kmansdrummin Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I guess you didn't read the whole thread. Allow me to reiterate.That "lost" soprano was recently recovering from brain surgery. When you know the background and realize that it is an absolute triumph for this man to have even marched with us, you really might cry more than laugh. And so it was for a number of us in the KAC, that is, overcoming tremendous odds to march one last time. You did hear about the snare that nearly severed his hand with a circular saw just a couple of months before the show--and marched? Or the guard member that beat cancer in order to march? Please, don't get me wrong. I was very appreciative of the KAC even being included at all. However, there was absolutely zero editing for the performance (I'm an editor, so am more sensitive about this). It really should have been done! If the same time was allotted, a better sampling of the show should have been shown: a chunk of the "Jethro" drum solo where death defying stick tosses are made, the Color Presentation's "Johhny Comes Marching Home" company front that comes out of nowhere and perhaps some of the screamin' solos in "Mambo" in exchange for the slower parts of the opener and closer. What was shown was the same one as on the live feed. The show was simply repeated for the "Countdown" show with the entire middle of the show gone AWOL. And also unfortunately, what should have been cut out (that glaring error made by a man who just escaped death) was not done for the countdown. There were numerous camera angles that could've been substituted. In film and video editing, the goal is to protect the actors and players by cutting out the bad and leaving the good. I hope DCI shows more care for the Cavies and all performing alumni corps shown on a DCI broadcast or recording in the future. An organization's history (be it a drum corps or DCI) should always be preserved in the best light. If you want to have an excellent keepsake of the KAC's performance, get the DVD at xkingsmen.com. Editing was done in that case. (the above is my opinion, not that of the KAC) Thanks Kevin. We in the Tenor Line also had someone who defied the odds. We had one player who had a few back surgeries and even brought his own "Traction Device" to use during DCI camp. All for the love of the corps. While DCI may think they did us a favor in showing what they did, I wish they would have put some thought into what they were doing. IMO, it was a simple "cut and paste" job. Quick and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale Lofgren Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 I saw The Countdown in Huntington Beach. It was a small crowd in a nice theater with the volume at just the right level. I drug my wife and 14 year old son to see their Pops on the big screen in powder blue. Being an old drummer, I really enjoyed the 2007 BD drum solo. My knees hurt just watching the snares' body work. The previews of the coming season were great. Again, the BD snareline looked strong. I love the Blue Stars comeback story. The Candide teaser was great (being a fan of the '74 SCV show where SCV played Candide as their concert). It was exciting for me to see the Kingsmen Alumni Corps at the end. As a snare, I would have loved to have seen one of the two KAC drum solos but, "Oh well...". It was an honor, pleasure and treat just to be on the screen. Surreal actually. The whole KAC experience was dreamlike. I could write volumes. For me, when we took the field last summer some 31 years after my age out year, it was very familiar, comfortable and a hype. My only regret was that after two years of pretty intense effort, I could only get to approximately 50% of what I had been as a DCI performer in the mid-seventies. We so much wanted to represent what the Kingsmen had been in an accurate and favorable light as a living history lesson of sorts. In the competitive years, the Kingsmen were very intense. People would watch in awe and appeared to be somewhat intimidated as we had this air of being unapproachable. The response to the KAC struck me as being very different. The audiences were affectionate and we seemed to be very approachable after shows. It was like the love one has for a favorite older relative and you have just learned something previously unknown and delightful about their youth. Case in point, current DCI members may have heard about marching timps before; but, to see five real live timps marching across the field was close to unbelievable. For me, the best part of the Rose Bowl show was seeing the faces of the uniformed DCI junior corps members as they watched the show. Overall, they appeared to be really into it. The delight showed in their expressions. It was as if there was this connection of sharing the same field under the same lights the same night. They were seeing their future in us and we saw our past in them while at the same time we saw the future in them and they saw their past in us. I wish for them all that they will have an alumni experience down the road. It really helped to connect many of us old timers back to the activity and to DCI. I also again knew all about the current sticks, practice pads, percussion companies, harnesses and related equipment and drum heads. The next night at finals, I got to watch all of the top 12 junior corps compete on the same field that we had been on the day before. I watched in amazement at the physical demands necessary to perform their shows and had a whole new appreciation of the activity! I saw my Goddaughter perform with SCV and knew that the activity was in good hands. Kudos to our predecessor DCI alumni corps. 27th was the inspiration that proved that it could be done. Seeing the YouTube video of Madison's alumni snareline warming up in 2006 playing their drum solo clean set a bar of performance level that we did not want to fall short of. And, I am looking forward to seeing the Cavies next summer with snare straps no less. The hardest part of the KAC was learning to carry a snare on a harness. I still much prefer to wear the drum with a strap so that the drum is connected to and moves with one's body. I am glad that the Cavies will have that experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiodave Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 (edited) If Dennis says "from start to finish" one more time... Right! I think 5 out of 6 shows really worked from start to finish. from front to back... I wonder if Dennis noticed when he was in the theater watching the show. I wonder if he said the Countdown show worked from start to finish! Edited May 3, 2008 by audiodave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 One thing I was really curious about was how the Countdown was listed on the showings board in the lobby of the theater to which I went. The board listed all the ratings for each of the films being shown and after the name of the Countdown, it listed the DCI show as "PG." Okay, what's "PG" about what we do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baristeve Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 One thing I was really curious about was how the Countdown was listed on the showings board in the lobby of the theater to which I went. The board listed all the ratings for each of the films being shown and after the name of the Countdown, it listed the DCI show as "PG."Okay, what's "PG" about what we do? it's because we're not cartoons..... and bloo 07 definitely had a strip scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellodramatic Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 it's because we're not cartoons..... and bloo 07 definitely had a strip scene. ^^ this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolf1 Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 ..........I watched in amazement at the physical demands necessary to perform their shows and had a whole new appreciation of the activity! ........... you took the words right out of my mouth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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