Summit Sierra location and was the first one there. The theater probably ended up with 40-50 and there were many folks wearing their corps colors. I stuck with my finals shirt from Pasadena. The sound levels were great but it was muddy. I blame local equalizer settings (if there are such things). The mix on the DVD's on a home system came through more clearly. And while I already owned every show on the screen (and saw 3 of them in Pasadena last year), I wanted to come out to: a) support the business plan (hopefully to encourage future local shows), and b) see it big and hear it loud. Mission accomplished. The vignettes of corps prep for this year were great. Honestly, the program announcement from BD left me puzzled yesterday, but seeing the clips made me much more excited for seeing them in July. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradrick Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) Saw the show at the Tinseltown Theater in Plano, TX. Cons: Only about 20 people in the theater. When the show started, obviously nobody was in the booth. Lights didn't dim. Looked like somebody had to go ask for them to correct that. When the show started, the volume stayed at about 10% (same as the pre-show "elevator" music). Watched the entire Bluecoats show at that volume. After I asked the guy who was checking tickets in the lobby to raise the volume level, it seemed to go to about 25%. Very disappointing. Picture was fuzzy. Seemed like the projector was out of focus. Supposed to be enhanced for widescreen, but didn't look like it was being projected in widescreen. I thought the ads said "5.1 Surround Sound". Sounded like "mono". When the show was over, lights didn't come back up. We had to leave with the reflected light from the previews on the screen (which apparently had started automatically). Pros: Getting to see a handful of other Drum Corps fans. Getting to see a little bit of the Kingsmen Alumni Corps. Major Pro: The early season vignettes DCI did of a few corps. VERY cool peak into the shows and corps as they were taking shape. Bottom Line: If it weren't for the extra vignettes, I'd once again be walking away from a "Countdown" thinking the only reason to bother with this is to see other Drum Corps peeps. Aside: OK. I'm joking here. Joking... HEY! Delucia and 2007 Crown!... Get a room already! Crown was great last year and they deserve any props they get, IMO. And it's really cute to see how much Delucia loves that show. Edited April 25, 2008 by bradrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFun Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 about 50 people i'd say.quiet crowd UGH.. Yuck.. They use to have to open up two sections. I know part of it is because of parsippany was a new spot but still. Looks like the numbers where down most everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake_the_hydra Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) there were many points where I was where most of the people in the audience audibly laughed, because Dennis Delucia and Steve Rondinaro succeed brilliantly at coming across as awkward at best, stupid at worst. DCI needs to figure out how to present things. Every thing that comes out is either really awkward or overly dramatic (i.e., making marching a summer seem like we're being shipped off to Normandy or something). Maybe I'm just getting old and bitter . . . Edited April 25, 2008 by jake_the_hydra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuffy Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 To add the Kingsmen at the last minute..hype it up...and then only show four minutes of a fifteen minute performance was a let down. Keith, My second big letdown this month Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Rohn Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 there were many points where I was where most of the people in the audience audibly laughed, because Dennis Delucia and Steve Rondinaro succeed brilliantly at coming across as awkward at best, stupid at worst.DCI needs to figure out how to present things. Every thing that comes out is either really awkward or overly dramatic (i.e., making marching a summer seem like we're being shipped off to Normandy or something). Maybe I'm just getting old and bitter . . . If Dennis says "from start to finish" one more time... And there was the moment when Dennis was explaining the complexities of a program, looked over at Steve for further commentary, and Steve totally blew it off and continued on to the next corps as if Dennis hadn't said a thing. It was like Steve was thinking, 'yeah, OK, who gives a ****, let's move on!' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted April 25, 2008 Share Posted April 25, 2008 UGH.. Yuck.. They use to have to open up two sections. I know part of it is because of parsippany was a new spot but still. Looks like the numbers where down most everywhere. 1/4's were sold out at North Brunswick last year...I found out the hard way, sad to say...the Countdown was nowhere near sold out....but there were more than 50 there, to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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